Originally posted by bjonson:
Need I remind you that the "church" from the 4th century or so until the 1500s was mostly Roman Catholic! Show me any pope who had biblical theology during those dark ages.
Read your history. The men of the reformation rescued the true gospel from Catholicism. Since you feel the theology of the church was pure until the evil John Calvin came along, I wonder if you could tell me which bishop or pope you would have supported? When Rome burned Jon Huss at the stake or strangled Wycliff when he was only 42, were they protecting pure doctrine?
The comments that you posted about the Roman Catholic Church and its Popes is irrelevant to our discussion. As we all know, there were a multitude of Roman Catholic writers actively writing from the 5th through the 16th century who wrote independently of the Pope, and none of these writers give any evidence whatsoever of being aware of the existence of the teachingts known today as the Five Points of Calvinism. And, of course, you have read very many of these writings and you know very well that what I am writing here is the truth.
I never said or suggested that the theology of the Church was pure until John Calvin came along. As you well know, I have posted repeatedly that there were very few doctrines about which the Church had an unanimous view, therefore there was much error taught along with the truth. But that is just the point—there was much error taught
along with the truth. Not one of the Five Points of Calvinism, however, is anywhere to be found. And regarding the doctrine of conditional security, the Church was unanimous in believing that the Bible says that our continued salvation is dependent upon our continued faith, and that many Christians have not continued in the faith and consequently were lost for eternity subsequent to their salvation.
Originally posted by bjonson:
Read your history.
I have studied the history of the interpretation of the Bible throughout the entire history of the Church from many points of view and I have a large collection of the writings of the ancient church to back up what I have said in my posts.
I assume that you also have studied the history of the interpretation of the Bible throughout the entire history of the Church from many points of view and that you have a large collection of the writings of the ancient church to back up what you have said in your posts. Therefore, please quote just one Christian writer who wrote from the time of the close of the New Testament canon up to the beginning of the 16the century that explicitly teaches the doctrine of eternal security.
