akmom,
[
The church I have attended for years got a new pastor a few years ago, and he preaches a hard-line predestination theology. That’s the only thing I have ever heard him preach. He literally talks about nothing else except God’s grace and how touched we should be by it.]
Sounds good so far...predestination is a bible truth.
[
I grew up in a baptist church all my life and never even heard the terms Calvinist or Armenian until this guy.}
Two things here. If you never heard of these terms the previous pastor was ignorant of church history and most likely doctrine. That you refer to your pastor as "this guy" shows a pronounced lack of respect.
1tim 5;
17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
[
I was familiar with the concepts, but only vaguely. ]
This is your own fault. You have been in the church all your life and are by your own post condemned as ignorant of Divine truth. How do you account for this? Do you not respect God and His word enough to find out what He has revealed?
[
It seemed like splitting hairs.]
It seemed that way because you have no idea what the teaching is.
[
I am not exaggerating this guy’s position when I say that all who are predestined will accept salvation, inevitably, there’s no resisting it.]
Jesus taught that;
jn6;
37
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me,
that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
[
And the rest, they’re burning in hell no matter what.]
Well what do you think happens to sinners who do not come to Jesus?
[
It seems to be a well received position in the church,]
from the 1689 confession of faith;
4._____ Others not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word, and may have some common operations of the Spirit,
yet not being effectually drawn by the Father, they neither will nor can truly come to Christ, and therefore cannot be saved: much less can men that receive not the Christian religion be saved; be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature and the law of that religion they do profess.
(
Matthew 22:14; Matthew 13:20, 21; Hebrews 6:4, 5; John 6:44, 45, 65; 1 John 2:24, 25; Acts 4:12; John 4:22; John 17:3 )
[
and everyone of a different persuasion left early on.]
They left Jesus when He preached these things also...goats do not like sheep food
see here;
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you,
that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
[
So I’m kind of left wondering why I am even still there. It’s all gibberish to me. ]
You have "gone to church" but do you know Jesus?
{
I mean I pray and attend, and yet everything he says... I don’t even get it.}
That is a problem. The Spirit is given so we can welcome truth;
mt13;
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
[
If salvation is really for the “elect” only, and I’ve been seeking God for 20+ years and none of this resonates with me at all, wouldn’t it be safe to say I’m not part of the elect? ]
Salvation is for the elect....No non elect person will be in heaven.If you do not like the teaching, it could be time to seek Jesus.
The persecuted Apostle Paul said it this way;
2tim2:10
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
[So... what exactly is the purpose of the rest of us?]
God has commanded all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel.
[
I was always taught that salvation was for everyone,]
everyone is not going to be saved.
[
and everyone could accept it.]
The gospel is preached to all men...it is a command to be obeyed.....it is not an intellectual proposition to be accepted, or rejected....such language is not used in scripture.
Instead we are made....ACCEPTED...in Jesus;
eph1;
5
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein
he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
[
But oddly, I never did relate to others’ testimonial experiences of being born again, so I’m not entirely skeptical of the concept that some people don’t get to be. And honestly I’m not real convinced on the nature of hell either,]
Today is still the day of salvation;heb3;
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith,
To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called
To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said,
To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
[ but if it’s all predestined then it really doesn’t matter what I believe about anything.]
That is fatalism....you are fully responsible.
[
Just wondering where to go from here. Attend church for another 30 years? Maybe I’ll have that experience eventually? Or maybe I am born again, just blind and deaf to God? ]
Sit down with that "guy" you do not like and ask him to go over salvation with you.