Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things"
2Ti 2:7.

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Pot meets Kettle...


November 5, 2011

"Arminians are not Christians" - declared some elitist Calvinists.

You will hear that from various 'reformed' pulpits! They complain, and insinuate like, "Reformed pastors who explain to their congregations that those who are Arminian are still Christians, just a little mixed up and confused, and just need better instruction in the Doctrines of Grace, are actually saying that God does a really lousy job in saving some... but does just a great and stupendous job of saving them!" (Randy Hartman)

The answer to the apparent confusion and misunderstanding is quite simple: these 'reformed' people are ignorant (oh how could these elitist folks be ignorant of anything?) of the distinction between eternal salvation administered by God's free and sovereign grace, and temporal salvation through the gospel ministry administered by men.

When God saves, He saves to the uttermost, always complete and perfect every time... from predestination all the way unto glorification, never misses one beat on any elect. And He does not need any help from any man whatsoever. God saves by turning condemned dead sinners into justified regenerated children of God... all perfectly fitted for eternal glory... and all by His own free grace, based on the finished work of Jesus Christ.

That's eternal salvation. In this there is no variation or deficiency whatsoever; it is always completeness and perfection. Each and every elect are equally saved in every sense of the word. Eternal salvation deals with the BEING of God's children.

God appoints the gospel ministry for the instruction and conversion of His children to the truth of their salvation by His free and sovereign grace. This deals with the WELL BEING of God's children. The well-being of God's children is through the gospel ministry administered through human instrumentality and a whole host of different human factors are involved in the gospel ministry.

God's children are at different stages of conversion through the gospel ministry of varying degrees of faithfulness and usefulness... but they are perfectly and equally God's children by the free and sovereign grace of God.

Apostle Paul called the believers in Corinth SAINTS... as saints as those in the church in Thessalonica. Look at the saints in the seven churches in the book of Revelation.

There is a vast degree of practical sanctification in the children of God through the gospel ministry EVEN THOUGH all of them are equally and definitively sanctified from their state of condemnation and death unto justification and eternal life.

Some Americans think this way: the Americans who have not achieved the American Dream are not true but fake Americans! That's the mentality of the 'reformed' folks towards God's children who haven't attained their standard of doctrinal correctness.

O if only these elitist but misguided 'reformed' folks are aware of the 'deformity' of some of their own doctrines - they would realize that they are not so much different from their cousins Arminians whom they despise!

A biblical distinction is the essence of sound theology.