“As you know, the word used for “pure” is the word clean. Of course, we need to be clean and our churches need to be clean. “Pure” carries the meaning of “without mixture” of error or sin. Before we see God’s face (anthropomorphically speaking) we will be both clean and pure, but at that point, we will be fully sanctified. The same thing is true of the pure bride. The goal is always to be pure. I try to keep my clothes clean every time I go someplace, but they never seem to be spotless when I arrive home. That doesn’t mean I go and jump into and roll around in a mud puddle since I can’t seem to be spotless anyway. It simply means I am like a man in a white suit trying to make his way through a coal mine without getting dirty. Stuff happens.”
I get it. You have been arguing with yourself. :o) Of course, nevermind on the passages I mentioned…okey dokey.
The law only applies to us as it stands fulfilled once and for all by Jesus, our substitute. We neither can obey it nor need to obey it. It is finished! Perhaps, you should study Calvinist theology to see what we have taught for centuries. Then, perhaps you will understand that you are not reacting our doctrine at all. What difference does it make what Brinsmead said?
paulspassingthoughts said, on October 7, 2011 at 6:55 PM
You should care about what he wrote because he’s your daddy, just like Jon Zens is your daddy also. DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO KEEP STRAIGHT. ALSO, your comment is full of NC doublespeak and I have no patience for that today so it is time for you to have another time-out. See ya.
isn’t this incredible? These New Calvinists can’t speak one sentence without circling back to Justification. It’s as though their brains were all wired the same. Somehow they just don’t get it. Simple passages like 2 Peter 1, moving on to maturity, needs to fit into our Christian world view and practical life. But no, it’s Justification, the grounds, Justification, the basis, Justification, righteousness imputed, on the ledger, righteousness, not mine, outside of me, over there, just gimme the gospel, gimme the gospel, gimme the gospel… Ha!
What are we going to do with these people? You’ve got more patience than I do…. Then someone brings up the problem, like Terry Johnson, and they go into denial, accusing Terry of constructing strawmen. Oh brother! I guess we can always hope in God, since words seem in vain.
I’ll share this with you and Lydia. Here’s one of my long favorite verses:
Isaiah 29:24
“Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction.”
Here is another example of this messing with the Trinity stuff. I was on a Reformed pastors blog today and this is what one young pastor wrote:
“Through the cross God saved people that He formerly hated; through the cross God hated His Son so that He could love sinners. God looked at Christ with all His hatred toward sin and sinners, so that He could look on sinners with all His love for His Son.”
As one astute old timer reminded this young pastor: “God did not hate Himself. God is Father Son and Spirit”.
It reminded me of the scream of the damned stuff Piper and Mahaney do. And I was not disagreeing with the whole post but what they do with the Trinity.
I think another issue is to look at how this focus on Justification ONLY for long time professing believers, plays out in real life. Doctrine drives behavior.
Not everyone who believes justification is a motivating power for sanctification focuses on justification ONLY. A systematic, expository teaching of the Scriptures will prevent that kind of singular focus.
paulspassingthoughts said, on October 8, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Anon 50,
Of course not. From there you focus on the “personhood” of Christ, because after all, “it’s a person, not a quiz,” “it’s not about anything we do, but what Christ has done.” You also preach about abstinence–from everything that “eclipses Christ.” Plenty of material there, but not the specific things the Bible says to abstain from–that’s “living by lists” and “a bunch of do’s and don’ts.” You also have plenty of preaching material in regard to John Miller’s Idol Catalog in which he identifies “deep idols” and “surface idols” along with 21 categories of each. Then there is plenty of material regarding Law Positive and law Negative as described in my book. NC should not waste any time trying to deceive on this blog. I have your book, the chapter, the page, the paragraph, the word, and the letter, and I will call you on it every time.
