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What happens first?

Scott J

Active Member
Site Supporter
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott J
Do "all" as in each and every individual hear the gospel?

Do you know as fact that they have not? Romans 1 implies that they have.
It does no such thing. The gospel is not revealed in nature. However God is. So every man because of general revelation is guilty of not obeying the law of his conscience (Romans 2).
Quote:

Have all individuals heard the gospel since the ascension?

I believe they have, but that is my belief and not fact. You cannot state truthfully that they have not.
Yes you can. The task of spreading the gospel was given to man. We know for a fact that people lived and died in the Americas before European exploration in ignorance of the gospel.
Quote:
You believe that God reveals Himself to all men?

Romans 1 and John 12 imply "yes".
The context of my question was the gospel or direct revelation.
Quote:
If that is true then why don't all accept Him?

Ahhh...this is the one thing that a calvinst HAS to know, even though there is no way of knowing for certain this side of Heaven.
Not true. The Bible tells us why. Those with a bias against the doctrines of grace simply want to avoid those scriptures because they deny man credit for making a good choice. Man cannot claim any glory according to calvinism... and the Bible.
The honest answer any Christian should give on this question is "I don't know", because we don't. Calvinism THINKS it knows, but it doesn't.
The honest answer is that scripture tells us but it is inconvenient to anti-calvinists. We were born by the will of God... not of man.
Quote:
Acknowledging that all do not... why do any?
Acknowledging what, all have not heard or all do not believe? I won't ever acknowledge the first, but I am in agreement with the second.
All do not. Some believe. They believe for a reason. There is a cause for their belief and despite your protests to the contrary, scripture tells us that it is not man's goodness and that it is God's goodness.
Quote:

What about them separates them from the damned?

Other than faith in Christ? Nothing.
Evading again? Faith in Christ is a decision/act of will. Either that act of will came from within the man... a good decision... a merit that God rewards with salvation or else it comes from God purely through grace.
Quote:

You still need to answer that question. Are they saved by the merit of their choice or by the grace of God?

*sigh* strawman.
*sigh* evasion.

This is a question. Not a straw man. If you have a third or fourth answer, I will gladly consider it as well. The fact remains that salvation is an effect and every effect has a cause. Either God's goodness causes the actions of those who believe or man's goodness... or you have imagined another answer.
 

Timtoolman

New Member
2BHizown said:
"Born, as all of us are by nature, an Arminian, I still believed the old things I had heard continually from the pulpit, and did not see the grace of God. When I was comming to Christ, I thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me...I can recall the very day and hour when first I received those truths in my own soul -- when they were, as John Bunyan says, burnt into my heart as with a hot iron...One week night, when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not thinking much about the preacher's sermon, for I did not believe it. The thought struck me, "How did you come to be a Christian?" I sought the Lord. "But how did you come to seek the Lord?" The truth flashed across my mind in a moment -- I should not have sought tHim unless there had come some previous influence in my mind to make me seek Him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How come I came to read the Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so? Then, in a momment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day; and I desire to make this my constant confession, 'I ascribe my change wholly to God'."

CHARLES SPURGEON, Autobiography

Here is a typical calvinist work. Set up the strawman and tear it down. With blinders on and ears stopped up with the wax of the teachings of calvin.
I know of not one non calvinist who believes it is all of them or even part of them. They give all the glory and honour to God. All ability and power is from God. Spurgeon here is way off base and either being Agitating or just being ignorant.
 
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Timtoolman

New Member
"Not true. The Bible tells us why. Those with a bias against the doctrines of grace simply want to avoid those scriptures because they deny man credit for making a good choice. Man cannot claim any glory according to calvinism... and the Bible."

