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The route to Calvinism

dwmoeller1

New Member
I have found that Calvinism does not kill evangelism. It makes for sane evangelism.

Hear! Hear! :) Its so nice to know that I am not responble for another's soul - I am responsible only to obey the Spirit. The latter is 'problem' enough sometimes (dang flesh! how I look forward to the glorification) without adding on the pressure of the former.
 

Martin

Active Member
amity said:
But I still don't think of myself as a Calvinist. Just a predestinarian. It is hard to reconcile being a baptist with being a "Calvinist."

==If you read Baptist history you will see that it is not hard. Baptist and Calvinism have a long history together.
 

amity

New Member
dwmoeller1 said:
Spurgeon didn't seem to have that difficulty :)
Only if you limit Calvinism to a particular formulation of soteriology. There is more to Calvin's teachings than that. And even if limited to soteriology I doubt most Calvinistic Baptists would agree entirely with Calvin.

I agree that Baptists and Calvinists do have a very long history together, BTW. But I am very reluctant to describe my beliefs as "Calvinist." I just say "predestinarian" and let the chips fall where they may. Though similar, there are too many points of difference.
 
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Jarthur001

Active Member
The route to Calvinism, is Bible study. In fact one can not be a Calvinist without Bible study. It is very easy to be a free-willer. No Bible study is needed to be a free-willer.
 
Jarthur001 said:
The route to Calvinism, is Bible study. In fact one can not be a Calvinist without Bible study. It is very easy to be a free-willer. No Bible study is needed to be a free-willer.

Awww... now J. You just had to come along and start trouble huh? :laugh:
The free willers are gonna be mad at you bout that one. lol
And this thread was so uplifting. :praying:
 

webdog

Active Member
Site Supporter
I think James is just trying to bait us into this thread.

This is y'all's party...have fun :)
 

Allan

Active Member
Jarthur001 said:
The route to Calvinism, is Bible study. In fact one can not be a Calvinist without Bible study. It is very easy to be a free-willer. No Bible study is needed to be a free-willer.
That is not accurate brother James.

I did know some Calvinists who are new to the faith (new believers) that claimed to be Calvinists and didn't know much more than that.

I also knew some in College at SouthEastern in Wake Forest that called them selves Calvinists but didn't understand much of their own beliefs. It was were I first got my (mis)information concerning certain things regarding the Calvinistic doctrine from actual Calvinists. They (2 guys) came to the Lord in a Reformed church just after graduation and a couple of months later decided to go to college to further their understanding. I didn't meet them until the later end of the Fall semester at an outreach we were doing to a certain outlying town but I think if you would have met them THEN you would probably took a wet noodle after them (as my wife would say). I'm sure they are more established now but not then in their understanding because they did not do much BIBLE study regarding it.

Those are just examples but sufice to show that one can be a Calvinist without study too. One can be anything (even a Calvinist) without any study however one can not speak biblically of their position without any true study to be able to withstand refuation from anyone.

It would (I think) be better to say that one may go in either direction through study since this is the case both currently and historically.

The immutable truths of scripture do not change even if we vew the mechanics of those truths differently.
 
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Allan

Active Member
reformedbeliever said:
Awww... now J. You just had to come along and start trouble huh? :laugh:
The free willers are gonna be mad at you bout that one. lol
And this thread was so uplifting. :praying:
Not mad, just...corrective :laugh: :wavey:

You crack me up Reformed.

But I must say it is an interesting thread.
 
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Allan

Active Member
dwmoeller1 said:
Hear! Hear! :) Its so nice to know that I am not responble for another's soul - I am responsible only to obey the Spirit. The latter is 'problem' enough sometimes (dang flesh! how I look forward to the glorification) without adding on the pressure of the former.
I agree that this aspect has been the cause of great frustration in the churchs that is one of the REASONS many non-cals stop witnessing.

We are not responsible to 'win' anyone but ARE responsible to obey the commands of our Lord.

We cast forth the seed, we can even nurish that through watering of the word but it is and always has been - God that saves.