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
“As you know, the word used for “pure” is the word clean. Of course, we need to be clean and our churches need to be clean. “Pure” carries the meaning of “without mixture” of error or sin. Before we see God’s face (anthropomorphically speaking) we will be both clean and pure, but at that point, we will be fully sanctified. The same thing is true of the pure bride. The goal is always to be pure. I try to keep my clothes clean every time I go someplace, but they never seem to be spotless when I arrive home. That doesn’t mean I go and jump into and roll around in a mud puddle since I can’t seem to be spotless anyway. It simply means I am like a man in a white suit trying to make his way through a coal mine without getting dirty. Stuff happens.”
I get it. You have been arguing with yourself. :o) Of course, nevermind on the passages I mentioned…okey dokey.
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The law only applies to us as it stands fulfilled once and for all by Jesus, our substitute. We neither can obey it nor need to obey it. It is finished! Perhaps, you should study Calvinist theology to see what we have taught for centuries. Then, perhaps you will understand that you are not reacting our doctrine at all. What difference does it make what Brinsmead said?
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You should care about what he wrote because he’s your daddy, just like Jon Zens is your daddy also. DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO KEEP STRAIGHT. ALSO, your comment is full of NC doublespeak and I have no patience for that today so it is time for you to have another time-out. See ya.
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Paul,
By the way, the question was addressed to Bill, not to you.
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Whatever you say Zens-boy
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Lydia,
I knew we would stop talking past each other sooner or later. Looks like Paul has put me in time out again. We will chat later OK?
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Paul,
isn’t this incredible? These New Calvinists can’t speak one sentence without circling back to Justification. It’s as though their brains were all wired the same. Somehow they just don’t get it. Simple passages like 2 Peter 1, moving on to maturity, needs to fit into our Christian world view and practical life. But no, it’s Justification, the grounds, Justification, the basis, Justification, righteousness imputed, on the ledger, righteousness, not mine, outside of me, over there, just gimme the gospel, gimme the gospel, gimme the gospel… Ha!
What are we going to do with these people? You’ve got more patience than I do…. Then someone brings up the problem, like Terry Johnson, and they go into denial, accusing Terry of constructing strawmen. Oh brother! I guess we can always hope in God, since words seem in vain.
I’ll share this with you and Lydia. Here’s one of my long favorite verses:
Isaiah 29:24
“Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction.”
Arkansas Bill
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Here is another example of this messing with the Trinity stuff. I was on a Reformed pastors blog today and this is what one young pastor wrote:
“Through the cross God saved people that He formerly hated; through the cross God hated His Son so that He could love sinners. God looked at Christ with all His hatred toward sin and sinners, so that He could look on sinners with all His love for His Son.”
http://sbcvoices.com/god-hates-sin-but-loves-sinners-is-this-a-true-statement-not-entirely/
As one astute old timer reminded this young pastor: “God did not hate Himself. God is Father Son and Spirit”.
It reminded me of the scream of the damned stuff Piper and Mahaney do. And I was not disagreeing with the whole post but what they do with the Trinity.
LikeLike
I think another issue is to look at how this focus on Justification ONLY for long time professing believers, plays out in real life. Doctrine drives behavior.
LikeLike
Not everyone who believes justification is a motivating power for sanctification focuses on justification ONLY. A systematic, expository teaching of the Scriptures will prevent that kind of singular focus.
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Right, and I explain what that is in the other comment.
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Not everyone who sees the gospel as motivation to sanctification focus on justification ONLY.
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Anon 50,
Of course not. From there you focus on the “personhood” of Christ, because after all, “it’s a person, not a quiz,” “it’s not about anything we do, but what Christ has done.” You also preach about abstinence–from everything that “eclipses Christ.” Plenty of material there, but not the specific things the Bible says to abstain from–that’s “living by lists” and “a bunch of do’s and don’ts.” You also have plenty of preaching material in regard to John Miller’s Idol Catalog in which he identifies “deep idols” and “surface idols” along with 21 categories of each. Then there is plenty of material regarding Law Positive and law Negative as described in my book. NC should not waste any time trying to deceive on this blog. I have your book, the chapter, the page, the paragraph, the word, and the letter, and I will call you on it every time.
LikeLike