I bought a theological dictionary at a used bookstore the other day. I didn't get super picky or spend much time selecting a good one. I saw the price of $3.75 and that was good enough for me.
So then I take it home and I'm a bit disappointed with it. It's not the most thorough dictionary, the definitions don't go too far, and there are a bunch of terms or phrases I'd like to see within it. But my disappointment faded away when I read the definition of "Calvinism." When I shared this definition with a friend of mine that is Eastern Orthodox his reaction was, "Christina, you're making this up. It doesn't really say that." But oh yes, it does. My favorite parts (the obviously biased parts) are in bold print. Even as a Calvinist, this is just funny. Enjoy.
"Calvinism/Calvinist
John Calvin was born in France in 1509. He was one of the foremost of the Reformers.
Calvin taught no new doctrines. He simply put into systematic form (in his book 'The Institutes of the Christian Religion') the whole range of the doctrines of the Scriptures.
A Calvinist believes all that the Bible teaches about God and the human race. Calvinism emphasises the sovereignty of God about the sinful nature of mankind because the Bible teaches these doctrines..."
Gee I wonder if this guy is a Calvinist? So awesome.
Showing posts with label Calvinisim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Calvinisim. Show all posts
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Degrees of misery in hell.
In a recent Sunday School class my soteriology was called into question. I guess it would be helpful to explain that I am the only Calvinist in my Church. I attend and serve within the local "Church of God" (a Pentecostal denomination). While there are a handful of Calvinists within the denomination, it is predominantly an Arminian Church when it comes to the issue of salvation. Shortly after I started attending services at my Church I shared with my Pastor and with a couple other Sunday School teachers my beliefs about predestination. Like John Piper, I truly believe that the ministry of a Calvinist can flourish within an Arminian atmosphere and I have no plans of leaving the Church. I truly believe God has placed me where I am and I am content with this.
Well during the class I was given an opportunity to share my beliefs more openly before the teenagers and the married couple that leads the youth ministry. My belief in sovereign grace was contested and I found myself having to answer many of the common objections that are thrown at Calvinists. One person asked me, "If predestination is true and there is an elect, then what is the point of evangelism?" Since this conversation was very explosive and energetic (question after question surfaced, opinion after opinion was offered), I was unable to answer as thoroughly as I would have liked to. But I offered two quick answers to the question. My first answer was that we evangelize out of obedience to Christ. If God tells us to do something then we surely must obey. My second answer (perhaps not a typical response) was that I believe we should evangelize all people because perhaps our message of truth could influence the lost sinners of this world to sin less frequently than they already do, even if they were to never exercise saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Sinning less would mean a lesser degree of misery in hell.
My first answer seemed forgotten by the time my second answer was brought forth. Jim, the husband of the married couple, said something along the lines of "there is no such thing as a lesser degree of hell." I explained that if every sin will be brought into account and judged by God then the logic follows that those who have committed more sins would suffer more in hell than those who haven't sinned as frequently. I also added that hell will be miserable for all, but some would suffer more than others.
I've given this some more thought and I must say that I still stand by everything I said within that class, especially my comment about the varying degrees of misery for those in hell. I realize my opinion is worth nothing. I hope to express why I believe what I said is true using the most reliable and accurate source there is, the Holy Word of God.
In Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 we are given these words, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." If God planned on giving equal judgements based on the state of our souls (lost or saved), there would be no need to bring EVERY deed or secret thing into judgement. We see we will be judged based on what we've done and if that is so, each judgement will differ from person to person.
If we turn to Matthew 10 we read of Jesus sending out the 12 disciples (starting in verse 5). He gives them some instruction before they depart.
"These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town."
Jesus then adds (verse 15), "Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town."
I'd like to discuss verse 15 a bit more. Notice that Jesus expresses variations in judgement here. Jesus plainly says that although the judgement for Sodom and Gomorrah was bad, it will be much more intense for the people that refuse to listen or receive His great message of truth. The Scriptures tell us Sodom and Gomorrah were both destroyed for their great wickedness (Genesis 19:24-25). Yet Christ says it will be more bearable for these people of great wickedness than it will be for those who have sinned by rejection of Christ. It seems as if Jesus believed that the suffering of those in hell would vary from person to person based on this scripture. You can also see the same point being made in the 11th chapter of Matthew.
Matthew 11:21-24 states, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you." If it will be more tolerable for Sodom, how can there not be different degrees of misery?
Matthew 12:40-45 also speaks of differing conditions during the judgement. "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation." Here again we see differing conditions for judgement and the last state of a person being worse than the first. If we will be judged not by what general state we are in (lost or saved) but by the sins and conditions of our heart, then we must believe that those whose last state is worse than their first will be judged more severely.
