What I still believe
The purpose of this post is to show what I still believe and the common ground that I share with all fundamental Bible believing Baptist.
I still believe in the innerrency, infallibility of Scripture.
I still believe in Salvation through Faith alone, (evidenced by repentance), not through works.
I still believe man is responsible for his decision in accepting or rejecting Christ.
I still believe God uses men to further His program for this dispensation.
I still believe God has called men to preach and that Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
I still believe in the Pre-Mill., Pre-Trib. rapture of the Church.
I still believe that Christ died for all men.
I still believe that God loves all men and sent His Son for mankind as a whole.
I still believe that God is Triune, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, omnibenevolent, Just, True, Holy, Sovereign and Love.
I still believe that Christ came to provide Salvation for mankind, that He was crucified, and literally died, that He was buried in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimethea, and that He rose again the third day and in so doing conquored death and hell so that we have the hope of Salvation.
I still believe that God is infinite and man is finite.
I still believe "it is imperative that we deliver the Gospel to those who have not heard, to give them an opportunity to choose God's gift of salvation."
I still believe "the truth of God's Word is simple [and] it is literal."
I still believe for whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.
I still believe the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
I still believe in the innerrency, infallibility of Scripture.
I still believe in Salvation through Faith alone, (evidenced by repentance), not through works.
I still believe man is responsible for his decision in accepting or rejecting Christ.
I still believe God uses men to further His program for this dispensation.
I still believe God has called men to preach and that Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
I still believe in the Pre-Mill., Pre-Trib. rapture of the Church.
I still believe that Christ died for all men.
I still believe that God loves all men and sent His Son for mankind as a whole.
I still believe that God is Triune, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, omnibenevolent, Just, True, Holy, Sovereign and Love.
I still believe that Christ came to provide Salvation for mankind, that He was crucified, and literally died, that He was buried in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimethea, and that He rose again the third day and in so doing conquored death and hell so that we have the hope of Salvation.
I still believe that God is infinite and man is finite.
I still believe "it is imperative that we deliver the Gospel to those who have not heard, to give them an opportunity to choose God's gift of salvation."
I still believe "the truth of God's Word is simple [and] it is literal."
I still believe for whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.
I still believe the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
posted by Richard, James 4:14, Ecc. 12:13,14 | 7:37 PM
3 Comments:
I still believe in the Pre-Mill., Pre-Trib. rapture of the Church.
Man, for a blossoming Calvinist, we've got to get you straightened out on this one. I used to hold to this as well, so I am not coming to the table as a Presbyterian amil or postmil, but rather as a Baptist premill/amill/postmill "junkyard dog" (as one of my profs used to say). I am just kidding about the getting you straightened out thing, but I do want to introduce you to some resources and ask you to consider reading some as you journey down the path toward developing a full theological framework.
Here's a link providing info about books regarding Calvinism and Dispensationalism.
For strictly eschatological studies try this link to a lecture by Greg Bahnsen (also there is a link to a famous debate he did against Gordon Stein, but regardless any Calvinist should read and listen to Bahnsen, if for no other reason than the fact that he's the only guy who ever truly understood Cornelius Van Til).
And this book by Ray Summers, which is a classic.
I hold to a Baptistic form of Covenant Theology and this book is a good introduction to CT. I highly recommend anything that Michael Horton writes. You can check him out by going to The White Horse Inn.
But what really convinced me that I needed to change my view of eschatology, besides my rejection of dispensationalism in favor of covenant theology (which I came to prior to becoming a Calvinst, which is a bit convoluted), was a study of the Early Church Father's view of eschatology, which was generally historical pre-mill and beginning to look at theology more globally, by asking the question, "Does this theology make sense for all cultures at all times?" I ended up answering "NO" to pre-trib, pre-mill eschatology the more I examined countries like China and Muslim states, whose Christian population believes it is currently enduring the tribulation now and whose culture reflects the Biblical picture of tribulation more accurately than what we see in books like Left Behind. That is what is so appealing about amill, because it posits a pattern and a circular movement of persecution, growth, stability, instability, persecution, growth, stability, etc.
So, just check these things out if and when you have time and I pray God will enliven your heart to a passion for Him as you study no matter what position you come to or stay with.
Richard, just a quick note,
In saying this:
The purpose of this post is to show what I still believe and the common ground that I share with all fundamental Bible believing Baptist.
and taking a narrow position on eschatology you have contradicted yourself, since all (and currently the number is growing in the opposite direction) do not hold to a Pre-mill, Pre-trib Dispensational Eschatology.
I have studied the other views of eschatology, but my studies of the literal interpretation of the scriptures has led me to continue to believe in the pre-mil, pre-trib view of eschatology. I do admit that saying "all..." was a pure choice of words. I should have just omitted that word.
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