Featured Semi Pelagianism

I believe the moon is made of green cheese, but that does not make it true.

Is the bible right or wrong when it say the natural man (the man still in the flesh) CAN'T receive Spiritual thing?

 

Actually you didn't. You may think you did, but if so you think wrong.

You're right. I will not change my mind about the truth of God's word.

Let me ask you a question.

Two lost men are invited to church by a friend. They both hear the same message. One gets saved and the other doesn't. What is the difference?

Was the man who got saved smarter than his friend?

Was the man who got saved more emotionally sensitive than his friend?

Was the man who got saved more spiritual than his friend?

What was it about the man who got saved that was better than the man who didn't?

 

I don't know about a person's circumstances. I guess there could different circumstance for each individual person. And I agree that being unwilling and unable won't change their situation (I'm not sure where you are going with this).

There is no such thing as “unwilling but able”. As we have established – unwilling makes one unable. But yes, “unwilling and unable” can turn into “willing and able”. God simply does not save people while they are still unwilling.

I agree that faith does not come after regeneration. We’ve had long discussions on this board about this before, and the difference is how we define “regeneration”.

If I believe regeneration is that work of God within a person to change them from being unwilling to willing, then I understand the “logical order” of regeneration and then faith. But that’s not what I call regeneration. That’s what I call “the work of God within a person to change them from being unwilling to willing”…..or “drawing” for short. The reason is because Scripture speaks of the cleansing of regeneration, and I believe the “parts” of salvation are interdependent. But this is a discussion for another thread….one we already had.

Bottom line is that no one is unwilling and able because to be able one has to be willing. It is impossible to be unwillingly saved.

 

Let me tell you what happened to me, and perhaps this will explain why I hold a such a view of salvation But first, I will point out that for most of my life I didn't see it this way (I understand your objections because they were once mine...in fact, if it helps keep us on civil terms I'll offer this - I still reject Calvinism as you define it).

But here's my story -

I was lost. When I wanted salvation I wanted it on my terms. I was unwilling to repent of my ways and turn to God for deliverance. But God worked in me through several people I met. Through this, God changed my will. The reason I believe that man is unable to be saved while he is unwilling is that this was my experience. God did not save me while I was still turned against Him in my will. He did not drag me across the threshold while I was kicking and screaming for Hell. What God did was make me willing. He changed me, and saved a willing who looked to Him for salvation and called out to be saved.

When I look back at my life before I was saved (I was saved at a young age, but I can still recall the change) I have absolutely no doubt that because I was unwilling to repent, I was unable to be saved. I had to turn to God, but this had to be of my will. And it wasn’t of my will until God changed it completely.

It was not that God brought me to the point of decision, but that God brought me to that point after He had already worked to change my will, to make me face Him, and then I made the only choice that there was to make. I followed my will.

 

I was saved an Arminian/Semi-Pelagian. I believed God cast a vote, the Devil cast a vote, and I cast a vote. As God always voted "Heaven" and the Devil always voted "Hell" I had the deciding vote.

But I had a lot of doubts. I constantly wondered if I believed enough, or repented enough, or prayed the right prayer, or was sincere enough, or striving against sin enough."

My pastor preached "Calvinism bad." "Calvinism awful." "Calvinism terrible." But he recommended I read "Lectures to My Students" by Charles Spurgeon who, I discovered, was a Particular Baptist believing all 5 points of TULIP.

Then I went to Seminary. One of my professors was a Particular Baptist, believing in Particular Redemption (the Doctrines of Grace).

I listened to what he had to say and reluctantly came to understand that 3 of the 5 points of TULIP were correct, but I just couldn't accept Unconditional Election or Limited Atonement.

I believed Election was based on God's foreknowledge. He looked down the corridor of time and saw that one day I would believe so He elected me on that basis.

Then I learned to read Greek and came to realize the word translated "foreknew" was the word "foreordained." After more study I came to understand that election was not based on me, but on the "good pleasure of His will."

I also noticed if God had to look down the corridor of time to see that one day I would believe, He learned something. And if He learned something he was not Omniscient before, so He changed, even though He said "I change not." So, if He did that He was not really God as He lacked at least two of the attributes of God, Omniscience and Truthfulness.

So I reluctantly accepted an additional point.

But I still wasn't a (dirty word) 5 pointer.

Then a dear and godly friend asked me if I thought everybody, including the devil and his demons, would be saved. I said "No way!" He then said, "So you do believe in limited atonement! You limit it to humans, you exclude the devil and his demons." "Well, yes, but that's all," I said.

Then he said, "So you believe every person who ever lived and ever will live will be saved?" "No! No! Only those who believe and accept Christ as Savior!" Then he said "So you limit the atonement to believers only." "Uh, well, yes!"

Then he asked me the question I asked above. Two friends, etc.

I could not honestly answer that question. The difference was not that I was better than him in any way. The difference was in God's hands.

And I found myself to be a dreaded "5 Pointer."

And all my doubts vanished away. I told my friend so and he said, "Well of course! It was never about you and what you did. It was about God and what He did for you? Your problem was you just needed glasses. You had "I" trouble!"

 

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