Let's also look at the parable of the faithful steward in Luke chapter 12, verses 42-44. We find Jesus talking about those who are Christians and live their lives in subjection to the will of God, prepared for the return of Christ.
"And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions."
Then Jesus informs us of what happens to those who were not ready for His return (the non Christians) in verses 45-48.
"But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Jesus specifically says that there will be two types of beatings, a severe beating and a light beating. Here again we see Jesus expressing that judgement will be issued based on the behaviors and attitudes we've expressed and that not all judgements will be the same. Though both judgements are miserable, there seems to be a lesser degree of misery.
James 3:1 speaks of stricter judgement for false teachers of the Word. "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." How can judgement be stricter if it does not vary? Again we see that there will be different degrees of misery for those in hell based on our deeds.
"For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them." This scripture found in 2 Peter 2:20-21 tells us that we will even be held accountable for our knowledge of the truth. Those who have rejected the truth will be worse off than those who have never known the truth. We can assume they will be worse off in hell. Here again we see various degrees of misery.
One of the strongest cases for the degrees of misery is found in Revelation 20:13. "And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done." Notice that those who are judged are not being judged for the state they are in (saved or lost), but they're judged according to what they've done. Judgement for these people will not be equal, nor will the degree of misery be equal. How do we know this? Because we know that not everyone in the world has sinned an equal amount of times, nor have they all committed the same sins.
I'd like to leave you with a short excerpt from "Theology in Dialogue" by John H. Gerstner because the author explains the subject more clearly than I do. I greatly enjoyed reading this book and Gerstner's teachings were used to open my eyes to many Biblical truths. The book is a conversation between a Christian and an unbeliever (both sides portrayed by Gerstner). In chapter 20 the Christian (C) and the inquirer (I) are discussing degrees of misery in hell. The Christian has expressed that there will be less cursedness for some unsaved people in hell.
"C: Since there are gradations in hell, then every sin that is avoided in this world will not be punished in the world to come. As our Lord says, every idle word will be brought into judgement. If idle words are avoided, then that will mean much less judgement.
I: But we must still face the fact that hell is hell. Everybody is going to be perfectly miserable there!
C: Yes. But the whole meaning of degrees in hell is that some people will have greater degrees than others.
I: But if you are perfectly miserable, what difference does it make what degree of misery you have?
C: Think about it for a moment. If God does say that every idle word will be judged, does that not mean that God will bring every idle word into judgement? One idle word will receive it's judgement and the next idle word will receive its judgement. If God says that, manifestly, He can deliver on that threat. So you can be sure that three idle words will receive three times the intensity of the divine fury than just one idle word would. It is perfectly true that the power of His anger is beyond human comprehension. If that is beyond human comprehension, the gradations of it may well be beyond human comprehension. One thing we can comprehend is
this: If God is going to punish every idle word, then He is going to punish it and make it felt. How He does it may be a mystery, but we know that He can do it. Consequently, it is important to keep the number of those idle words (and other sins) to a minimum, even if a person does perish."
Well during the class I was given an opportunity to share my beliefs more openly before the teenagers and the married couple that leads the youth ministry. My belief in sovereign grace was contested and I found myself having to answer many of the common objections that are thrown at Calvinists. One person asked me, "If predestination is true and there is an elect, then what is the point of evangelism?" Since this conversation was very explosive and energetic (question after question surfaced, opinion after opinion was offered), I was unable to answer as thoroughly as I would have liked to. But I offered two quick answers to the question. My first answer was that we evangelize out of obedience to Christ. If God tells us to do something then we surely must obey. My second answer (perhaps not a typical response) was that I believe we should evangelize all people because perhaps our message of truth could influence the lost sinners of this world to sin less frequently than they already do, even if they were to never exercise saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Sinning less would mean a lesser degree of misery in hell.
My first answer seemed forgotten by the time my second answer was brought forth. Jim, the husband of the married couple, said something along the lines of "there is no such thing as a lesser degree of hell." I explained that if every sin will be brought into account and judged by God then the logic follows that those who have committed more sins would suffer more in hell than those who haven't sinned as frequently. I also added that hell will be miserable for all, but some would suffer more than others.
I've given this some more thought and I must say that I still stand by everything I said within that class, especially my comment about the varying degrees of misery for those in hell. I realize my opinion is worth nothing. I hope to express why I believe what I said is true using the most reliable and accurate source there is, the Holy Word of God.
In Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 we are given these words, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." If God planned on giving equal judgements based on the state of our souls (lost or saved), there would be no need to bring EVERY deed or secret thing into judgement. We see we will be judged based on what we've done and if that is so, each judgement will differ from person to person.
