Posted on 09/02/2004 5:19:24 AM PDT by sheltonmac
Eariler this month John MacArthur was ejected from Bible Broadcasting Network for teaching what they call "Election/Hyper-Calvinism" which they claim has brought much confusion to their listeners. The network asserts that there is no human answer to the sovereignty of God and the "free will of man". Both, they claim, are clear biblical teachings but beyond our human comprehension. Their evidence is to claim that for every verse which says, "God chose" there is one that says, "Whosoever will may come".
While it is universally agreed among Christians that "whosoever will may come" is Scriptural truth, yet this text does not imply that the man without the Spirit has the desire and moral ability to take heed to these words. To clarify what I mean, consider that God holds us responsible to perfectly obey such things as the Ten Commandments ... but we all know that this does not imply that fallen man has the moral capacity to do so. Likewise, we all know that if God left men to their free wills, apart from grace, then there would be no hope for anyone. This is because no one is naturally willing to submit themselves to the humbling terms of the gospel. Leaving people to themselves is actually the greatest judgment which God Himself can, in this present life, inflict upon a man because man cannot save himself (see Rom 1 where God gives people over to what they want). God could, of course, justly judge all of humanity by withholding such grace, but what should amaze us is that, in spite of their rebellious obstinance, He still sets His affection on a vast number that no man may number and brings them to saving faith (but not because they naturally had some moral insight that others did not). BBN's rejection of MacArthur's teaching on God's sovereignty in salvation is based on their dispensational position (soteriologically) which they claim "rightly divides the word of truth". While it is true that MacArthur is also a Dispensationalist with regard to eschatology, he rejects any and all "dispensational" soteriological innovations, holding to classic Reformed (i.e., Calvinistic, not "covenantal") soteriology.
But before BBN goes around calling John MacArthur names such as "hypercalvinist", they should take the time to really learn what the word means. Hypercalvinism is a real danger, I would agree, but MacArthur's teaching is not even close to it. BBN appears to be using the terms "hypercalvinist" and "Calvinist" interchangeably which is a most regrettable historical inaccuracy. (To learn more about hypercalvinism click here). It is an insult to say that those who are teaching that God chooses us, are hypercalvinists since the fact that God saves us by GRACE ALONE, is plainly taught in Scripture. We can contribute nothing to the price of our salvation. In the man-centered theology of the radio network one could consistently pray "thank you God that I made better use of your grace than my neighbor." This is boasting and the reason for much moralistic arrogance among modern-day Christians over unbelievers. We often begin to think God saved us because of something we did better -- and thus something unbelievers didn't have the wherewithal or moral impulse to do (believe) - rather than give glory to God alone for every aspect of who we are. The Text asserts,"By the grace of God I am what I am" In missing this, we make the same mistake of ancient Israel as God's warning in Deut 9 shows:
4 "Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them out before you, 'Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you. 5 "It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 "Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.
God saved us because he was merciful to us. He gave us the new birth unto faith but not because of our faith. God set aside Abraham as His own, not because He saw something good in Him. God set his covenant love on him and promised he and his descendants blessing. The reason was in God Himself (Eph 1, 4, 5). Abraham believed, yes, but even that was by God's graciousness, not because his flesh naturally had more excellent and worthy thoughts about God than his neighbor. Are men and women naturally willing to submit to the humbling terms of the gospel?. Can a person naturally have spiritual understanding apart from a work of the Holy Spirit? Why do some people submit to the gospel and not others? If it isn't because God sovereignly chose some then you must look to the flesh and moral capacity of some over others.
The BBN is obviously woefully confused about grace. Listeners may indeed be confused about MacArthur's teaching about election because, from the start, they have been erroneously taught synergism from their church traditions and their own radio station (rather than Scripture). What a tragedy that they are willing to embrace an inconsistent theology which ultimately brings glory to man. But man, of himself, is not capable by reason or strength alone to produce faith, apart from the grace of regeneration. To assume that man can choose apart from an effectual work of the Holy Spirit in him is to give to much credit to those who do choose God, as if they did it apart from grace. These dispensationalists will answer "but God did give grace." Yeah? Then why do some make use of it and not others?... That is my question.
The dispensational reason for some having faith and not others comes from within man himself. Of course, along with them we agree that the Scripture teaches, "whosoever will may come ..." All Christians believe this. But have they forgotten, men love darkness and hate the light and WILL NOT COME INTO THE LIGHT (John 3:19, 20). That means man's affections are for the darkness. He does not naturally love God and does not understand spiritual things without illumination, spiritual eyes and circumcised ears (1 Cor 2:14). Jesus said the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit..."the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive..." (John 14:17) When Peter admitted that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus said to Him, "Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my Father in Heaven." Likewise. "No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." The Scriptures further teach to believers, "knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction" (1 thess 1 :4, 5) Does the Bible teach that we cannot understand God's sovereignty in our salvation? Such is a man invented doctrine. We agree that it is a mystery to ask why He chooses anyone, rather than none, and we glorify God that He would have mercy on miserable broken sinners like us, but it is no mystery that He does, in fact, choose us, and not we him (John 15:16). Yes we must have faith in Christ, but even the desire for faith is a work of God's grace (Phil 1:29, 2 Tim 2:25, Eph 2:8).
Jesus plainly teaches the same:
"For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes." (John 5:21)
"All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." (Matt 11:27)
""All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. ...It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life... "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." (John 6:37, 63-65)
When the Scripture says "come to me" it is equivalent to "believe in him" IN other words no one can believe in Jesus unless it has been granted of the Father...further vs. 37 says that "ALL THE FATHER GIVES TO CHRIST WILL COME TO HIM." This isn't hypercalvinism but is the plain text of Scripture and those fighting against it, while they may be brothers, are kicking against the goads. We agree man is responsible for his sin and for choosing God. The problem is that no one is naturally willing to come to Christ (Rom 3:11, 12; 1 Cor 2:14, ROM 8:7). God is merciful still. Part of the work of Christ was the redemptive blessing of delivering men from their unregenerate state (Eph 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3). To say that we have the power to believe, apart from the work of Christ "is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect," as John Owen once said.
