Who are the dreaded "hyper" Calvinists?

JM

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Accordingly, Hypers view God as being the author of sin AND they also believe that man has no responsibility before God for his sin.

Hypers believe the Gospel should only preached to the elect and are therefore against the free proclamation of the Gospel to all.

Hypers belief you must agree with their soteriological positions as a prerequisite for salvation making the work of the Holy Spirit almost Gnostic. The Spirit revealing to the individual without means of the Word, preacher or sacraments.

The two fellas that often get labeled as Hypers and we are told they believed the above are Joseph Hussey and John Skepp. I've read some of John Skepp but not enough to know if this definition would fit or if he taught all of they above. I have never talked to a Hyper in person or on the net and I don't know of anyone who fits the description or deserves this label.

What I believe and is often called, incorrectly, Hyper Calvinism...

The Elect are justified from eternity. There is no offer of salvation to everyone, there is no "well meant offer" to the reprobate, but the Gospel must be freely proclaimed to all. I do not believe God "desires" to save everyone or everyone would be saved. Grace is not common to all but to the elect and the reprobate benefit from God's love and restraining mercy to His elect people. John Gill is one of the great lights who taught he above with consistency but Theodore Beza, Gordon Clark and Arthur Pink held to much of the above. Ministers in the Protestant Reformed Church of America would also be consistent in agreeing with the above. None of the positions I posted are rightly called Hyper Calvinism so I ask, who are the dreaded Hyper Calvinists?

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 

Carl Emerson

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Thanks for that JM but it is a great term to use for brother bashing unfortunately...

Even the word Calvanist is used to ridicule.
They reckon Spurgeon was a Calvinist yet he had heaps of intercessors praying every time he preached I understand...
 
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Halbhh

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Thanks for that JM but it is a great term to use for brother bashing unfortunately...

Even the word Calvanist is used to ridicule.
They reckon Spurgeon was a Calvinist yet he had heaps of intercessors praying every time he preached I understand...
I didn't realize that 'Calvinist' could be a bashing term. :) Really did not. For me, I tend to think of someone who seems to be doing ok like R.C. Sproul (which I guess is sorta a high standard though I only listened mostly to the video series about Luther and the Reformation Sproul did (on Amazon), which was very good.)

Any case while I feel certain there are some errors about predestination over there, but I'm not really feeling that matters a lot, because they know, they seem to (in fact clearly say already), that they have to repent of sins. There's the key other thing where people need to realize individually that they must follow Christ, but that seems more an individual question, though it does come up to mind when the belief is their outcome is already set, of course.... So: "Are you following Christ?"

So, getting important things right, it's not little things that matter. Theory A vs. theory B about the mystery in free will and predestination and such isn't a crucial issue if a person does realize they have to repent of sins and live out their faith. (But one question I sometimes want to ask those believing in a double predestination is why would they ever talk about it? -- what possible benefit could ever come from telling others about that, if that were the condition? Though at times one could want to ask if the person has read Luke chapter 15 and really heard that message, of course. Perhaps that is also individual.)
 
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Blade

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"hyper" Calvinists"?... whats sad is I was just trying to look up "hyper" as if it was some new old name I never heard of haha.

Everything He has started He will finish. There are some wrong or twisted versions of His truth but He is being preached. And in the end He will get ALL the glory and praise. He will turn it for His glory.
 
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JM

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I have been told it is the Protestant Reformed Church in America, although you questioned that conclusion in your post.

There was a shift within "Calvinism" because of the overuse of philosophy.

The Trinity Foundation - A History of Hypo-Calvinism

It's often been claimed that "such and such a doctrine leads to Hyper Calvinism..." therefore if you hold to such and such a doctrine YOU ARE a Hyper.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 
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Carl Emerson

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I didn't realize that 'Calvinist' could be a bashing term. :) Really did not. For me, I tend to think of someone who seems to be doing ok like R.C. Sproul (which I guess is sorta a high standard though I only listened mostly to the video series about Luther and the Reformation Sproul did (on Amazon), which was very good.)

Any case while I feel certain there are some errors about predestination over there, but I'm not really feeling that matters a lot, because they know, they seem to (in fact clearly say already), that they have to repent of sins. There's the key other thing where people need to realize individually that they must follow Christ, but that seems more an individual question, though it does come up to mind when the belief is their outcome is already set, of course.... So: "Are you following Christ?"

So, getting important things right, it's not little things that matter. Theory A vs. theory B about the mystery in free will and predestination and such isn't a crucial issue if a person does realize they have to repent of sins and live out their faith. (But one question I sometimes want to ask those believing in a double predestination is why would they ever talk about it? -- what possible benefit could ever come from telling others about that, if that were the condition? Though at times one could want to ask if the person has read Luke chapter 15 and really heard that message, of course. Perhaps that is also individual.)
 
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JM

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My understanding--with regards to the church body I mentioned--was that the key item was them declining to evangelize. However, I don't know if that policy qualifies, according to the view of the other Reformed churches..