Scott this statement and many others made on here show that you really are not interested in honest debate. No where is any, notta, no one claiming that man gets credit for salvation. And you might want to listen and take that puffed up chest down a bit. Non Calvinist are not claiming any glory and you cannot prove that they are. You might disagree with the way they are thinking. But to label them with the above is really just stirring up emotions and pride.
 

webdog

Active Member
Site Supporter
It does no such thing. The gospel is not revealed in nature. However God is. So every man because of general revelation is guilty of not obeying the law of his conscience (Romans 2).
I believe the Gospel is revealed in nature, and in any way that God wants it presented. See Revelation 14:6, and Paul's conversion. You may not like the Gospel in the Stars theory, but it is plausible.
Yes you can. The task of spreading the gospel was given to man. We know for a fact that people lived and died in the Americas before European exploration in ignorance of the gospel.
See above answer. You believe that omniscient God has put the ENTIRE responsibility of spreading the Gospel on the shoulders of man? Wow. Man is a means of doing this, but to claim that man is the ONLY way the Gospel is shared holds man up pretty high.
Not true. The Bible tells us why. Those with a bias against the doctrines of grace simply want to avoid those scriptures because they deny man credit for making a good choice. Man cannot claim any glory according to calvinism... and the Bible.
The Bible doesn't tell us why, but the faulty exegesis of reformers THINKS the Bible tells us why. Huge difference.
Evading again? Faith in Christ is a decision/act of will. Either that act of will came from within the man... a good decision... a merit that God rewards with salvation or else it comes from God purely through grace.
I evaded nothing. You asked a simple question, I gave a simple answer. You are starting to get it, I think. Faith IS a decision/act of the will. Everything else you said is true, since God has set it up that way. Who are you to question God in how He works?
This is a question. Not a straw man. If you have a third or fourth answer, I will gladly consider it as well. The fact remains that salvation is an effect and every effect has a cause. Either God's goodness causes the actions of those who believe or man's goodness... or you have imagined another answer.
Again, who are you to question how God works? If He does reward faith from within (that He has given ALL men), so what? Is He not allowed to do that?
 

webdog

Active Member
Site Supporter
Man, is Piper off on this or what...

(Psalm 65:4)
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Faith is the evidence of new birth, not the cause of it." - JOHN PIPER [/FONT]
 

sparkle

New Member
I am a new poster, and I have a very sincere question, directed to those that believe that regeneration is the first step in our salvation. Simply put, are you equating the conviction of the Holy Spirit with regeneration?
 

2BHizown

New Member
'No man can come to Me unless the Holy Spirit draw him.'
The Holy Spirit gives an inner call, creates a hunger for the word and the gospel. God gifts us with faith to believe and repent. This one was overshadowed with God's grace and then given the faith to believe or he could never had made any choice to go to God, but only a bad choice not pleasing to God! The choice for God without a work of the Holy Spirit can definitely happen when an unbeliever hears the gospel, walks an aisle, signs a card, thinking they have by doing so bought 'fire insurance'. Sadly they are professors, not posessors moved by God's Spirit!

Man, is Piper off on this or what
...

Oh no, Piper is right on!!
 

sparkle

New Member
2BHizown said:
'No man can come to Me unless the Holy Spirit draw him.'
The Holy Spirit gives an inner call, creates a hunger for the word and the gospel. God gifts us with faith to believe and repent. This one was overshadowed with God's grace and then given the faith to believe or he could never had made any choice to go to God, but only a bad choice not pleasing to God! The choice for God without a work of the Holy Spirit can definitely happen when an unbeliever hears the gospel, walks an aisle, signs a card, thinking they have by doing so bought 'fire insurance'. Sadly they are professors, not posessors moved by God's Spirit!

Thank you for your reply. Can you please clarify - is the "work of the Holy Spirit" you refer to conviction? I understand conviction to be the work of the Holy Spirit in revealing our sin and need for a Savior. Then, the choice is ours. Is this an accurate view?
 

canadyjd

Well-Known Member
sparkle said:
I am a new poster, and I have a very sincere question, directed to those that believe that regeneration is the first step in our salvation. Simply put, are you equating the conviction of the Holy Spirit with regeneration?

I will speak for myself, and let the sparks fly. I am not equating conviction with regeneration. Regeneration is a fundamental changing of the sin nature of a lost person. A lost person cannot be brought under conviction until Holy Spirit regenerates them because they cannot discern spiritual matters. Once Holy Spirit regenerates them, changes them, they are brought under conviction of the truth of the gospel concerning Jesus Christ and their own estate as a person lost and doomed to hell. Having been regenerated, they are now capable of making that "choice" for Christ, and they respond to what God has revealed to them in repentance and faith, joy and perseverence. And people will make that choice for Christ every time Holy Spirit so changes their nature, without fail.

