What Is A Biblicist?

I have always heard folks refer to themselves as "Biblicist" when they did not want to attach a label to themselves such as Calvinist or Arminian.

At some points, I think that is a good thing and agree with the term Biblicist. But at times, some people I think use it as a cop out for not wanting to take a stand on a certain issue.

 

I call my self a Biblicist because I don't fully agree with C or A. Most people in our church have never heard those terms and wouldn't know what TULIP meant.

I believe in Free Will and OSAS. I think that should disqualify me from being C or A.

 

I agree, I don't fully agree with C or A and also believe in Free Will and OSAS. I guess I would be a Biblicist.

 

Technically, Calvinists believe in free will. It's just that the unregenerate, by definition, has no will to come to Christ. Therefore he is free to do what he is inclined to do, which is to live apart from Christ.

 

Yes Jim, but they believe God chose him to perish. Pre-ordained him to hell, as it were.

 

After being saved a good number of years ago, I got right into fundamental churches. That was a good thing, and I don't regret it.

But, they dwelt on Dispensationalism, which is fine, but heavily implied or actually taught that anyone who is not a Disprnsationalist is not a bible-believing person. For years I thought that non-Dispensationalists were liberals, and that their salvation was questionable. Such teaching permeates not only churches, but Bible colleges and semitaries.

Now I have come to highly resent the attitudes of otherwise good men who taught such a wrong idea...not Dispensationalism itself, but the twisted and biased presentataion that made all others look like they were not serious Christians.

For that reason, I would be very cautious about using the term "biblicist" in the context of ideas on which genuine, bible-believing Christians differ.

 

Yes, they do. But my point is that within their system even those people have free will. It sounds like it doesn't make sense, but if you look at it from their perspective there is logic to it.

I'm not taking sides here on the free-will issue, just trying to fairly point out that many Calvinists will tell you, with merit, that their system does include free will.

 

From "What's In A Name?" by Dr, George Houghton
http://www.faith.edu/seminary/faithpulpit/1993/december1993.htm

Dr. George here specifically is referring to using or dropping the name "Baptist." But the other labels that Dr. Bauder mentions are also carry with them the means to attract, repel, and define. When we fail to take a label, do we not, on one level, fail to take an identifiable stand?

 

I think that Bauder's statement was a good one. Many do hide behind the term biblicist, out of fear usually because of what others might think if they openly aknowledge their beliefs. In most IFB circles if you say you believe in unconditional election because its biblical, then you are automatically labeled a Calvanist as if this is some sort of hex.

I have found that many IFB pastors lean more towards a Calvanistic theology than they are willing to admit. Some dance around the tulips to avoid a lable that is taboo so they call themselves a biblicist. The same would go for thoes that lean towards Arminian theology as well.

It is here that I think that Bauder's point is to be taken. As fundamentalists we must not be afraid to state what we believe, and do so "charitbly" as he said.

 

No not all Calvinists believe this. They come in differnt flavors just like anybody else.

 

Biblicist. My definition would go something like this; Biblicist, one who takes the Bible as God's word over any denominational or theoligical view.If there is a difference between church doctrine or theology and the Bible ,it is the church that must make the adjustment not God's written Word. Let God be true and all men liars.

 

Come on Diane ... YOu have been around long enough to know that most Calvinist do not believe this. They believe that God simply passed over him. They are not double predestinationists. You know better ...

To answer the question, Biblicist is a copout, plain and simple. It is an attempt to prejudice the issue by insinuating that those whose labels you rejedct are not biblicist. But the truth is that Calvinists and Arminians both claim the Bible. Biblicist, therefore, means nothing useful.

Get off the fence ... Either you beleive God elected individuals without respect for anything excep[t his own purposes (Calvinist) or you don't (Arminian).

In other areas, biblicist is equally useless. Everyone claims to believe the Bible. Let's dispense with the term and just say what we are.

 

While a nice sounding term in itself, Biblicist lacks the clarity, specificity, and general recogniction to make it useful.

 

It's not as black and white as being either Calvinist or Aminian. I believe there are both good and bad points from both circles, but I don't believe either is 100% correct in their doctrine.

I believe that it's God's will for all to be saved, but that one must repent and turn from their sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ to recieve salvation, if they choose not to, then they reject God.

I also believe that if a person truly repents and turns from their sin and puts the faith in Jesus Christ, making Him Lord of their life, then they recieve the Holy Spirit and become a Christian and there is nothing that anyone can do to take that salvation away from them. If someone makes a profession of faith, but never truly repents and continues to live their own life, they can't loose their salvation, they never had it to begin with.

God's foreknowledge is too hard for the human mind to even start to comprehend, God knows who will and won't get saved, but that doesn't take away their free will to reject him.

I believe that God knew Adam and Eve were going to sin, but they didn't have to, because God knew what would have happend if they choose not to sin. As I said, some things about God were never meant to be fully understood by our tiny human minds.

 

I agree with JGrubbs. Neither is 100% in line with what I believe the Bible says. There's more than 2 sets of beliefs. I don't understand why some Calvinists insists otherwise.

My salvation does not depend on following mere man.

 

Honest Answer that everyone should be able to arrive at: Where I Am Right Now!

 

I can honestly answer that because I'd never heard of either camp until I began reading here! I'm STILL neither C nor A. I contend that one is not a 3 point, 4 point ....... if you don't support ALL of either camp, you're neither. I took someone's Are You a Calvinist type poll a few weeks ago and agreed with 3 of the points but not what I consider to be Calvin's biggest point.