The Long Lost Sola?

A sister in the LORD spurred these thoughts this afternoon … Our Calvinist friends are quick to tout their embrace of the five SOLA of the Reformation. I don't blame them at all for we Arminians also embrace the same five SOLA. Some Calvinists have even suggested dropping the TULIP in favor of promoting Five SOLA instead. I am not sure what they would think to accomplish by doing such because it would take away one of their war clubs. How does a Calvinist reply after touting Five Sola only to hear "So what? We do too"? Only Scripture, Only Faith, Only Grace, Only Christ, Only God's Glory … yeah that sounds about right although I have wondered how you can have five "only's" and still be true to any of them. It is kind of like being faithful to your only wife, all five of them. However, I think we are missing the most important Calvinist SOLA of all. This is the one that lets them declare a secret will at odds with the revealed will of God. You know, that SOLA that let's God take no pleasure in the death of the wicked but takes pleasure in what follows for an eternity. Of course, I can only be thinking of that great Calvinist SOLA … the one that occurs when the Calvinist tries to cover up the implications of his theology … SOLA Eclipse!

The Holocaust of Ideas

These thoughts are going to carry me toward a different objective than I usually pursue. There is most often, if not nearly always, a theological pursuit, an exegetical notion, a contrasting sectarian idea that I seek out in this intimate space. At the moment however, I am piqued somewhat at the arrogance of false ideas, deliberate misrepresentations and the frustrating response of the typical worldly canard. We have each come out of this, some from a further reach than others, but each of us were at some time or another expert at the canard, the fraud perpetrated upon others in a desperate attempt to legitimize or present ourselves as meaningful in the discourse. Now nothing of this is surprising. In fact we know scripturally that the carnal mind is at enmity with God and who can craft the greatest deception than a mind at war? Wonderful … I now feel better having spewed my collective wisdom into the thimble.

What drove this to the page? I occasionally frequent a discussion board in the world, a world that is truly at war with God, with the nation, with sensible people of many persuasions. It is not generally a theological pursuit but at times the discussions lean toward the scriptural rebuttal. It is a natural event when the participants view faithful souls as "Holy Rollers", fundamentalist extremists, whacked out promoters of mythology. It is the nature of the unredeemed mind to cavort with foolishness. Obviously, the leftist-liberal with his Statist Fundamentalist mindset and a gross enmity toward God is not going to fathom the things of God. The spiritual things of God are all noise to him, nonsense and meaningless chatter. There is no understanding (Luke 24:45, Eph 1:18). Nonetheless, the unbeliever will quote Christ, pervert His words and attempt to turn Christ upon those who love Him and understand His teachings. Of course I know this going into the discussion yet it remains a frustrating experience to observe a lost, blaspheming soul heaping coals upon his own head especially in light of my own previous expertise at such.

The world is lost and it thinks itself well founded.

An Inerrancy Resource …

Over the years I have not been a big fan of the term "inerrancy" regarding scripture preferring the use of "infallibility" as a better representative of the truth of scripture. The various arguments for and against inerrancy have not swayed my ground with regard to a full expression of the truths of scripture however the battle of the term and it's advocates and opponents has been on-going since Warfield first elevated the matter to church attention. Fundamentalism, as a political movement among various church groups, latched onto the inerrancy debate in the 19^th century and has spawned several associated movements, in particular the King James Version Only adherents. The more extreme advocates of inerrancy tend to favor this latter group of believers while the polar opposites tend toward open theism and liberal excess.

I stumbled across this link on another site. It presents an interesting discussion and is a good reference for understanding some of the arguments and responses of both sides. In addition, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy offers the modern background of this issue.

Something to Ponder

THERE are two extreme tendencies in the ministry. The one is to shut itself out from intercourse with the people. The monk, the hermit were illustrations of this; they shut themselves out from men to be more with God. They failed, of course. Our being with God is of use only as we expend its priceless benefits on men. This age, neither with preacher nor with people, is much intent on God. Our hankering is not that way. We shut ourselves to our study, we become students, bookworms, Bible worms, sermon makers, noted for literature, thought, and sermons; but the people and God, where are they? Out of heart, out of mind. Preachers who are great thinkers, great students must be the greatest of prayers, or else they will be the greatest of backsliders, heartless professionals, rationalistic, less than the least of preachers in God's estimate.

