Hi Max,
You asked,
"I'm sorry, but does the 'The Bill' say he is a follower of Calvin?" And, I replied,
"No, I am not Calvinist nor am I Arminianist. I stand between those two extremes. But, if you are truly interested in what Calvinist and Arminianist believe -- here is a recent post I wrote on the subject:
Two Extremes: Calvinism & Arminianism - Let's Meet In The Middle!
http://forums.timesdaily.com/e...=973106001#973106001 Then, Max, you write,
"Bill, you know there is no such thing as the middle. The Lord God is either right or wrong. I don't have to tell you how I think about Mr. Calvin and his unholy teaching." Actually, Max, I have no idea of how you feel about Calvinism nor how you feel about Arminianism. You have never told us which church you attend, i.e., into which denomination you have tossed your hat. Many churches/denominations such as the Reform churches, Presbyterian, etc., are strict Calvinist in their teachings. Others are middle of the road toward Calvinism. And, many, particularly many Pentecostal churches, follow the teachings of Arminianism.
True, with God and Jesus Christ, there is no "middle ground." However, with John Calvin and Jacob Arminius there most certainly is a middle ground. And, that is where I stand -- and where the church I attend stands.
I agree with John Calvin that a person who is truly a Christian believer, is saved, has eternal security, i.e.,
"once saved, always saved." I do not agree with Calvin that, before the Creation, God arbitrarily chose who will be saved, the Elect, and who will be condemned to eternal hell, the Reprobate. This is totally against the character of God and is not Biblical.
In Romans 8:29 we read,
"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren." We know that God is omniscient, i.e., He knows all things -- from eternity past to eternity future. So, there is nothing which can, or no one who will, surprise Him. He foreknew before the Creation that Bill Gray would become a Christian believer; thus He predestined me to eternal life with Him. He knew before the Creation the decision that you, Max, have made or will make.
He knew before the Creation the decision -- to follow Jesus Christ or to reject Jesus Christ -- that every single person will make. Thus, those He foreknew would be Christian believers (the Elect), He predestined to eternal life with Him. Those He foreknew would be non-believers (the Reprobate), He predestined to spend eternity in hell. But, notice that
all of this was predicated upon each person making a personal decision; a decision He foreknew.
Calvinist will read the same verse in Romans 8:29 -- but, somehow NEVER see the word "foreknew" -- or else they do not believe that God is omniscient.
I agree with Jacob Arminius that Jesus Christ died
"once for ALL" -- and that ALL who sincerely, truly ask Him to come into their hearts and be their personal Lord and Savior -- do
have eternal life with God. John 3:16 supports this teaching,
"For God so loved the world (Max, Deep, VP, Bill, everyone)
, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER (Max, Deep, VP, Bill, everyone)
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." And, Revelation 3:20 also supports this teaching,
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if ANYONE (Max, Deep, VP, Bill, anyone)
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." This tells me that God FOREKNEW, He knew, the decision everyone (Max, Deep, VP, Bill, everyone) will make -- to follow Jesus Christ or to reject Jesus Christ -- and either as an Elect or as a Reprobate -- our eternal destination is settled. And, that eternal destination is based solely upon each person's decision in this life to accept or to reject Jesus Christ.
I disagree with Arminius that a person who is truly a Christian believer can lose their salvation. Why do I believe this? Because we have many promises directly from Jesus Christ Himself which assures us this is true. Here are just a few:
John 3:36,
"He who believes in the Son HAS eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 5:24,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, HAS eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." John 6:47,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes -- HAS eternal life." Please notice that none of these tell us,
"He who was arbitrarily, or sovereignly, elected before Creation -- and believes -- has eternal life." No, it specifically tells us,
"He who believes HAS eternal life." There is one Rock we can rest upon with absolutely NO FEAR -- when Jesus Christ or God the Father makes a promise -- nothing or no one can break that promise. God is immutable, He does not change. God is perfect, He does not lie. When God gives a gift, i.e., the free gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) -- He will NEVER take it away.
"Once saved, always saved" is set in concrete for all true believers.
So, Max, where does Bill Gray stand? I stand with Jesus Christ, my personal Lord, Savior, and Master. And, I stand squarely in the middle between the teachings of John Calvin and those of Jacob Arminius. I am a born again (John 3:3) Christian believer, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9) -- and because I have believed and received His "free gift" of salvation, I am now and forever a
"child of God" (John 1:12).
Max, I pray that you can and will say the same -- and that you will spend more effort in sharing the Word of God with the non-believers -- and less effort in trying to disprove the writings of Bill Gray. I am not your adversary and should not be your goal in life. Sharing the words of eternal life with the non-believers, and words of encouragement and maturity with fellow believers and new seekers -- should be our total focus. Let us agree upon this.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
