Rants
Question and Answers :
I agree with you on what you wrote about. However, in reality, the real effect is that hyper-Calvinism does a lot of damage on the efforts of bringing unity in Christ's church, demonstrating Christian love towards each other despite our human-conditioned differences. I mean, on a concrete practice or implementation level.
While I agree that hyper-Calvinism does much damage, one cannot assume that the error of Arminianism is the balance. They are both wrong. But I would argue that Calvinism teaches much more of the grace of God than Arminianism does. (I was raised Arminian.) The Arminian is never fully taught the doctrine ofGod...only superficially...and therefore cannot understand his great love. If one does not see how just God is, he cannot appreciate the grace of Christ. If one does not see man is totally depraved he cannot appreciate the extent of Christ's love.
God's love is emphasized by this great justice. Love cannot be taught in a vacuum. This is a major weaknes of Arminian teaching. It puts too much emphasis on the ability of man. On the other hand, the hyper-Calvinist rob man of his responsibility to respond to God. To them, man is nothing short of being a robot.
The different emphasis or focus on various doctrines does have a great impact upon our literal implementation of practicing Christian love towards each other. Too much emphasis on God's election while negelecting God's love towards sinners (John 3:16) has no positive bearings over world evangelism and showing Christian love towards sinners. The existence of Arminism may have a positive effect in bringing this overbearings of Calvinism or hyper-Calvinism into Biblical balance.
My understanding is that, christianity is, first and most, through our faith and personal walk with God, knowing the unconditional love of God towards the underserved and then witnessing or domonstrating this kind of love towards other sinners.
While what you say here is abolutely true, one cannot know God's love unless one knows the nature of God. Christians cannot love each other until they know how and why God loves them. Love is of God and from God. As before, God's justice shows the greatness of his grace and mercy. When one compares the preaching and effects of Jonathan Edwards as opposed to John Wesley...one sees the difference. Both were powerful preachers of God's love...but one emphasized man's sinfulness. What some call "wisdom" in preaching by de-emphasizing the doctrine of God, actually weaken the converts. The converts have a greater view of himself and a lesser view of. Only faithful preaching will change that.
Without knowing and domonstrating this love of God towards each other, no man will come to have the right mind of God (sound doctrinces) and knowing that how God works His salvation towards us. In this sense, Wesley's deliberate emphasis on God's love towards sinners and Christian love towards each other rather than God's elections towards his Chosen, I believe, is appropriate. In terms of christian evangelism, a sinner must first come to know the love of God in christ and submit his mind to Christ in order that he might have the mind of Christ through the ongoing relationship with Christ and through the teacher of Holy Spirit .
Here I believe a Christian must first know God - the whole doctrine of God...not his love first. This is what moves him to submission and then receive God love.
I thank God for Calvin's contribution to Christian theology. However, I do not think that every Christian needs to become a Calvinist in order to be saved.
You are right, no one needs to become a "Calvinist" in order to be saved. There are many good Christians who are not Calvinist (like most of my family). I argue that the weakness of one who is not a Calvinist is he is not able to give God all the glory due to his name because he denies or does not know the greatness of Christ (unconditional election, irresistiblity of his grace, and preservation of the saints) and the full extent of man's sinfulness (total depravity).
In Christ's love.
Mitchell