Progress with Calvinists: Seeking Common Ground on Faith and Works
Those people do have faith, but they only have faith because God put the faith there and engaged it, and it is irresistible.
Season 7, Episode 39 · Progress with Calvinists - Seeking common ground on Faith and Works
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The story behind the idea
Those people do have faith, but they only have faith because God put the faith there and engaged it, and it is irresistible. If God has chosen you to be saved, there's nothing you can do to stop it. Then P perseverance or preservation of saints, which simply means once saved, always saved, which is a natural flow of this entire thing.
What stands out
He's very dogmatic about this idea that once you're saved by God, God has done that to you and you cannot lose it. There are ten passages in the New Testament that warn otherwise, but I'm just showing you that he's all in on this.
Why it matters
He's saying, You've been saved by God, it's all God's doing, you have no part in it, but you will know that that has happened if you love. If you love God and you love others and you love the Word and you love to be in worship and you love to serve. What's interesting is this is similar to how you and I would teach it.
A faithful way forward
That's not a faith that's a gift from God because that faith would last. We must be faithful unto death, faithful unto trial, endure even daring challenges.
Put it into practice
Instead of pouncing, my next comment is look at our common ground again. We still believe the way you live your life to the end is what displays the quality of your faith. Your faithfulness must be through to the end, or the faithfulness will not save.
Take the idea with you.
- 01What idea from this study most needs my attention right now?
- 02Where does this challenge the way I am currently thinking or living?
- 03What is one faithful step I can take this week?
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