Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Are those He called always chosen? | Rom 8:30 | Morant61 | 14101 | ||
Greetings Joe! Why does everyone keep mention Pelagianism in connection with Arminianism? They have NOTHING in common! Pelagianism teaches that man is not depraved, that there is no original sin, that man does not need atonement, and that Christ simply died to provide us with an example of how we should live. Arminians do not believe any of these things. We simply disagree on the Calvinistic understand of how election takes place and to whom it is applied. I believe that Christ is the Elect. Election refers to the corporate body of Christ. Everyone who responds to the Gospel becomes part of the Elect Body of Christ. "Prevenient Grace" simply refers to the grace of God reaching out the lost. Calvinists teach the same thing, only they say the grace of God only reaches out to certain people. Arminians say that the grace of God reaches out to all me. I really don't see what all the fuss is about myself. The Arminian position does justice to both God's Sovereignty and His grace. Salvation is fully His work. But, it is offered to all, which is what countless Scriptures plainly say. Concerning Ps. 44, look at all of the quotes in Rom. 8-11. You will find that almost everyone of them has to do with what it means to be Israel, who is a part of Israel, and God's relationship with Israel. I find that context to be a very convincing argument that Paul is using these quotes for a reason. p.s. - Are you sure about Acts 2:23? According to my text, the verb is not used here. A noun form of the word is used here though. However, Acts 26:5 uses the verb. There it simply refers to a knowledge of someone based upon a long standing relationship. 2 Peter 3:17 uses it for previous knowledge of information. This bears upon one of my concerns about Calvinism. Why take a few obscure words, which can have several meanings, and use them to explain away hundreds of clear statements in Scripture? I would be curious as to your view on this. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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2 | Are those He called always chosen? | Rom 8:30 | Reformer Joe | 14108 | ||
Tim: Semi-Pelagianism is not Pelagianism, nor is it Arminianism, as I clearly distinguished between the two in my post. Semi-Pelagianism suggests that our wills are not TOTALLY depraved, but rather just weakened, and therefore is required to cooperate with God in salvation. John Cassian, a contemporary of Augustine, was the primary proponent of this view. Some semi-Pelagians even insist that it is man who initiates salvation, and that God provides the grace to compensate for what power the human lacks in placing full saving faith in Christ. In other words, the human is not so fallen that he cannot initiate his own salvation, inviting an "assist" from the Holy Spirit. Semi-Pelagianism was condemned at the Synod of Orange in 529, even though it is pretty much the idea behind the salvation we find in modern Roman Catholicism. Arminius avoided the extremes of semi-Pelagianism by saying that God must initiate salvation (since we are indeed spiritually dead, not weakened), but that His grace is not necessarily effectual, nor is it irresistible. This is the idea of "prevenient grace" (grace that "comes before" salvation) which frees the will and enables the person to accept Christ. Of course, as you will agree, once that prevenient grace is present, it is up to the individual sinner to accept or reject that grace and "seal the deal," so to speak. Calvinists, in contrast, go further than just saying God's grace is only savingly given to some. They say that God's grace is effectual, that it accomplishes God's purpose, and that it inevitably changes the disposition of the sinner's heart so that he will willingly embrace Christ. --Joe! |
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3 | Are those He called always chosen? | Rom 8:30 | Morant61 | 14120 | ||
Greetings Joe! Thanks for the info! I was not aware of John Cassian. However, there is still a wide gulf between Arminians, who believe in depravity, and John Cassian, who did not! I just view bringing in terms like semi-pelagian as strawmen. Since Arminians are not pelagian of any sort, why mess with it! In light of Calvinism, how would you understand John 6:29? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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