December
8, 2013
https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10201125267389290
Minor Disregard of a Plain Fact, Major Mess up of a Divine Order!
In his "Systematic Theology" Dr Robert L. Reymond discussed the "order of salvation" in Chapter 19, pg 703ff.
He quoted Rom 8:28-30, and rightly interjected verse 30 with... these emphases:
-
[τούτους, toutous - the same
group he predestinated, not another group or part of that group]
-
[τούτους, toutous - the same
group he called, not another group or part of that group]
-
[τούτους, toutous - the same
group he justified, not another group or part of that group].
Then he went to great length to demonstrate and justify the LOGICAL order of effectual calling, justification, and glorification. All very good!!!
However, he failed ABYSMALLY to see the PLAIN and OBVIOUS implications of his own repeated observations above... that the object of all those divine activities are not only CO-EXTENSIVE, but also the SAME and COMPLETE number of God's elect, i.e. as many as were foreknown and predestinated to eternal glory, i.e. not one more and not one less!
Failing to note this plain and obvious truth, the order of salvation he constructed in the rest of the whole chapter is full of self-contradictions and inconsistencies.
Breaking up that 5-link divine chain of the pure gold of Ophir, and adding to it all those other links of wood, hay and stubble is not only foolish, it also destroys that chain, and cut off untold number of those foreknown and predestinated from ever reaching their destined glorification!!! Those links added to the chain are plainly INCAPABLE of embracing the complete number elect of God. If a Calvinist doesn't see this plain point, then he has a bigger problem to deal with!
UNTIL the reformed and calvinistic theologians begin to distinguish clearly the eternal salvation by the monergistic activities of God from the DISTINCT temporal salvation through the obedience of God's children to God's will, they will forever be stuck in the mire of confusion and synergistic salvation.
Until they realize that there are FIVE DISTINCT aspects of salvation, they will always be plagued with confusion and contradiction.
The
five distinct aspects are:
-
eternal salvation decreed by God in eternity,
-
eternal salvation accomplished by Christ at the cross,
- eternal
salvation applied to each elect personally at effectual calling,
-
temporal salvation experienced through conversion by the gospel ministry,
-
eternal salvation consummated at resurrection to eternal glory.
They are the Decretal, the Legal, the Vital, the Practical, and Final aspects of salvation. All the aspects apply equally to EVERY elect except the Practical aspect; there are elect who do not experience temporal salvation by the gospel ministry.
==========================
Comments
Bill
Allen
Very
good observation Brother Sing.
Sing
F Lau
Saved
in what sense, Brett?
{One Brett Noll commented but deleted them.]
Do
you understand that question?
I
know YOUR answer to your rhetorical question!!!
Go
and read this simple article...
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/questions/paul-salvation.php
Read
it with a learner's mind, not as a smart aleck theologian's mind.
LETGODBETRUE.COM When
Was Paul Saved?
Marty-Sandy
Smith
[Romans
8:30] Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he
called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Let
us set aside, for the moment, debates about the meaning of foreknowledge and
predestination. Romans 8:30 teaches us that all of the called are justified,
and all of the justified are glorified. If, at the final judgment, an
individual is not glorified, then that individual was never called.
