Run AWAY from Calvinism!

[Taken]

Clearly you never been to an OPC service. :cool:

If it’s a “SERVICE” unto the Lord God...eh, who cares.
Really doesn’t matter “what” acronym or name someone Posts on a building dedicated to God...Every man-build building dedicated to God, decides acceptable “manners”, in which people can gather as Servants of God, and visitors who are not Servants.

The conundrum is: Everyone is welcome, unbelievers, believers, curious, and servants of God.
Some serve in preaching loud, some serve in preaching monotone, some serve in praising loud, some serve in praising in meekness;
And some simply enjoy the festivity without commitment of belief.

The Beauty is; Individuals Freewill, to participate or not, in any Building erected for the purpose of being; a House dedicated to God, and in agreement with the “manner” in which “that House”, has established, as an “acceptable manner” to Praise God.

Bottom line, Doesn’t matter, loud, soft... God knows a mans Heart and Intents.

Glory to God,
Taken

 

[Renniks]

Clearly you never been to an OPC service. :cool:

I don't even know what 0PC is. I've been to a holiness pentecostal service, just as a drop in. It was a good time but a little wild.

 

[Renniks]

Run AWAY from Calvinism!
^ OP

I can not rightly say what “Calvinism” really means.
I do know what “the suffix ism means”...ie to follow.
And through the forum, I have seen the name:
John Calvin, supposedly a person, alive and having views in support of challenging Catholic Teaching, Catholic Doing, that was challenged to not be supported by Scripture.

I have no issue with challenging, testing, what appears to be questionable.

I have also heard, “Calvinism”, was expressly according to John Calvin’s, views, and his views Adopted by others....
AND “added to”, “changed in some forms”, but yet accredited to: John Calvin.

I have seen on this forum:
Pro “Calvinism”, support.
Anti “Calvinism”, disagreement.

What I have “NOT SEEN”... is ANY papers, essays, quotes, of John Calvin himself, stating his views, challenges, and
Thereafter, support or disagreement based on John Calvin’s own views.

Appears John Calvin is a phantom accredited with “whatever individuals have decided” Calvinism means.

I do not consider to “run away from” or “run to” what I do not know what “IT” is.

Finding quotes from Calvin is easy enough.

"We also note that we should consider the creation of the world so that we may realize that everything is subject to God and ruled by his will and that when the world has done what it may, nothing happens other than what God decrees.”[1] (emphasis added)


“First, the eternal predestination of God, by which before the fall of Adam He decreed what should take place concerning the whole human race and every individual, was fixed and determined.”[2] (emphasis added)


“God had no doubt decreed before the foundation of the world what He would do with every one of us and had assigned to everyone by His secret counsel his part in life.”[3] (emphasis added)


“nasmuch as God elects some and passes by others, the cause is not to be found in anything else but in his own purpose … before men are born their lot is assigned to each of them by the secret will of God … the salvation or the perdition of men depends on His free election.”[4] (emphasis added

 

[Johann]

It was a good time but a little wild.

Yeah, too wild for my liking lol.
J.

 

[Johann]

Since we're sweeping up the broken glass, mopping up the bloodstains, and getting the furniture set upright...

..which is bound to be "topsy turvied" again...
J.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Since we're sweeping up the broken glass, mopping up the bloodstains, and getting the furniture set upright...

@stunnedbygrace, I still want to explore your understanding of salvation and living and righteousness and holiness. You don't think in the nice, neat Reformation and Pauline categories, and I learn more from those who don't just reinforce my confirmation bias. (When I'm open enough to actually listen.)

But let's table that for later. This thread took a lot out of me emotionally, and I'm going to stick with the fellowship threads for a while.

I guess I don’t think in nice neat categories like that because I never sought men out to tell me what it all meant. Let me rephrase, I TRIED to seek them out, to go to many different churches but…I fled, most often after one time but sometimes after two times. It was a little embarrassing because I would begin crying and could not stop and I distinctly felt the tears were not my own. It made no sense to me why I was crying so awfully. They weren’t…tears of happiness or release…there appeared to be no reason for them and I could not control them in any way. They began the very first time. The man began talking about how all the miracles did not happen literally because he had been to the place where Jesus was said to have fed thousands of men and you could not FIT that many men in the small space. I thought, well if God can’t fit many clowns into a clown car, surely raising a dead body is going to be impossible for him. Then I began weeping and left. I won’t run through them all and the things I heard said, but it was awful.

I tried for awhile but none of them were going to be able to help me. I went because I wanted to ask someone why some verses seemed to say God removes the wicked and some to say He removes the righteous. And other places where it seemed one thing was said and then the opposite. Since I saw they couldn’t help me (in one place, the sermon was about godly ways to grow your money) I just waited for God since I had read I had need of no other teacher.

