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Do Calvinists Distort the Gospel?
- Thread starter thatbrian
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Pastor_Bob
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According to Paul, the gospel is:
I Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
I think both sides of the isle would agree on this.
Seemingly, the difference within the "two sides" is not that the Gospel is different, per se, but how one views the act of Regeneration and their perspective AFTER one is justified. Both sides look BACK at what God has done. The question is probably a Non Sequitur. Just because someone's perspective is different regarding how they view how God effected salvation does not mean the Gospel is different. IMO
I believe the difference once again is found in the phrase;
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Monergists tie into all the scriptures , the covenants, the over-all teaching from type and shadows....Synergists ignore many of these tie in's and simplify down to the historic facts of the gospel presented in a distorted way...
The heart of Calvinism is that while all men MAY come to Christ upon the hearing of the gospel, no man CAN come of his own accord.
Sometimes this perspective causes people to focus on the inability of man rather than the power of God and the Word, and that when you simply share the word of God, it opens peoples hearts and is powerful to save them. Or they will preach about how men can’t come to God instead of preaching Christ. That is not always a problem, but it sure can be. How the gospel works is not the gospel itself.
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Sometimes this perspective causes people to focus on the inability of man rather than the power of God and the Word, and that when you simply share the word of God, it opens peoples hearts and is powerful to save them. Or they will preach about how men can’t come to God instead of preaching Christ. That is not always a problem, but it sure can be. How the gospel works is not the gospel itself.
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Philippians 1:6 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.If you want to get technical. We are all synergists to some degree because "sanctification" is an aspect of the Gospel and are we not "working with God" in the maturation process? Or do we believe in the doctrine of "irresistible growth"?
Philippians 2:13 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are workers with God: you are God's planting, God's building.
Ephesians 4:16 From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love.
Mark 16:20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Reformed, do you cooperate with God in the maturation process?
No.
The point is the that our ongoing obedience to Christ is because of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit is at work making us more like Christ. This is why I avoid synergistic language when talking about sanctification. We cannot brag about anything. We are responsible to obey, but we obey because we are made able to obey.
So you deny the scriptures? This is why it's nearly impossible to have fruitful discussions with some on this board. Yes, we are made able to obey. It is only through Christ by His Holy Spirit are we able to do anything. BUT Christ calls us to abide in HIM. Yes, that demands that we DO something. So, please, spare us the ultra pious statements of "no I don't cooperate at all..."
I will spare you future dialog with me. Will that work?
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I have been a Particular Baptist almost my entire life and have moved in Particular Baptist circles almost my entire life and have never heard anybody preach that en can't come to God. The whole point of the Gospel is to draw people unto Christ!
Progressive sanctification is NOT regeneration. It is the result of regeneration.
Is progress sanctification an aspect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
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