Which of the following statement reflects your biblical understanding of God and man's role in salvation?

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Scott
PCA
North Carolina


"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)"
Hebrews 10:23

Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.

I voted #2. Very hard to come to terms with that God is entirely sovereign. I am starting to really have compassion on those who don't understand it because it is hard to wrap your mind around and fully understand then after that, believe. But, I think that God allows that knowledge to BE known.

Ok, forgive me my friend but I have not voted. I don't think I fit into any of them.

God chose those to save before the creation of the world. Those people will turn and repent in the fullness of time. But those who do not repent are responsible for their own destruction.

How does that work? haha my friend, God here lets us see a little bit into the eternal sovereign works of our mighty king. I humbly bow in confusion. I don't understand. Nor do we need too. Truth is as follows

- God chooses who will be saved

So why preach?

Because my Lord told me too!

End of story for me!!!

Final point, I find this doctrine the most encouraging doctrine of all. Because if it was up to us to persuade someone to repent noone would ever get saved. Our Job is to glorify God in preaching. When we preach and people reject God is glorified in his justness. When we preach and people repent we have been blessed that God has let us see someone repent.

Its all God- none of me! Praise The Lord!

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Jason Ramsey
Reformed Baptist
Dewsbury, UK

"The Bible, The Whole Bible and Nothing But The Bible"
www.lawgrace.co.uk

Calvin on II Peter 3:9

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Ryan Barnhart - Pastor of OGBC
Husband to a beautiful wife, Father to two beautiful girls
Student at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary - B.D.

"I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms. And in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer." - John Paton

Like this is a no-brainer. Umm, Aren't we all supposed to be Calvinist's here?

<insert pearching on fence waiting for the first arminian to vote emoticon here>

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Timothy Johnson
First United Presbyterian of Moline
PCUSA (Yea, I know)
Theology/Philosophy Sunday School Teacher
Davenport, IA

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Sterling Harmon
Presbyterian Church of Coventry (PCA)
Coventry, CT
Deacon
________________

"Whatever is laudable in our works proceeds from the grace of God."
-- John Calvin, Institutes III:xv.3.

"Our Lord God must be a good man, to be fond of worthless fellows. I cannot like them, and yet I, myself, am one."
-- Martin Luther, Table Talk
Interim Pulpit Supply of New England

My Facebook

Owner/Administrator @ Reformed Theology Institute

Beat me to it Grymir. I was going to post that exact thing.

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Benjamin P. Glaser, M. Div
Licentiate Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

Member: Fairmount ARP Church Pittsburgh, PA
Attending: Looking for a Reformed church in North Central WV
Preaching: Nov. 8 Belington Presbyterian & Beverly Presbyterian PC(USA) Churches

Deo Vindice

I think if we get anyone who answers the first, third, or fourth choices I would say it's time to re-examine the filtering process here on PB.

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Ed Asano
Member, Center Grove Presbyterian (PCA)
Edwardsville, IL

Lord, I am willing to --
Receive what you give,
Lack what you withhold,
Relinquish what you take.

Muhahaha this poll IS the filtering process.

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Rich Brown
Deacon/Webmaster
Aisquith PCA
Parkville, MD

Still waitng. hmm, as I sit on my fence and wait to see if there are any arminians, I have to wonder - how would Barth vote?

It would seem that the Arminians are far too clever for this trap. Does anyone have some "Essence of Prevenient Grace"?

From what I understand of Mr Barth, he would vote for position 2 and add a post explaining:

God choosing to save some and pass by others is "true." However, this is "true" only in the sense there is a nonhistorical (or symbolic, or mythical) meaning in it.

I thought someone would choose a man-centered view and argue to death it was really a God-centered view, if you hold it up to the light, squint and stick out your tongue.

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Bryan Wiley
Layman
Reformed Baptist Church
Louisville, Kentucky

"Seek the Kingdom of God first."

I think this quote fits very well with what Edwards decribes as the narrow and wide angle lens. I believe that God desires that none should perish (narrow angle) but people perishing fufills His greater desire (wide angle); the maximum display of His glory. On that basis (His maximum glory) He elects some for salvation and elects the rest for destruction. I voted for number 2 and agree with it, but I do still believe God does not desire the death of the wicked in the narrow sense though He does in the wide.

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[B]Manley Beasley[/B]
Southern Baptist Convention
Fayetteville, Arkansas

[B]Wir sein pettler. Hoc est verum (We are beggars. This is true.).--Luther's dying words[/B]

To quote great Vince Lombardi "what the heck is going on around here?"

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Bruce
PCUSA
Ocean City NJ

I must say I am dismayed at some of the responses.
I am a Calvinists and voted for #2.

But I was not born a Calvinist and it took time and God's grace before
I grasped the facts.

Are we so exclusive that we will not allow someone struggling with
Calvinism, who is still learning that we would exclude him from PB?

If that is the case, I am ashamed for all of us.

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Pmkadow - Paul "Mike" Kadow
Presbyterian
Pennsylvania

I thought on my oppressors and prayed for justice,
I thought on myself and prayed for mercy.

I don't think non-calvinists are rejected from membership here for any snobbish reasons, its for practical reasons. This is a page for people with a specifically calvinist view. If everyone were allowed in we would just be debating with arminians all the time as opposed to dealing with issues that we calvinists have.

The poll is amusing since we had to subscribe to a Calvinist Confession for membership. However, you are correct in that one could profess subscription to a Confession without understanding some of its Calvinist implications. I assume such a case would be met with charity.

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Jim
1689 LBCF
Independent Bible Church
North Texas, USA

I was surprised at first because the graphic for 0 still shows a little bit of width.

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Pergamum


"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
-- David Livingstone

WOW, talk about a concensous! LOL!

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Joshua Morrison, Missionary in Training
- Facebook - - The North American Reformed Seminary - - Memoirs of a Jungle Servant - - PCA -

The poll is closed.

It is unanimous among those who voted, God saves only those He wants to save and passes by those He wants to pass by.

Based on posts in several thread topics going on right now, we can't say everyone fully understands or is persuaded of the truth of God's sovereignty in salvation. There are Arminian influenced arguments being used. It is profound doctrine, to be handled with care.

This is a point of growth and a great benefit of Puritan Board, but not everyone has fleshed out the implications of this important Reformed Doctrine.

Everyone who voted, at least, knows what they are "supposed to" believe. This is remarkable, the first unanimous result poll I have seen on Puritan Board.

May not be relevant to this post.

2 years ago, I always eat at a Muslim restaurant for lunch near my office back in Shanghai. I got familiar with the owner of the restaurant. I asked him one time, does God want all to be saved. He said yes He did. Then I said, why there are people who perish, he said because they don't believe in God. I asked him, if God want all to be saved, why He didn't save those who don't believe and make them believe in Him. He said, God does God's work and man does man's work, God cannot help you to finish your work, you have to do it yourself.

What a religon of man it is!

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Yigang Xu
Husband of Yele, Father of Anna (07/17/08)
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)
Bethesda, Maryland

"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side." Psalm 65:10,11

Some Calvinists call this the well meant offer.
Some Calvinists take exception to the phrase "passes by".
Some Calvinists call this the conditional covenant.
No Calvinists believe this I hope.

WOW!

Sorry I missed this opportunity. I would have been an odd man out and voted for #1.

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Bob Gonzales Jr., Dean
[URL="http://www.rbseminary.org/"]Reformed Baptist Seminary[/URL]
Easley, South Carolina

"Persons need not and ought not to set any bounds to their spiritual and gracious appetites." Jonathan Edwards

Please explain...