Musings of the unconventional mind

I wonder if it would surprise anybody to find out that Charles Spurgeon was a devout teacher to the doctrine of grace as understood by Calvin. Or that Spurgeon (so nicknamed a Calvinist/Monergist/Augustinian/Pauline) held the deepest of admiration for Wesley (so nick-named by his understanding of the doctrine of grace Arminian/Semi-Arminian/Synergist).

Now I suppose I could tell you all about my personal experience with both the Calvinist and the Arminian… although these terms are new to me as I “grew up spiritually” in a church that did not discuss doctrinal debates and I had my conclusions based entirely on scripture as I had no exposure to reformed teaching and grew discontent with the mere “milk” that is much of post-modern Christianity. But if I say that I am an Arminian because my experience with Calvinists were bad or say that I’m a Calvinist because my Arminian experience was bad, then I am imitating the non-Christian who says his personal experience with Christians was bad and therefore Christianity must be wrong.

It would be a cruel Savior who died for every sin except the sin of unbelief, the one unpardonable sin that keeps us from salvation.
It is also a sick joke for Christ to do 99% of the work of grace but to leave the last 1% of that righteous work to men who are unrighteous and “dead in their trespasses.” (Eph. 1:2)
Romans 8:7 “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”
Romans 3:11 “there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.”

And the Christ that dies “for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD”(1 John 2:2) must have died a pointless death because “the WHOLE WORLD is under the control of the evil one”(1 John 5:19), unless we understand that the “WHOLE WORLD” is a general term meaning people from every tribe and nation and not every single man woman and child to ever have or ever will exist.

“The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Ps. 145:9), but the richness of His “mercy” is reserved for the objects of His great love (Eph. 2:4).

“The God of Calvin is the good shepherd, who names and numbers his sheep, who saves the lost sheep and fends off the wolf. The God of Wesley is the hireling, who knows not the flock by name and number, who lets the sheep go astray and be eaten by the wolf. Which is more loving, I ask?” -Steve Hays

Yes it is true that repentance leads to salvation (Acts 2:3)  while it is also true that the Lord gives us repentance (acts 5:31). John John3:6 “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” And anybody who believes is someone who is already born again. (1 John 5:1)