Originally posted by Brother Bill:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Frogman:
If your questions are answered satisfactorily, then why reluctantly submit to them?
I'm sure as an Arminian you don't believe you reluctantly submitted to beleive in Christ. Nor when you beleived the truth of the Doctrines of Grace could you have said you reluctantly submitted.
The Bible teaches that God changes the will of man, then is man able to see the truth in the light of the Gospel. There is no reluctance to the regenerated heart. There is no violence done either.
Dallas, please understand that I speaking "tougue in cheek" because I've been searching for answers to these questions for a long time and I haven't been able to find any, I doubt I will.
But look back at some of the testimonies on this board many Calvinists testify to coming to these doctrines "reluctantly" or "kicking and screaming" to be more specific. Why? They are difficult to swallow. A truely objective Calvinist admits that. And for me to submit myself to a teaching that paints God into the light of Calvinism once again is going to have to be no less than a work of God and I'm sure I will be reluctant.
But, Dallas, its the scripture that going to convince me of what doctrine I submit to. I cannot submit to an inconsistant doctrine like Calvinism. I'm not saying parts of Arminianism isn't inconsistant too, which is why I don't like the term "Arminian." The fact is I'm not a "5 pointer" primarily because of the "T" in Tulip is not consistant nor is it supported by the scripture. I know many of you disagree but the truth is none of you can answer the questions that I have concerning hardening. Just about the time in the debate that we are getting to the meat of the text the Calvinists bail. (Please don't make me repost the examples, I don't want to offend them any more than I already have. And I will say that Scott has hung with me so far but still hasn't given me any real meat on his view of hardening, to his credit he did say that he was still studing up on the matter. As did you Dallas when you said you were studing up on the Israelites being provoked to envy. I respect that.) </font>[/QUOTE]I take the 'kicking' and 'screaming' as meaning the natural inclination to accept the doctrines taught in "Calvinism" is strong.
I agree and respect you for your words concerning the need of scripture to convince you, but sometimes you sound as one desiring to be accepted, even with doubtful disputations--to paraphrase.
I enjoy your presence here and admit you have raised some issues for my thought, but you have not shaken the foundation of scripture in my view.
I am still studying the issue of being "provoked" unto salvation.
As everyone else I am so busy I have not been able to give the attention needed to the topic and I am sure you agree with me that I should not answer in haste nor deal lightly with the topic.
I enjoy discussion of the Scriptures and the doctrine found in them. Sometimes I may seem as a smart alleck (spelling???), I don't mean to be, if I did not enjoy these discussions there is not one here who has twisted my arm to prevent my leaving the board.
I have not had any formal "Bible" education, though I don't consider myself uneducated. I have a long experience in studying the word of God and this experience has episodes in it where men, but never God, discouraged me.
I respect anyone who knows what they believe and is willing to stand on that belief. What I don't respect is someone who will easily fold under every new teaching presented to them simply because the argument is: 1. from scripture, 2. logical, 3. and seems to have no flaws.
Scripture tells us Lucifer is wiser than Daniel. In this capacity he is much more wiser than I am. From what little I have read of Arminianism this system accepted the depravity of man. It is the free-will of man that is more incorrect, then, in my view, because it is a ploy by satan to deceive individuals into thinking they have a choice in the matter. Being born again is provided to show to us we have as much to do with this second birth as we had with our first.
In natural birth, as many, if not all of you know, is something that occurs because of conception. Then it follows the 'born again' is something that occurs because of conception, and thus it cannot be thwarted by the will of man, nor the wiles of the Devil.
Nor is this second birth something upon which we are able to enforce an untimely death. (or abortion).
In the end I agree that simply because a man is strong in what he believes and does not waiver is not enough to prove he is founded upon scripture. Nevertheless, we are not given the spirit of bondage, but the Spirit of God which gives us our liberty. If not for the eternal working of God I see men living a life seeking to please themselves and then perhaps accepting Christ at the end or near the end. I don't see this type of work in Scripture. Though I see men struggling against the sin nature and sometimes fallen prey to it, I do not see them successfully struggling against, nor changing the Will and purpose of God.
Bro. Dallas