Calvinism is the Gospel

JonC,

it did not happen in a conventional way so I do not often speak about it.
I bought a bible to find the errors and contradictions in it. [a three dollar hardcover from a second-hand store} I had never read a bible and was completely biblically illiterate.
I was ashamed I was reading it, did not tell anyone. A nurse was going to move in with me when she finished at mayo Clinic in December. I had just bought my first starter house.
I would read alone each day, got to the genealogies, did not understand what that was about, got bored by priestly laws and rituals, and had no understanding. I knew about the creation, fall, flood, but stopped reading there.
In a few days I picked it back up and opened it randomly and found the gospels which i knew a few of the stories.
I did not know anything, I did not know what the chapter and verse numbers meant. I did not know what it meant Old Covenant, New Covenant....nothing.

Long story short/ after about 4 months I was intensely convicted about a few verses which I did not have full understanding of at that time, but I got the main idea...
Lk12:
2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

I was alone in my small living room but was totally convicted of my guilt and sin. Did not know how to pray, but recalled this;
mk10:
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

I asked God to have mercy on me and forgive my sins.
After that, the verses seemed to jump off the page.

I was not looking for God, but looking to resist, That is how i am certain Salvation is of the Lord.
The girl said she would not move in with me, no one was going to tell her about God, lost some college friends, had cults come around trying to steal the word like the fowls of the air.

I never "accepted it". I did not know it existed for the first part of my Christian life.
What I did do was start using a yellow highlighter and underling every verse that was similar to Eph1:3-14....like here;
Titus1;
Titus 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
1thess2.
12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

I had legal pads filled with such verses and underlined by Scofield bible...
The Conservative Baptist church was very basic, at least the Pastor did preach repentance.
Like this;
http://baptiststudiesonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/declaration-of-faith-cba.pdf


The men would study Gene Getz on the measure of a man, or some such title. There was some learning and growth, before the friction took place...lol

 

[/QUOTE]

okay...that is a solid working explanation of it.
Now notice, he goes outside of the historical details listed in 1cor15:1-4

In the same exact way, my contention is...Calvinism
[correctly understood, preached and taught} is of necessity , the Gospel summed up from all 66 books, not just 1 cor15, the four spiritual flaws, or the romans road.

It is not just the bare five points without explanation.
I referenced Spurgeon and he said the same thing, he could not dream of preaching the cross without particular redemption at the heart of it. Not one of the other virews makes any reference to the Covenant keeping God...doing just that in the Covenant of Redemption.
Not one of the non cals has ever in ten years on here did such, or offered edifying teaching on such matters.
If any non Cal feels they have done so, post the link, or links, I do not recall it
Most of those Cals who did have been chased off, or have gotten frustrated with the juvenile antics day after day.

Where is Rippon, Archangel, Biblicist, SG, P4T, Luke 24, Bosley, Greek Tim, Reformed Baptist,and several others?

Calvinism as a teaching, Calvinists in general search it out in detail.
The others, for the most part, talk a big game but post very little helpful or edifying.

 

agedman,

I believe of necessity everyone who is a true believer is a Calvinist.
Some struggle with this point or that point.
many godly people in church history did not hold all 5 in full.
JC Ryle struggled with the L for example.
he did not dismiss it in full, but could not come to a settled position.
That being said, his works on Holiness and Practical Religion set a high standard that any believer would profit from.
I do not worry about it, but try and remove obstacles when a person is searching. Some search on here, but most are in attack mode against the truth which I know as Calvinism.
I believe once each piece falls into place, there is no turning back, just a desire to learn more and communicate it to others.

Now we have substantial agreement here in the highlighted portions.. We could go to a nursing home, or prison and present the gospel in a close enough fashion that people who are not believers would not detect the difference.
​

 

JonC,

I do not agree with you here at all.
Have people studied these ideas, yes they have.
Have they studied the scriptures in detail? No, I do not believe so.
What I am saying is this.....when clear teaching is offered,ie, Jn 3;15,16 speaks of every believing one...it is not disputable, then people see it and discount it, insist on whosoever will being in the passage, that is not studying it out in detail, but is in fact a turning from the truth
There is no easy way to say this...they are denying the truth. Every theory that comes down the pike, does not displace truth clearly revealed which I see Calvinism pure and simple.

You continue to speak in terms of Theory....this theory , penal substitution theory, Christus-Victor....
then you lump Calvinism in, along with speaking against penal substitutionary atonement which is at the heart of the gospel.
You are welcome to believe what you want, but in case you have not noticed martin marprelate{aka Steve Owen, and Biblicist } have in times past and even times present in other places totally answered anything you have offered.
In fact we know what happened 11 months ago, but i will not dwell on it, but mention it, as we both know what happened that night.
Now no one stopped you from believing what you do. No one called you names, , edited or banned you, they just answered you scripturally. You went after them, they responded very intensely but biblically.
On one or two areas, i challenged Biblicist and he was up to the task, and offered me correction, and in several places, i think he has helped me. I do not see any who offer correction as an enemy.

Some on here show themselves as enemies, mostly opposing themselves however.
I do not believe in censorship, which you claimed i was being hypocritical when questioning a post if it was according to the rules.
it was quite a stretch to infer that don't you think?
Those are the kind of actions that get noticed and raise the temperature, not the subject of this OP>

Do you think this goes both ways?
can a moderator do the same thing, especially if he does double duty as a poster, and then all of a sudden put his moderator hat on?

The posts get heated up, but sometimes you have to let it flow and let posters express what they want, even if you find it distasteful.
I think many examples can be found every day of the others going on the attack.

I believe truth will win out, if it goes forth on equal footing.
Not for each person, but for those who are seeking truth.

 

I was just responding to things you have said, and speaking plainly to you. As soon as I do you get accusative and defensive. Listen, i have no need to speak plainly to you so i will just deal with others. Do not ask me questions if you do not want an honest answer.

You say this;

I do not claim anything. I know what i am talking about, because they have communicated with me. nevermind. Do not ask me anything if you do not want a straight answer.