[[Both sides will claim the authority of Scripture. Yet they’re stuck at an impasse.]]
Yes, but basically, both sides agre on many parts of the bible, but dissagree soem on other parts that really don’t undermine the key issues of the bible- Strict calvanists of course beleive peopel don’t need to witness, because everyoen who is ‘suppsoed to be saved will be saved’ as determined by election/destiny- Baptists beleive we have a mandate to witness, that we are the vessels that God chooses to use to spread His word to effect Hi Salvation in people- even if they were predestined to be saved
There are swoem other minor dissagreements- but htis really is the ‘biggie’ disagreement.
A clavanist I lsitened to made his point htat it is God who saves, not the witnessing of man, by sayign he heard a revival meeting’s message once, didn’t go in, but the Holy spirit moved Him to seek salvation, He took up the Word of God, and became saved accordign to scripture-
I heard another Calvanist explain how he got saved- but don’t remember the specifics- but basically it was how hte spirit moved him-
Then you have the baptists saying the ethiopian i nthe bible wanted to be saved, so God supernaturally sent an apostle runnign to meet the person to tell him how to be saved-
And of course we have Jesus Himself tellign Nicodemus how to be saved
Don’t know hwere I stand on the issue- I lean towards predestination and think God does save thsoe whom He will as He will whenever He wishes- I beleive primitive natives who ‘have a feeling’ thjat hteir pagan practices are wrong, wnd who seek God’s face, bnot really knowign anyhtign about Him, and who primitively determien in their hearts to stop their pagan waysi n honor of God may possibly be saved even htough they don’t know how to ‘give hteirl ife to Christ’ i nthe proper baptist manner at salvation
I’ve read pink’s book on the soveriengty of God, and he does make some pretty compelling and frightening points about people beign created specifically for damnation (even though they had the same choice of free wil las everyoen else- God knew they woudl never accept Him, but allowed them to be born anyways)- The book frightened me- and made me realize how little in control we really are- but it opened my etyes soem too- I’m not sayign I agree with everything- but it did shed soem light- the book is available free online- I think his name was albert pink- but just ‘pink soveriegnty of god’ will find it
it’s a hard read as it’s written in old language- but it’s a sobering look into hte soveriegnty of God- personally I think perhaps the ‘truth’ lvies soemwhere inbetween the baptists and hte calvanists, and probably woudl have to settle on beign a hybrid betyween baptist and calvanist myself-
I know an older gentleman who used to say, “ I was born and raised in the (very Calvinistic denomination), but praise God, I got saved.”
True story. He had never heard a gospel message preached in that denomination.
“Strict calvanists of course beleive peopel don’t need to witness,”
What strict Calvinists are those? Surely not Spurgeon, Knox, all the reformers from Luther on up.