We come to the final letter in TULIP: ‘P‘ = Perseverance of the Saints. Again our question is not technically whether this doctrine is correct or incorrect, but whether the standard Reformed understandings of the doctrine can be sustained on the basis of dispensational hermeneutics. Some Clarification Much confusion arises because of the similarity of this teaching to what is known as “Eternal Security” which most dispensationalists hold tenaciously. It could also be construed as close to what is often …
Category: Articles
This post follows up an earlier one in which I looked at the “desire” of First Timothy 3:1. Again, what is the “Desire”? We are looking into the subject of the Call to the Ministry. Last time we considered the “desire” of 1 Timothy 3:1, and we saw that whichever way you cut it, this desire must be qualified in order to exclude carnal and fleshly impulses, overly romanticized fleeting impressions, the cocksure preenings of proud self-assuredness, or the recognition …
This group of five ‘theses’ continue five in a previous post. They derive from a lecture of mine included in a course, “Doctrine of God (2): The Works of God in Creation & Providence.” 6. God certainly works in this world, and makes things according to the laws of thought, the laws of physics, and so on, of which He is the Source. Man’s works must follow these laws, but whatever he does is not a creation but a re-creation; …
It’s been a good eight years since I last listened to Harold Camping on the radio. I used to enjoy hearing him “answering” questions from callers in that self-assured deep voice of his. Most often he would be harping on two things. The first was the apostasy of the Church, and how he believed it was all through; mature saints had better form house churches and leave the apostates alone. The other string on the harp was Calvinism. Camping is …
The Doctrine of Creation is essential to coming to terms with “the mind of Christ” and to being able to interpret the world Christianly. Sadly, most Christians do not incorporate their view of life within a Creation framework. This leads them to see reality as splintered and only occasionally God-embossed. Here a some “theses” which stem from a lecture from the course “Doctrine of God (2): The Works of God in Creation & Providence” at Veritas School of Theology. They …
Limited Atonement, with its intentional combining of the accomplishment of the atonement with its application, thereby making the atonement itself effectual, paves the way for this next letter of TULIP. Irresistible (or effectual or efficacious) grace is also a necessary corollary to the particular (I don’t say “peculiar”) understanding of Total Depravity usually maintained in Reformed theology. It is closely related with “Effectual Calling” and is often included under that heading in Reformed Confessions and books. In fact, if it …
This is the second in a series of personal reflections on why I cannot embrace Covenant Theology. Part One can be read here. 1. Covenant theology depends for its credibility upon theological covenants with virtually no exegetical proof. This is especially the case with the “Covenant of Grace.” The “Covenant of Grace”, which is often simply called “the covenant” by CT’s, wields tremendous, we might say decisive hermeneutical power over CT’s biblical interpretation (see next post in this series). But …
This is the third article on the subject of whether a dispensationalist; one who advocates getting doctrines through exegesis using consistent plain-sense hermeneutics, can come to amicable terms with the 5 Points of Calvinism as they have been expounded in the Reformed Confessions and standard works on the subject. I know that some well read and solid men who are dispensational premillennialists in their eschatology do say their belief in TULIP comes about via the same interpretive base as their …
Introduction. I must give credit where credit is due. Although there is a good deal in her arguments with which I have real problems, Dormant Dragon, unlike many atheists I have come across, has tried to stick to the point and has done so without resorting to “effing and blinding” as the English say. She has been forthright but not obnoxious. I want to add that I have not tried to capitalize on her ability as a philosopher. She may …
Introduction: My goal here is the same as in the post on Total Depravity. I want to ask whether a Dispensational Theology built on its own principles can endorse the 5 points of Calvinism, especially as they are defined by Reformed theologians themselves in their classic works. I am not concerned with a full scale exposition of the doctrine of election. I am only asking whether certain expositions sit within the hermeneutical modus operandi of dispensationalism. Of all the five …
