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NASB | 2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin]; |
Bible Question:
Dear Noble, You wrote:"So I would like to reach out to our friends who use the name “Reformed”. I hope they would consider the possibility that they are not saved and that God is locking them into that position by deceiving them into thinking that they had been chosen to be saved. Their position seems to allow for that. I hope that that fear would lead them to ask God for mercy, that it be not so, and to trust him. He will yet respond to their faith." Rest easy. God Himself, through His Word and Spirit, assure me of my position in Christ. As to my reformed brethren, I would'nt worry about their position in Christ either if I were you. It seems unlikely that the founders of protestantism were all mis-led pagans! Imagine John Bunyon, who wrote "The Pilgrims Progress" a lost soul; Or John Newton who penned the lyrics for "Amazing Grace"; Martin Luther whose words broke the hold of the popes and translated the first Bible into the Language of the people; C.H. Spurgeon the English evangelist and preacher whose ministry was used of God to bring untold thousands to confess Christ; Martin Lloyd Jones; OR Jonathon Edwards and John Whitfield whose preaching on the sovereignty of God ignited the first great revival in colonial America: etc.etc. I wonder how much you know about "those who who use the name “Reformed"? I bear you no hard feelings Noble, but what you have written could not go unanswered John REFORMED |
Bible Answer: Dear John: It was good to hear from you. When I logged in today and saw the notice, I was afraid we might have lost you. I supose we have all seen the notice, to wit, "NOTICE: Pushing one's denominational bias and engaging in debates, such as Calvinism/Arminianism, (is) strictly forbidden on this StudyBibleForum. Failure to comply may result in revocation of your privilege to post to this Forum". But now I am not sure I can respond to your question because I fear it will renew the debate and I myself may be a castaway. It was with a desire to end the debate that I made a call for reconciliation. I do believe that it is better to try to reconcile the two positions than to doggedly stand for either extreme. Now, if you cannot see the logic in the statement you have cut and pasted above, there is nothing more that I ccan say. If God is either irresistible or unapproachable, then my words are also likely to be incomprehensible. Two things more, or three, I hope are now allowable. First, you are correct that I do not know much about those who use he name “Reformed”. It is really not important to me, and I do fear that those who cling so tightly to such a label should have given that kind of attention only to Christ himself. It seems to be quite important to them and I wonder whether it is the object of their faith and their hope of salvation. Secondly, I was really not aware that Luther and Bunyon and Spurgeon were Calvinists. It may be that with further digging I will find that they were, but I do not think they said so, and I do not think it is worth the while to find out. I am more familiar with the modern proponents such as Harold Camping. He makes his stance quite obvious. The third point is the most important. I suppose that importance of personal salvation is so great that no one should despise the chance to reconsider it. Obviously, no one can determine whether another person is saved, but it seems strange to me that a person should become defensive when he has a chance to look again at his salvation experience. I welcome it. For me, salvation is personal and primary. It does not reassure me to associate myself with others then. I have to walk that valley all by myself. The BibleStudyForum is a good thing. I hope to see you there, discussing important topics such as personal salvation. It is my hope that the goal of each participant in each discussion would be reconciliation of the viewpoints and resolution of the issue. |