February 2010
Ephesians 2:11-12; A Devotional
Submitted by Martin Glynn on Sat, 02/27/2010 - 10:32amTherefore, remember that at one point you -- the Gentiles in terms of flesh, the ones called "foreskin" by those called "the circumcised", a handmade thing of flesh -- that at that time, you were separate from Christ, ostracized from the people of Israel, and aliens in terms of the covenants of promise: having no hope and being without God in the world.
Sometimes we forget that we were the Gentiles. We were those cut off from the promises of God; aliens from the covenants made with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. It is only in the blood of Jesus Christ that we are brought near to God.
This is part of God's whole project: To redeem all of humanity through Israel. But the first stage of that was redeeming Israel, and the rest of us were set aside until Israel was ready for the Messiah to come.
Friday Files: Kennard - Petrine Redemption: its Meaning and Extent
Submitted by Godismyjudge on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 8:51pmDouglas Kennard’s article Petrine Redemption: its Meaning and Extent gives an overview of Peter’s concept of redemption and then dives into 2 Peter 2:1’s statement ‘denying the Lord that bought them’.
For Peter, Christ’s death is substitutionary in nature and is like a sacrificial lamb. Kennard argues that for Peter, redemption is not a payment to someone (either God or the devil). Rather it’s simply accomplished. Redemption is a onetime action not a continuing enablement. Redemption is out of a corrupt, sinful life and requires the redeemed to live differently. Redemption for Peter is not equivalent to salvation for Paul. One can be redeemed but not ultimately saved.
Mark A. Ellis, "Introduction to *The Arminian Confession of 1621*"
Please click on the attachment to view Mark A. Ellis, "Introduction to The Arminian Confession of 1621", which is Ellis' introduction to his scholarly translation of the historic confession (Mark A. Ellis [trans. and ed.], The Arminian Confession of 1621 [Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2005]). The Society of Evangelical Arminians would like to thank Mark Ellis for providing the Introduction to his translation and Wipf and Stock Publishers for giving us special permission to post it at SEA.
Brenda B. Colijn, "A Parable of Calvinism"
Please click on the attachment to view Brenda B. Colijn, "A Parable of Calvinism" Ashland Theological Journal 36 (2004) 101-108.
The Reciprocal Dynamic of Grace
Submitted by Eric Landstrom on Wed, 02/24/2010 - 9:56amA reciprocal dynamic of acting and reacting occurs in any relationship between persons. If we lived in a clockwork universe operating under Calvinist assumptions of predestinating decrees, then we would be little more than very complicated turing machines modeled after game theory, like von Neumann's automation of cellular activity. At issue then is whether or not a living, dynamic relationship exists between a computer program and its creator?
1618 OPINIONS OF THE REMONSTRANTS with a MEMORIAL TO JAMES ARMINIUS
Taken from http://www.christianheritageworks.com/arminianfaith.htm
From the Archives of The Christian History Library
Housed at The Christian History Center
Staunton, Virginia
THE OPINIONS OF THE REMONSTRANTS
1. ON PREDESTINATION. 1. God never decreed to elect any man to eternal life, or to reprobate him from it, by his mere will and pleasure, without any regard to his foreseen obedience or disobedience, in order to demonstrate the glory of his mercy and justice, or of his power or absolute dominion.
2. As the decree of God concerning both the salvation and the destruction of every man is not the decree of an end absolutely fixed, it follows that neither are such means subordinated to that decree as through them both the elect and the reprobate may efficaciously and inevitably be brought to the destined end.
Romans 5:6: Who are the Ungodly?
Submitted by bossmanham on Mon, 02/22/2010 - 10:40amA single verse I think speaks volumes about the extent of Christ's atonement is Romans 5:6. Paul writes, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly" (NASB). Paul tells us here explicitly who Christ died for; the ungodly. Now, many Calvinists claim that Jesus only died for a select few on the cross. He only paid for the sins of the elect. But if this is the case, then Romans 5:6 would indicate that the non-elect aren't ungodly, since Christ died for the ungodly. Or it means, as the Arminian insists, that Christ really did die for the ungodly; namely all those who are at odds with God because of their sin, who Paul identifies as every individual on earth (Romans 3:23).
Ephesians 2:10; A Devotional
Submitted by Martin Glynn on Sat, 02/20/2010 - 10:11pmFor we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared for us to do.The beautiful thing about this verse is how close one feels with God when thinking that He has shaped us with His own hands. Many times we wonder why God would love us so much. Well, for much of the same reason why I still have some art projects I made in 6th grade. It isn't the quality of the piece, it is its relationship with me. Likewise, it is our relationship with God that causes God to love us so.
But it is also important to remember the context. Overall Paul is comparing faith to works, where faith is the means of salvation instead of what humans would expect: works. So why does Paul take the time to celebrate good works in this verse? After all, that is precisely what he is doing.
Ben Witherington - “Christian Apostasy and Hebrews 6”
On Wed, February 13, 2008, Dr. Ben Witherington posted “Christian Apostasy and Hebrews 6” on his blog. It is an excerpt from a book he would later publish entitled The Indelible Image. Witherington is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary.
(Click on PDF to view article, PDF compiled by Steve Witzki)
Messianic Jew David Stern and the Security of the Believer
Article compiled by Steve Witzki. Below is the intro, click on the PDF link for the complete article.
"David Stern is a Messianic Jew who believes that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah. He has written The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) and The Jewish New Testament Commentary (JNTC). He provides a number of insightful translations in the CJB and comments in the JNTC. One of the things I found interesting was his comments on passages that Arminians typically use in support of conditional security and the possibility of apostasy (i.e., believers becoming unbelievers through unbelief manifested in sin and disobedience toward God and His Word). He clearly falls on the side of Arminianism. I have put his CJB translations in bold to offset his comments in the JNTC."
Joshua Ratliff, "Ephesians 1:3-4: An Explanation of the Corporate and Christocentric Nature of Election"
Please click on the attachment to view Joshua Ratliff, "Ephesians 1:3-4: An Explanation of the Corporate and Christocentric Nature of Election"
Friday Files – Opinions of the Remonstrants
Submitted by Godismyjudge on Fri, 02/19/2010 - 9:33pmShortly after the death of James Arminius in 1609, his followers summarized his views into the five points of the remonstrants. At Dort, the Calvinists requested a clarification of the remonstrants views. Lead by Episcopius, they drafted the Opinions of the Remonstrants, which expand on the five points. They are organized under the original five points (conditional election, unlimited atonement, total depravity, resistible grace and perseverance) and should be seen as sub-points under the five points of the remonstrants.
On election, they have three subpoints objecting to supra-lapsarianism, one objecting to infra-lapsarianism and three more subpoints defining conditional election. Additionally, they added two points rejecting the damnation of children of believers, if the children die in infancy.