If we turn to Matthew 10 we read of Jesus sending out the 12 disciples (starting in verse 5). He gives them some instruction before they depart.
"These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town."
Jesus then adds (verse 15), "Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town."
I'd like to discuss verse 15 a bit more. Notice that Jesus expresses variations in judgement here. Jesus plainly says that although the judgement for Sodom and Gomorrah was bad, it will be much more intense for the people that refuse to listen or receive His great message of truth. The Scriptures tell us Sodom and Gomorrah were both destroyed for their great wickedness (Genesis 19:24-25). Yet Christ says it will be more bearable for these people of great wickedness than it will be for those who have sinned by rejection of Christ. It seems as if Jesus believed that the suffering of those in hell would vary from person to person based on this scripture. You can also see the same point being made in the 11th chapter of Matthew.
Matthew 11:21-24 states, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you." If it will be more tolerable for Sodom, how can there not be different degrees of misery?
Matthew 12:40-45 also speaks of differing conditions during the judgement. "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation." Here again we see differing conditions for judgement and the last state of a person being worse than the first. If we will be judged not by what general state we are in (lost or saved) but by the sins and conditions of our heart, then we must believe that those whose last state is worse than their first will be judged more severely.
Let's also look at the parable of the faithful steward in Luke chapter 12, verses 42-44. We find Jesus talking about those who are Christians and live their lives in subjection to the will of God, prepared for the return of Christ.
"And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions."
Then Jesus informs us of what happens to those who were not ready for His return (the non Christians) in verses 45-48.
"But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Jesus specifically says that there will be two types of beatings, a severe beating and a light beating. Here again we see Jesus expressing that judgement will be issued based on the behaviors and attitudes we've expressed and that not all judgements will be the same. Though both judgements are miserable, there seems to be a lesser degree of misery.
James 3:1 speaks of stricter judgement for false teachers of the Word. "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." How can judgement be stricter if it does not vary? Again we see that there will be different degrees of misery for those in hell based on our deeds.
"For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them." This scripture found in 2 Peter 2:20-21 tells us that we will even be held accountable for our knowledge of the truth. Those who have rejected the truth will be worse off than those who have never known the truth. We can assume they will be worse off in hell. Here again we see various degrees of misery.
One of the strongest cases for the degrees of misery is found in Revelation 20:13. "And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done." Notice that those who are judged are not being judged for the state they are in (saved or lost), but they're judged according to what they've done. Judgement for these people will not be equal, nor will the degree of misery be equal. How do we know this? Because we know that not everyone in the world has sinned an equal amount of times, nor have they all committed the same sins.
I'd like to leave you with a short excerpt from "Theology in Dialogue" by John H. Gerstner because the author explains the subject more clearly than I do. I greatly enjoyed reading this book and Gerstner's teachings were used to open my eyes to many Biblical truths. The book is a conversation between a Christian and an unbeliever (both sides portrayed by Gerstner). In chapter 20 the Christian (C) and the inquirer (I) are discussing degrees of misery in hell. The Christian has expressed that there will be less cursedness for some unsaved people in hell.
"C: Since there are gradations in hell, then every sin that is avoided in this world will not be punished in the world to come. As our Lord says, every idle word will be brought into judgement. If idle words are avoided, then that will mean much less judgement.
I: But we must still face the fact that hell is hell. Everybody is going to be perfectly miserable there!
C: Yes. But the whole meaning of degrees in hell is that some people will have greater degrees than others.
I: But if you are perfectly miserable, what difference does it make what degree of misery you have?
C: Think about it for a moment. If God does say that every idle word will be judged, does that not mean that God will bring every idle word into judgement? One idle word will receive it's judgement and the next idle word will receive its judgement. If God says that, manifestly, He can deliver on that threat. So you can be sure that three idle words will receive three times the intensity of the divine fury than just one idle word would. It is perfectly true that the power of His anger is beyond human comprehension. If that is beyond human comprehension, the gradations of it may well be beyond human comprehension. One thing we can comprehend is
this: If God is going to punish every idle word, then He is going to punish it and make it felt. How He does it may be a mystery, but we know that He can do it. Consequently, it is important to keep the number of those idle words (and other sins) to a minimum, even if a person does perish."
Monday, September 14, 2009
What do I mean when I call myself a Calvinist?
