John Calvin and Calvinism.

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Enoch111

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calvin wrote to Servetus and told him to stay away. When that didnt work, Calvin spoke on behalf of Servetus. The man couldnt do anymore to help Servetus.
Correct. Servetus was simply asking for trouble. Whether or not he was crazy, only God knows.
 

GodsGrace

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heres some truth for you.
I don't really care about Servetes.
And I think Sproul might be a BIT prejudiced.

I know this for sure....(not that it matters to doctrine)
Calvin was a mean and bitter man.
He had no joy in him and was very strict.
He agreed that persons had to be forced to comply with his rules, or the rules of that denomination.
There were witch hunts in the Protestant side, just like Catholics mistakenly had witch hunts on that side.

These are men.
Let's try to find out what God wants from us...

And RC Sproul didn't even like the reformed faith before he decided to join it...
who knows why he joined a faith he didn't understand...only HE knows.
 
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Lifelong_sinner

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I don't really care about Servetes.
And I think Sproul might be a BIT prejudiced.

I know this for sure....(not that it matters to doctrine)
Calvin was a mean and bitter man.
He had no joy in him and was very strict.
He agreed that persons had to be forced to comply with his rules, or the rules of that denomination.
There were witch hunts in the Protestant side, just like Catholics mistakenly had witch hunts on that side.

These are men.
Let's try to find out what God wants from us...

And RC Sproul didn't even like the reformed faith before he decided to join it...
who knows why he joined a faith he didn't understand...only HE knows.

RC Sproul was one of the smartest, finest presbyterians you could ever talk to. I’ve yet to hear anyone rebuke him and it hold up.
 
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PinSeeker

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I know this for sure....(not that it matters to doctrine) Calvin was a mean and bitter man.
Well, you think that for sure, and that's certainly your prerogative. Calvin lived several centuries ago; are you presuming to have known him in any personal sense at all? Certainly not.

He had no joy in him and was very strict.
He was certainly strict about God's Word, because God Himself is strict. But you cannot (nor can anyone) say Calvin "had no joy in him" with any credibility at all. I mean, hey, in the sense that you say that, I can, in the same sense, say that you have no joy in you. But that sense is... senseless, really.

He agreed that persons had to be forced to comply with his rules, or the rules of that denomination.
Well, he was, I'm sure, uncompromising regarding the Word of God.

There were witch hunts in the Protestant side, just like Catholics mistakenly had witch hunts on that side. These are men.
Sure, all men are sinful. Sure. All fall short ~ way, way short ~ of the glory of God. And in this life, even after God calls the ones He calls, even after they are born again of the Spirit.

Let's try to find out what God wants from us...
Agreed. But a lot of that we know, because He tells us. Here's an example:

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)​

And RC Sproul didn't even like the reformed faith before he decided to join it...
It sounds like you are in that boat right now, GG.

who knows why he joined a faith he didn't understand...only HE knows.
Well, he came to understand it because of God's work in him by the Holy Spirit, and that's why he "joined it." :)

Grace and peace to you.[/QUOTE]
 

PinSeeker

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You never replied to my post no. 343
Only because I answered it, really, in the previous post(s). But okay, here you go, and I'll throw your post no. 342 in for good measure:

POST 342:
How is that? It can't be both.
It can, and is ~ both that God is one God in three Persons, and three persons in one God. This is His triune nature. Likewise, in a biblical sense, all we who are in Christ are, together, one, the bride of Christ. Not perfectly yet, but we will be, when Christ returns. So we are many, but one, AND one, but many. See?

God in 3 persons makes 3 gods.
Nope. See immediately above.​

POST 343:
Do you ever use scripture?
Yes, that's pretty much all I've done, time and time again. And I'm doing so again here. Read on...

Can you post some scripture regarding these two different calls?
Sure. Read on...

