Calvin v Arminius

This post from a theology student:

Calvinism sees the atonement as limited, while Arminianism sees it as unlimited. Limited atonement is the belief that Jesus only died for the elect. Unlimited atonement is the belief that Jesus died for all, but that His death is not effectual until a person believes.

Calvinism includes the belief that God’s grace is irresistible, while Arminianism says that an individual can resist the grace of God. Irresistible grace argues that when God calls a person to salvation, that person will inevitably come to salvation. Resistible grace states that God calls all to salvation, but that many people resist and reject this call.

Calvinism holds to the concept that a person who is elected by God will persevere in faith and will not permanently deny Christ or turn away from Him. Arminianism holds to the notion of 'conditional salvation' - where a believer in Christ can, of their own free will, turn away from Christ and thereby lose salvation.

Which are you ?

[939:3384]

Signing My Life Away

Agreements, contracts, covenants. Sometimes they are written, sometimes they are verbal.

They are sure to constitute two aspects: Content, and A Sign.

Regarding the content, we cannot exercise justice (claiming ‘rights’) without it because this is where ‘what is right’ is defined. We cannot exercise grace (showing undeserved favour) without it because this is where ‘what is deserved’ is defined.

Once the content is defined, a sign is required to show that the agreement exists:

In business it can be a signature, or a handshake. In marriage, a ring.

In the Torah, God first used a rainbow as a sign for the ‘I will not flood the earth again’ covenant [Bereshis9|Genesis9]

The sign of the ‘covenant with God’s people’ was circumcision. [Ber17|Gen17]

The sign of the ‘new covenant’ is blood - Jesus’ blood - because “… without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness …” [B’rC:MJ9|NT:Heb9]”. Jesus tried to explain this to his disciples with the cup of wine [B'rC:Mark14].

So when I drink communion wine, what is the agreement that I am remembering?

[912:3319]

People Or Human Resources ?

I observe how the church is robbing our town. How, as eager ambassadors of our charitable God, we romanticise the trampled-on through well-marketed programs, and then fund these same programs by piling heavy taxes on the trampled-on.

A convenient circle of piety.

Well, people will only squash to a certain thickness and still remain human. So what was our town is now one enormous care-home. It is run by people who do not live here and it is full of people who either will not, cannot, or believe that they cannot, fend for themselves.

In order to fund the care home we are to build a new, adjacent, income-generating town.

One difficulty is to find products and services that will actually make the new town a net contributor. The town will provide jobs, products and services for all; healthcare, security, education, energy and communication, multimedia, opportunities to both serve and be served, opportunities for mission, preaching and taxation.

I am responsible for recruitment.
With the right team we can pump our profits into the old town.

I was struggling to find employees who were both willing and able to meet the incredibly challenging demands facing us, when I stumbled across this advertisement:

… recruiting workers who will work 24/7 … never on sick leave … never absent … do not require a pension … will not join a union … low maintenance costs … see them in action …

It works for me. But here lieth a challenge for both preacher and taxman.

[895:3268]