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| © Sely Friday 2009 NASSIO.COM |
Evangelicals who are being ‘convinced’ of the Reformed doctrines of grace, as expressed by
the acronym TULIP, should understand an important point. Nobody’s understanding of God is shaped by
Scripture alone.
Calvinists will quote
you their ‘proof texts’ in an attempt to prove that Calvinism is biblical. Some of these ‘proof texts’ include (but are
not limited to) John 6:44; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:29-30; and 9:15-24. But have you ever stopped to consider this: Calvinists
have learned the Bible by a ‘received’ tradition; i.e. Calvinism! This means when they quote Scripture they
interpret it by their ‘received’ tradition.
Now consider this. The Church
throughout her history has done the same.
The Church has taught Scripture by her ‘received’ tradition. This means that you can look back in history
to learn what the Church has ‘believed everywhere, always, and by all’ (aka "The Vincentian Rule/Canon").
Now what about those ‘proof texts’ that
Calvinists use? Can you study what the
Church has taught concerning these? Can
you learn what the Church has said about election, predestination, grace, and free will? Yes; you can! Start with the Church Fathers (both Greek and Latin). Learn from the undivided Catholic Church (please notice that I did not say Roman Catholic; there is a difference!). If you take this journey, you may be surprised by what you discover.
I've been on this journey for about three years now. And this is what I've discovered: The Reformed doctrines of grace; known as TULIP (Total depravity,
Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance
of the saints), are NOT part of the consensual teaching of the Church. I am grateful to God for the journey and this discovery. And I'm happy to say that, as a result, I'm no longer a Calvinist. Today many evangelicals are taking the same journey and making the same discovery. And they too are turning away from Calvinism. Hopefully that will
continue to increase.
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