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| The naive and ignorant are very fearful of the Calvinists' bogeyman - nothing more than a figment of their imbecilic imagination |
The Calvinists' Bogeyman!
The favorite bogeyman set running amok by the new Calvinists in the theological arena is named Hypercalvinist. All sort of weird things are attributed to him. Here is one example... copied from a web site set to defend the tenets of Calvinism. Are those Calvinists serious in their accusation?
Arthur Pink, when he was slandered as a hypercalvinist had this to say, "Denunciation is the last resort of a defeated foe" when people attacked and dismissed his beliefs in his book "The Sovereignty of God" as hypercalvinistic!
Name calling, a form of denunciation is indicative of a lost cause. When popular Calvinism is found wanting in the balance of Scriptures, those Calvinists lash back by denouncing those who wanted to show them the truth of grace more completely.
Hey, even Apollos (Acts 18:24) - "an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures... was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit" - could do with some help from nobody like Aquila and Priscilla! What make the Calvinists think they have arrived???
Look at these PATHETIC charges leveled against an imaginary 'hypercalvinist' by the Calvinists!
You be the jury... if you have the capacity and honesty to discern the imbecilic charges!
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http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/HyperCalvinism/
Most Calvinists reject as deplorable the following hyper-Calvinistic and destructive beliefs:
- that God is the author of sin and of evil
- that men have no will of their own, and secondary causes are of no effect
- that the number of the elect at any time may be known by men
- that it is wrong to evangelize
- that assurance of election must be sought prior to repentance and faith
- that men who have once sincerely professed belief are saved regardless of what they later do
- that God has chosen some races of men and has rejected others
- that the children of unbelievers dying in infancy are certainly damned
- that God does not command everyone to repent
- that the sacraments are not means of grace, but obstacles to salvation by faith alone.
- that the true church is only invisible, and salvation is not connected with the visible church
- that the Scriptures are intended to be interpreted by individuals only and not by the church.
- that no government is to be obeyed which does not acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord, or that Biblical Law is its source of authority
- that the grace of God does not work for the betterment of all men
- that saving faith is equivalent to belief in the doctrine of predestination
- that only Calvinists are Christians (Neo-gnostic Calvinism).
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All I ask, let these Calvinists give one example, living or dead, of the monster they have described above! Let any Calvinist demonstrates that the bogeyman is not just a figment of their putrid deranged imagination! These accusations are just too puerile to deserve any
Dell
Brother
Sing, I have been following you for some time now, and I find your
teachings delightful and very edifying. When you make comments against
calvinism, I get confused because what you teach,seems to agree. I ask you humbly, do you agree with the westminster confessions of faith? Thanks
Sing F Lau Brother, your question is far toooo broad for a simple answer.
If you can be a bit more specific, then I can try to give my plain answer.
Dell
The 5 points of calvinism is in question. I read a post of yours once where you explained how one is regenerated before brought to the knowledge of Christ. You explained that the gospel itself was not necessarily what a man needs to hear, inorder for him to come to faith.
It's been a while back and maybe I have remembered it wrong.
Sing F Lau
That is a bit more specific for me to deal with. Of the 5 points, 2 are quite deficient that they are erroneous. Regeneration is the divine activity where and when God brings an elect dead in his native state of sin and death to that of righteousness and eternal life in Jesus Christ. This He does directly and immediately, and not intermediately through the gospel means. This immediate and direct activity of God ALONE guarantees that the promised salvation is SURE to every elect without exception.
I explained that the gospel ministry IS NECESSARY to bring God's children (the elect who are already regenerated, and made completely and perfectly fit for eternal glory) to conversion, to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The gospel ministry is not necessary for the regeneration of the dead elect.
The gospel ministry is VERY NECESSARY for the purpose it was divinely ordained, i.e. to bring the regenerated to know Jesus Christ, i.e for the conversion of God's children to Christ.
"Faith cometh by hearing." It is not "life cometh by hearing" - that's what many Calvinists believe. They are gospel regenerationists. Such notion is repudiated by the plain statements in WCF.
Dell
Thanks for clarifying this. What you said is what can be seen in the account of Abraham being told to leave his country and people. Abraham believed God and it counted unto him for righteousness, then many years later, he is brought to the knowledge of Christ. When he said" God will provide Himself a sacrifice"
Sing F Lau
Brother
Dellis, spare a few moment to read on the subject of Abraham's
justification... Calvinists commit a massive theological blunder... and a
serious error... http://pruning-deformed-branches.blogspot.com/2008/01/massive-theological-blunder.html
Dell
Thanks
Brother Sing, That article is the one I was thinking of. You have it
laid out where even the part of about God justifying the ungodly makes
sense and falls into place. May God Bless!Pj
Abraham was called out and sojourned by faith; years later, he believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Sing F Lau
Abraham was effectually called out of his native state of sin and death when he was still in Ur of the Chaldeans. The effectual calling of Abram out of his native state of sin and death required the sovereign and gracious divine acts of justification (removing the condemnation), regeneration (removing death) and adoption (removing alienation), in that number and logical order. Without these divine acts a man cannot be brought out of his native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation.
Then Lord called him to leave his homeland, and he obey and sojourned by faith. He obeyed because he had been effectually called to grace and salvation!
The Lord God calling Abram out of his native state of sin and death to that of righteousness and eternal life, and the Lord God calling Abram out of his homeland of Ur are VERY DISTINCT callings!!!
ONLY MANY YEARS later (Gen 15:1-6) he experienced the blessedness of his justified state through his believing in the promised seed.
Believing in the promised Seed is the instrument appointed by God for the justified to EXPERIENCE the blessedness of their justification before God (has already taken place by God's free grace). Abraham is the grand example of this glorious truth.
Pj
Much better and more detailed than what I said.
