R7's #1823: i think if you look around the OLD Fr religion forum, you will find it IS THE CALVINISTS that have the most passion for the Gospel and are the least likely to compromise it. Look and see how often the "arminians" have allowed an opportunity to present the gospel pass, when the calvinist did it instead . All your post shows is that you do not understand Calvinism and the passion for the gospel it gives. The "free will " people on this thread should be hanging their collective heads in shame. You chased off the calvinists as somehow "dangerous" to the precious thread and cheered when we went . Then you all went about the business of talking cars and movies and making fellowship with darkness contrary to the gospel . So am I surprised that you have lost more Christians than you have converted...nope not one bit. The problem is that you all thought that playing nice and friendship would convert. That is not what the gospel says ...but for some reason Arminians never give up hope that their personalities or their walk will save .
You will pardon me if I set aside my general silence on these subjects and respond to a number of recent posts from you guys.
(I have been absent from this thread for a rather long time.)
I do exhort you to avoid the "I lifted me" talk, sometimes exalting yourselves and running down others, sometimes keeping score (yourselves always in the lead), sometimes presuming to have the mind of Christ regarding who is chosen unto eternal life (always yourselves) and who is cut off (always the other guy), setting yourselves up as judges in that regard.
Romans 3:27a Where is boasting then? It is excluded.Jesus has called you to meekness and humility, and you need to set a good example in that regard, and confine yourselves to humble, meek, and reverent exhortation. (1 Peter 3:15)
Judgment Day has not yet come, and when it comes, it will be the Lord's day, and there will surely be many surprises for you then, based on the way you think now.
Pray for the gift of discernment. There are true Christians in your midst whom you do not discern.
You use allegiance to non-scriptural creeds to attempt to "cut off" the supposedly "unsaved". That is a gross misuse. Where is your oft-quoted sola scriptura, sola fide, and sola gratia, when creeds are the standard to judge men by, when salvation comes by allegiance to doctrines of men?
Creeds do not save. There is no salvation in creeds.
Jesus saves.
You have my testimony of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer, who sits in eternal glory in the place of honor at the right hand of God the Father, who will come again in the clouds of heaven as the ancient apostles saw Him go.
You have my testimony of true and living prophets and apostles whom He has sent in our day, and of His Restored Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
The Holy Spirit bears witness, and I bear witness, and that is what you may assume as I resume my silence.
Your brother in Christ,
WM