May 2008
1 John 2:12-14; A Devotional
Submitted by Ron C. Fay on Sat, 05/31/2008 - 7:09amI am writing to you, little children, that your sins would be forgiven you through his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you have known it from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 14 I wrote to you, children, because you have known the Father. I wrote to you, fathers, because you have known it from the beginning. I wrote to you, young men, because you are mighty and the word of God remains in you and you have overcome evil.
Let me say first that the juxtaposition of tenses in the verbs here denotes a stylistic issue and nothing more. The entire set of verses is a poem, with a structure made clear for the reader. Verses 12 and 13 parallel 14. The little children, fathers, and young men are essentially the same people, with the differences one of maturity rather than necessarily one of age.
The little children have begun their walk and follow God, they have been forgiven, but not much more can be said.
A Premised Question Easily Addressed
Submitted by A.M. Mallett on Fri, 05/30/2008 - 6:47amWhile readying myself this morning I was browsing through a couple of blogs and a discussion board and came across an inquiry of sorts that seems to beg an entire issue rather than just a question. "Can anything come to pass that God has not first ordained and predestined"?
Regeneration Precedes Faith, and Faith is the Gift of God?
Submitted by WilliamBirch on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 6:32amIn his book How to Be Born Again, Billy Graham states, "Jesus said that God can change men and women from the inside out. It was a challenge -a command. He didn't say, 'It would be nice if you were born again,' or, 'If it looks good to you you might be born again.' Jesus said, 'You must be born again' (John 3.7)."
The most controversial aspect of the teaching that Regeneration precedes Faith in Christ (that one must first be born again in order to exercise faith in Christ) actually comes from Jesus' own statement to Nicodemus that a person must be born again in order to "see" and "enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus did not say that a person must first be born again in order to have faith in Him, but in order to "see" and "enter the kingdom of heaven."
Why Divine Foreknowledge Does Not Determine the Future
Submitted by arminianbaptist on Wed, 05/28/2008 - 6:39amby
James M. Leonard
arminianbaptist.blogspot.com
Robert E. Picirilli, in his excellent work Grace, Faith, and Free Will, broaches the subject of Divine Foreknowledge of future events. (See his JETS article here: http://evangelicalarminians.org/files/Picirilli.%20Foreknowledge,%20Free... )
He's very clear on the subject, and convincing. He draws from Arminius himself and from Richard Watson, although he admits that the 19th century theologian's style is belabored. I'm not sure what is original either to Dr. Picirilli or to his sources.
Is God's Knowledge the Cause of All Things?
There is a common argument that says God’s knowledge causes all things. It goes like this: If God foreknows that something (x) is going to occur, then something else (non-x) cannot occur. If something (x) does not occur, then God’s knowledge was false. Curiously since they make strange bedfellows, this argument is used by theological determinists like Calvinists as well as those holding to process theology and Openness against orthodox Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and orthodox non-Calvinist Protestants. The argument is used by theological determinists to show that God must determine all things before they come to pass and alternatively, by those who hold that God cannot know the future for free will to be actual and not mere rhetorical sophistry.
What Are Those Arminians Thinking?
How does your perception of what is and is not Arminian theology dovetail into the following true story that relates to mans' sin nature?
- The great Wesley scholar, Albert Outler was once giving a lecture on original sin in which he was trying to explain the debate between Augustine and Pelagius. A very angry student (who Outler termed as a "West Texas Pelagian") stormed into his office and said, "Look, if what you’re saying is right and we don’t have the natural ability simply to choose between right and wrong, then God help us!"
Outler replied, "That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to help you to see! We can’t do it on our own, so we need God’s help. You’ve betrayed yourself into orthodoxy!"
I'll put the basics of Outler's argument into a syllogism:
- 1) If people were naturally good, then they would naturally be able to fellowship with God.
2) But people cannot naturally fellowship with God, they are in need of a Mediator between our Lord and ourselves.
On Regeneration
Is regeneration a work of God and are the results of regeneration (e.g. repentence, confession) the works of God?
By way of survey regeneration is the inward quickening of the repentant and believing sinner. It is also referred to as the point of transition from being dead to God to being a child of God.
The Greek New Testament uses the Greek equivalent of regeneration (palingensia), meaning "new birth," or "born again") only once in regards to conversion (Titus 3:5) but the same idea is expressed using different terms elsewhere (cf., Eph. 2:1; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23). The term is also used by Jesus when he spoke to Nicodemus and the listening crowd when he said, "Marvel not that I said unto thee [Nicodemus], ye [all those listening in the crowd] must be born again." This idea of being reborn was not a new teaching to the Jews as the prophets of old had foretold of it (Ezek. 36:26, for example).
Examining Inconsistencies in Calvinistic Monergism Part 2: Sanctification
Submitted by Patron on Tue, 05/27/2008 - 6:23amThe content of this post was authored by Ben Henshaw and is posted on his behalf.
Examining Inconsistencies in Calvinistic Monergism Part 1: Intercessory Prayer
Submitted by Patron on Mon, 05/26/2008 - 9:59amThe content of this post was authored by Ben Henshaw and is posted on his behalf.
1 John 2:8-11; A Devotional
Submitted by Ron C. Fay on Sat, 05/24/2008 - 7:36amBeloved, I do not write a new command to you but an old command, which you have from the beginning. The old command is the word which you heard. 8 Yet I write a new command to you, which is true in him and in you, that the darkness is passing away and the true light already is shining. 9 The one who says he is in the light and is hating his brother is still in the darkness. 10 The one who is loving his brother remains in the light and there is no stumbling in him. 11 But the one who is hating his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
John begins this section be reiterating a command from Jesus but phrasing it in a new way, hence it is both and old command and a new command. John does not give the command here, instead he elaborates on the implications.