This summer I came to the realization that i was a Calvinist. I find myself answering a lot of questions about Calvinism and what I mean when I say I'm a Calvinist. To avoid repeating myself or typing up long explanations frequently, I figured I'd share this explanation I recently sent to a friend that asked.When someone says they are a Calvinist they are saying they hold to 5 theological points about soteriology (the study of salvation). This is a huge theological system that effects every other doctrine and belief of scripture (or so I believe). Its called "Calvinism" because a man named John Calvin (an early Protestant/reformer) was one of the first teachers to document these teachings in written form. Before him, the most well known person to teach these things or document these beliefs in written form was St. Augustine. Calvinists do not follow all teachings of John Calvin, just 5 specific points regarding salvation. Sometimes I refer to these teachings as "The doctrines of grace". But mostly I stick with the title Calvinist because its the most familiar term with most people. But please keep in mind, I'm a Christian and follower of Christ first and foremost. I just agree with the teachings that Calvin outlined.
What are the 5 points? They can be known by the acronym TULIP.
T-Total depravity
U-Unconditional election
L-Limited atonement
I-Irresistible grace
P-Perseverance of the saints
Total Depravity: We believe that man (apart from Christ) is in a position of spiritual death. We believe that man is corrupt, wicked, sinful. Scripture goes as far as to say man is dead spiritually. We believe that on his own, man does not desire the things of God, nor can he see them, hear them, or comprehend them. Apart from the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, we are walking corpses (spiritually speaking). We lack the ability to come to God on our own without the work of the Holy Spirit.
Unconditional election- We believe that God elected certain individuals for salvation before the foundations of the earth. We do not believe He elected everyone. We believe this election is not based on anything thing He foresaw in us (good or bad) or whether or not we had a desire for Him (because as the first point said, we can't even have that desire for Christ unless God gives it to us). We believe he predestined some individuals for salvation, others for vessels of wrath.
Limited atonement- We believe that while the death on the cross was sufficient to save all men and powerful enough to atone for all sins and all people, it was only efficient in redeeming the Lord's elect people. So what we're saying is that Christ did not die for every single person, but only those God has predestined for salvation.
Irresistible grace- We believe that salvation is wrought in the sinner by the work of God the Holy Spirit, not by man. We believe that if you are truly one of God's elect, then when the Holy Spirit regenerates you, you will ultimately come to Christ and be unable to resist the Holy Spirit and the grace given to you. Which just means- if you're one of God's elect, when He calls you, you can't resist that grace. We believe that all people are able to hear the external call of the gospel- the teaching that Jesus is God in the flesh, a call to repent and accept Christ by faith, and the promise of forgiveness. But we believe that only the elect can respond to that call by the irresistible grace given by God.
Perseverance of the saints- we believe that if an individual is truly one of God's elect and has been redeemed, then they cannot lose their salvation. We believe the elect cannot lose their salvation because it is in the hand of God, not of man. Once we are saved, we cannot part from the Father. This is not the same as "once saved always saved". That term suggests a false carnal Christianity where you can live however you want and claim Jesus as savior, but not acknowledge Him as Lord over your life, and still make it to heaven. That term almost implies a license to sin. We do not believe eternal security is a license to sin. We believe it is a gift and we should remain and abide in God's love and press on towards the goal. We believe that there is personal responsibility and that if one is truly a Christian, they will persevere to the end.
If anyone has a question about a specific point or would like some scriptural proof for a specific point, please let me know. I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Amazing Grace 2- oh yeah!!
So I know I haven't been around much lately. I've gotten so lazy with this blog. I've been promising at least one blog on Catholicism for a while now. That posting is sitting in the draft box, still incomplete. But I've been taking some time out to study the Word more and I hope to have that blog completed and available for you guys to read by no later than Thursday. So please check back. I'd also like to warn you guys- I doubt I'm taking the direction you expected me to take with the Catholic post I'm working on.
Now for the real reason why I'm posting right now- I learned last night that in 2010 "Amazing Grace 2: The Foundations Of Reformed Theology" will be released on DVD. This is such awesomeness!! The first DVD, "Amazing Grace: History and Theology of Calvinism" was so great. It served as an excellent introduction into the world of soteriology and covered the basics from a Calvinist perspective. I highly recommend this DVD for anyone who is seriously trying to examine Calvinism.
As for the second film it will cover the 5 Solas and why the Reformers insisted on them. But the brief preview I read says that they will cover some of what has plagued the Church and it mentions "emotional experientialism". While I haven't seen this DVD yet, I'm pretty sure that section is going to be about the Charismatic movement or Pentecostal Churches and the emphasis they place on emotion. So I probably won't be super fond of that section since I do come from a Pentecostal background. I think there is plenty of room for the Pentecostal faith within the realm of Calvinism, but I seem to be one of the rare few that holds this belief. But other than that, I'm super excited to see this DVD.
