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NASB | Hebrews 6:4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 6:4 For [it is impossible to restore to repentance] those who have once been enlightened [spiritually] and who have tasted and consciously experienced the heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit, |
Subject: WHO is Hebrews 6:4-11 refering to? |
Bible Note: Dear Brother Ed, You're right. I was zeroing in on a specific part of what Brother Hank was saying. Perhaps you also missed my point. I wasn't talking *about* Calvinism, Arminianism, or Lutheranism. I only mentioned them as examples of labels. Calvinism is more than simply what John Calvin argued. Arminianism is more than simply what Jacob Harmensen argued. Lutheranism is more than just what Martin Luther argued. Each of these theologies has matured, changed, refined, etc. over time. Let me see if I can find another way of saying this. Recently I spoke to a young Southern Baptist minister. I asked him what his thoughts were about Calvinism. He said, "Well, I'm not really into following men. I just follow Jesus." This revealed that he didn't have a clue what Calvinism was about. (Shame to the seminary in which he was educated!) The "isms" I mentioned above have nothing to do with following men! Oh, how the men whose names these theologies bear would have hated for anyone to think this way! Purely as an example of the kind of understanding that I'm talking about, please let me quote one of the more famous Baptists, Charles Hadon Spurgeon. (Note that I do not use this quote to persuade anyone to Calvinism or away from anything else.) He wrote, "There is no soul living who holds more firmly to the doctrines of grace than I do, and if any man asks me whether I am ashamed to be called a Calvinist, I answer -- I wish to be called nothing but a Christian; but if you ask me, do I hold the doctrinal views which were held by John Calvin, I reply, I do in the main hold them, and rejoice to avow it. But far be it from me even to imagine that Zion contains none but Calvinistic Christians within her walls, or that there are none saved who do not hold our views. Most atrocious things have been spoken about the character and spiritual condition of John Wesley, the modern prince of Arminians. I can only say concerning him that, while I detest many of the doctrines which he preached, yet for the man himself I have a reverence second to no Wesleyan; and if there were wanted two apostles to be added to the number of the twelve, I do not believe that there could be found two men more fit to be so added than George Whitefield and John Wesley." This is not a matter of arrogance, this is a matter of persuasion. Indeed, "the debate has raged for 500 years." May it rage until the Lord comes again! Let us have done with "second hand faith," and be more like the noble Bereans, regardless of where we fall on the questions. In Him, Doc PS This post is not an effort to sway anyone to anything except to the following Scripture: And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (2 Peter 1:5-9) |