The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Secular Art

Perhaps you will be open to some counsel? I surely do not take issue with the "rightness" of your perceptions of what has happened and continues to be taught in many modern churches, not excluding conservative and reformed. Many times on this Board have I pointed out these same things, long before you arrived here. And I am just as sure that you would find many here who would agree with these things. HOWEVER, the way in which you bring forth these things and the singular focus of your prescribed remedy may be misconstrued and thereby some may tend to think that your stress on the experimental truth is unbalanced.

Again, as Philpot, Edwards, Owen, Calvin, Bunyan and all of these men stressed in their teaching true religion starts in the Mind, Moves to the Heart, and Motivates the Feet and Hands and Lips. This is what these older preachers recognized as the missing part of the teaching of the church, it is what makes “irresistible grace” irresistible and keeps the doctrines of grace from becoming just another dry mental work of the flesh.
“The Letter kills, but the spirit gives life.”

The highlighted part is that to which I give full affirmation. And, that is why I quoted Col 1:9, 10. All these men made sure that these tripartite elements of true religion were made known; not just one in isolation from the others. When I was in seminary it was impressed upon me that as Calvinists we may have the tendency to fall into two "evils". 1) Wanting to overly stress the sovereignty of God due to the near total lack of present churches to either teach it aright or to even acknowledge it at all, some are given to preaching this one truth to an extreme. In doing so the twin truth of man's responsibility is lost. 2) Making "apology" in every text that is preached which speaks of man's responsibility and constantly adding God's sovereignty to it with the purpose of "guarding" that sovereignty. Both of these pitfalls do injustice to these two truths. Thus, we must guard ourselves from stressing one truth so much that it minimizes another. Or, not letting one truth have its all by always countering it with another.

Thus my replies have tried to stress that when the Spirit regenerates a sinner, the whole man is regenerated; mind, emotions and will. Sandamanianism is an insidious error and a lie. But so is Pietism. So, please don't take offense at my words of caution as they are only intended to preserve that biblical balance and prevent any unnecessary confusion on the part of some. There is a wide variety of individuals who read these messages and thus we must be prudent in our presentations, especially when it is a truth most needed. A pastor has a great advantage when he is preaching to his congregation for his audience is mainly one which will hear him several times per week, week after week, month after month. Thus the maintaining of that balance is much easier done than it is here. [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin[/img]