Confused in Denmark: Seeker of Truth Wants Answers to Seven Questions About Salvation
“I love you, but your thinking is fraught with Reformed morbid introspection that they want to use to control you. Stop reading John Piper.”
Busy and haunted. I received an email from a person in Denmark that is confused about all of the different positions on the gospel floating about today. Our commentary from the first eight chapters of Romans (compiled manuscripts from the Potter’s House) answer the questions in detail. Susan and I have received positive feedback regarding the book. At least one family is using it for their family devotions. So concerning the Denmark person, I offered to send the book and the offer was accepted. That was easy.
And haunting. I once talked to a Christian who was critical of an elder that she sought out for counsel. With an expression on her face somewhere between disgusted and hurt, she stated, “I came to him for help. Do you know what he did? He gave me a book!” Let there be no doubt about it: Christian books have gone way beyond teaching in our day, they are orthodoxy. And by the way, Neo-Calvinism all but completely owns Christian publishing. “Orthodoxy” is a Reformed term. It is the faith repackaged for the unenlightened masses by the preordained Reformed philosopher kings. For the most part, American Sunday Schools teach from Reformed writings and not the Bible. This is a complaint that this ministry hears constantly. These guys have effectively rewritten systematic theology and church history. They have created another standard of Christian reality altogether and speak from that reality as if there is no other reality.
And this is where the confusion comes in. But confusion is good. Confusion is very good. Concern that you are confused is even better. If you are letting other people think for you—you are not confused. Everything makes perfect sense to you even though it is completely illogical. Jesus warned us about letting other people think for us. He referred to it as the blind leading the blind. That rarely turns out well.
So, we may conclude that confused Christians who know they are confused, and are concerned about it, are the top of the crop among Christians in our day. They are the blue chip because they are thinking Christians. We must not merely hand them a book. Besides, others may have the same questions.
1. Who is a true Christian?!
Answer: Those who place all of their hope in God and believe in His way of being reconciled to Him. Remembering that God has promised to reward those who seek Him is also very helpful. Don’t be too concerned with your confusion at this time: He who has promised is faithful. In regard to your residual question, “Should I just then read the Bible and forget about every other theory and just rely on my Bible reading?” The short answer is, ABSOLUTLEY. I am not discarding the need for teachers, but they must bow to the authority of Scripture. The Bible must be your absolute authority for life and godliness.
2. What does a true Christian look like?
Answer: A true Christian doesn’t “look like” anything. That’s the wrong question coming from Reformed metaphysics where verbs are works salvation. The Hebrew writer framed the question this way: what do Christians DO? See Hebrews 11. Aggressive DOING in our Christian life reveals that we really believe that our salvation is a finished work that we cannot contribute to. Fear of doing in our Christian life reveals an attitude that our salvation must be maintained in some way by living a noun life instead of a verb life. Hence, “what does that look like” rather than “how do I do that?” “How do I please God” becomes, “What does that look like” because it really isn’t me doing it. If I am doing it, I am finishing my salvation in some way. Salvation is finished, and it can only be appropriated through faith alone. But the power imputed to us for Christian living must be appropriated through BOTH faith and obedience. In our Christian life, faith and obedience work together and enhance each other (James 2:22). Hence, assurance of salvation grows as our obedience and faith feed each other.
3. Is there such a thing as a wealthy (monetary terms) Christian?
Answer: Yes. Kingdom living is many faceted and full-orbed. God uses a variety of socio-economic types of people in His kingdom.
4. Does being a Christian mean having no money, no career ambitions.
Answer: Only if you are a follower of Martin Luther. We are free from the law and have incredible liberty to pursue the things we enjoy. However, though free from the law’s jurisdiction, we are “enslaved to righteousness.” The balance of liberty and what is pleasing to God is a complex issue, but that is why God gave us a miraculously designed and capable brain. Be patient and wait on the Lord as you prayerfully search the Scriptures for these answers. Even Daniel lived this way. He searched the Scriptures for answers. And many times, the answers we seek will determine the book where we look for the answers (Daniel 9:1,2).
5. How do I please God with my life? For example, how much Bible reading am I supposed to do? Should I wait for the Spirit to lead me? Can I continue reading romance novels or should I stop because Christians say it is wrong, yet I still want to read one?
Answer: No, as Christians, we NEVER wait to do anything that is within our power and abilities to do. To do otherwise is to rob blessings from our Christian life (James 1:25). Granted, we will continually rob ourselves of blessings because we are hindered by our mortality: “The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” As Christians, we have new desires. But a remnant of the old sinful desires remain. HOWEVER, unlike when we were unsaved, their power to control us is broken because the old us died with Christ. HOWEVER, the old desires wage war against us through feelings, and the argument that we have to obey those desires can be pretty strong. But because of what we know from the Scriptures, those feelings are lying. The strength of the sinful desires’ argument is strengthened through disobedience.
Christians should listen to their conscience. The apostle Paul said to keep a clear conscience before God. However, as our conscience becomes more and more biblically trained, our consciences will give more freedom. Right now, if reading romance novels makes you feel guilty, I would encourage you to stop. Don’t violate your conscience. Don’t allow a desire to lead you into a watered down blessing that you cannot fully enjoy anyway. I know that there is a, well, for lack of a better way of stating it, “need” for Christian romance novels. Some of the content in the novels you are reading could be the issue. Christians are to “dwell” on what is honorable. That doesn’t exclude creative/interesting thoughts provoked by reading.
