Replies

Re: “How do you know you are saved ?”

My assurance is based on the promise of God’s Word, that if we confess our sins, confess that Jesus is Lord, He promised to forgive us, indwell us with His Spirit, and make us a new creation in Christ Jesus. That promise is not dependent on feelings or emotion, it is not dependent on my righteousness, it is all dependent on the absolute promise of God and what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. God extends that offer of grace to all men, but we have to respond in faith to that gift.

I believe God makes that faith available to all men - but, we have to respond in repentance - we have to accept that gift. You think He limits that gift of faith to only the Elect. I don’t believe that. I understand why you do because you believe that man is so corrupt tha he is totally incapable of responding to God. And, I do agree that man is incapable of saving himself, that he, by his own righteousness, can never save himself or remove the guilt of his sin.

However, though I believe the image of God is “effaced” from man, greatly marred, I do not believe that God’s image is completely “erased” from him, that is, that God has given all men the ability to respond to His love and repent. Therefore man is without excuse if he refuses to grab hold of the lifeline God has graciously thrown to him. I do not see the act of “grabbing hold” of God’s lifeline a “work”, or taking away any glory or act of God. Without Christ’s willing sacrifice, death, burial, and resurrection, man would have no hope of salvation. Calvinists see the act of responding as a “work” as well as an impossibility. I don’t.

Look, people have been arguing over this for over 400 years. If you want to believe in Calvinism, that is your right. I just don’t want to argue about it anymore now. As I said before, I know you love God and are trying to please Him. My Calvinsit friends, so far, have granted the same toward me, though we disagree. But I do speak up from time to time, just as you have.