John said he was writing his gospel message so that we may have fellowship with him.
Right, and do you not think the "we" in your own statement here is all people? Wouldn't you agree that the salvation he is writing about, the good news he is relating, is available to all, that all are invited to take part in it? Observe:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
[John 3:16]

"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'”
[Mark 1:14-15]
This is the general call to salvation ~ the invitation issued to all people ~ to repent and believe. As Jesus relates in His parable of the wedding feast:

"...many are called, but few are chosen."
[Matthew 22:14]
But John does quote Jesus Himself as saying the only ones who will answer this general call are the ones that God draws to Himself. Jesus says:

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him."[John 6:44]
This is the specific ~ inward, for us, in the heart ~ call that God issues, by His Spirit, to His elect. This is the New Covenant, personified in Jesus, that Jeremiah relates ~ in the words of the LORD Himself ~ in chapter 31 of his prophecy:

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke, though I was their Husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
[Jeremiah 31:31-33]
These days are now here, and have been since the advent of Christ Jesus some 2000+ years ago. And Jesus says to Nicodemus:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again." The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.'”
[John 3:5-8]
This is the specific call, that is issued by God, via His Spirit, only to His elect.​
I don't get the message you understand. I posted many verses. Maybe you could pick one or two and explain them to me?
I've kind of lost track at this point, to be quite honest. If you want to post them again ~ or one or two, as you say ~ then I would be happy to give you what I believe to be the correct explanation. And then, you can, of course, either accept that explanation or not.

Maybe you could post something that confirms what you believe?
See above.

If not, it's only your opinion.
I appreciate that, and agree. But I did. See above.

And not what Jesus taught.
Oh, but it is. See above.

You NEVER really do (respond to my posts)...
Oh, but I do. Because you don't hear because you refuse to listen (or seem to, anyway) does not mean there has been no response. :)

Grace and peace to you, GG.
 

GodsGrace

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RC Sproul was one of the smartest, finest presbyterians you could ever talk to. I’ve yet to hear anyone rebuke him and it hold up.
I agree.
What I stated about him was when he was in college, divinity school, and before he joined the reformed faith.
Maybe I could find the quote...
 

GodsGrace

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Only because I answered it, really, in the previous post(s). But okay, here you go, and I'll throw your post no. 342 in for good measure:

POST 342:

It can, and is ~ both that God is one God in three Persons, and three persons in one God. This is His triune nature. Likewise, in a biblical sense, all we who are in Christ are, together, one, the bride of Christ. Not perfectly yet, but we will be, when Christ returns. So we are many, but one, AND one, but many. See?


Nope. See immediately above.​

POST 343:
Yes, that's pretty much all I've done, time and time again. And I'm doing so again here. Read on...


Sure. Read on...


Right, and do you not think the "we" in your own statement here is all people? Wouldn't you agree that the salvation he is writing about, the good news he is relating, is available to all, that all are invited to take part in it? Observe:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
[John 3:16]

"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'”
[Mark 1:14-15]
This is the general call to salvation ~ the invitation issued to all people ~ to repent and believe. As Jesus relates in His parable of the wedding feast:

"...many are called, but few are chosen."
[Matthew 22:14]
But John does quote Jesus Himself as saying the only ones who will answer this general call are the ones that God draws to Himself. Jesus says:

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him."[John 6:44]
This is the specific ~ inward, for us, in the heart ~ call that God issues, by His Spirit, to His elect. This is the New Covenant, personified in Jesus, that Jeremiah relates ~ in the words of the LORD Himself ~ in chapter 31 of his prophecy:

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke, though I was their Husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
[Jeremiah 31:31-33]
These days are now here, and have been since the advent of Christ Jesus some 2000+ years ago. And Jesus says to Nicodemus:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again." The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.'”
[John 3:5-8]
This is the specific call, that is issued by God, via His Spirit, only to His elect.​

I've kind of lost track at this point, to be quite honest. If you want to post them again ~ or one or two, as you say ~ then I would be happy to give you what I believe to be the correct explanation. And then, you can, of course, either accept that explanation or not.


See above.


I appreciate that, and agree. But I did. See above.


Oh, but it is. See above.


Oh, but I do. Because you don't hear because you refuse to listen (or seem to, anyway) does not mean there has been no response. :)

Grace and peace to you, GG.
Nice reply PS.
But the reply will have to wait till I can type it.
I do have one quick question I can manage on this phone...
I've come into contact with some calvinists that will not reply to my posts. Why do you think this is so?
Do I sound mean or demeaning??
Tomorrow...
 

Reformedguy

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I don't really care about Servetes.
And I think Sproul might be a BIT prejudiced.

I know this for sure....(not that it matters to doctrine)
Calvin was a mean and bitter man.
He had no joy in him and was very strict.
He agreed that persons had to be forced to comply with his rules, or the rules of that denomination.
There were witch hunts in the Protestant side, just like Catholics mistakenly had witch hunts on that side.

These are men.
Let's try to find out what God wants from us...

