The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Gospel truth

Joe,

I think you are at least partially correct in assessing "beloved57's" view, i.e., the profession of right doctrine "manifests" or testifies to regeneration. But what you didn't seem to want to mention, so I will, is that he insists that one embrace and believe "the gospel [as defined by him]" in order to be saved in contradistinction to the necessity of embracing and believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He has repeated this several times.... "believing the [true] gospel saves" while chiding me for rejecting his error and insisting that salvation comes only by grace through faith in the person of Jesus Christ. So, I think that his error is far more than simply that profession of "Calvinism" or more accurately, the "Five Points" manifests the possession of regeneration.

Secondly, I would have to reject your description/judgment concerning the Reformers and Puritans in the matter of discerning another's salvation. There were extremists among them to be sure, no less than there are here on this Board. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> But their number was typically few compared the whole and to characterize them all by those few is really unfair and inaccurate. We cannot know infallibly about one's regeneration in every case. But we can make valid judgments as to one's temporal spiritual state. The Scriptures enjoin us to be the proverbial "Fruit Inspectors" and upon that inspection we are to act accordingly with both ourselves and others who profess the faith. Avoiding vain talkers, false prophets, false teachers, etc., can only be done if one makes a judgment of another. The Church's responsibility to render discipline even to the point of excommunicating someone, which is essentially pronouncing that the individual has no part in the body of Christ, aka: unbeliever, is based upon being able to discern one's profession and behaviour and then render a judgment based upon that observation. That men and churches have misused that which they are responsible to do in this regard is a sad truth; beloved57 is simply one example. But it would be also unfortunate to cast a blanket over centuries of men as a group as being guilty of such extremism and error.

In His grace,