If a Calvinist Preached on the Gospel from your Pulpit

A prime reason many of the new breed of Calvinists annoy me and are being fought against so strongly. Why can't Hank be free to have the position he has? Why do you feel compelled to lock him into a position? Its not your doctrine that offends. Its your desire to force it on everyone that offends.

 

Yes assuming they preached the gospel. I have had a reformed pastor who I never heard preaching repentance and have heard many who have preached a powerful message.

l was converted from one who non reformed, Then I went to churches that I assume we likewise. My wife was saved from an atheist family, during a camp from one of those churches holiday camp. I never heard of Calvin in those days, except some of the younger members mentioning him in my last days there,

At that time I borrowed a book on Calvin from the Evangelical Library, but I can't remember much about it except that Calvin decreed that he should be buried in an unmarked grave so no-one could honour him.

Later when I heard someone preaching that God chose some to be saved, my blood seemed to boil. But I soon realised that was true.

 

This seems to be the case for so many. I started a thread several years ago asking for the Reformed here to share how God had used the preaching of another Reformed in their conversion. You know what the response was!

 

I learned more in one year under a reformed teacher in comparison to the very many years that were basically waisted under teachers not reformed.

 

It's not that you wish all men would assume your doctrinal position instead, right?

BTW, I'm an old breed of Calvinist.

 

You might be old, but you push Calvinism like the new breed. I don't really care if men assume my doctrinal position or not.

 

If you have the truth and do not care if people assume your doctrinal position, you are cruel. If you have the truth and pretend you don't care if others assume it, you are a liar.

 

A liar? I thought that was in violation of the rules?

 

I'm not certain if lying violates the rules here, but I would hope so. We are here seeking truth.

 

And I spoke the truth. In a church setting, I have no desire to change peoples doctrinal positions, so long as they hold a doctrine that is not heretical. We have a few who are in seminary who want to constantly talk about Calvinism. They can be Calvinists if they want. I honestly don't care. just leave the rest of us alone. I don't go to church to debate. One of them is the pastors son. The pastor is not Calvinist. His response to the situation is "Calvinism is trendy. They will eventually get over it."

 

A minister who used to preach at our church some years ago, said he attended a Ministers Fraternal in his town where he said "Brothers, we must get back to Gospel preaching. We have teaching on Sunday Morning, teaching on Sunday Evening and teaching in our midweek meetings. Let's get back to Gospel Preaching" He said that it split the meeting.

Our church is not like that. We are looking for a pastor and have a regular preachers, and if we have a new preacher recommended to us and he doesn't preach the gospel we don't have him again.

 

I have heard of people moving from the unreformed side to the reformed, by not the other was round.

"George Whitefield said, "We are all born Arminians." It is grace that turns us into Calvinists." Spurgeon

 

I disagree with Spurgeon on very little, but on the above he is mistaken. We are all born Pelagians.

 

Spurgeon was quoting George Whitfield, but I suppose he must have agreed with him.

 

Lets take an excursion into truth and see what we find:

1) Justification by faith could mean a boat load of differing doctrines. It is vague to the point of meaninglessness. We are sinners, and therefore unjust in our fallen state, from conception. We were made sinners. Our sinful state is separated from God. In order for a right relationship with God to be established our sin burden (what God holds against us due to our sinful condition) must be removed by the circumcision of Christ. We must undergo the washing of regeneration and be reborn as a new creation. This justification, making us just as if we had not been a sinner, occurs when God and God alone transfers us into Christ. And He chooses to do this when He credits our "faith in the truth" as righteousness. Faith is not works.

2) Sovereignty of God is a buzz phrase with a Calvinist meaning, but also with a very different biblical meaning which states God causes or allows whatsoever comes to pass. Therefore God is not the author of sin.

3) God's attributes (just, loving, good, all powerful, all knowing, present everywhere, etc) are unchanging and unchangeable (immutable) but He does respond according to His conditional covenants, such as if we repent, He will relent.

4) Christ died for all mankind, providing the means of salvation (propitiation) for the whole world. However, only those God chooses through faith in the truth receive the benefit of being reconciled to God.

5) Once a person is actually saved (having been given to (transferred into) Christ, he or she shall never be cast out, thus being saved and indwelt forever.

If the above gospel is not preached, perhaps the gospel is not being preached.