A brother made these astounding statements to me, persuading me to join one of his many Debate groups. I thought I have heard much... but I'm wrong!
He stated,
Everyone is won to Christ by debate.
Without debate, NO one will be saved!
Witnessing IS debate (AND prayer).
===========
I responded,
I beg to differ. Those who engage in debate
on doctrinal points are already in Christ even though their understanding of
the truth of their salvation in Christ may differ widely. Those who engage in
debates are ALREADY SET and ENTRENCHED in their beliefs... the Calvinists trying
to prove Arminians wrong, and vice versa.
Witnessing is heralding the truth of the
gospel to God's children who are ignorant of the truth of their salvation in
Christ Jesus.
I can see now why you are so zealously promoting various pages of DEBATES. Well, I wish you well.
Bill Taylor
I have never seen a lot of value in debates.
Sing F Lau
Those who desire to learn the truth will go
around INQUIRING HUMBLY... till their questions are answered satisfactorily
from the Scriptures, with the contradictions and inconsistencies resolved and
harmonized.
People go to debate with an entirely
different mindset - WAR!
Bill Taylor
Amen.
Sing F Lau
My own experience: between 2000-2003, I began
to have increasing questions about the glaring inconsistencies and
contradictions in the Calvinistic doctrines popularly embraced by the RBs...
but I have no where to get over my nightmare! When I eventually broached the
subject with the RBs here, I got the first blow of the RB's magisterial
pronouncement "Sing, you have departed from the standard reformed
position." It was only downhill from then on... until the 7 RB churches
wrote officially to the church I pastor to lodge their formal complaints
against my "heresies" and the declaration of non-fellowship.
By the Lord's wonderful providence, "by chance" I came across a little article "When was Paul saved?" [http://www.letgodbetrue.com/questions/paul-salvation.php] someone posted on an email forum. It was the key that unlocked so many of my questions and enabled me to rightly divide the word of truth. It was such a relief and deliverance from the nightmare of inconsistencies and contradictions I had suffered quietly with no help in sight.
I asked endless questions... to clear all the contradictions and inconsistencies. I was greatly helped by those who responded to my endless questions - among them some like Gene Thomas, and Jonathan Crosby. I debated no one but I did ask a whole lot of questions to learn the truth. Thank God for their faithful teaching.
Sing F Lau
He said, "We only have one life. I want
mine to count for the truth."
=====
I have one life only, and I don't want to
waste it debating those who have no desire to learn the truth. I dedicate a
whole lot of my life teaching those who come inquiring for the truth. In debate
EGO and PRIDE prevent men from learning the truth.
Charles Page
"Ego and pride prevent men from learning
the truth." ego and pride in regenerate hearts = stiff-necked,
uncircumcised of hearts and ears, always resisting the Holy Ghost.
Sing F Lau
Act 7:51 "Ye stiffnecked and
uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your
fathers did, so do ye."
====
And so many think these words were addressed
at sinners dead in their trespasses and sins, implying that Stephen expected
such to be capable of, and responsible for receiving and believing the things
of the Spirit of God. It is like a man rebuking and chastising the dead for
refusing to eat the food he so sincerely offered to them!
So many of God's children among the Jews were so unbelieving. See Apostle Paul dealing with that issue in Rom 9-11.
Charles Page
Elder Hulan Bass!
Bill Taylor
Amen, brother Sing! God's word is written to
his children - believers and unbelievers.