And RC Sproul didn't even like the reformed faith before he decided to join it...
who knows why he joined a faith he didn't understand...only HE knows.
Calvin was bitter and RC did not like the Reformed faith yet joined it anyway? How do you know these things?
 

GodsGrace

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Calvin was bitter and RC did not like the Reformed faith yet joined it anyway? How do you know these things?
I read.
I watch a lot of youtube lately because of problems with reading.
What I know about RC is on his biography.

You ask a funny question though.
How do You know what you know?
We live, we pick up information, we store it for future use.
 

Reformedguy

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I read.
I watch a lot of youtube lately because of problems with reading.
What I know about RC is on his biography.

You ask a funny question though.
How do You know what you know?
We live, we pick up information, we store it for future use.
I am not in the habit of calling someone bitter who has been dead for almost 500 year.

As for RC which YouTube videos are you referring to?
 

Enoch111

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RC Sproul was one of the smartest, finest presbyterians you could ever talk to. I’ve yet to hear anyone rebuke him and it hold up.
You should not idolize Sproul. Someone has in fact pointed out his inconsistencies (which we can ignore for now). But his biggest inconsistency is holding to and promoting Five Point Calvinism ("another gospel"). How do these smart men like Calvin and Sproul outsmart themselves by rejecting Bible truth?
 

Lifelong_sinner

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You should not idolize Sproul. Someone has in fact pointed out his inconsistencies (which we can ignore for now). But his biggest inconsistency is holding to and promoting Five Point Calvinism ("another gospel"). How do these smart men like Calvin and Sproul outsmart themselves by rejecting Bible truth?

i dont idolize Sproul, but he was a smart man filled with the Spirit, much like calvin. As for calvinism, its 100% Biblical. Sproul was a big part of why i became a presbyterian, calvinism and Presbyterianism are Biblical. Matter of fact, im grateful that God showed me Sproul so that i could learn the truth.
 

Reformedguy

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i dont idolize Sproul, but he was a smart man filled with the Spirit, much like calvin. As for calvinism, its 100% Biblical. Sproul was a big part of why i became a presbyterian, calvinism and Presbyterianism are Biblical. Matter of fact, im grateful that God showed me Sproul so that i could learn the truth.
Exactly. I have several of his books and he, among others, was instrumental in my embracing the Reformed faith.
 

Enoch111

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As for calvinism, its 100% Biblical.
If it was 100% biblical, then no Christian would oppose it. The very fact that the majority of Christians reject Calvinistic nonsense should give you pause. Furthermore you have stopped asking the hard questions regarding this false gospel. The most basic question is this: "If God chooses only some for salvation, why does He offer salvation to all?" Thus right away Calvinism makes God a liar.
 

Reformedguy

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If it was 100% biblical, then no Christian would oppose it. The very fact that the majority of Christians reject Calvinistic nonsense should give you pause. Furthermore you have stopped asking the hard questions regarding this false gospel. The most basic question is this: "If God chooses only some for salvation, why does He offer salvation to all?" Thus right away Calvinism makes God a liar.
The gospel is a proclamation not a offer.

Are you saying there must be 100% agreement on any issue within Christianity for something to be Biblical?
 
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Gregory

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congrats! You are now learning the real truth about salvation. And yes, in the grand scheme of things, mother teresa was a sinner just the same as hitler.
Real silly statement. Tells me you are not serious about Jesus Christ and his doctrines of salvation.
 

GodsGrace

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I am not in the habit of calling someone bitter who has been dead for almost 500 year.

As for RC which YouTube videos are you referring to?
You could do that reformedguy.
And I can know what type of person Abraham Lincoln was, even though I never met him.
We even know what type of persons some of the Apostles were, and we never met them.
 

PinSeeker

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And I can know what type of person Abraham Lincoln was, even though I never met him.
Yes, because volumes and volumes called biographies have been written about Abraham Lincoln.

We even know what type of persons some of the Apostles were, and we never met them.
Not so, because there are no biographies out there of any of the apostles. We only have what they themselves wrote and news of a few of the things they did. Some of their actions, and the way they wrote about certain things, do indicate some of the things they were passionate about. But other than that, we can't really tell anything, except that they were genuine in their interactions with others.

Now, one thing we do know is that they were Christians. And we know too that they were sinners, just like we all are... :) And inspired by the Holy Spirit, because the epistles they wrote are in the Bible. :) That's three, I guess... :)

Grace and peace to you.