Featured Is Paul Washer a Calvinist?

Turretin;
But neither of these can be affirmed with truth. The first supposition is inadmissible; for how could faith be procured for us conditionally, when it is itself a condition? Although faith is usually represented as a condition required to obtain an interest in Christ, it is also presented as one of the blessings of the new covenant, a blessing which Christ has purchased for us. Thus Christ is to be viewed as having procured for us not only salvation if we believe, but also faith that we may believe. The second supposition is equally without foundation. In the schools of theology, no one ever before heard of procuring something in the way of final cause, and not in the way of meritorious cause or satisfaction. The procuring of salvation and all things connected with it, is founded in the atonement, and in the merits of the person who procures it. If Christ did not procure for us faith in the way of meritorious cause, then he did not merit faith. It cannot be said that Christ, in the way of final cause, procured faith for a limited number. For on the hypothesis of those who make this distinction, there were none elected when God decreed that procurement which Christ was to effect by his death.
Again, either faith was procured in the way of final cause for all those for whom salvation has been procured, or it was not. If the former is said, then because salvation has been procured for all, all will be saved. If the latter is said, then to what purpose — in the way of final cause — has salvation been procured by the atonement, for those who have not also had faith procured, without which they can never be made partakers of that salvation?

Again, faith has been procured either for all in the way of final cause, or for the elect only. If for all, then all shall obtain it, which our opponents do not maintain. If for the elect only, then Christ, in and by his death, must have done more for the elect than for those who were not elected. Yet our opponents declare that in passing the decree that Christ should die — which decree appointed and defined the objects of his death — God respected all men equally. Thus, in whatever light we examine this hypothesis, contradictions and absurdities grow out of it.

Faith has been equally procured for all, but all will not be made partakers of it; or if it has not been procured for all, how vain and delusive is that procuring of salvation which is made only on the condition of faith, which the one who procured the salvation, knew it was morally impossible for the sinner to exercise without special grace; and yet God, who alone can give that grace, has refused to give it! Hence, we arrive at this conclusion: either faith is completely in the power of the natural man, as Pelagius held, or it must have been procured by Christ in the atonement, and in consequence of that, given to us by the Father.

 

I am frankly amazed by this! How do you suppose a Calvinist believes? He hears the word and God opens his heart to receive it with joy. So it was with Spurgeon and so it was with me. 'Thy people shall be willing [or 'volunteers'] in the day of thy power.'

 

You must be a Hyper Calvinist as your views are what is made up in your mind as they are not found in the bible.

 

Under Calvinism the only way that a person can believe is if God gives them faith. But the problem with that is that they can never be sure that their faith is real. They may just think they are saved {re Calvin}. But that is not what the bible says is it. We can know we are saved because of the numerous verses that show a choice has to be made. {Eph 1:13, Rom 10:8-11, Rom 10:13}
But I am sure you will say that I just do not understand Calvinism and that is true. I can not understand how anyone can read scripture and say they are Sola Scriptura and yet not see the clear teaching that we have to believe before we are saved.

Yet the Calvinist view has this:

A man is not saved because he believes in Christ; he believes in Christ because he is saved.”1

“A man is not regenerated because he has first believed in Christ, but he believes in Christ because he has been regenerated.”2

“We do not believe in order to be born again; we are born again that we may believe.”3

“Faith is the evidence of the new birth, not the cause of it.”4

“. . . regeneration is the necessary precondition and efficient cause of faith in Jesus Christ.”5

“the revived [regenerated] heart repents and trusts Christ in saving faith as the only source of justification.”6

1 Lorainne Boettner, Predestination (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1936), 101.

2 Arthur W. Pink, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1978), 55.

3 R. C. Sproul, Chosen By God (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1986), 73.

4 John Piper, Desiring God (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2003), 63.

5 Robert Reymond, New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998), 708.

6 ESV Study Bible, 2531.

 

The Holy Spirit will lead us into understanding the scriptures. I agree no man has all the answers as for myself I don't even have all the questions. What I do know is that salvation is only through faith in Jesus the Christ.

 

He is just giving to what Apostle Paul wrote down as inspired texts to us from God!

 

Everything I posted comes from scripture.
I notice you did not respond to any verse, so could you explain what you are saying?
What is a hyper calvinist?
How do they differ from a regular Calvinist?]
Take any verse, or better still each verse offered and demonstrate what you claim in this post.
If you have uncovered what you believe is a mistake, offer biblical correction.

