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NASB | Romans 8:30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 8:30 And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity]. |
Subject: Are those He called always chosen? |
Bible Note: Ed: I am glad you brought up the question of how each side of this intramural debate views evangelism differently. I hope you will indulge me here, and Tim, I am sure you will correct me where I am wrong! Both Arminians and Calvinists believe that all who put their trust in Christ will be saved. Both believe that justification comes through faith, and that it is the human who places his faith in Christ. However, the question of WHOSE choice it is greatly impacts how we do evangelism differently. For example, as a Calvinist, I can make terribly persuasive argumants for the gospel of Christ, but I hold that unless the Holy Spirit actually regenerates the heart of the unbeliever, he will continue in his unbelief. Tim, on the other hand, believing that it is God's desire for all to be in heaven with Him, will normally focus on a more "personal appeal" (e.g. the "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" approach) than I would, since I do not know whether God truly has a wonderful plan for each individual. I would present the Gospel in a more general way, seeing my duty as glorifying God by proclaiming the truth whether anyone is saved or not, without focusing on "convincing" someone into the Kingdom. The basic point is the way that we view God's character and how He operates affects the way in which we worship him. What attracted me to Reformed theology in the first place (to which I have only formally adhered for a few years) is the extreme God-centeredness of the system of thought, the sovereignty of God, the high view of God and low view of man which clearly puts him in the category of creation to be used as God pleases. While Tim holds to God's sovereignty, he undoubtedly makes a larger space in his theology for man's individual role in choosing to be saved. This changes how we pray and what we pray for, and also how we view ourselves in light of God. I do not hold that Arminianism is "Word of Faith" (if you were alluding to that system rather than Calvinism!). However, I see a great deal of problematic situations have arisen from a departure from historic, Reformed theology. For example, the "openness of God" controversy that is currently raging in evangelicalism is clearly an Arminian struggle rather than a Reformed one, simply because the idea of God changing his mind and not knowing the future is simply ruled out completely at the outset of Calvinist thinking. Also, we see that a lot of the cults, such as the Watchtower Society and the Mormons, grew out of the "burned over" district of New York where Charles Finney basically threw the Westminster Confession of Faith out the window and turned the Secong Great Awakening as a "revival-by-human-technique" rather than a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit who chooses when and where revival will occur. Granted, this was not a particularly Arminian phenomenon, but it was very anti-Calvinistic. Perhaps I am being myopic in my criticism of other theological views, but other than hyper-Calvinism (which I reject as unbiblical but not necessarily dangerous--just ineffective Christianity), I see no heresy threatening evangelicalism from within the ranks of Reformed, confessional thinking. Perhaps someone else could enlighten me if I am wrong. Thanks! --Joe! |