Michael Wrenn:
I understand that other people have views opposite of mine. I know how easy that is because I have been on the opposite side of where I am now. I praise God for giving me the understanding that He has.
I find the Sovereignity of God taught on about every page of scripture and do not see how I could have missed it all these years.
I have been in a Southern Baptist Church for years, until about two years ago, when I decided that altar calls and so forth seem to have little effect on the person that walks up and says they "accept Jesus as Saviour."
I love the people in the SBC. However, I do think DOCTRINE matters, and like you, I have studied all the church "fathers" and the history of the church from the beginning. What has become known as the 5 points of Calvin predates Calvin by centuries. For one, the whole concept is taught by Paul and Jesus. Luther was stronger on the subject that Calvin was.
I look at it this way:
Either salvation is from God Alone or it is not. If it is from God Alone, which of course I believe, then man can contribute nothing to gain his salvation. Hence the concept of grace alone, faith alone, scripture alone etc.
If man does contribute to his own salvation, just what does he contribute and why. If ALL people are offered salvation on an equal basis, why do some accept and others do not" Do those who accept, have a reason to boast. Look, bubby, we were both offered salvation and I, ALL BY MYSELF, accepted Jesus and you didn't. Wow, look at me and WHAT I DID.
Don't you see how silly that whole concept is? If our salvation depended on what we did, then N
NE would be saved. Talk about a limited atonement.
If our salvation depended on our "free choice" then the death of Jesus on the Cross was very limited in effect indeed. We would have the God-dishonoring reality that God cannot do what He set out to do. We would have an disappointed and defeated savior, a ineffective Holy Spirit, and a God who could not do what He said he was going to do. That is impossible!!!!!
How in the world can the plan of a Sovereign God of the universe depend on what a fallen, depraved, finite, lost, God-hating sinner decide to do. You have to defend the position that God has said I will send my SON to DIE and provide an atonement for all your gross, God-hating sins. Of course, it is up to you to make my plan effective. It's your choice. Really, now, if you take that position then it is possible that no one would have "chosen" to be saved and Jesus would have died in vain. It seems absurd to me that God could be defeated by the decisions of fallen creatures.
One writer said the views I hold are from the pits of hell. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. No one every said preaching the pure gospel would be easy. In fact, the closer one gets to the pure gospel, the more hatred and oppostion one receives. Man hates to be told that they HAVE NOTHING to do with their salvation. That's why all the other religions of the world have a system of working for salvation, being on the "spiritual path," acheiving your own salvation. That's human nature. But Chritianity is totally different. Before we are regenerated, born again, we are DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SIN, and can do no more toward our salvation than a dead man in a casket can jump out of the casket and start dancing. It all of God, thank God.
I don't expect many to agree with me because the gospel has been rejected by the vast majority of mankind and by the vast majority of church goers down through the centuries. It is really difficult for people to understand the terrible results of the fall, their totally helpless condition before the Thrice Holy God, their absolute utter DEPENDENCE on the grace of God for their salvation. It is not that man is sick, or leaning to the right or to the left, or thinking about whether to "accept" salvation or to "reject" salvation. No, it is much more dire than that. Man, before the miracle of grace regenerates him, CANNOT come to God, or WANT to come to God, or CARE ANYTHING about God. In fact, they want to continue along just like they are doing. Being the captain of their ship, being "free", expressing their individuality, doing their own thing. Of course history shows the result of how free man is. He is in such total bondage to sin that he thinks he is totally free and can make a choice on whether to accept or reject the eternal plans of God. I find that absurd.
I thank God every day for His Sovereignity, for His free gift of grace, faith, salvation, justification, and thank Him for being in control, instead of me, a fallen sinner that can do NOTHING to save himself.
James2
