Featured Grace of Reformed Theology/R.C. Sproul

No twist. However, I can see you are stubborn on this matter and it's not worth my time to waste it on you.

 

From a certain viewpoint, I can see why you come to that conclusion.

That would include me.

If by "Reformed" it is meant that one agrees with "TULIP", then I understand where you're coming from.
If by "Reformed" it is meant that one agrees with what "Puritanism" teaches, then I doubly understand.

I agree with "TULIP", but I do not agree with how the Puritans, for example, approached the Christian's walk in this life and how God looks upon and chastens His children.

I agree.

I've observed that among the denominations, "Protestants" included, there is a wide variety of beliefs about what grace really is and what it encompasses.

Again, I agree with you here, and I suspect I know where you're coming from.

 

As I've mentioned above, I think you're talking about what I call "Puritanism", which is what I see Mr. MacArthur teaching.
Some might call it "Lordship Salvation" in that a person is mandated to perform at a certain level by the group, or they face being dismissed as not being saved.

In other words, instead of practicing church discipline and putting people out of the fellowship for living in sin, yet treating them as a brother or sister...
they "go overboard" and pronounce that anyone who does not actively show themselves, by their outward works, to be saved, isn't.

I find that it's the same mentality as that found in other types of holiness movements...
Not that we should not be holy, but that some groups look at outward holiness as something that a person must do right away ( instead of a work over time by the Holy Spirit ) in order to be considered as being saved.

This would put the Corinthians out of their own church, IMO.

Again, I think it depends upon the group and how they understand grace.
To me, grace is not only totally unmerited favor with God, it is also a patience that is extended towards His children that gives them space to repent, and doesn't come down on them like a ton of bricks for the slightest infraction.

Once again I agree with you here.
As I see it, the Reformers were very much legalistic and some could be rather unforgiving when it came to outward stumblings in sin.

As examples, I've read stories about John Calvin in Geneva and later the Puritans and how they treated their congregations,
especially in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and other places.

The feeling I get is that, while they seemed to understand salvation by grace,
they didn't understand that the believer also walks by God's grace, patience and kindness in this life.

Simply-put,
He does not rule His own children with an iron rod... even though He rebukes and chastens them.
It's done in love and a hand that only extends itself with regard to harsher measures when all methods of correction don't seem ( to us ) to be getting through.

 

We are right now perfect in the sense of the the Father seeing us as having the same righteousness as Jesus Himself, but also in this life we still choose way to may times to still sin!

 

The big problem with Lordship salvation is that it tends to place focus and emphasis upon how we act and behave, and not resting upon the finished work of Christ, Both Luther and Calvin would never agree that we should base our security in anything we do, it totally on what he did!