Anti-Calvin

I think John Calvin is highly overrated. Why, I guess because some people love to believe in people more than believe in God.

 

Oh, absolutely not! Good Catholics make that same decision EVERY DAY regarding their "Papally-breathed" theology! Being a "natural man" is one of the soundest foundations one can have so far as knowing the things of God!

Hunt doubts that Calvin was saved, shortandy. What kind of spiritual understanding does God give to the lost? (Read 1Cor 2:7-14)

skypair

 

Okay, you have been officially put in the same file as SP with this bit of nonsense.

 

Thank you for your irrelevant and meaningless opinion. :thumbs:
Romans 8:5

 

From TNIV

 

Hey short,

Might I suggest getting "Debating Calvinism" by Dave Hunt and James White. Then you will get both sides of the subject. And buy one for your friend too...:jesus:

 

Shouldn't the question be, should we dismiss anyone's biblical insights because they've done something wrong? What about our pastors or teachers, any christian author or teacher? Do we dismiss them because they've done something wrong? Fact is, we've all done something wrong, you can't name a person (other then Jesus) who has not done something wrong. So if we're dismissing people because of doing something wrong, then we'll have to dismiss everyone.

 

Somebody already alluded to the T in TULIP--TOTAL DEPRAVITY. There are many who do not understand the word total and the implications thereof. That is, 100% of man is depraved, including his freewill. This does not mean that there is no freewill, but that the will is enslaved to the sin nature of man; and therefore man is not capable of making a right choice without the intervention of God.

If we have saving faith, God gave it--Eph.2:8.

If we do anything good, it is not because of our righteousness, but rather the imputed righteousness of Jesus. All of our works are like filthy rags to God. It matters not how many novenas or pilgrimages one makes.

God brings his children to the point that they realize their condition-- without Jesus. This causes repentence. God then gives the faith to trust in what Jesus has done. That causes a person to desire to walk in newness of life, putting off the old man and the carnal things of life. This does not mean that a saved person will live a sinless life. He will stumble but never be lost. We just made it to the P in TULIP.

These plain Bible teachings have been around since long before Chauvin(J. Calvin), and his cohort J. Arminius. Whether they agree or disagree is irrelevant.

We ought to obey God rather than men.

Selah,

Bro. James

 

Depends on what the wrong was. Would you want a former pedophile pastoring your church. I believe this is one of the reasons why Paul started with such a high standard, instructing in the Book of Timothy, that a Bishop must be the husband of one wife, to avoid bringing a reproach on the gospel and the position. The standards are high and should be maintained or else you get ... well pretty much what we have today. Like someone on a video showing a protein that looks like a small t and people thinking it is some great revelation from God or an overly tattooed preacher saying God told him to kick somebody in the face. It would be easy to laugh about these things if they were not so sad and disgusting!

 

I suggest this as well.

Total strawman Cutter.
Of course we don't want people unqualified as pastors but that is not the question.

If a pedophile believes in the trinity, then would you deny the trinity?
Would you?

 

I fail to see the topic of pedophilia in this thread. I was unaware Calvin was accused of pedophilia. Is there proof of that?
So apparently, according to you, only perfect people should be pastors and teachers. God's forgiveness means nothing to men then, of course it doesn't. Who cares if God forgives, right?

 

No, not perfect. No one is, but does confidence play a role in who you are willing to listen to and is there a Biblical standard for the one that fills the pulpit and teachers podium?

 

No, he wasn't.

To the OP - yes John Calvin was not perfect, (I know ***gasp***), but he did display a level of exegetical fidelity and scholarship that was, and still is in many ways, unmatched.

A "Calvinist" in truth is someone that holds that level of exegesis and reasoning in very high regard.

We say "Calvinist", simply as a shorthand method of defining our bond with what Calvin represents as a servant of Christ and to rebut the position of synergism in any form.

Anyone that reads his works with an open-mind cannot help but appreciate his God-given genius, even if they are not willing to accept his conclusions.

Interestingly enough, I had come to many of Calvin's conclusions before I read any of his Institutes, because he is, first and foremost, a biblicist in the truest sense of the term.

I am not "of Calvin", I am "of Christ", but I also seek to be an imitator of Christ-like men.

If you truly investigate the life and work of John Calvin, you will find him a godly man worthy of emulation. A man that loved God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength and sought to glorify Him in everything he did.