Theology Corner

Addressing commonly asked questions about Christianity from the perspective of a non-theologian

Theology Corner

1.)  IS CHRISTIANITY COMPATIBLE WITH POSITIVE TOLERANCE?

2.)  CAN WE HAVE A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENY THE POWER THEREOF?

3.)  WHAT IS THE GREAT WAR?

4.)  SHOULD PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVE BEEN IMPEACHED FOR IMMORALITY?

5.)  WHO SAID MOSES WAS HUMBLE?

6.)  COULD CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE BENEFIT FROM WOKE REVISION?

7.)  DID EINSTEIN BELIEVE ALL CHRISTIANS WERE CALVINISTS?

8.)  WHY IS MARXISM A MAGNET?

9.)  WHAT IS TRUE SCIENCE?

10.)  CAN YOU LOSE YOUR SALVATION?

11.)  WHAT ARE THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS?

12.)  WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS?

13.)  WAS PAUL ENTIRELY SANCTIFIED?

14.)  ARE YOU LIVING IN A WORLD AT WAR?

15.)  WHAT IS THE DIRECT METHOD FOR PROVING A CONDITIONAL PROPOSITION IS TRUE?

16.)  WHAT IS THE CONTRAPOSITIVE METHOD FOR PROVING A CONDITIONAL PROPOSITION IS TRUE?

17.)  WHAT IS THE CONTRADICTION METHOD FOR PROVING A CONDITIONAL PROPOSITION IS TRUE?

18.)  WHAT MIGHT A METHODIST THEOLOGIAN SAY ABOUT PURGATORY?

19.)  WHICH BIBLE PASSAGES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

20.)  DO SELECTED NIV VERSES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

21.)  DO SELECTED AKJV VERSES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

22.)  DO SELECTED YLT VERSES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

23.)  DO SELECTED 'VOICE' VERSES ELUCIDATE CORE ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY?

24.)  COULD THE CONCEPT OF 'SALVATION ONLY FOR THE ELECT' HAVE BEEN ROOTED IN THE MIND OF AUGUSTINE BEFORE HE EMBRACED CHRISTIANITY?

25.)  DID AUGUSTINE RECEIVE PUSHBACK FOR HIS TEACHING OF 'SALVATION ONLY FOR THE ELECT' DURING HIS LIFETIME?

IS GOD PLEASED IF WE MAKE A 'DECISION FOR CHRIST'?

In the words of Oswald Chambers:

 

“The phrase we hear so often -- Decide for Christ – is an emphasis on something our Lord never trusted.  He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him – a very different thing.”  (Chambers, August 21)

 

To unpack this commentary, consider the Beatitudes (Mat 5:3-10).  They are aimed at unsaved persons long past the age of accountability.  The first three Beatitudes can be expressed as:

 

  • Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  • Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
  • Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

 

and interpreted as:

 

  • On the right track are those who confess their sin nature and behavior and acknowledge that their heart, will and intellect are completely in bondage to sin, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

  • On the right track are those with remorse in their heart because of their own sin, for they will be comforted.

 

  • On the right track are those who submit to the will of God and want God to cleanse them of all sin, for they will inherit the earth.

 

Only by acknowledging the poverty of your own soul can you enter the kingdom of God; those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit have a sense of absolute unworthiness.  You cannot enter God’s kingdom as a good man who puffs out his chest and says, “I have made a decision for Christ over the many options available to me; I am to be admired!”  No one should doubt that within each of us is a monster from the Id feeding on evil from deep within our sin nature and telling us that we are intrinsically more valuable than those around us; surely we would be doing Jesus a favor to choose Him! 

The ultimate food for the monster from the Id is offered by Reformed Theology.  The Calvinist can rejoice as he proclaims, “God chose me, before I was born, to be one of the elect, a joint heir to the Kingdom of Heaven; I am surely among the most favored of all men.”  He can look around at the vast sea of humanity and say, “I am infinitely more valuable than these reprobate scum who God selected for eternal damnation before they were born.  I rejoice that God is glorified by their eternal punishment and by having me occupy my eternal place near the throne of glory.”  With food like Calvinism, the monster from the Id can become a behemoth.  (See also Section 2.3 of Theology Corner)