My intent was not to be aggressive but to be myself and lighten up to let you know I am being real. I am glad you understood my nuk nuK nut as belonging to Curly Joe. It was a signature me comment. I thought about taking it down after I made my reply but having only 5 minutes to edit my time lapsed . It was typical me , proud of myself for holding on to the truth and standing up for it . It was meant to be as coming from me not you so give me the 70 times seven on that one Please, I even left out the woof, woof and the finger popping. Not meant to be aggressive at all Your response was I suppose typical . Evmur. You create a post with an outlandish claim . Which soon reveals the politically correct Calvinist view I simply am not on this website to dive into the kelp bed of Reformist Theology. Like kelp it is slippery and tricky. All of sudden all the elements of Reformist Theology converge to become a rather complex template or overlay of man's interpretation of scripture. Anything without that template is routinely , I say routinely rejected out of hand. So I gave it my best shot and now I am apologizing for being aggressive ? Of all the Reformists I have met on this site you Evmur appear to be the most mature and open for discussion but typically everything I mentioned disappeared into the black hole of the previous context and has now resurfaced as a discussion of when , where and how Christ sets us free. I am going to allow you get to some point because what we previously were discussing and was not commented on was not replied to . What exactly are we discussing in the context of this post ? It has already become blurred.
You are "proud of yourself [hmmm] for holding on to the truth and standing up for it" ... ... me you say am stubborn, refusing to acknowledge "the truth"
A hallmark of false doctrine is to repeat it endlessly until people are thoroughly brainwashed like they do with evolution, you cannot read a work of science or nature without the "fact" of evolution being rammed forcefully down your throat. Folks laugh at you or think you an intellectually challenged person if you deny evolution.
The doctrine of human freewill is the same. It is in every tract and book, every sermon or theological work [apart from those of us who pertain to the free sovereign grace brigade] christians deride it, scoff, treat us either dishonest or fools.
Yet there is not so much as a scrap of doctrine in the NT that speaks of human freewill. Paul says we were slaves to sin, in bondage to the elemental spirits [demons] of the universe.
What part of slavery or bondage can be interpreted as freewill?
The doctrine of human freewill is a beach head, a foothold, territory which the devil has gotten into the church, having got his beach head he does what any smart general does, he uses it as base to operate from and he seeks to expand deeper, take more territory.
The doctrine of salvation by good works or by obedience to the law are direct derivitives of freewill doctrines, and from this doctrine comes probation, the teaching that salvation is dependent upon us maintaining good works throughout life along with strict obedience to the law and the performance of spiritual exercises and duties [long prayers and fast etc] they all come from the doctrine of human freewill. Many christians fight against these children doctrine but they still hold on and cherish the parent doctrine.
It has been said that nobody is an arminian when they pray ... we don't boast to God. When we are first saved we lay aside our supposed freewill and surrender to the will of God. Actually He totally defeats and subjugates our will to His own ... like He did with the prodigal son or with Paul on the Damascus Rd.
It is only after we are saved that we learn the language of human freewill. It is backsliding. We are going back to "they have turned every one to his own way" and where does it lead? back into bondage. This is the sad condition of the western church. Everyone following the human will instead of seeking out and doing God's will.
Now I am not bitter in my criticism, still we are the holy church. I know God can revive the grace doctrines at any time. In fact He is doing so.
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