Subject: Show in the Bible once saved always |
Bible Note: Dear NC, Rom 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Is chastisement by God a good thing for the saint? I say it is good. It demonstrates His love, it brings humility and banishes self-reliance. It drives us back to prayer and bible study and a host of blessings. It sets our hearts on striving and praying for grace to obey God. All these positive results come as a resultof sin. Should we therefore sin so grace may abound? God forbid it! We are constrained from sin by our love for Christ. You do not have an accurate understanding of calvinism, you merely parrot the rhetoric of it's arminian critics. I don't mean tobe unkind, I'm sure you believe what you have said. But you are wrong. If you wish to discover the truth concerning TULIP or reformed theology in general, I suggest www.reformed.org as a reliable source. The following is from an artcle found at that site. Total Depravity (Total Inability) Total Depravity is probably the most misunderstood tenet of Calvinism. When Calvinists speak of humans as "totally depraved," they are making an extensive, rather than an intensive statement. The effect of the fall upon man is that sin has extended to every part of his personality -- his thinking, his emotions, and his will. Not necessarily that he is intensely sinful, but that sin has extended to his entire being. The unregenerate (unsaved) man is dead in his sins (Romans 5:12). Without the power of the Holy Spirit, the natural man is blind and deaf to the message of the gospel (Mark 4:11f). This is why Total Depravity has also been called "Total Inability." The man without a knowledge of God will never come to this knowledge without God's making him alive through Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). As far as babies in hell are concerned' I am content to trust that the Judge of the Universe will do right. You cite Rev 22:17. Those who are called have ears to hear and a thirst for God. That would indicate their election. The reprobate (or damned if you prefer) are deaf and are attemting to slake their thirst at the fountains of iniquity. John Reformed |