It took a lot out of me too brother, even to the point of despair, especially last night, and thinking I had to leave here again for a few months. But then I saw, no, He has trained my hands for war, He gives me so I can give, He teaches me when to thrust and when to back away and the discernment to see what kind of spirit I am speaking with and the discernment to see a stronghold and the way to tear it down.

 

[Johann]

see a stronghold and the way to tear it down.

Whatever you do, don't leave sister.
J.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Whatever you do, don't leave sister.
J.

Have you grown fond of my chatter, brother…? :)

 

[Johann]

Have you grown fond of my chatter, brother…?

In a way, yes.
J.

 

[Renniks]

Yeah, too wild for my liking lol.
J.

Oh, I loved it. But I grew up among the " Holy rollers."
I'm quite reserved myself, but my feet don't stay still.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

I beg your pardon?!!

Well that was an answer to a specific statement from Barney.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

what do you call a 4 pt calvinist??




An Arminianist. :cool::cool:

I don't care what people call me! Because Jesus calls me His own . BASED ON ALL THE NAMES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED TO DEFINE PEOPLES BELIEF IN AREAS, AFTER MY NAME, IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 6 LINES!

 

[Lifelong_sinner]

I don't even know what 0PC is. I've been to a holiness pentecostal service, just as a drop in. It was a good time but a little wild.

OPC is orthodox presbyterian church, we are the modern day equivalent of puritans as far as beliefs. We are the strictest of all presbyterian denominations with a belief in the regulative principle. We are quiet, solemn at our services. Aint no electric guitars and new age songs at our services.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Ludicrous. I didn't refer to "Chevrolet" regarding theology.

People create names to define certain areas. It means nothing other than defining what people believe Scripture says.

Not a very nuanced view. The Bible has 3/4 million words in it, you know.

and I have read them all several times! but in the differences between Arminius and Calvin, there is no middle ground in Scripture.

T= One cannot be mostly lost
U.= there are no conditions to be elect from the foundation of the world.
L. = Either Jesus erased everyone's sins, (universalism) or the atonement is limited to the saved.
I = One can either resist sovereign grace or they cannot
P = Either one is eternally saved or not! There is no kind of saved!

If you know biblical middle ground in these 5 points we are discussing, I am all ears.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Does that mean I shouldn't ask a sister (who may know something that I don't know) what she thinks?

My own faith tradition encourages us to use Reason, Experience, and the Traditions inherited from faithful brothers and sisters who have gone before us to help us interpret scripture. The Helper whose job description it is to teach us all things can use any of the above.

No…it doesn’t mean that. It just means I found no help in an actual church. I only found someone always teaching that all the miracles did not literally happen or godly ways to grow money or…that if I wanted to come back I was welcome as long as I wore a dress or…very political messages, etc., with the people all nodding their heads in agreement. In one, I actually watched two women screaming at each other over flowers and everyone, including the pastor, silent and looking defeated, refusing to stop it.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

You better pray you are .. and God's not just messing with you. Because that's a possibility according to Calvin.

Nope! God doesn't mess with anybody! He is not a petty human like we can be! But I know I have eternal life thanks to what Jesus did for me! so that makes me elect! God doesn't play games w ith eternal life.

If you aren't sure you are saved, I can give you many bible verses to show you how you can be assured of your salvation and why!.

 

[Lambano]

No…it doesn’t mean that. It just means I found no help in an actual church. I only found someone always teaching that all the miracles did not literally happen or godly ways to grow money or…that if I wanted to come back I was welcome as long as I wore a dress or…very political messages, etc., with the people all nodding their heads in agreement. In one, I actually watched two women screaming at each other over flowers and everyone, including the pastor, looking silent and defeated, refusing to stop it.

 

[Enoch111]

You have misrepresented TULIP.

So here is the correct interpretation:

T= One cannot be mostly lost = You cannot even respond to the Gospel

U.= there are no conditions to be elect from the foundation of the world = God elects some for salvation and others for damnation

L. = Either Jesus erased everyone's sins, (universalism) or the atonement is limited to the saved = Christ died only for the so-called "elect"

I = One can either resist sovereign grace or they cannot = You will be saved because you cannot help being saved

P = Either one is eternally saved or not! There is no kind of saved!

 

[Lifelong_sinner]

The reason people reject calvinism is because 1. It has a human name in the title.
2. People have a pagan idea of free will.

regeneration comes before faith.
Without regeneration, there can be no faith, repentance, salvation, sanctification, glorification.
Regeneration is 100% a work by God. Not 50% God, 50% man.

all of this explains perfectly why so many reject calvinism. We should stop calling it calvinism and just call it what it is, the gospel. Calvin didnt write anything any different than what the apostles taught.

 

[Enoch111]

regeneration comes before faith.

Not according to Scripture. But if you prefer fantasy, that is your prerogative.