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What do 5 point Calvinist have to say about this question?

romanbear

New Member
Romanbear's posts are removed until such time as he enables moderator communication unless he would like the moderator to post his response publicly.

[ May 05, 2003, 09:06 PM: Message edited by: Pastor Larry ]
 
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Yelsew

Guest
Originally posted by KenH:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Yelsew:
God equipped us with mental capability to receive His word. He equipped us to be able to reason over the Gospel message. He equipped us with spirit with which to communicate with Him who is spirit.
But you fail to take into account the effect of The Fall in the Garden of Eden. We have already explained to you what happened there.
</font>[/QUOTE]Wrong, KenH, unlike you I read nothing into scriptures regarding the fall. Nothing that God created into man was lost because of sin. The capabilities that God created into Adam, Adam's offspring possess even today. Every human capability that Adam had, we have. God did not alter his creation because man sinned. Man sinned and changed the relationship he had with God. Prove me wrong!
 
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Yelsew

Guest
Our mental capacities have been affected by sin so that the message is foolishness. Our spirit is dead. The spiritual capacity for belief comes from the setting apart of the Spirit.
How is it possible that our mental capacities are effected by sin? Our mental capability is not effected by the content, because one can process information equally well while processing evil as when processing good. So our mental capability is not effected by sin. So how does the message become foolishness? It is because it is contrary to knowledge that we possess from human natural life. The message of an all powerful God sending his only begotten Son to die on the behalf of others doesn't make sense when compared to the knowledge that we possess from natural life where dogs eat dogs.

It is actually the Spirit that quickens man according to Christ (John 6:63). The Spirit works in conjunction with the word.
I agree, but which comes first? The word! If the word was not present, the Spirit would have nothing to work with but a mind bent on evil!
 
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Yelsew

Guest
Originally posted by KenH:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Yelsew:
Prove me wrong!
You have already been proven wrong in this forum but you refuse to believe the truth.
tear.gif
</font>[/QUOTE]No one has proven me wrong! You've only posted your own opinions.
 

Frogman

<img src="http://www.churches.net/churches/fubc/Fr
Yelsew,

Would man have died if he had not have sinned?

Bro. dallas
 

KenH

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by Yelsew:
No one has proven me wrong! You've only posted your own opinions.
In that case, you will never admit this side of Heaven as ever being proven wrong as all any of us can do is post our opinions.
 
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Yelsew

Guest
Originally posted by Frogman:
Yelsew,

Would man have died if he had not have sinned?

Bro. dallas
Did man surely die upon eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil? Not until he achieved 930 years of age. If he had not sinned, would he have lived eternally? How does one determine that? I do not know, and neither do you! All we can do is speculate.
 
I'll answer the original question
Originally posted by romanbear:
Hi everyone;
Do Calvinist Believe that Jehovah's Witnesses are saved? because they study Gods word and believe in Jesus. They even pray in His name.

How about Catholics,or the branch dividians. You may Laugh at my questions but I'm serious. The reason I ask is that you all seem to be convinced that men who seek after God are of the elect weather they know it or not.

These sects or should I say Cults all have men and women in them who diligently seek after truth and God.In fact I have seldom seen any as zealous as the JW's What say you
I'm not a calvinist, but here's my opinion. Pastor Larry is correct in that they are not seeking after the True God, but in a god they have created in their own mind. The fact that they call him by the name Jehovah is not relavent. The Jehovah of the watchtower bears no resembelance to the Jehovah of the Bible.

They actually don't study God's Word. They study the watchtower magezine, and rarely open a Bible. Even when they do, their bible is a perversion of the True Word of God. They have rewritten the Bible to support their false doctrines.

They don't even accept Jesus, as they teach that He was the angel Michael in human form. They also deny the resurrection and attonment.

The Holy Spirit will not lead anybody who is truly seeking Him to a sect which serves a god so different from the True God.

Love in Christ,
Larry
 

Pastor Larry

<b>Moderator</b>
Site Supporter
Originally posted by Yelsew:
How is it possible that our mental capacities are effected by sin?
Because sin affects all of us. That is why it is called "total depravity." Read Rom 1 and Eph 4:17-19, among other passages that show the affect of sin on our mind. For further evidence, ask why Adam could name all the animals in part of one day and we can't remember to pick up milk on the way home from work. I think it is obvious that sin affects our mind.

Our mental capability is not effected by the content, because one can process information equally well while processing evil as when processing good.
Again, you misunderstand. It is not about the ability to process the information propositionally, but about the spiritual understanding of the information. The mind set on the flesh (contrasted with the mind set on teh Spirit--the saved) is unable to have spiritual understanding. Therefore, they cannot please God.

