The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Why oh why?

Jeanne,

First.... welcome to The Highway Discussion Board.

I would certainly agree that the best place to find answers to questions concerning "faith and life" is to be found in God's inerrant and infallible written Word. However, we must never quickly dismiss the "writings of men", else we put ourselves into an indefensible position. Consider the following:

• The Bible enjoins qualified men to teach others as representatives of God. (Rom 12:6-8; Eph 4:11-13; 1Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1Pet 5:1-3)
• The Holy Spirit was given primarily to the Church as the "pillar and ground of the truth" (1Tim 3:15) through its pastors and teachers.
• The Scriptures are to be interpreted (hermeneuo) which requires that an individual understand the meaning of a passage/text and then make a right application of it. Since no individual is infallible, it is only wise that those less gifted of the Lord seek what others have written and compare their study with theirs to determine its validity or error. One would be quite foolish to think that they are superior in learning or even equal to some of those who have gone before us, e.g. Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Owen, Edwards, Spurgeon, et al and thus ignore their writings.
• To totally ignore the writings of others in regard to biblical things is to take a position of arrogance and pride. One writer, Keith Mathison calls this type of Bible reading/position the Evangelical Doctrine of Solo Scriptura. It's a good read and I recommend it to your edification.

Don't assume that the person you are replying to hasn't studied the doctrine of God's Eternal Predestination and knows full well that the Scriptures teach that God has ordained ALL things for His own glory. And, that good old common sense would have to conclude that this is so else one would be forced to deny the very definition of Deity according to the Scriptures. For if there is even the slightest thing, e.g., a rogue molecule, floating around out there somewhere, the existence, path and end of which the LORD God hasn't eternally predetermined, then God is not Omnipotent nor Omniscient and thus no God at all. The apostle Paul sums it up quite nicely in his doxological exclamation:

Romans 11:33-36 (ASV) "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him [be] the glory for ever. Amen."

But praise God that He didn't leave any man's eternal end up to his own self. For, should He had done that, then ALL without exception; every single man, woman and child would spend eternity in endless torment. Why? Because all are born under the wrath of God, spiritually dead and under the dominion of Satan and his evil minions. (Eph 2:1-5) They are totally incapable of coming to Christ (Jh 6:44) and have no desire to do so (Rom 3:3-10). Therefore, it is absolutely essential that a sinner be made alive by the secret and sovereign work of the Holy Spirit so that one is made willingly (Ps 110:3), i.e., born again (Jh 1:12, 13; 3:3, 5), granted repentance (2Tim 2:25) and faith (Eph 2:8, 9) and consequently believes upon Christ unto justification. In short, we hold to "Solo Gratia", "Solo Fide" and "Solus Christus", i.e., we believe Scripture teaches that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9) and not of any man's work or self-determined decision (Rom 3:20-28; 4:1-25; Gal 2:16, 17; 3:11, 12; Titus 3:7). See more here: There Are Only Two Religions in the Whole World, by John Reisinger.

In His grace,