The action taken to remove MacArthur from the station for preaching a biblical doctrine is an ominous development. Let us pray the Lord open the eyes of our dispensational brothers who are bringing confusing and inconsistent theology into the Church. Let us be patient and gentle as we speak with them about this ... for our life demonstrates the grace of God just as much as the truth.
With this in mind, I would encourage you to go to the Website of the Bible Broadcasting Network to write them that they would reconsider their unbiblical stance on election and their overly harsh reaction to John MacArthur.
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Is that necessary for salvation?
What "sacrificical serving of God" can you boast of?
And why are you looking at others?
It wouldn't, but is would disprove Calvinist predestination. According to the GRPL, God's sovereignty is total only to the point where it conflicts with their view of predestination. If absolute predestination is not true, all of GRPL Calvinism must fall.
Interesting point. Is MacArthur himself complaining that he was pulled off, or is it just his Arminian leaning fan base that is complaining. After all, MacArthur apparently seems to think that Romans 13 requires that we submit to the decisions of the powers that be, since they are ordained of God and that to speak against them is to complain against God.
If MacArthur believes in his Calvinism, he should rejoice that God's will was done in yanking him off the air. (of course when you get down to brass tacks, when bad things happen to good Calvinists, very few Calvinists actually put their beliefs into practice. They complain and protest just like us non-Calvinists who believe that our prayers actually might change things).
Huh? That hardly follows. The fact that I can choose to rebel against my rightful sovereign does not suddenly make him my peer.
I believe God is sovereign; but you're free to disagree.
http://www.angelfire.com/il3/timemachine/midis/willis.wav
If the slipper fits, you're Cinderella!
Calvinism is not fatalism, which seems to be what MacArthur is advocating (if your analysis is correct).
For a better, Calvinistic reading of civil government and the responsibility of subjects/citizens, I suggest you read Lex, Rex: A Dispute For the Just Prerogative of King and People by Samuel Rutherford.
One could say you were helpless but predestined to lose every one of your RICO court cases, and helpless but predestined to have your ex-wife divorce you. You, ctd, were the poor helpless victim of God's unjust will as He crushed your hopes and dreams under His Divine Heel. And thsi would be your idea of what hyper-Calvinism believes.
Or, these events could be all of your free will. One could then say that all of this can be totally (or to be generous, partly) your fault. You could have prevented the divorce, and won the court cases, but you failed to effectively use your God-given free will and God-given talents, and you just totally screwed everything up big time. God, the respecter of your free will, sat back and watched you flounder and gasp like a carp having stupidly flipped himself out of the water. And this is what your free-will gospel teaches.
Enjoy the holiday weekend, ctd. Either way, you're going to need it.
Just so we are clear, Calvinists do not teach that our wills are not free because God didn't give us free wills. Calvinists teach that our wills are not free because of the fall.
This chapter is very similar to the Augustinian and Lutheran views of man's will.Westminter Confession of Faith
CHAPTER IX
Of Free WillI. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that it is neither forced, nor, by any absolute necessity of nature, determined to good, or evil.
II. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom, and power to will and to do that which was good and well pleasing to God; but yet, mutably, so that he might fall from it.
III. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation: so as, a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.
IV. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin; and, by his grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so, as that by reason of his remaining corruption, he doth not perfectly, nor only, will that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil.
V. The will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone, in the state of glory only.
:>)
For those with the "script-writer theory," your point is well taken.
I have been banned twice and restored twice.
I just consider the following:
NAsbU Matthew 24:3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. 6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13 "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
a bondslave to the Christ
chuck
You're right. It makes you His superior.
It's either all by the hand of God, according to His holy purpose which He ordained from before the foundation of the world, or none of it is.
Dead men cannot "choose" God. Like with Lazarus, only God can breath life into the stone-cold corpse and give a new heart to the fallen sinner.
Faith is the result of God's grace; not the cause of it. Or else man and his choices do indeed become God's better.
Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." -- Ephesians 2:8-10."For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
moreso Cinderfella LOL
The final chapter is yet to be written. All in God's timing.
sarcasm tags or no ?
Unlike Arminians, Calvinists don't prayer based on outcome. We pray because we are commanded to pray. Of course, unlike Arminians, we believe God can actually do something to bring a person to salvation. He is not confounded and prevented from accomplishing salvation by man's "free will".
That should give us eternal hope. Because God loves his elect he will not let any of us suffer needlessly. Every pleasure and pain is brought to us to strengthen our faith that He who created us is indeed the same Savior who redeemed us.
From before the foundation of the world.
I would not go that far, but I would agree that God has a plan for the life of each of his chilfren and that God can even use our past disobedience and sins in such a way as to fulfill some purpose he has for our lives. I can see that in my own life, but I would hardly say that God wanted me to make some of my poor choices in the past. Whatever I accomplish is for his glory, not mine.
Thank you.
Paul and the entire NT uses the exact same covanental and ecclesiastical language as the OT, most pronounced in Hebrews. Paul additionally says in Romans, "Not all are Israle that are of Israel(meaning the unbelieving Jews)".
Also the writers of the NT apply the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants to the Church, including Gentiles, as well as the Messianic promises. The early Church was covenantal, as was the Church until Dispensationalism came along in the 19th century, a real late comer in theology.
6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called."[2] 8That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
What do you suppose Paul is talking about there?
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