Spiritual Reality

Well, I am home sick with a bad cold and the rest of my family has it too. I rather be at work because I do enjoy my job and I love working there. Here I am with deep thoughts and my mind is working full speed. I believe that Christians are to believe what the Bible teaches in context along with Tradition which are the basics of what Christians believe and unite on.

Every Christian must decide whether they will us their liberty to decide on their doctrinal beliefs. We are free, but our freedom does not mean we can know for SURE what is right and what is wrong. Spiritual liberty means the freedom to be all that we were designed to be, but this is not a freedom that is without restrictions or responsibilities. Grace is about loving other people that we have the freedom to do so but at the same time, respect how they practice their beliefs.

Often people are referring to esoteric as in exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group such as a denomination (as many people are doing)?

I have studied many denominations and I read all kinds doctrines from various theologians including Lutherans such as Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and others. From the "surface", Christians are looking for any denominations or non-denominational churches who teaches the way people want so they could give their time to pursuits more to their liking, preferences and practices. I didn't say a particular denomination's theology is truth because the Bible is truth while doctrines are taught by man.

I am a Christian FIRST. Secondary is the doctrines I rely on based on the Holy Spirit's conviction. In God's grace through Jesus Christ, I am free from bondage of sin. The Book of Hebrews explains that Jesus is the mediator, the executor, of The New Covenant (The New Testament).

This past week, I have been thinking that I am like all other people in this world; we were born spiritual ignorant, not stupid. Through Adam, we were born spiritually dead. The nineteenth-century Scottish commentator John Eadie described it as a case of "death walking". Spiritually dead people are like zombies--they don't know they're dead and they're still going through the motions of living. We all can "debate" about a particular doctrinal point, rather than about whether doctrine itself is necessary... that is simply knocking out the legs of the argument all together, putting us both into a discussion of what curls our toes on any given afternoon. Healthy debate is good. Doctrines sounds very good and simple but life is not so simple. I don't know from flesh point of view whether the doctrines I follow are 100% true unless I allow the Holy Spirit to convict my heart to follow certain doctrines. I am 49 years old (been a Christian over 30 years), I have learned so much about doctrines since I was a teen. To this day, I never met a Christian who agrees with my beliefs 100% and I also have not met a Christian who I agree with their beliefs 100%.

I came to understand the differences between of the three major doctrine of salvation beliefs: Lutherans, Arminianism and Calvinism.

Calvinism has summarized its position in the famous acronym TULIP, and this serves as a useful way to approach the issue (being logical Calvinism is, if nothing else, easy to follow):

T: "total depravity"
Calvinism: Man after the Fall has no ability to cooperate with God's grace in conversion

Lutheranism: Agrees with Calvinism on total depravity

Arminianism: Man after the Fall can cooperate with God’s grace in conversion

U: "unconditional election"
Calvinism: Before the world was created, God unconditionally elected some (the elect) for salvation and the others (reprobates) for damnation.

Lutheranism: Before the world was created, God unconditionally elected some (the elect) for salvation but did not reprobate (chose for damnation) any.

Arminianism: Before the world was created, God foresaw those who would choose Him of their own free will and elected them to salvation

L: "limited atonement"
Calvinism: Jesus only died for the elect, objectively atoning for their sin, but he did not die for the sins of the reprobates. Reformed churches have historically taught a "limited atonement" of Christ, i.e., that Christ's death on the cross atoned only for the sins of "the elect"--those who have been predestined from eternity to believe in Christ and will spend eternity with Him in heaven.

Lutheranism: Christ’s death objectively atoned for all the sin of the world; by believing we receive this objective atonement and its benefits. Lutherans believe that when Jesus died on the cross He atoned for the sins of all people of all time--even those who have not or will not come to faith in Christ.

Arminianism: Christ died to give all the possibility to be saved.

I: "irresistable grace"
Calvinism: In all of God's outward actions (preaching, baptism, etc.) there is an outward call which all receive, yet there is also a secret effectual calling which God gives to the elect alone. This effectual calling alone saves and is irresistable.

Lutheranism: The question is not answerable; for the elect grace will irresistably triumph, yet those who reject Christ have rejected that Grace; yet the grace is the same.

Arminianism: God gives in His outward actions the same grace to all; this grace can be resisted by all.

"perseverance of the saints" (sort of like "once saved, always saved.")
Calvinism: Salvation cannot be lost. Those who have truly put their faith in Christ may temporarily lose the evidence of their faith and even live for a time in grave and unrepentant sin, without losing their salvation.

Lutheranism: Salvation can be lost through mortal sin and unbelief, but this legal warning does not cancel the Gospel promise of election

Arminianism: Salvation can be lost through unrepentant sin and unbelief.

God is a sovereign God and we have to understand that somehow, mysteriously, within the framework of predestination and within the framework of His sovereignty and the framework of election, which I believe in, there is a place for human freewill which is whether they respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

During all of 3 years of His ministry, Jesus helped an "unworthy" person more than worthy. The great spiritual needs around us should drive us back to the gospel records of the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus. The best thing we know about our Lord and Savior is that He loves all sinners. He has always love the outcast and for that we should be glad, for we, too, were once outcasts. Calvinism is a doctrine of how we believe salvation work according to God's sovereign and the work of the Holy Spirit. Calvinism is a doctrine (not actual salvation). Only God through the Holy Spirit that saves the elect. We don't know who are elected to be saved. We just preach the Gospel to ALL and allow God handle the election part. Jesus loves everyone and did die for ALL but we have to remember that the atonement is only for the elected, those who are convicted by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

No matter how much knowledge we have in the Mystery of God, we will never fully comprehend God until we die. In Isaiah 55:8-9 God says, "My thoughts are completely different from yours, and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." In my position, God will not hold me responsible for my lack of understanding in the mysteries of election, predestination, and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these is to look to God in deepest respect say, "0 Lord, You know all."

"You never know how much you really believe anything until truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you." C.S. Lewis