Comments on William W. Birch: The Old Testament Takes On Determinism and Compati...

Sam, How interesting. That type of supralapsarian...

2012-02-06T15:57:31.344-05:00

Sam,

How interesting. That type of supralapsarian language is usually not found among Calvinistic Baptists. What will be the outcome from this finding?

Our church unknowingly used an advent calendar fro...

2012-02-06T15:11:45.546-05:00

Our church unknowingly used an advent calendar from a "Calvinist Baptist Church". It stated that the plan of redemption was from the beginning, not from Adam's fall. Which would mean Adam had no choice. No one in the congreation said anything. But a prospective pastor was concerned that we were using it.

> "Anthropomorphisms." EXACTLY. Desp...

2012-01-29T18:16:44.283-05:00

> "Anthropomorphisms."

EXACTLY. Despite the fact that an anthropomorphism is a specific literary device used in POETRY, I think. >:/

Steve, Thank you, brother.

2012-01-28T19:20:12.879-05:00

Steve,

Thank you, brother.

Excellent post, Billy, thanks. Steve

2012-01-28T16:05:09.209-05:00

Excellent post, Billy, thanks.
Steve

The Passion Play? You mean Jethro Tull's versi...

2012-01-28T02:52:56.241-05:00

The Passion Play? You mean Jethro Tull's version?

"God of ages, Lord of Time, mine is the right to be wrong."

See, even Ian Anderson was Arminian!

Stephen, Thank you so much. I greatly appreciate ...

2012-01-27T19:36:43.625-05:00

Stephen,

Thank you so much. I greatly appreciate your encouragement, as well as your astute response!

God bless.

William, I love your site and the voice you bring ...

2012-01-27T17:57:49.413-05:00

William, I love your site and the voice you bring to Arminianism!

Its puzzling to think that God would endow humans with His eternal image and then intentionally defile that image by decreeing the Fall and, according to Gomarus, by moving the tongues of men to blaspheme. Should we suppose the same God who condemns idolatry and blasphemy thinks so little of His own image that He squanders it on countless souls He reserves only as vessels of His wrath? Is this how a righteous God glorifies Himself, by defacing His own likeness? Consistent Calvinists must confess it is! More than a double standard, the Calvinist view of Scripture shows us a God who sins against HIMSELF! Wasn't it Jesus who exposed the folly of believing a kingdom divided against itself can stand? Why believe it regarding God?

You're doing great work, Mr. Birch! Keep it up :)
Stephen

DT, You're funny (NCV, WSV). He actually uses...

2012-01-27T16:18:14.508-05:00

DT,

You're funny (NCV, WSV). He actually uses the NASB, the one I so very much favor. What's up with that? lol We both the read same translation and have utterly opposing views. Oy!

(whoops, that last post I forgot to sign) Doubtin...

2012-01-27T13:37:20.728-05:00

(whoops, that last post I forgot to sign)

Doubting Thomas

William, brother, this article is right on the mon...

2012-01-27T13:36:39.735-05:00

William, brother, this article is right on the money. I'm going to have to bookmark it. I thought while reading it that this quote would be particularly ironic if Calvinism was true:
'Thus says the LORD, "What injustice did your fathers find in Me, that they went far from Me and walked after emptiness and became empty?"'

At any rate, one does wonder what version of the bible that seminary professor was reading to make such an astounding claim about the OT supporting Calvinism. My guess is that it was either the NCV (New Calvinist Version) or the WSV (Westminster Standard Version). ;-)

One answer: Anthropomorphisms, lol.

2012-01-27T10:26:46.364-05:00

One answer: Anthropomorphisms, lol.

He did do the original Passion Play. ;-) Honestly...

2012-01-27T10:19:03.933-05:00

He did do the original Passion Play. ;-)

Honestly, how can anyone read the Old Testament and be a Calvinist?

Maybe He's a drama King?

2012-01-27T10:11:04.642-05:00

Maybe He's a drama King?

Come on WWB, everyone knows that God determined to...

