Pauline Doctrine not Calvanism nor Arminianism

Discussion in 'Calvinism & Arminianism Debate' started by revmwc, Jan 23, 2018.

  1. InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    See also John 20:31
    31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
     
  2. The Archangel Well-Known Member

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    First, Ephesians 1:13 does not exist in a vacuum; there are many other verses in the same passage that argue for the reformed understanding of salvation.

    Also, I'm not sure what translation you are using, but the Greek does not have "Listening" and "Believing" and "Sealed" as past tense. In Greek they are in the Aorist. Also, in Greek they are not verbs, but participles.

    I can see no reason the word "After" is correct as far as a translation goes. A good translation might be, "In Him, you also, having heard the message of truth..." If the participle were imperfect, after might be OK. But an Aorist designates an undefined past period of time. Since "Believed" is also Aorist, and therefore undefined as well, it is, perhaps, concurrent with "having heard." Also, the point of the verse is the sealing of the Holy Spirit. While that is a verb in the Aorist, it is also passive--meaning the sealing is something done to us, likely by God in this case.

    Blessings,

    The Archangel
     
  3. Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    He will have to shown that the salvation done by the Holy Spiritt in that passage was the direct result of the initial believing in Jesus, and don't that that can be supported....