I’m sitting in a coffee shop waiting on my wife while she shops. She should be back any second so I can’t really respond. But I have a question for you. Did you know our denomination was founded by Calvinists? Did you know that 100 years ago Calvinism was the dominant Southern Baptist view? We lost it as liberalism and other issues rose within the ranks.
I took Baptist History in college ( Southern Baptist University) so I knew of our Calvinist history and it always bothered me. It was one of the reasons I finally decided to study for myself. I had a hard time reconciling what I was hearing from our pulpits with what I knew of our history. I felt like our preachers were bashing our ancestors, often in ignorance. Another thing, I grew up hearing Spurgeon quoted. He too was a Calvinist and a baptist.
Now, it doesn’t matter if mama, daddy, our founders, or Spurgeon believed it, if it doesn’t square with the a Bible I’m not believing it. Alas, once I studied Calvinism, what it really is, not the caricatures and strawmen I had heard from preachers, I was knocked out. It radically changed my life and the lives of my family.
Spurgeon said, “I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines that are called by nickname Calvinism, but which are truly and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus.”
re: “But I have a question for you. Did you know our denomination was founded by Calvinists? Did you know that 100 years ago Calvinism was the dominant Southern Baptist view? We lost it as liberalism and other issues rose within the ranks.”
To be honest, I did not not know, until recently, how Calvinistic our denomination was in its past. I can honestly say that I never heard the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, as enumerated by them, until I was in my teenage years (late 60’s). I also never heard the doctrine of total depravity and the total inability of man, as enumerated by Calvinists, until about 10 years ago.
I have discovered that I am not an Armenian either. My problem with Calvinism, or what some call “hyper-Calvinism”, is that I believe that it ultimately makes God responsible for evil. I cannot get around the idea that God would create people for eternal damnation. I cannot believe that everything I do, good or bad, is all pre-programed by God, that in essence, we are robots. I cannot get my mind around the idea that we have no ability to respond to God’s love and mercy.
Look, we are not going to change each other’s minds about this. We need to focus on serving Christ where He’s placed us and share His love as best we can. I don’t want to argue because that’s all it will accomplish - argument. The reason I even responded to this thread was because of my familiarity with the Southern Baptist Convention.
I’ve only seen dissension, arguing, and churches splitting over Calvinism in the last 15 years. And the sad part of it is that there are sincere, committed Christians on all sides of this issue. Why argue about it? Let’s just get on with reaching the lost. Why argue about how we all get there?
I believe God is sovereign, I believe that He works all things to His purpose. I believe that without His entering human history as God Incarnate in Jesus Christ, His life, death, burial, and resurrection from the dead to redeem us - without that we humans are lost for all eternity. I believe that we cannot, by our own merit or righteous acts, can save ourselves, we cannot remove the guilt of our sin.
I do believe that God has given us the ability to accept Him or reject Him. Adam had a choice, Eve had a choice, we all have a choice. Without free will the Bible, good, evil, love, service, sacrifice of oneself, cowardice - none of those things have any meaning without free will.
I believe when we accept God’s grace offered through Christ, we have nothing to brag or boast about - the salvation offered we could not produce ourselves - that was God’s unmerited mercy toward us. But, I believe that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, not just for a select few and that His mercy is available to all who will receive Him - that God desires that none be lost, He desires that all will come to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ. I believe His Holy Spirit is working in the lives of all people, convicting them of their sin, and that His drawing and call to Himself is available to all - but, we must reject or receive. Therefore none will be without excuse.
I do not believe that there are some infants destined for hell or unborn children killed in the womb destined for hell by God. I just cannot believe that about God’s character.
Ok, that’s all. I didn’t mean to go on and meant to stop about ten paragraphs ago. I vented.
My question to you is, as a Calvinist, how do you KNOW that you are one of His? Maybe you just think you are because after all nothing you do, according to Calvinism, has anything to do with your salvation. Just because you think you believe in God and in His Son, in His offer of salvation - is that what saves you? No, because nothing you think about it has anything to do with your salvation - God alone decides who gets to be in the club - not your thoughts, not your words or what you say - no, it is God’s choice alone.