I would say that isn't really accurate having read Herman Hoeksema's Dogmatic Theology. PRCA denies the Gospel call is for the reprobate. They have sermons, devotionals, lectures online to encourage people to believe. PRCA Evangelism

The PRCA doesn't believe in "hawking" Jesus and I don't either.

Jesus Savior and the Evil of Hawking Him

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 
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Sovereign Grace

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Accordingly, Hypers view God as being the author of sin AND they also believe that man has no responsibility before God for his sin.

Hypers believe the Gospel should only preached to the elect and are therefore against the free proclamation of the Gospel to all.

Hypers belief you must agree with their soteriological positions as a prerequisite for salvation making the work of the Holy Spirit almost Gnostic. The Spirit revealing to the individual without means of the Word, preacher or sacraments.

The two fellas that often get labeled as Hypers and we are told they believed the above are Joseph Hussey and John Skepp. I've read some of John Skepp but not enough to know if this definition would fit or if he taught all of they above. I have never talked to a Hyper in person or on the net and I don't know of anyone who fits the description or deserves this label.

What I believe and is often called, incorrectly, Hyper Calvinism...

The Elect are justified from eternity. There is no offer of salvation to everyone, there is no "well meant offer" to the reprobate, but the Gospel must be freely proclaimed to all. I do not believe God "desires" to save everyone or everyone would be saved. Grace is not common to all but to the elect and the reprobate benefit from God's love and restraining mercy to His elect people. John Gill is one of the great lights who taught he above with consistency but Theodore Beza, Gordon Clark and Arthur Pink held to much of the above. Ministers in the Protestant Reformed Church of America would also be consistent in agreeing with the above. None of the positions I posted are rightly called Hyper Calvinism so I ask, who are the dreaded Hyper Calvinists?

Yours in the Lord,

jm

Not to hijack the thread, and if this does, please tell me and I won't pursue this any further. I don't believe the elect are eternally justified. If so, then they are born saved, as no one is justified before being saved. We were elected in eternity past, and in time, our justification took place.

Thoughts, Brother JM?
 
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JM

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Not to hijack the thread, and if this does, please tell me and I won't pursue this any further. I don't believe the elect are eternally justified. If so, then they are born saved, as no one is justified before being saved. We were elected in eternity past, and in time, our justification took place.

Thoughts, Brother JM?

We do have another thread that deals with justification FROM eternity (not in eternity).

I would say you don't have to believe in j from e to be a Calvinist, most Calvinists do not, but I am saying believing in it doesn't make you a Hyper.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 
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Sovereign Grace

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We do have another thread that deals with justification FROM eternity (not in eternity).

I would say you don't have to believe in j from e to be a Calvinist, most Calvinists do not, but I am saying believing in it doesn't make you a Hyper.

Yours in the Lord,

jm

Agreed. :)
 
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twin1954

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As you know JM, I was raised as a true hyper in the Primitive Baptist church. As a result I thought that if I was elect then I would be saved no matter what. If I wasn't then there was nothing I could do about it. So I lived like a profligate because it didn't matter.

Only after actually reading the Scriptures did I understand the Gospel was to be preached and that the PB's weren't doing it. They preached election but didn't preach the Gospel. So I became a Calvinist but still only had doctrine. I still didn't know what it meant to preach the Gospel of the free and sovereign grace of God in Christ Jesus the Lord alone. I finally learned what it meant to preach the true Gospel sitting in a pew listening to a man preach. I knew the doctrine and preached it with anger at those who did not. But I didn't have the love that makes a man preach the Gospel to sinners. I preached for probably 30 years but only preached the Gospel for about 25 of it.
 
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sdowney717

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2 Timothy 2, Paul desired a harvest among the gentiles and preached to any and all, and those who had ears to hear what he said were saved as they were the elect. Paul knew that there were some who would believe the message everywhere he would go (the elect only, and only the elect will believe and not depart from the faith), and he acknowledges it is for them only that he worked as hard as he did that they would be saved. If it was not Paul, then it would be another who God would use to spread the gospel. But of course Paul was God's chosen apostle to turn the gentiles to the light of the gospel. And Paul prayed for his lost countrymen, the Jews that God would save them.

5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.

7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.
10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

11 This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
12 If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
 
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JM

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As you know JM, I was raised as a true hyper in the Primitive Baptist church. As a result I thought that if I was elect then I would be saved no matter what. If I wasn't then there was nothing I could do about it. So I lived like a profligate because it didn't matter.

Only after actually reading the Scriptures did I understand the Gospel was to be preached and that the PB's weren't doing it. They preached election but didn't preach the Gospel. So I became a Calvinist but still only had doctrine. I still didn't know what it meant to preach the Gospel of the free and sovereign grace of God in Christ Jesus the Lord alone. I finally learned what it meant to preach the true Gospel sitting in a pew listening to a man preach. I knew the doctrine and preached it with anger at those who did not. But I didn't have the love that makes a man preach the Gospel to sinners. I preached for probably 30 years but only preached the Gospel for about 25 of it.
The more time I spend online, the more experience in life I gain, the more I grow in grace...the more I respect the Primitive Baptists.

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 
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