Monergy or Synergy?
Just so you know it may be some time before I get to the Limited Atonement post because I want to be careful with this one. Limited Atonement is the one doctrine of the five points that I am least sure of. Don’t think that means that I deny it. I believe in Limited Atonement, but I have the problem of not understanding it quite as well as I do the others. So I’m going to take some time to research it a little deeper than I’ve researched the others. I’m going to look at this one from both sides, so who knows we may all be surprised by the results.
This is probably the best time of any to mention that I am not writing this blog, and these posts on Calvinism, as a categorical systematic eisegetical defense of my unwavering belief in hardcore 5-point Calvinism. I believe in 5-point Calvinism, but I do not do so without trying to consider and reconcile the objections raised by skeptics. I also do not care if I disagree with any Calvinists on the particulars (most of it is equivocation anyway). I don’t even care if I disagree with Calvin himself. I care only that I represent soteriology accurately as it is in the Bible. I only care that I agree with Christ and his apostles.
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On Whether God Elects Unconditionally
Preemptive Disambiguation
Having looked more in depth at these doctrines over the last year and a half or so, I’ve been surprised by how much variance there is in opinions. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but it appears that there is a great amount of equivocation on all sides. We each seem to have a different definition of what each term means. So in order to make it plain what I’m talking about, I will define what I mean by Unconditional Election:
In my estimation, the doctrine of Unconditional Election states that God, for no other reason than his own sovereign choice, has chosen who among the race of Adam would be saved.
I’ve decided to tackle this one in Thomistic style:
Total Depravity
As usual I apologize for my long drought of posting, and call on my typical excuse of busyness. Though I do have to say that on my list of priorities this blog is not very high. I certainly enjoy posting here, though there are a myriad of other responsibilities and distractions which can and have squelched my time for posting. Thank you for bearing with me.
Today I want to examine the doctrine of Total Depravity. I first want to state its importance. It is vital doctrine to believe for Calvinism, but it is also a crucial doctrine for the whole of Christianity. Much of the foundation of what we believe rests upon the truth of Total Depravity.
Briefly, Total Depravity (also called total inability) states that when Adam fell, all of mankind as a whole fell. The punishment for this fall is death, as God had warned Adam prior to the fall. This death takes place in three stages. Physical death is the end of our time on this planet. Eternal death is the unending punishment for our sinful state. Spiritual death is the depravity in which we find ourselves. Each man1 is spiritually stillborn. What is the nature of this death?
Behind the Scenes of the Gospel
In 2 Corinthians 3&4, Paul discusses an important aspect of his ministry. Now if you’ve ever studied 2 Corinthians as a whole, you will have noticed that one of the common themes is Paul’s Apostolic authority. It seems that he had come under attack from those connected to the Corinthian church - be they members or dissenters. One of the major reasons Paul wrote the book was to address this question, and in 2 Corinthians 3&4 we see part of it emerge. (more…)
Is Calvin Defeated by Responsibility?
A very important question has been raised in our discussion, so before I go on to my next post, I think it bears addressing. The question is about human responsibility in light of the sovereignty of God and his electing purpose. How can Calvinism be true and man be responsible for his actions? (more…)