The One Point "Calvinist"

If you're familiar with the Calvinist system, you're aware of the fact that there are five points laid out by the system as a convenient way to describe what God and man's roles in salvation are. The well-known acrostic TULIP, describes the primary points that the system seeks to identify. T stands for total depravity, the idea that man is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1) and that he needs God to quicken him (Ephesians 2:5) in order to respond and be saved. U stands for unconditional election. Since man is dead in sin, God has selected those whom He will to save from the mass of sinners in the world. L is for limited atonement. God, having chosen those whom He wills to save, has provided a way for them to be so saved through Christ. I is for irresistible grace. Again, since man is dead in sin, it is God who has to draw man to Himself. Man cannot do so of his own accord. And P is for perseverance of the saints. It is here that we have the one point to which the title of this article refers.

Agonize!

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” (Luke 13:24, KJV)

No doubt one of the mantras of our age is the refrain that to become a Christian is easy and, furthermore, you need only receive Christ and all your worries will be a thing of the past. “Let Jesus into your heart” the preacher will tell us, “and He will give you peace and joy and you’ll never have to worry about anything anymore.” To be sure, the idea that becoming a Christian will solve all your problems, cure all your ailments and make right whatever is wrong in your life is not new. But it seems it has never been as prevalent as it is today. The so-called “prosperity gospel” is perhaps the greatest purveyor of such silliness. Alas, it is not surprising in a generation that is desperately trying to find meaning while at the same time spurning the God who alone can give it to them.

The Perfect Choice, part 3

Last time we discussed the importance of a proper hermeneutical and exegetical approach when we study any passage of scripture. We did so in connection with the contention of many that 1 John 2:2 demonstrates that the atonement was carried out for the entire world, every single person without exception, rather than being limited to those whom God had chosen for salvation. This time we want to get into the specifics of the particular passage and determine whether this passage does indeed, teach what many would have us believe.