Although we speak as if there is an "order" of events here, the truth is that it is a simultaneous event (at least for me it was). The whole salvation "event" is a display of God's Grace (which means His unmerited favor). That is, God chose a person for salvation according to the kind intention of His will, based on nothing that person has done or will do in the future. It is all the "unmerited favor" of God, or "Grace".

peace to you:praise:

p.s. DUCK!
 
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webdog

Active Member
Site Supporter
The work of the Holy Spirit works in perfect unison with Christ, and does not precede Him so that Christ can be heard. Drawing and regeneration are not to be confused.
 

Brother Bob

New Member
Some choice!! Calvinist keep saying choice and then take it away. They say you can choice good or evil but because of your sinful nature you cannot do good. What a doctrine to mankind to say the Lord loves you but adios.
 
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Dale-c

Active Member
Some choice!! Calvinist keep saying choice and then take it away. They say you can choice good or evil but because of your sinful nature you cannot do good. What a doctrine to mankind to say the Lord loves you but adios.

You keep calling everyone "Calvanist" but I have never read anything by Calvin.
I simply read the Bible.
Oh, and you wanted to know if the "C" in my screen name stood for calvin, no my name is not Calvin. No relation as far as I know but my last name does start with a C though.
 

sparkle

New Member
webdog said:
The work of the Holy Spirit works in perfect unison with Christ, and does not precede Him so that Christ can be heard. Drawing and regeneration are not to be confused.

Thank you, webdog - am I correct in understanding that you are equating "drawing" with conviction? I hate to beat a dead horse, but I really want to understand this.
 

canadyjd

Well-Known Member
Brother Bob said:
Some choice!! Calvinist keep saying choice and then take it away. They say you can choice good or evil but because of your sinful nature you cannot do good. What a doctrine to mankind to say the Lord loves you but adios.

No, Satan said you could choose good over evil without God when he convinced Eve of the first lie. Sadly, that lie continues to deceive many.

My "doctrine" is not that the LORD says "adios", but that the LORD displayed His great love, compassion and mercy by saying "hello" to those He has chosen, according to His Freewill, regenerating them so they can respond in repentance and faith, and giving them His Spirit as a down payment of the inheritance they have in Heaven.

peace to you:praise:
 

sparkle

New Member
canadyjd said:
A lost person cannot be brought under conviction until Holy Spirit regenerates them because they cannot discern spiritual matters. Once Holy Spirit regenerates them, changes them, they are brought under conviction of the truth of the gospel concerning Jesus Christ and their own estate as a person lost and doomed to hell. Having been regenerated, they are now capable of making that "choice" for Christ, and they respond to what God has revealed to them in repentance and faith, joy and perseverence. And people will make that choice for Christ every time Holy Spirit so changes their nature, without fail.

p.s. DUCK!

Thank you very much canadyjd. I'm having a big problem understanding this. It doesn't seem to be much of a choice when explained this way. I'm truly not trying to be argumentative, just trying to understand.
 

DHK

<b>Moderator</b>
2BHizown said:
'No man can come to Me unless the Holy Spirit draw him.'
The Holy Spirit gives an inner call, creates a hunger for the word and the gospel. God gifts us with faith to believe and repent.
This is Scriptural error. God does not give faith to believe. Where is that in the Bible. Give Scriptural evidence. God may give faith to a Christian but not to an unbeliever. You have a wrong definition of faith.
DHK
 

canadyjd

Well-Known Member
sparkle said:
Thank you very much canadyjd. I'm having a big problem understanding this. It doesn't seem to be much of a choice when explained this way. I'm truly not trying to be argumentative, just trying to understand.

Scripture tells us that the entire world has already chosen to rebel against God's revelation (Rom.1:18+). Every person on the planet has made their choice and it is darkness, not light; it is rebellion, not obedience to God. Every person on the planet deserves hell and God's nature of Love would not be harmed in any way if He put us there.

God, in His mercy, according to His freewill, has chosen for salvation some, but not all. To those He has chosen, He has poured out His Grace as I described earlier.

I thank God he did not leave me in my sins, under the delusion of making "good" choices. God interupted my life, and drew me to Himself. I give Him total credit for my salvation. I would rather be the slave of Christ, irresistably drawn by Holy Spirit to make the "choice" of faith in Jesus, than to remain the master of my own fate which certainly leads to death and hell.

peace to you:praise:
 
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