Darryl, this dance has to come to an end. Obviously you ave not read a shread of my postings in regards to how your thoughts mirror exactly the error the new england puritans fell into when admitting people to the communion of the church. Which later led to the terrible "half way covenant" One must never have to answer a questionairre to be added to Christs church. This is what you are proposing. Now please do not deny this. According to your twisted understanding, a professor is not part of the elect until examined by others to prove their genuine regeneration/conversion. I will qualify this that some examination is needed. But this became so perverted by people throughout history, one began to learn what to say in order to be admitted. One must be able to say shibboleth in your vernacular to be considered elect.

12, 4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.

5 And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, art thou an Ephraimite? If he say Nay;

6 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

You constantly mention Paul, well let me ask you this, the true Doctor of Grace that Paul is, still purified himself on Acts 21. I have read many commentators who sidestep this occurrance, but noone I have read gives a solid answer here.

Acts 21:23-24
23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. 24 Take them and be purified with them,
NKJV

Acts 21:26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them. 27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia...


Why would Paul do this who so denounced the ceremonialism of the jews? According to you this would prove he believed in a false gospel.

read this link please and hopefully you will see your error

http://www.the-highway.com/Early_American_Bauckham.html

a quote:

the signs of grace which the earlier English Puritans had treated as means to personal assurance of salvation became the necessary evidence for convincing one’s fellow-Christians and persuading them to admit one to the church covenant.

DOnt you see you are exclaiming the exact same thing?

I know this is a hobby horse for you. It is something new, a novelty. Soon you will run our of gas and it will be gone.

There never was a sinner half as big as Christ is as a Savior.