Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
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: Works in the Christian experience? |
Bible Note: The Reformed perspective takes its name from the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. In most people's understanding, the two main branches of the Reformation were that of Martin Luther (from which the Lutherans derive their theology -- well, the ones who didn't fall into the liberal traps a century ago) and the further reforms of Calvin (hence the Calvinists). The name "reformed" usually is synonymous with an adherence to the teachings of Calvin on salvation, taking a high view of the sovereignty of God and centering around the famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective) 5 points of Calvinism. By the way, I don't think it is a dumb question. Theology is fascinating, and we all have a theology. The names exist to provide categories for thinking about theology. Your wife being a former Catholic, I would think that she is quite familiar with creeds and confessions. Confessions and creeds, while they certainly do not carry the weight of the inspired Scriptures, serve to establish in writing how one group of people understands the Bible. The Westminster Confession of Faith is a 17th-century document which was drafted to codify the biblical understanding of the Reformed Church in England. Another document which holds to a Calvinist view of salvation is the London Baptist Confession of 1689. The important thing to remember is that while creeds and confessions do indeed divide and set people apart, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Rejecting the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed, for example, is to deny the Trinity. And while I do consider many who hold to other confessions to be wrong on certain points (as they do me), I am certainly able to fellowship with a great number of them as brothers and sisters in Christ. In addition, confessions help to keep individuals from being blown about by every "wind of doctrine" that comes along (Ephesians 4:14). The "trustworthy sayings" of Paul to Timothy and passages like Philippians 2:6-11 are considered by many to be segments of creeds as well. Creeds, confessions, and catechisms were drafted by fallible men like we are, but that is not to say that they were not drafted soberly and carefully in councils and committees over considerable periods of time. You say that you do not call yourself a Protestant anymore. While there may be some advantage in using the term "Proclaimer," I would suggest that simply rejecting a title does not make you non-Protestant in beliefs. If you believe that we are saved by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, apart from any merit or works on our part whatsoever, that makes you a Protestant in your theology. Tht distinguishes you from Roman Catholics who hold that God's grace is added to our faith and works in order that we may merit the Kingdom of God. To those others who have stated in their posts that labels/denominations are bad: would you be comfortable if someone did not classify you as a Christian? What if someone could not "pigeonhole" you as being different from a Hindu or Muslim of Sikh? Religious labels do place people in categories. That does not make us robots, conforming 100 percent to every belief that everyone else in that category happens to hold. Also, classification does not mean all-out conflict between those Christians who happen to be of different denominations. I have serious problems with the Arminian/Wesleyan tradition, but I do not consider fellow posters Nolan and Tim to be false brethren. I reject a lot of the excesses and lack of discernment that is found in the Pentecostal/Charismatic denominations; however, most of them I would consider brothers and sisters in Christ. Labelling me as Reformed or Calvinist does not bother me in the slightest, because it sums up in a word the core of what I hold to be be biblically accurate. Of course, I am always more than happy to explain the disctinctives. For more info on the Reformed tradition in Protestantism, I would point you to these sites: http:///www.reformed.org http://www.pcanet.org http://www.reformedreader.org http://www.markers.com/ink/ --Joe! |