So how does the message become foolishness? It is because it is contrary to knowledge that we possess from human natural life. The message of an all powerful God sending his only begotten Son to die on the behalf of others doesn't make sense when compared to the knowledge that we possess from natural life where dogs eat dogs.
Studying the passage would help here. The message is foolishness because a "crucified Messiah" is a contradiction in terms. Man cannot conceive of a victor who hangs on the cross and does everything necessary for salvation. The world looks and says "That's a dumb way to get to God." But God was pleased through the foolishness of hte message preached to save those who believe.

I agree, but which comes first? The word! If the word was not present, the Spirit would have nothing to work with but a mind bent on evil!
Since the Holy Spirit is God who is eternal, I would say the Holy Spirit came first. In the process of salvation, the word is rejected apart from the Spirit, so while it may come first, it is rejected until God opens the minds of the unbelievers through the work of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 4:3ff; John 6:61; 1 Cor 2:14; etc.). The Holy Spirit doesn't need anything more than a mind bent on evil to work with. He can certainly overcome that. He is omnipotent.
 
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Yelsew

Guest
Originally posted by KenH:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Yelsew:
No one has proven me wrong! You've only posted your own opinions.
In that case, you will never admit this side of Heaven as ever being proven wrong as all any of us can do is post our opinions. </font>[/QUOTE]I have never seen anything you've posted that convinces me that I am wrong, so why are you attempting to shame me for not agreeing with you? I am just as right as you! The Holy Spirit convinces me that what is revealed to me is correct in the light of God's word and in God's creation.
 

Pastor Larry

<b>Moderator</b>
Site Supporter
Originally posted by Yelsew:
I am just as right as you! The Holy Spirit convinces me that what is revealed to me is correct in the light of God's word and in God's creation.
Whatever we might say about the worth of various intepretations, we are not both right. One of us is wrong. The Holy Spirit does not convince of truth. But Satan most certainly does counterfeit the truth. Therefore, we are to test the spirits to see whether they are from God. The test is, and must be, the text of Scripture. So we must have rigid and unbending allegiance to that.
 

KenH

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by Yelsew:
If he had not sinned, would he have lived eternally?
Yes, as it was man's sin that causes man to die. Man would have continually had access to the Tree of Life if Adam had not sinned.
 
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Yelsew

Guest
My faith is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness.

I do not accept your interpretations of the selected scriptures that you use to support your point of view. So you feel compelled to consider me "an unwashed person". Do you not realise that your position is one of preconditioning and relativity? You are preconditioned to receive the words of those who do not agree with you in a certain manner. Kind of like the way that Nicodemus received the words of Jesus.

We may not break this impass, but it does provide interesting discussions so long as one doesn't attempt to lord it over others.
 
Y

Yelsew

Guest
Originally posted by KenH:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Yelsew:
If he had not sinned, would he have lived eternally?
Yes, as it was man's sin that causes man to die. Man would have continually had access to the Tree of Life if Adam had not sinned. </font>[/QUOTE]Suggest you go read the whole story.
 

Frogman

<img src="http://www.churches.net/churches/fubc/Fr
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by KenH:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Yelsew:
If he had not sinned, would he have lived eternally?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, as it was man's sin that causes man to die. Man would have continually had access to the Tree of Life if Adam had not sinned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suggest you go read the whole story
I submit by his writings that he has read the whole story; and he has discovered that if God had left man in the Garden of Eden that by his will,subject to bondage of sin as it was and is, he would have eaten of the tree of life and this is the reason God gives that man is expelled from the Garden, from the presence of the Tree of Life, '...lest he put forth his hand and eat of it...'

It can not be spoken any plainer than this.
Bro. Dallas

[edited for clarity of direction]
[edited again to correct mispaste; sorry brethren, I just came out of a final exam covering Chinese and Japanese history from 1860 to present and I am still addled :eek: ]
 

Frogman

<img src="http://www.churches.net/churches/fubc/Fr
You are welcome, but I was meaning that by Ken's statement he has obviously read the entire passage in question.

While I wouldn't necessarily doubt you are saved, I cannot agree with you that the Holy Spirit teaches a private interpretation of Scripture that is so obviously contrary to His recorded revelation, at least not as often as what you seem to imply from your understanding. Which you have every liberty in this great nation to excercise. However, to agree with you very much one would find themselves in opposition to the very word of God.
God Bless.
Bro. Dallas
 
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Yelsew

Guest
What do you perceive in this matter, that I have said is contrary to Holy Scripture?
 
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