The other tendency is to thoroughly popularize the ministry. He is no longer God's man, but a man of affairs, of the people. He prays not, because his mission is to the people. If he can move the people, create an interest, a sensation in favor of religion, an interest in Church work -- he is satisfied. His personal relation to God is no factor in his work. Prayer has little or no place in his plans. The disaster and ruin of such a ministry cannot be computed by earthly arithmetic. What the preacher is in prayer to God, for himself, for his people, so is his power for real good to men, so is his true fruitfulness, his true fidelity to God, to man, for time, for eternity. – E.M. Bounds

All for Some and Some for All or Some Such …

I was browsing through a few articles earlier on the SEA site and came across a recent article looking at a few questions and troublesome scriptural passages that some of our Reformed brethren seem to struggle with. The entire piece is certainly worth running through but one intriguing question caught my attention. How do the Reformed explain 1 Tim 2:4? My experience has been that the Calvinist will defer "all men to be saved" to mean all classes of men yet the suggestion of classes does not seem to be suggested at all in the full context of the passage. When we examine the full context of Paul's instruction to Timothy it is notable that all men or simply all is a common theme from verses 1 through 8. Examining this further we see an exhortation by Paul for the benefit of all men and he focuses even on a subset of men that certainly are not all elect as we know there are ruthless rulers and authoritarians in our day as in his. He follows this with the clear instruction that God desires to see all men saved. Is there any rhyme or reason why the all men of God's desire should be any less than the all men of Paul's supplication? Let's look at the passage from the KJV.

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." (1Ti 2:1-8 AV)

One common objection I encounter with the statement "Who will have all men to be saved" is the rejoinder "Why are all men not saved if God will have them all saved?" I have heard this from the Universalists as well even though I make no connection between Calvinists and Universalists for their own sakes. The reply to such a line of reasoning is found in the context of the whole passage. The phrase does not address what God is going to do but rather offers what God desires and in noting this we also can see the encompassing purpose of the exhortation, that being the vehicle of prayer and supplication. I think it is important to note in grasping this urgency of prayer and intercessions the last phrase of the passage, "without wrath and doubting". The Christian should never pray for the deliverance of souls in any measure of anger at the soul or with so much as a doubt his prayer could be useful. How can we doubt our Gospel message to the soul on the other end of our reach? Paul's intent was to preach, pray, exhort, and entreat to every soul never doubting they too could be reached for he stated God's very word as …

"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth …"

 

 

 

Two Kinds of Lost Souls

In several recent interactions and observations I have noticed two basic types of souls on the road to perdition, those who encountering the witness of Christ harden themselves to their own innate condition and the other group whose conscience has been sufficiently pricked to be known as seekers. The seekers grasp humility as the hardened seem to know only contempt for that which convicts. We all interact with many of each and if my own experience is any indication, we have seen the hardened brought to a place of redemption while many of the seeker types remain on that poor path. Of course the opposite is true as well with many seekers finding themselves among Christ's elect. Now, from this Christian perspective, all are dealt some measure of grace, many are the beneficiaries of fervent prayer and others have known nothing but the devil's backhand from birth. I like to think that our upbringing and environment have a lot to do with how we approach and deal with conviction but I see a mix of both kinds of people no matter what environment I observe. It is food for thought for a later introspective examination.

I was informed recently that one of the blogs I link to in my profile contained an offensive slur. I do not know all the circumstances of that particular site but until it is resolved I have removed the link. For those who might have followed the link, please accept my apologies for not monitoring my links more frequently.

A Calvinist Ran Away This Morning

… and I don't think his folks are looking real hard for him. In a long winded discussion the other day with a young zealous Calvinist on the topic of being born again as an unfaithful sinner, he was confronted with a question that was severely discomforting to him, so much so he called me a fool and refused to answer. Neo-Calvinists, particularly the internet active variety along with several hardshell Calvinists, generally subscribe to the unscriptural notion that God regenerates wicked men, raising them in newness of life, without any evidence of faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Now anybody who has peeled the plastic wrapper off a bible and cracked it's spine can discover that we rise in newness of life after having been buried by baptism in Christ (Rom 6:4). We know that our spiritual life in Christ is by faith. We know that all the blessings of being a child of God, yes, even being the child, is by faith (Rom 1:17, Rom 5:2, Gal 3:26). Peter and John proclaimed what it is that brings strength and by implication a new life, that being gained through faith in His name (Acts 3:16)… I asked …

Is it your position you were buried by baptism in Christ as an unbeliever?

I was called a fool. Some things never change and that is most certainly true of His Holy Word …

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Ro 6:3-4 AV)