Subject: What are your views of once saved always |
Bible Note: Tim, the problem I have with New Creature's use of Calvinist Spurgeon's quotes is that they were obviously used to support an Arminian position which is diametrically opposed to Spurgeon's position, a position which he clearly stated a number of times further on in the sermon, but not in the opening remarks from which NC's quotes were extracted. But he clearly did not begin his sermon preaching an Arminian view and end it with a Calvinist view! Never once did he contradict himself in the sermon or lead anyone to think that he believed regenerated believers could be lost. While I recognize that NC didn't come out and actually say that Spurgeon did not espouse the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, he quoted only the passages -- passages clearly lifted out of context -- which, taken alone, might be taken to indicate that perhaps C. H. Spurgeon agreed with the Arminian, not the Calvinist, point of view. But no one who heard that sermon in its entirety walked away thinking that C. H. Spurgeon believed that any genuinely redeemed saint would ever be lost! I'm not arguing either point of view here -- that is not my purpose -- but I am arguing that whether by accident or design, whether through ignorance of the total content of the sermon or inability to comprehend its meaning and chief points, Spurgeon's quotes were lifted out of context, and owing to the unusual manner in which he constructed his sermon, the result was a sad adulteration of the true meaning of his message. Once again, it's context, context, context; and this is a made-for-textbook illustration of how misleading and damaging it can be to try to make a point by quoting out of context. My English professor once gave me an alarmingly poor mark on an essay in which I quoted someone grossly out of context in order to prove a point. I was taken aback, but I richly deserved it and feel to this day that I learned something terribly worthwhile from my rash venture. --Hank |