 

Any of us holding to God alone saves us is to some "hyper calvinist"

 

Believers are called believers, because God has given them a new heart in regeneration, so they Go from unbelief to belief, by God granting them repentance and faith, which they then exercise.Why does this puzzle you?

 

Where does God teach this? One reference? Two?

 

I want SH. To describe what he meant by the term he used

Hello 37,

The teaching is found in many places.
We live in the new covenant spoken of in
Ezekiel 11:19,20. Ezk36:25_27. Jer31:31-34,
Heb.8:10-13,
Psalm :89:26-37.
If I remember correctly you hold on to dispensation al ideas that hinder you from having a view that is more biblically consistent.
I believe you say such things as the new covenant is only for Israel,failing to understand Roman's 11, and eph2.Isa49-66
Jesus is the true Israel, and us in Him.

 

Wow. Galatians 6:16, ". . . peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. . . .". Who are "them?"

 

Hyper-Calvinists deny the “whosoever may come” or “whoever believes” (John 3:16) of the gospel. Now you will say that you do not do that but you also say that the only ones that can come are those pre-chosen / elected by God. I am quite sure you hold to the WCF so you have to deny “whosoever may come” as the WCF states:

Chp 3 Sec 1 “From all eternity and by the completely wise and holy purpose of his own will, God has freely and unchangeably ordained whatever happens.”

Then to make sure we get it right they add:

Chp 3 Sec 3 “In order to manifest his glory God has ordered that some men and angels should be predestined to everlasting life and that others should be foreordained to everlasting death.”


So if Hyper Calvinists deny “whosoever may come” and you hold to WCF then that would lead me to say you are a Hyper Calvinist. Now if you say that you do not agree with what the Hyper Calvinist or the WCF says then what are you? The reality is that you can not be a Calvinist unless your a confused one like PW and a few others I have heard.


I am not trying to slam your faith I am just saying it should be reoriented.

 

Hyper cals believe in eternal Justification , so the Gospel is to be ONLY given forth to the Elect, but we who are not hyper still see the Great Commission in effect!

 

You do realize, don't you, that the WCF is a Presbyterian document and you are on the Baptist Board? You need to quote from the Baptist 1689 Confession which is very similar to the WCF, but differs at certain important points.
You are correct that Hyper-Calvinists deny that 'whosoever will may come' but Calvinists absolutely don't. You appear to be familiar with Spurgeon, so you should know that. Most of the great soul-winners down the years have been Calvinists: William Tyndale, Hugh Latimer, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Asahel Nettleton, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones and countless others.

 

Silverhair

Thank you for responding. I appreciate that you took some time to offer some source material, which tells me you are sincere in searching it out, so I will attempt to address your concerns.

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Did I do that anywhere? I believe what is written here;
15 that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during,

16 for God did so love the world, that His Son -- the only begotten -- He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during.
Calvinists believe this.

Silverhair, This is exactly what Jesus taught in jn 6:37-44...read it slowly;
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

in verse 37, 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;

As Martin helped before, we are baptists. The WCF is a good document, but presbyterian with some differences, I stand by this statement;
Chapter 3: Of God's Decree
1._____ God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.
( Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 6:17; Romans 9:15, 18; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5; Acts 4:27, 28; John 19:11; Numbers 23:19; Ephesians 1:3-5 )
2._____ Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything, because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.
( Acts 15:18; Romans 9:11, 13, 16, 18 )

3._____ By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated, or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice.
( 1 Timothy 5:21; Matthew 25:34; Ephesians 1:5, 6; Romans 9:22, 23; Jude 4 )

4.______These angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.
( 2 Timothy 2:19; John 13:18 )

5._____ Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving him thereunto.
( Ephesians 1:4, 9, 11; Romans 8:30; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; Romans 9:13, 16; Ephesians 2:5, 12 )

6._____ As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so he hath, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto; wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ, by his Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation; neither are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
( 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:9, 10; Romans 8:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:5; John 10:26; John 17:9; John 6:64 )

SH, Do you believe an all-knowing God is not certain about exactly what is going to take place?
Then to make sure we get it right they add:

This is the default condition for all men. Unless rescued they go into the second death.

Paul Washer is not confused at all. All Calvinists believe those things, if they are taught at all.

I would invite you to come at anything I post if you think it is not biblical. I do not have thin skin, and welcome your best objections as we are looking for truth. I am glad to see you are searching also.

 

None of those references explicitly teach regeneration prior to faith. The New Covenant yes.

 

not what you asked, but it all happens at one point in time simultaneously...new heart, repentance, faith, belief, at one point in time. like a light switch going on, death to life.