The whole 'we must save the lost' matra that is ingrained in our churches lost its intial meaning of 'Going and telling', to the 'how many did you save today' mentallity. We know we don't save, but that doesn't stop the phrasology from peircing the heart and wondering...'yeah, why wasn't I able to get more'. Frustration sets in because we try more in the flesh next time rather than more in the Spirits power to do nothing more than obey and we fail even more miserably.
It becomes OUR fault and thus they leave off witnessing thinking someone else is better at it.

I actually learned this after years of evangelizing and then went through the witnessing tool - Share Jesus without Fear. He stated that it is not our job to save so stop trying to. We are called to cast forth the seed and let God do the rest. That set me free and everyone know I show that same principle to. Praise be to God it is not about me.
 

Jarthur001

Active Member
Allan said:
That is not accurate brother James.

I did know some Calvinists who are new to the faith (new believers) that claimed to be Calvinists and didn't know much more than that.

I also knew some in College at SouthEastern in Wake Forest that called them selves Calvinists but didn't understand much of their own beliefs. It was were I first got my (mis)information concerning certain things regarding the Calvinistic doctrine from actual Calvinists. They (2 guys) came to the Lord in a Reformed church just after graduation and a couple of months later decided to go to college to further their understanding. I didn't meet them until the later end of the Fall semester at an outreach we were doing to a certain outlying town but I think if you would have met them THEN you would probably took a wet noodle after them (as my wife would say). I'm sure they are more established now but not then in their understanding because they did not do much BIBLE study regarding it.

Those are just examples but sufice to show that one can be a Calvinist without study too. One can be anything (even a Calvinist) without any study however one can not speak biblically of their position without any true study to be able to withstand refuation from anyone.

It would (I think) be better to say that one may go in either direction through study since this is the case both currently and historically.

The immutable truths of scripture do not change even if we vew the mechanics of those truths differently.

I don't have much of a fight in me tonight Allan, so I'll let you have this one. I got to give ya a easy one every now and then...just to keep ya coming back.

:D :cool:
 

Allan

Active Member
Jarthur001 said:
I don't have much of a fight in me tonight Allan, so I'll let you have this one. I got to give ya a easy one every now and then...just to keep ya coming back.

:D :cool:
It's about time! :laugh:

j/k James. Enjoy your night. :thumbs:
 

Helen

<img src =/Helen2.gif>
Jarthur001 said:
The route to Calvinism, is Bible study. In fact one can not be a Calvinist without Bible study. It is very easy to be a free-willer. No Bible study is needed to be a free-willer.

That's strange.
It was two years of rather intensive Bible study which convinced me Calvinism is wrong.
 

Rippon

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Helen , I thought the OP concerned the background of those who became Calvinists -- not info re free-willers who remain free-willers .
 

Helen

<img src =/Helen2.gif>
Actually, I didn't know anything about either one as distinct doctrines until I was in charge of the West Coast deaf interpreters for R C Sproul. I had heard some of his stuff and liked it and recommended it to my deaf friends and we ended up organizing for him for the deaf community for several years. It was during one of his presentations in San Diego that I first became acquainted with Calvinism. I was stunned at the implications and wanted to find out what the Bible actually said. I was prepared to go either way, depending on the Bible. I spent two years reading the Bible through several times looking specifically for material relating to the doctrines of Calvinism.

When I got done, I was convinced Calvinism was false. So I sort of took umbrage at the post which stated that those who studied the Bible became Calvinists and the implication that 'free willers' did not study the Bible. That is not true.

I'll bow out now. Thank you.
 

johnp.

New Member
Hello dw.

a. I am not seeing how one could reasonable insist that this is referring to THE atonement of Christ for the individual

The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.' "

I'm not sure of your point. The atoning sacrifice of Christ is an atoning sacrifice and none was given for Eli's house. God swore an oath that they, Eli's house, would never have their sins atoned for.


b. It also doesn't establish that the atonement is not universal in application (with some exceptions like above...assuming point a. is even established to begin with).

Then it isn't universal is it? You said you couldn't see limited atonement in scripture, post #6. That's all.

john.
 

John of Japan

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
npetreley said:
Maybe that's why women are forbidden to teach. ;)
Okay, how about a preacher man. Intensive Bible study proved to me also that Calvinism is wrong. Okay, I'll bow out now too. Have fun! :wavey:
 
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