Question : Who can declare what are the essential doctrines of
soteriology?? All the doctrines are
interconnected. The Scripture cannot be broken. So, anyone denying one doctrine, denies them all.
My response:
There are TWO issues here. 1st -- as you said, anyone who
repudiates any of the essential doctrines of the Scripture is actually
repudiating God. This is my whole point about ASSURANCE of salvation.
The Scripture says over and over again that ALL believers ARE justified, will
NOT come into judgment, ARE born of God, etc. Anyone praying to be
justified/regenerated is admitting that they are NOT a believer. In fact, to say
that you believe in the Resurrection of Christ, but to question your own
salvation is to try to SEPARATE what God has joined together. God says, if you
believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that God raised Him from the
dead, YOU SHALL BE SAVED. How could anyone possibly believe in the Resurrection
and not be perfectly assured of their own salvation by Christ's finished work?
Can someone believe God when He speaks about the Resurrection, but call Him a
liar when He speaks about salvation for all who believe? The 2nd issue
-- Clearly, there are some doctrines which believers can be confused about. For
instance, the Corinthian believers for a while had a complete misunderstanding
about the Lord's Supper. The rich were feasting and neglecting the poorer
believers. Yet Paul calls these Corinthians brothers in Christ. Why?
The Corinthians behaviour was sinful, but it did not prove that they were
believing a false gospel. Contrast this, however, with those denying the
Resurrection of the Dead. To deny this, is to deny Christ's Resurrection.
12 Now if Christ
is being heralded that He has been roused from among the dead, how are some
among you saying that there is no resurrection of the
dead?13 Now if there is no resurrection of
the dead, neither has Christ been roused.14
Now if Christ has not been roused, for naught, consequently, is our heralding,
and for naught is your faith.
35
But someone will be protesting, How are the dead being roused? Now with what
body are they coming?36 Imprudent one!
What you are sowing is not being vivified if it should not be
dying.
This is not a major point of controversy with most
Calvinists.The REAL debate surrounds the nature of saving faith. Most
Calvinists are COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY IGNORANT about the simplicity of faith.
They make faith emotional, mystical and into a work. It's impossible for them to
have assurance of salvation. After all, how can they ever know they possess
saving faith, if it is such an obscure, un-definable act of the soul??? If
faith is intellectually un-definable and un-knowable, we cannot identify it in
ourselves, and subsequently NEVER know whether or not we are justified.
Then there are those who have not fallen into this snare of the devil.
The know thatfaith is simply belief. And belief is to credit/assent/ be
convicted / know a proposition. Therefore, saving faith is simply to
believe the bare truth of the gospel, i.e. Christ has fulfilled the Law and been
sacrificed for the Sheep. Faith
is simple and definable. The gospel is simply and definable. This means
that both can be IDENTIFIED in the mind easily. This is why Paul could
say that ANYONE who cannot identify the doctrine of Christ in
themselves, is lost. Know not Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are
disapproved? Likewise, Christ said that believers will NEVER thirst,
but they have a well of living water springing up to everlasting
life. He says that not only does He know the Sheep, but He is KNOWN
OF MINE. For, even the faith of a mustard seed moves mountains, i.e.,
is without doubt. He that doubts is damned. For let not him that
wavers/doubts expect anything from God !!! (James 1). Doubters are
unbelievers.And this is why when Paul wrote to the Ephesians he
addressed his epistle to the saints and faithful at Ephesus. The believers at
Ephesus MUST have had a full assurance that they were saints. Otherwise, how
would they have known the epistle was addressed to them?? Full assurance
is the privilege of every believer.Andrew Bain
Sydney, Australia
http://www.xanga.com/andrew_c_bain