I know this is kind of geeky of us, but my friend Daniel and I are eagerly awaiting the release of this DVD. Daniel and his wife Becky are both Calvinists. While I'm not yet a Calvinist, I appreciate Calvinism and view it as a consistent system of soteriology that will effect your entire system of theology. But Reformed theology is more than just Calvinism and I'm happy to see another resource explaining this. I only wish 2010 was closer so I could start counting down the days til I watch this.
Now for the real reason why I'm posting right now- I learned last night that in 2010 "Amazing Grace 2: The Foundations Of Reformed Theology" will be released on DVD. This is such awesomeness!! The first DVD, "Amazing Grace: History and Theology of Calvinism" was so great. It served as an excellent introduction into the world of soteriology and covered the basics from a Calvinist perspective. I highly recommend this DVD for anyone who is seriously trying to examine Calvinism.
As for the second film it will cover the 5 Solas and why the Reformers insisted on them. But the brief preview I read says that they will cover some of what has plagued the Church and it mentions "emotional experientialism". While I haven't seen this DVD yet, I'm pretty sure that section is going to be about the Charismatic movement or Pentecostal Churches and the emphasis they place on emotion. So I probably won't be super fond of that section since I do come from a Pentecostal background. I think there is plenty of room for the Pentecostal faith within the realm of Calvinism, but I seem to be one of the rare few that holds this belief. But other than that, I'm super excited to see this DVD.
I know this is kind of geeky of us, but my friend Daniel and I are eagerly awaiting the release of this DVD. Daniel and his wife Becky are both Calvinists. While I'm not yet a Calvinist, I appreciate Calvinism and view it as a consistent system of soteriology that will effect your entire system of theology. But Reformed theology is more than just Calvinism and I'm happy to see another resource explaining this. I only wish 2010 was closer so I could start counting down the days til I watch this.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Calvinist lyrics?
Its early in the AM (4:00ish) and I'm wide awake. I'm eating a bowl of chili and taking a break from reading. I've been reading through this book called "The Five Points of Calvinism" by David N. Steele, Curtis C. Thomas, and S. Lance Quinn. As I read this book I can't help but notice that the Calvinists are so very zealous about staying true to scripture, giving God all the glory, and representing Him as nothing but sovereign. I believe that zeal for God is one of the most beautiful and appealing aspects about this theological system. God is glorious, He's sovereign, He's a consuming Fire. He truly deserves more praise than we give Him.
Well I got to thinking about this song I really like called "Holy". I stopped myself from reading for a few minutes earlier and just started singing the lyrics to my Father in heaven. The song is by this band called "Exit East". They broke up not too long ago. Now were they trying to portray a certain stance on matters of soteriology? Possibly, I don't know. I doubt the guys will be searching for blogs about their music anyways so I guess we'll never know what their views were. But take a look at how beautiful these lyrics are (and perhaps you'll notice some very Calvinistic sounding themes):
"Holy" by Exit East
I could lift my hands
And sing Your praises
But that’s not justice for who You are
Lamb of God I worship You
Not for what You’ve done but,
For Who You are,
And I’ve found out life’s worth living
Happy are they that are found in You
I see You and I see all I am, cause You are
(Chorus)
Holy,Holy
the God of my will and my salvation
You are, Holy Holy
King of my desires
You are Holy
You gave your Son
So noble of a cause
To save all of Your lost
And by Your purpose in election now stands
Not by works I’ve done but
By Your Sovereign hand
(Chorus)
That song is so well written, don't you think? Even the Arminians can't deny that (insert laughter here, its a joke).
Well I got to thinking about this song I really like called "Holy". I stopped myself from reading for a few minutes earlier and just started singing the lyrics to my Father in heaven. The song is by this band called "Exit East". They broke up not too long ago. Now were they trying to portray a certain stance on matters of soteriology? Possibly, I don't know. I doubt the guys will be searching for blogs about their music anyways so I guess we'll never know what their views were. But take a look at how beautiful these lyrics are (and perhaps you'll notice some very Calvinistic sounding themes):
"Holy" by Exit East
I could lift my hands
And sing Your praises
But that’s not justice for who You are
Lamb of God I worship You
Not for what You’ve done but,
For Who You are,
And I’ve found out life’s worth living
Happy are they that are found in You
I see You and I see all I am, cause You are
(Chorus)
Holy,Holy
the God of my will and my salvation
You are, Holy Holy
King of my desires
You are Holy
You gave your Son
So noble of a cause
To save all of Your lost
And by Your purpose in election now stands
Not by works I’ve done but
By Your Sovereign hand
(Chorus)
That song is so well written, don't you think? Even the Arminians can't deny that (insert laughter here, its a joke).
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