Featured Is The Way of the Master Calvinist?

John,

I replied to your post, and am still unsure if you were attributing to me views that are not applicable to what I believe or have said (but as we don’t know each other, I can offer the benefit of the doubt that this was not your intention - even if you would prefer to leave it “as is”).

But in regards to my question, do you know of any evangelical methods that actually use a prayer as the mode of salvation or a method that rejects the element of understanding one’s sin? If so, could you please provide a link. I have no doubt that they are, as you point out, out there…but I do not know that they are as prevalent as you seem to indicate (I have not encountered such methods, but I also have a fairly limited experience when it comes to various denominational beliefs).

Basically, I do not know how WOTM stacks up with other methods. I have been exposed to several tools throughout my life, and have watched WOTM videos – but have never been through WOTM training. The first method I was taught was when I was younger…much younger, to my dismay. I’ll summarize it here (and I would appreciate your critique so that I can know more of your objection to non-Calvinistic approaches – this church was not Arminianian, not “anti-Calvinistic,” but also not a Reformed church. These are notes that I took back then (keep in mind, they are only notes from the class we had). The intent was to use the passages in Romans to explain the way of salvation – hence, the “Roman Road” (which some here despise).

All have sinned, there is none who are righteous. Sin means to “miss the mark.” None of us are perfect, we all have done wrong in our lifetime. We even fail to live up to our own expectations, imaging living up to God’s perfect standard. Righteousness denotes God’s standard, not man’s – but sin is a rebellion against God. We cannot be righteous on our own merit. Read Romans 3:10,23; 5:12 and expound.

There is a penalty for our sin. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus. There is a physical death and a Second Death. We are born spiritually-dead and must be born again spiritually. The Second Death means being cast into the Lake of Fire forever. Hell is a just punishment because of the severity of sinning against God. Sin is an eternal act because it is against an eternal God. God is just and cannot simply ignore sin. We are in need of a Savior.

Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God became man in order to redeem those who would believe, to save them. This is an act of divine mercy. Jesus is God, He died, was buried, and rose three days later. He is our mediator, our High Priest, and our Savior.

Romans 10:13 promises that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. We cannot come to God on our own merit, we have nothing to offer God for His mercy. But God saves men through grace. Men will not believe unless God draws them, and this is precisely what God does. We are saved by grace through faith, not of our own merit or work.

This is not the only method that I was taught - and these were just notes that I jotted down in my Bible, so it is not necessarily complete -, but this is one that I had annotated (where I could find notes, anyway). The intent of the Roman Road was to systematically work through salvation using Scripture - but most of the methods that I know are very similar. They are tools to aid the witness, not a formula to which one must adhere. I have not been exposed to WOTM beyond the videos (beyond the Ten Commandments) - but I am sure that it goes beyond what is shown in the videos. Anyway, your feedback is always welcomed and I would like to read of the methods that you mention (if you don't mind responding with a link or PM).



Anyway - off for an MRI . If you don't mind the clarification, I would appreciate the info.