Quote:
Originally Posted by bearbear
You accuse me of being a sect. But there are hundreds of millions of Christians and not just Pentecostals but also those in the Reformed tradition who hold to similar beliefs, including staunch Calvinists such as John Piper. Free grace Christians are actually the small minority!
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I did not accuse you a being a sect. I suggested that you seemed to be trying to build a consensus for a different approach to scripture which would, by definition, be outside of what we are already, therefore another sect.
Now I was not using "sect" in a pejorative way. Just noting another division of believers to follow yet another variant in teaching.
What I believe concerning the means of salvation is not dictated by the majority or minority of its adherents. If I wanted to go with the majority view, I would not be Christian.
And I think that if you read what I am saying, I am not standing for a view of grace that is so simple. It is free. But it is not simple. Grace is not just a free gift. In Titus (I think that is the place) Paul refers to grace as teaching us to obey. So grace is even present in obedience.
Your spouting of warnings to Laocidea is really off-base. When it mentions being lukewarm, it is not talking about being uncertain about doctrines. It is talking about being blah about really following Christ. It is clear that the other 6 churches were not identical in their ways of following. And some of them had problems. But they were still churches of the redeemed. And no matter how much you may think that a particular doctrine (outside of the core of the faith) is important, it is not so important that you or we are in danger of finding ourselves on the outside looking in (unless the inside is some exclusivist group like the LRC). I am strong for Christ. I am strong in my seeking to be obedient to what I am called to.
But doctrines are not Christ. Teachings are not Christ. Even meetings are not Christ. Traditions are not Christ. Ways are not Christ. We do not need uniformity in any of those other things to be unified in Christ. My
admonition to you is not to change your mind on your doctrines, but to hold them a little less strongly so that you are not guilty of being divisive over something that is not Christ. Those in Christ are "IN." Others are not. Those who think certain doctrines are true are only in or out because of their position on/with Christ. Not because of their position on Arminianism v Calvinism.