I have said the Lutheran side emphasizes the objective nature of assurance. Since Christ died for all, he died for you; therefore, simply rest in his love.
The Lutheran rejection of limited atonement is based on their conviction that it is unbiblical (as I have argued in earlier posts, looking at Calvinists like Wayne Grudem). This is primary. However, Lutherans also point out that Calvinists can’t simply put their trust in Christ because he may not be for them like he is for other people. They may not be chosen and therefore they can’t rest in simply trusting Christ but must start looking for signs of their election in themselves (an inward turn).
This has been disastrous in its effects. A consistent Calvinist has a hard time being at peace, being assured of his or her salvation. Especially when you consider that Calvin taught that God gives non-chosen people temporary faith.
How can you discern whether or not your faith is genuine? Maybe yours is a false or temporary faith? It becomes a terribly inward looking religion, trying to discern whether your faith is real faith.
Here’s Calvin,
“Experience shows that the reprobate are sometimes affected in a way so similar to the elect, that even in their own judgment there is no difference between them [i.e., they can’t tell the difference!!]” (Institutes 3.2.11).This doctrine of temporary faith or an “experience … so similar to the elect”, I submit, destroys all hope of assurance of salvation for the consistent Calvinist. For all they know they may have an experience similar to the elect but not be among the elect.
David - I believe you are misguided once again.
ReplyDeleteThe assurance in any protestant church is that Christ died for the Christian - individually and collectively - The Person and Work of Christ is our only sufficiency.
To continue to say that "A consistent Calvinist has a hard time being at peace, being assured of his or her salvation" is really fiction that someone has made up or misunderstood.
What might separate your and my views are that some believe in a falling away from their view of Scripture...the Reformed view from the Scriptures is a falling away is only possible if one was never saved to begin with.
Predestined and foreknowledge...are key words in the Bible. When the Bible speaks of Predetermined Destiny (predestination), it is from the position that only an almighty, all knowing and all powerful God can determine.
Thus, the TRUE view of the Reformed position is that one CAN ONLY be at peace because God doesn't give His salvation to you one minute, and then allows you to walk away next. IE, Once saved always saved.
Grace and Peace
Bill
Bill,
ReplyDeleteWe can agree to disagree on this. After all, Lutherans and Calvinists have disagreed on this for nearly 500 years!
I would simply say that finding a way of knowing that you're one of the elect has been a consistent theme in Calvinism. There are many Puritan books on the subject, and Calvin's idea that a person can be deceived about it (think they're a believer when they're really not) does not help.
You don't find Lutherans worrying and writing about how to find assurance of your election.
Here's a link to a Pdf file of an article in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society on this topic
(http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/37/37-3/JETS_37-3_413-426_Thorson.pdf)
Lutherans don't deny Predestination. They simply have a different understanding of how this Predestination works itself out in time.
I really don't see how a Calvinist can be secure because there is no way to know if their faith is genuine (in their interpretation of the Bible) since they might be deceived (they may be one of those who may fall away because their faith was never real).
Again, I just think the Lutherans are truer to Scripture on this point.
Peace!
David -
DeleteWith the Lutheran's baptismal regeneration but then you can "fall away" theology you consider "truer to Scripture"...thereby omitting Christ Alone in favor water and sacramental theology and human will circumventing the Will of God, respectively, only highlights my previous and continuing claims to theological confusion presented here.
It just doesn't appear fruitful to comment any further.
God Bless,
Bill
Bill,
ReplyDeleteI think we can disagree on these things charitably. After all, the Evangelical churches were based on the idea that Lutherans and Reformed could coexist in the same church!
The Evangelical Catechism itself sounds very Lutheran.
83. What does it mean to be born again?
To be born again means the beginning of the new life within us by the power of God’s word and the sacrament of baptism. This is regeneration.
In Evansville, which has the highest concentration of German Evangelical churches in one metro area, the Evangelical Catechism was THE go to resource for confirmation and doctrinal instruction generally.
My own view of baptism leans Reformed. Again, I'm not purely Lutheran or Reformed--but the glory of the German Evangelical approach is that I can be a little of both!
I've been blogging on my differences with Calvinism because I'm concerned about a growing movement that makes Calvinism the only respectable, systematic, serious theological system. It simply isn't.
Lutheran theologians have been doing systematic theology as long as the Calvinists and make very strong cases for their view over against the Calvinists. That's why the German Evangelicals said we could agree to disagree because there are strong arguments on either side.
On some points I'm convinced by the Reformed, on others by the Lutherans. I treasure the freedom to learn from both sides!
God's best to you!
David