Posted on 02/01/2002 5:26:40 AM PST by CCWoody
Spurgeon:
For Whom did Christ Die? - Romans 5:6
This key theological difference is why Islam consistently produces terrorists and evangelical Christianity rarely ever does.
(Will check back Monday.)
The true doctrine of the atonement could be stated as follows: The Scriptures teach that the sacrifice of the Lamb of God involved the sin of the world (John 1:29) and that the Savior’s work of redemption (1 Tim. 2:6; 2 Pet. 2:1), reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19) and propitiation (1 John 2:2) was for all men (1 Tim. 4:10), but the cross–work of Christ is efficient, effectual and applicable only for those who believe (1 Tim. 4:10; John 3:16). We could even say it in a simpler way: "Christ’s death was SUFFICIENT FOR ALL but EFFICIENT only for those who believe." The cross–work of Christ is not limited, but the application of that cross–work through the work of the Holy Spirit is limited to believers only.Race, I believe that your author has just expressed a belief in "Limited Atonement;" unless he wants to deny the Omnisicence of God and say that God did not foreknow who would believe.
1. In the 60's, there was a well known "regeneration gap".
2. Bill Clinton is a sleazy child of the 60's, and a well known regenerate.
3. I have a portable gasoline regenerator in my garage.
Conclusion: Gasoline is evil!
Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die."Conclusion; man is spiritually dead. He needs to be reborn. How does a dead man breath life into himself?
Point 1: This is a political page, not a theology page.
Point 2: A tirade against Calvinism is a waste of time since few follow it any more.
Point 3: The bloated, flowery language of the article gaurantees that few will read it. Such writing is more about the author's enormous ego than practical evangelism. Get a book by Max Lucado, and find out how to write prose that people will actually read.
Ahhhhhh another Calvinist :>)
Only Christ, our Lord, can revive a dead man. And this is exactly the power of the Resurrection.
One poster said "few follow Calvin anymore, anyway".
As if "Majoritarianism" is Biblical! LOL.
The Remnant has always been "the few".
2. The Danger of Teaching that Regeneration Precedes Faith.
The doctrine of man’s total depravity has been abused by the extreme Calvinist resulting in a wrong understanding of man’s inability. The Philippian jailer once asked, "WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?" (Acts 16:30–31 and compare Acts 2:37–38). Some extreme Calvinists, if they had been in Paul’s place, would have answered as follows: What must you do to be saved? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You are spiritually DEAD and totally unable to respond to God until you are regenerated!
Thus the extreme Calvinist teaches that regeneration must precede faith. A person must be born again before he can believe. A person must have eternal life before he can believe because a person dead in sins is unable to believe. They teach that faith is impossible apart from regeneration. Such teaching seems logical and reasonable to them based on the theological system which they have adopted. But WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURES?
The Bible clearly teaches this: BELIEVE AND THOU SHALT LIVE! "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life" (John 6:47) "That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:15). The extreme Calvinist says, "LIVE AND THOU SHALT BELIEVE!" Please notice that John 1:12 does not say this: "But as many as have been regenerated, to them gave He the power to believe on His Name, even to those who have become the children of God." Notice also that John 20:31 says, "believing ye might have life." It does not say, "having life ye might believe." In his helpless and hopeless condition the sinner is told to LOOK to the Lord Jesus Christ AND LIVE (John 3:14–16)! [We sing the hymn "LOOK AND LIVE." The extreme Calvinist should change the words to "LIVE AND LOOK"].
For a moment, let’s assume that what the extreme Calvinists are saying is true. If regeneration precedes faith, then what must a sinner do to be regenerated? The extreme Calvinists have never satisfactorily answered this. Shedd’s answer is typical. Because the sinner cannot believe, he is instructed to perform the following duties: (1) Read and hear the divine Word. (2) Give serious application of the mind to the truth. (3) Pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit for conviction and regeneration. [See W. G. T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, Vol. II, p. 472, 512, 513.]
Roy Aldrich’s response to this is penetrating: "A doctrine of total depravity that excludes the possibility of faith must also exclude the possibilities of ‘hearing the word,’ ‘giving serious application to divine truth,’ and ‘praying for the Holy Spirit for conviction and regeneration.’ The extreme Calvinist deals with a rather lively spiritual corpse after all."5
The tragedy of this position is that it perverts the gospel. The sinner is told that the condition of salvation is prayer instead of faith. How contrary this is to Acts 16:31. The sinner is not told to pray for conviction and for regeneration. The sinner is told to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s saving grace is to be found in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ WHO ALONE CAN SATISFY GOD’S HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS and be to the believing heart God’s "so great salvation"! "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John 5:12; all verbs are in the present tense).I don't think they should be allowed to sing our songs!Have you been justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus? Is your hope built upon what you have done or is your hope based upon Jesus’ blood and righteousness? "I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but WHOLLY LEAN ON JESUS’ NAME!" May we be standing fully on Christ the solid Rock, not upon the sinking sand of our own fragile commitment.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
I saved myself
how smug am I
We are all born dead. Letting the ego die is the quickest way to begin living.
Yeah, right. And the Pope is a Muslim.
Please take your bloated, flowery language,and your nutcake discussions to a religious board.
Rape is promiscuity by another name. People are used. Life is cheapened. Liberals are happy.Let us bow to our political better!CPS workers are sadistic thugs.
The liberal is a thug.
Paula Poundstone, Rosie O'Donnell, and Janet Reno are deep into a Crisco orgy, when, due to frictional heat, a flash fire ensues.
The liberal is a thug.
Rapped?
P. Diddy?
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