6. How do I know I am pleasing God from my heart and not as a result of my intellect?
Answer: Learn and do. ALL truthful obedience is from the redeemed heart. Obeying God when we don’t want to or don’t feel like it is the most self-sacrificial. If we have a desire not to obey a clear biblical imperative, it is probably a “desire of the flesh.” Often, when we obey when we don’t want to, we are merely refusing to obey a desire of the flesh. The Bible has much to say about obedience to desires (ROM 6:11,12). ALSO, this is a result of your biblical intellect which is a GOOD THING! I love you, but your thinking is fraught with Reformed morbid introspection that they want to use to control you. Stop reading John Piper.
7. Sanctification, justification, Grace being born again.. right now I am so confused by all of this I am doubting what I believe and whether I am on the right path or am I just lost and not aware.
Answer: I can tell you that you are not lost. Lost people don’t concern themselves with these things. You have great potential to please God because you are a thinker and not a mindless follower of men. A good example of the latter is your everyday Calvinist. There is hope for confused Calvinists. Here is Paul’s justification/sanctification construct in the book of Romans: the lost and saved fall under two categories:
1. Under the law. Definition;
A. Enslaved to sin and the obedience to sinful desires.
B. Provoked to sin by the law.
C. Will be judged by the law.
2. Under Grace. Definition;
A. Released from the law.
B. Enslaved to righteousness.
C. Provoked to please God by the law.
D. Will not be judged by the law.
E. Harassed by sinful desires.
Read Romans carefully line by line. Read it thoughtfully and prayerfully. Take the words at face value. I will mail the book today or tomorrow.
Stay the course. In all, stand immovable in the Lord Jesus Christ our beloved King.
Your brother,
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
Reblogged this on Clearcreek Chapel Watch.
LikeLike
Oh wow!
This is email-er from Denmark.
Thank you so much for responding with this detailed post.
I was truly at my wits ends when I sent you the email. I was feeling utterly frustrated by all the contrary information.Over the past month, I had found a number of Calvanist sites that I thought were “the truth” but slowly started noticing that somethings just were not right vis-a-vis what I have been reading in the bible
I really appreciate this and will one day share my testimony. I am looking forward to your book.
Be blessed.
LikeLike
Paul, what a wonderful and encouraging post. I am going to copy and give out…….
So much time wasted in trying to make the grade and end up missing truly the blessings of joyful living in Christ. You have said exactly what I have been thinking all these years, but afraid to venture out of that bubble.
Recently, I was just going through a little guilt about not enjoying my church I am going to (which is a non calvinist non-denominational little church with good solid teaching and by the way no talk of joining membership at all – rare indeed!) and wishing I was still at home doing church. My two kids love the church
and need fellowship with younger kids their age. My husband and I really grew being at home and worshiping together, so I am not happy about being back in the church setting; BUT I have realized that I don’t need to feel guilty about it as long as I do not hold anger/hate or resentment towards the church. The Holy Spirit has placed a peace about where I am and I am so thankful for His acceptance of my distrust towards church- there is no condemnation. I am now free from that bondage of guilt that “church” has a say on my spiritual destination and walk. The “church” today has lost its saltiness and yes there are beautiful Christians within the church that love the Lord dearly and He is still working mightily through them, but I sure hope many will see clearly what freedom they could have by letting go of this baggage of orthodoxy.
LikeLike
Hello Denmark! You are not alone. Many who are reading/studying for themselves and then listen to a Calvinist teach, are confused. Sometimes we mistake boldness and confidence for truth. Or we think a title means expertise.
Calvinism really fails in application. In fact, I read a lot of Calvinist blogs and they trip up all the time. They make statements that are in complete opposition to what they teach such as saying “when they repent and accept Christ”. Or they might speak of bad behavior on the part of some church member. Forgetting that earlier they were teaching that God is controlling every molecule and foreordained all our actions. If a believer is bad, should we not blame God under the Calvin paradigm if we are to be consistent?
If you question them, they have this long drawn out explanation using fancy words that is cognitive dissonance in action.
In fact, some of the explanations make God out to be a moral monster who plays a bait and switch game on us.Jesus wept over Jerusalem knowing He would not allow some to be saved? That is bait and switch and makes Him out to be a total monster.
I really do think the public airing Calvinism is getting is helping a lot. Social media has made it possible to take it out of academia/pulpit and into practical application where folks are talking about how it just does not measure up or make sense when analyzed closely and in application.
I think what amuses me most about it is that most Calvinist teachers will tell you that you just don’t understand it. As if the Good news is so complicated only a select few can explain it to us. That totally negates the reality of what we see in scripture. Or that you are questioning the Sovereignty of God as if God could not create beings He gave the ability to say no to Him.
It was a bad thing for Calvin that the average folk could not question him. If they had been allowed to without fear of torture, banishment, burning, etc, then it might have had a good run for a while until some other tyrant tried it with others. Love of freedom, the priesthood of believer, and no favoritism are killers for Calvinism. Their worst nightmare are believers who think for themselves as you have done.
LikeLike