Preach Like a Calvinist!
Think like a Calvinist. Preach like an Arminian.
Most Calvinists, myself included, would take exception with the second line—for we, indeed, must also preach like a Calvinist! But what does that mean? How do you preach like a Calvinist? Pastor Eric McKiddie breaks it down like this:
- Explicitly call the unregenerate to believe in the gospel.
- Trust that the Holy Spirit will do the work to make that call effective in the elect.
- Pray that God would save people through the inherent power of the gospel.
Pastor McKiddie expounds on this topic in a post over at The Gospel Coalition site. Here’s an excerpt . . .
Eschewing theological labels for a moment, it is biblical and Christian to call people to believe in the gospel. This is, after all, how Jesus began his ministry: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). You don't have to know Greek to recognize the imperatives.
But we Calvinists love to quote Ephesians 2:8. "Faith is a gift from God!" we exclaim. "It doesn't originate in the person!"
The question is: When non-Christians do repent and believe the gospel, do they express faith in Christ? Or does God grant the gift of faith in Christ to men? Yes! Why? Scripture teaches that faith in Christ includes both an objective and a subjective aspect. This is not a contradiction. Rather, the two must be held in tension.
Click here to read the rest of the post.
--The Catechizer
Labels: Doctrine of the Church
posted by The Catechizer and The Deacon | 6:11 AM
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