John 8:31... If ye continue in MY WORD, then are ye my disciples indeed....
John 15:10...If ye keep MY COMMANDMENTS, ye SHALL abide in my love....

Christ and his Word truly are supreme and sufficient, and bring sweet rest to the soul. Looking to, and relying on men, only creates factions and divisions as it did in Corinth - not to mention the risk of much error. I believe too that the Reformed trail is still a continuation of Roman Catholicism in parts, which is why many troubles ensue. The one-man and hierarchical system which is alien and opposed to NT teaching and example, has distressed and ruined many lives: (this I speak from experience).
If we keep busy obeying Christ and his Law, many problems will simply evaporate. Yes we learn from one another, of course, but we stake our confession, our confidence and our claims on Christ alone. After all, at the Judgement, we will each need our own personal confession.

With heartfelt thanks to God, and with best wishes and pra for all.

I understood that this forum was a place where we - lesser theologians - could edify one another with our thoughts, as we are exhorted to do in the precious Scriptures which we are speaking of.

There are two - Old and New. We can see the various ways in which God established covenant with his people in the Old Testament.
Then Christ came, fulfilling the types, shadows and legal requirements and rendering the Old Covenant entirely fulfilled and obsolete - as we read in Hebrews - and by his life and blood he bought, and brought in the New,

If this is all so deeply theological, then folks like me don't have a chance of rejoicing in what Christ has done for us in fulfilling the Old and bringing in the New.
It is clear that the advent of our Saviour is the most momentous event in all of history and He has ushered in a new spiritual Kingdom - with the New Covenant made betwixt the Godhead and dispensed to us by Grace. This is radically and utterly different from the Old.

I personally struggled for years with the 1689 documents etc... that John referred to, and made very little headway until I came back to the simplicity of Scripture.

Sermons:-

Infant Baptism as Covenant Keeping.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1130123234

Baptism as New Testament Circumcision.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=91405143636

Circumcision: Its spiritual Significance.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sid=9140511524

SteveR wrote:
Luke 9:50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us

Are you Christian???

Keep on supporting the evil unBiblical and idolatrous organisation if you will. But don't forget that is the road to hell not a Christian journey. God proved that in HIS Reformation in the 16th century.

I'm sorry you can't see the truth.

"1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 2Peter 2."

SteveR wrote:
Agree Mike, RCC has error. But so do just about all other churches. If you werent moved to abhor that cross dangling from the boys neck, I will guess your church as quite a bit of idolatry going on too.
Ive seen conservative churches with Christmas trees next to the pulpit as they call Catholics idolatrous.
Lutherans ...

You have been literally supporting unBiblical idolatry and blasphemy as well as heresy in your continued support of the RCC. A Christian cannot do that!!

William Eugene Grimes wrote:
Jim
Jefferson Davis attended Transylvania College which is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
It is not a Roman Catholic institution.
Jefferson Davis belonged to the Episcopal church. He walked to St. John's Episcopal Church while living in Montgomery.
President Davis's pastor in Richmond, Dr.Minnigerode wrote this:
"He[Davis] never failed to be there unless he was sick or away from town."
And if the Pope appealing to the Federal government for President Davis's release makes him an "almost Catholic" I pray that if you ever get thrown in jail unjustly, that Pope Benedict will appeal for your release.
Then the same could be said of you.
You need to go back and do your homework on President Davis. See if you can find out who Jim Limber was.

BytheBook wrote:
The question that was asked and addressed by Jesus was about being saved. The advice He provides is in relation to this side of judgment day.

BytheBook wrote:
Is it that God does not even call them.
Why are they "not able" - IF they seek?

The passage is talking about what happens at judgement day. At judgement day, those that didn't strive to enter the strait gate in their earthly life cannot enter the door come judgement day. God will tell those people to depart to Hell.

Man's ability to seek God in this life is proven by the word "Strive". It is a command assuming it can be done.

The words "are called" (italics) were added to 1 Cor 1:26. They were not called to preach b/c they were unsaved.

Rom 1:8: He is talking about the Roman world. His readers knew his context. 1 John 2:2's context is ...

1Jn 2:2 "And he is the propitiation for our sins (the sins of the saved): and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (refers to the lost in general for we the elect are made to be not of this world).

1 John 5:19: He is telling us that we do not lie in wickedness; everyone else does. We are not of this world, so we do not fit in with the whole world (those of faith do not lie in wickedness).

If you are apart of the ungodly (which the whole world is), Christ died for you. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY." (Rom 5:6)

JD, you are exactly right. Calvinists have no desire to prove the truth. They are caught up in their own man made system.

Observation Post claims, "So 1 John 2:2 "whole world" (kosmos) contradicts the passages I quoted?" Sheer nonsense. God is reconciling the world (evey man) to himself. Some resist God's advances (including his own).

Rom 4:13: The promise that one day Abraham and his seed (descendents) would inherit the entire world was made of effect because their faith. Among the Hebrew seed, there would arise a Messiah could claim ownership over it all. As spiritual descenants of Abraham, we will rule and reign with Jesus over the whole world (Rev 5:10).

You need help. You said, "If rejection of the offer of salvation is a sin, and Jesus died for all the sins of all men, why is this sin not paid for?" His sin is not paid for because he did not receive it. You you reject a gift, you don't have it. Your past "sin" of rejection will be paid for only if you stop rejecting.

Observation Post, do you really think those verses proved Limited Atonement? If you think so, you are in bad shape.

Jesus died for the sheep just as He died for those who are not the sheep.

Eph 5:25 is a long shot. Jesus gave himself for the church...who would argue that? He also gave his life for those not in the church.

1 John 2:2 "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

To further prove Semi-Pelagianism...
Psalms 53:3 “Every one of them is GONE back: they are altogether BECOME filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
“They are all GONE aside, they are all together BECOME filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” [Psalms 14:3]

1. Age of Accountability
Isaiah 7:16 reveals that there is a time when children know to "refuse the evil, and choose the good.” “For before the children shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.” [Isaiah 7:16]
If man is never aware of good and evil, he is not a sinner. "Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth." [John 9:41] "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin." [John 15:22]

One's guilt for sin is proportional to their knowledge. James 4:17 says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." An infant, yet to be conscious of the moral law which God writes in every heart [Rom 2:14-15], is not guilty of the law. Rom 4:15 states "...For where no law is, there is no transgression."

2. The wicked are estranged (go astray) from the womb. God did create man upright. Man goes astray on his own accord. Ecc 7:29 "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions."

Phil...Phil

Semi-Pelagianism is irrational to an irrational man.

1. Made needs life again (be born again) because he died when he sinned at the age accountability.
2. I thought you understood 1 Cor. 2:14. I guess not. Here is what it means. Man cannot of himself receive the things of the spirit, He needs the Holy Spirit first. Even you need the Holy Ghost to receive the things of the Spirit. That is why God sent the comforter down (to teach and to lead us to truth so that we know to receive the things of the Spirit).
3. Hell was created for the Devils and his angels. Its existence has nothing to do with what man does. Men are in Hell because they rejected the free gift of salvation (which is in effect rejecting Jesus). This free gift to all can only be made possible if Christ died for all.

Romans 5:18 "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."