Fatty said:
Am I a Christian?
Absolutely, No doubt about it.
Does where I go to church matter?
No!
Does the denomination I am a part of, or not a part of matter?
No!
Do I have to be an Arminian to be a Christian?
No!
Do I have to be Calvinist to be a Christian?
No!
If I am an Arminian, does that prove that I am not a Christian?
NO!
If I am a Calvinist does that prove that I am NOT a Christian?
NO!
If I am a Calvinist, does that make me better than everyone else?
NO!
If I am an Arminian, does that make me better than everyone else?
NO!
Well, in my original post, I stated that if you disagreed with one of the questions that I had asked, then to further the discussion, one should restate the question and then answer the following:
1. What are the reasons you disagree with the question?
2. Why don't you think it's a denial of the gospel to disagree with the question?
In particular, question #2 is important to articulate an answer to.
Fatty said:
Am I a Christian, I believe I am, I KNOW I am not perfect, I mess up, really bad sometimes, But I know my God is a forgiving God, even when others around me, are not, and yet, by faith I forgive all who choose to rebel against the commandment of Jesus Christ to forgive, I forgive, I forgive, I forgive, True forgiveness is forgiving without being asked, or begged to forgive, TRUE Christian Love sincerely, and completely forgives each and every trangression committed against us, asking no questions, seeking no revenge, and completley forgetting every wrong committed against us.
A Christian (i.e. one who is regenerated) is not perfect nor will ever be perfect. In fact, as it is written,
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." - 1Jn 1:10. Being a Christian does not imply that one is sinless. Furthermore, Christians do not ever condition salvation on themselves; therefore, they do not condition their salvation on "overcoming" certain sins. A Christian's life is characterized by repentance from sin, and a striving to obey God's commands; however, they do not think that they must "overcome" their sins or keep God's commands perfectly to gain favor with God. They are saved by God's promise towards them that their salvation is conditioned on the atoning blood and imputed righteousness of Christ alone.
Furthermore, a Christian absolutely knows that he or she is saved based on God's promise. A Christian
knows that they are His by the faith they have received from Him, as it is written, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" - Ro 5:1. His Spirit bears witness with their spirit that they are the children of God (Ro 8:16). God gives His sheep the knowledge of their election (Php 1:6), and they know they are saved (i.e. regenerated) because they believe the true gospel and trust in Him alone for salvation.
Fatty said:
If we rebel against the commandment of Jesus to forgive, God cannot, and will not forgive us, so when we choose not to forgive, every sin we commit after that cannot, and will not be forgiven by God until we sincerely forgive whoever we have NOT forgiven.
A Christian may fall into many sins, but if they are a Christian (i.e. they are regenerated), then their salvation is NOT condition on their repentance from any sin. Now, their life will certainly be characterized by repentance from sin, and a hatred for their own sin, and a striving to be obedient, but their salvation does not depend upon any of those things. God remembers their sins no more, as it is written,
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" - Col 1:14. To condition salvation on one's repentance will never stand before an all-Holy God.
Fatty said:
A person could go through their entire 'Christian' Walk, having not forgiven someone for some trivial wrong committed against them, thinking God had been forgiving them when they sinned after that, and in reality, be in a state of not being forgiven by God because of thier unforgiveness, and then enter into eternity, thinking they were going to spend eternity in heaven, and end up in hell....
Well, lets look at the verses you are referencing, which state,
"14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." - Mat 6:14-15.
This verse is very true, and a Christian (i.e. a regenerate person) will most definitely forgive men their trespasses against them; however, they are not damned if they were trespassed against by someone, but failed to repent of that sin. A Christian will always forgive men their trespasses; however, their salvation does not depend on their repentance. God does not and cannot show wrath to those who have had the righteousness of Christ imputed to them upon regeneration.
Moving on, you stated in your recent post:
Fatty said:
I am Arminian, and I am a Christian, believing, accepting, defending, teaching and promoting what I am certain, is truly Biblically sound Doctrine.
Christians do not believe that they are saved based upon their own choice to be saved, rather all true Christians profess that their salvation is by God's grace according to election. Furthermore, Christians do not believe they can maintain their salvation by keeping themselves in the faith, by repenting, or by keeping God's commandments, rather all true Christians profess that God is faithful to keep all of His promises, and what God has purposed to do will come to pass. Christians (i.e. regenerate people) believe that their salvation is NOT conditioned on themselves, but on God's promise to save them conditioned on the atoning blood and imputed righteousness of Christ
alone.
Fatty said:
MY post was to simply point out that none of us are the one and only absolutely perfect Christian group, or individual, Calvinists are not the one and only Christians, nor are we Arminians, it is wrong for Calvinists to speak of Arminians as the weaker brethren, insinuating that we are NOT Christians, and it is equally incorrect for Arminians to judge and condemn Calvinists.
I agree that there exist no perfect (i.e. sinless) Christian group; however, only those who are regenerate are perfectly holy in the eyes of God. The only people who have their sins forgiven are those who are regenerated by the Spirit of God, and all those who are regenerate believe the gospel.
As for your last point, I do not call Arminians or tolerate Calvinists the, "weaker brethren", for they are not, "weaker brethren", they are unregenerate false professors of Christianity. A weaker brother is not one who does not believe the gospel.
-jonas