2012-01-27T09:36:20.434-05:00

Come on WWB, everyone knows that God determined to frustrate himself...it's just the way he rolls.

BPB, I love your passion, Brendan, I really do.

2012-01-27T09:35:57.529-05:00

BPB,

I love your passion, Brendan, I really do.

Rick, You're just a brilliant and clever man,...

2012-01-27T09:35:33.709-05:00

Rick,

You're just a brilliant and clever man, and that's all there is to it, lol!

I cannot reconcile what is Classical High Calvinis...

2012-01-27T08:54:53.043-05:00

I cannot reconcile what is Classical High Calvinism and the general overall tone of the blessed and holy prophets. I know that I am just a nineteen year old boy with no formal theological training. Heck, I doubt I even have the philosophical sophistication to really be a great representative on the topic. But I just don't feel from my HEART and FAITH that God is the all-determining reality including of sin and moral evil; disobedience, unrighteousness, perversion, sloth, lust, greed, blasphemy against himself, idolatry, murder, hatred and unnecessary violence, etc. I just cannot look to God in the Bible and see anything like that.

I weep sometimes when I read the prophets. At rare times, I close my eyes and shake my head. I say to myself, Look! Here is the LORD! Here He is, reaching out to his sinful and rebellious children of Israel. See how He loves them! Look, He's doing every possible thing He can. Why are they so crazy to not respond?. Why! This is frustrating to read! But oh how admirable is this God whom I serve, who is so faithful to me like he was to them, such that he would pursue them everywhere they go.

To be honest, Billy, when I first read Romans 9 as Paul's engagement with the Jews and actually became in awe of God according to His love, according to His righteousness, according to His justice and according to His goodness. I said to myself like I did in the prophets: Look here! God loves the Jewish people so much becasue they are his chosen people and children. Although they rejected Himself when He came to them in the flesh, still God is faithful to them; even now, still God loves them. Look at Romans 10 and 11! Still God desires after them; still he longs after them!

Realising that this was God's heart for unbelieving Jews, when I then read in Rom. 11 that I am grafted into that same people via the covenant of Christ and faith in him. I realised then that just as God pursues those Jews he also pursues me; that just as faithful as God to those Jews he is also faithful to me; just as good and merciful and faithful he is to them he is to me. I tell you, I just couldn't stop from leaping for joy! I couldn't help being in awe! If a piano was nearby I bet I could have written out a song then and there, because the LORD MY GOD AND ABBA shewed forth his GOODNESS to me that day.

I am so passionate for the LORD and His truth, now! I love to LORD becasue He first loved me! He LOVED me!! ME! Astounding! He pursued me! What a wretch I am in myself; what a wonderful Healer is the Great Physician. What a blessing it has been to comment here today to reflect on these things. Now my heart is full of joy!

Good friends, we are the children of light under a good and benevolent Heavenly Father, in whom no darkness dwells! He is so wonderful and faithful to us!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His righteousness is brighter than the sunlight,
His voice is stronger than the thunder,
His power is mightier than the tempest,
His will stands more highly exalted than the proud waves of the sea.
But for all this, God is Love.

Gen.6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was...

2012-01-27T05:40:12.971-05:00

Gen.6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Ex.32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Oh, and by the way, God was not a very good parent. Both His children rebelled against Him. Instead of traipsing around all creation He should have been there when the serpent was speaking lies. What happened to “bring up a child in the way He should go” and all that jazz? The profeesor’s quote about the Old Testament proving Calvinism leads me to believe that Calvinism is a very strong deception. We need to pray that God will swoop in and rescue our imprisoned brethren from the chains of doctrinal bondage.

Additionally, and as a reminder to pray for these folks, our church is giving away Michael Servetus bobble heads for your car, and a refrigerator magnet that shows the cowardly lion saying, “I do believe in free will, I do, I do I do believe in free will!”

You said, "I don’t see how anyone could read the Old Testament and not conclude that Arminianism is right, and Calvinism wrong."

Allow me. "I don’t see how anyone could read and not conclude that Arminianism is right, and Calvinism wrong." There, fixed!