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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Submissive or Suppressed Wills | Luke 22:42 | DocTrinsograce | 166576 | ||
Dear Brother Mark and Brother WOS, Those soteriological points are known in theological terms as: Augustinianism (Determinism or Monergism): "1. God, in an act of His Own will, without regard to our will, saves us." Arminianism (Compatibilism): "2. God, in an act of His will, in conjunction with an act of our will, saves us." Pelegianism (Libertarianism): "3. We, in an act of our own will, receive salvation." (The last two fall under the general label of Synergism.) They each attempt to identify the cause in what is called "moral agency" trying to answer the question "How does a man respond to the command of the Gospel?" Pelegianism presumes that man is ignorant. Given the right information (Gospel) he will believe (faith) and be saved, willingly following Christ. Consequently, what man needs is a tutor. Arminianism presumes that man is sick. Given the right medicine (prevenient grace), the right information (Gospel), and he will believe (faith) and be saved, willingly following Christ. Consequently, what man needs is a doctor. Augustinianism presumes that man is dead. Granted life (grace), he will live (regeneration) and believe (gift of faith), and be saved, willingly following Christ. Consequently, what man needs is a miracle of God. Augustinianism does not assert that man's will is suppressed. Man is always free to choose whatever is in his nature to choose. As John Calvin put it so long ago, "The will is not destroyed, but rather repaired by grace." Whereas once we were slaves to sin (John 8:34), we become slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18), by the redemptive work of God alone. When Brother WOS brought up the phrase "submission and suppression" I thought he was talking about something man does to himself. I missed the point completely if it has to do with something God does to man. We've shifted from the topic of the will of the believer in the context of obedience, to the topic of the role of the will in the context of salvation. Very different topics indeed! If we are going to make headway in the original discussion of moral agency, we'll need to narrow it down to the particular state of man in which we are interested; i.e., created, fallen, redeemed, or gorified. In Him, Doc |
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2 | Monergistic Invitation? | Luke 22:42 | mark d seyler | 166677 | ||
Hi Doc, Thank you for this simplified look at the historical perspectives. This is useful to me. Could you tell me how Augustinianism accounts for Paul's urging, in 2 Cor 5:20 "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." As I understand Augustinianism, man does not do anything involved with regeneration or sancfification until after regeneration is complete. Is that in fact what this view teaches? If that is so, what sense would it make to urge, or implore people to be reconciled to God? Either God would regenerate a person, and they would be reconciled, or God would not regenerate a person, and they would not be reconciled. The New Testament has what appear to be several invitations to come to Jesus. What place do these have in a scrictly Monergistic view? I do not wish to discuss at this time the merits of one view over another. I just want to understand how this particular viewpoint deals with this particular issue. Love in Christ, Mark |
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3 | Monergistic Invitation? | Luke 22:42 | DocTrinsograce | 166686 | ||
Dear Brother Mark, I'll do my best to give you an answer as consistent with Monergism as possible. You asked, "...tell me how Augustinianism accounts for Paul's urging, in 2 Cor 5:20." Let's see if I can reconcile this ministry of reconciliation! :-) All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20 ESV) What an incredible blessing God has granted the Church: the ministry of reconciliation. God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ. God forgives sin. God makes all things new. God extends the offer and the means of peace. Because God has reconciled us to Himself, Paul implores -- as an ambassador of this message of peace -- to reconcile ourselves to God. (This may sound odd, but Paul speaks this way frequently. For example, Ephesians speaks this way about peace, unity, maturity, holiness, and closeness to God.) God has accomplished all these things for us; now we are called to move always in the direction of these very things. You asked if it was true that "...man does not do anything involved with regeneration or sanctification until after regeneration is complete." No, regeneration is entirely and completely a work of God (see Ephesians 1), by grace alone, in faith alone, because of Christ alone, through the Holy Spirit alone, to the glory of God... alone! Sanctification is also a work of God. However, sanctification is both a position and a process. It can only be understood in the light of the dual aspects. "Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God and are enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness." It is rooted in God's act of choosing the elect, redeeming them, and purifying them (Romans 8:29-30). God has done all the hard work of redeeming us and giving us the power to say "No" to sin (when before all we could say is "Yes"). In addition He's provided us with the Word, the indwelling Spirit, and many other gifts (see Ephesians 4). You asked, "...what sense would it make to urge, or implore people to be reconciled to God?" Most Reformed believers witness to others, explaining the Gospel, because of the deep love that God has placed in our hearts for the lost. If that weren't enough, God commands us to proclaim the Gospel to everyone, everywhere. If we knew who the elect were, we'd be targeting them specifically! God does not, however, reveal that to us. Charles Spurgeon preached, " I do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter. I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and say, 'You are mine, and you shall be Mine. I claim you for Myself.' My hope arises from the freeness of grace, and not from the freedom of the will." You asked, "The New Testament has what appear to be several invitations to come to Jesus. What place do these have in a strictly Monergistic view?" The offer of the Gospel is universal. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." (1 Peter 3:18a) Again, Spurgeon preached, "Let us raise ourselves to the sternest fidelity, labouring to win souls as much as if it all depended wholly upon ourselves, while we fall back, in faith, upon the glorious fact that everything rests with the eternal God." Probably not as complete as it should be... and probably wouldn't address things to the satisfaction of all Reformed believers... but hopefully it is close and will inform. In Him, Doc |
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4 | Monergistic Invitation? | Luke 22:42 | mark d seyler | 166690 | ||
Thank you, Doc. I know this is a complex subject and I appreciate your explanations. God bless you my brother! Love in Christ, Mark |
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