PEOPLE ALWAYS HAVE DIFFERENCES FOR SOME REASON WHICH IS WHY CALVINISTS HATE NON-CALVINISTS. The Argument Between Calvinists and Non-Calvinists Today Goes Back To Through The Days of The Puritans and Pietists To Calvinism and Arminius. Really, the argument goes back to the Pharisaical view of the Scriptures as exposed by Jesus Christ when He was on Earth.

What are the main differences between Pietism and Puritanism?

Happy Riches answers question by Anonymous.

The idea that people are saved by faith was soundly rejected by English Puritans in preference for double predestination. The doctrine of predestination basically states that the elect are chosen for salvation before they were born and everybody else is condemned to burn in the flames of hell for eternity. According to these erroneous beliefs, what this means is the elect are under a covenant of grace and they are saved, no matter what they do.

Even though those who exalt Puritanism hate to admit this, what is known as the Ann Hutchinson controversy essentially delineates the Puritan position and its theological legacy to the United States of America.

Hutchinson began denouncing various Puritan ministers in the colony as really preaching a "covenant of works" and sometimes spoke as if John Cotton were the only minister in the entire colony who was preaching a "covenant of grace" correctly.…Hutchinson's views on the "covenant of grace" seemed indistinguishable from the heresy of antinomianism, the view that the elect did not have to follow the laws of God or morality. — History of the Puritans in North America - Wikipedia

Today, many Calvinists in the United States are renown for doing whatever, whenever, wherever, to whomever, as it does not really matter, because they believe that they have eternal salvation and will not be thrown into the eternal flames of fire that is the second death.

John Wesley was once part of the Church of England tradition, which was Calvinist. When he came to the United States, he was very troubled about his own salvation—those who are genuinely seeking truth usually are until their salvation is experientially secured. The Moravians he met were pietists and possessed the Joy of Salvation—unknown among the Calvinists that he associated with. Upon returning to England, John Wesley had an experience whereupon he believed he was truly saved, because he was chosen by Jesus to be circumcised of heart, and now possessed the Joy of Salvation.

Puritans adhere to the Pharisee’s message that Jesus railed against when calling them hypocrites; for they say that God exists and claim that they are they are chosen by Him. They know what God requires but fail to measure up. Worse still, they do not come to the Son of God so that He may give them the Joy of Salvation.

Essentially the difference between Puritans and Pietists is a matter of experience. Puritans are like students who cram philosophy into their heads and become puffed up with false knowledge (Col. 2:8; 1 Tim. 6:20; 1 Tim. 6:4). Pietists can be equated with people who have on the job training, because they are apprentices to the Master, having been chosen to be His disciples (John 15:19; John 15:16).

The Puritans and their ilk are those to whom Lord Jesus would say:

• You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)

People, who would identify as Pietists, are those referred to as the babes in the following passage, when Lord Jesus was speaking to the Puritan types, as recorded in the book of Matthew:

• At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30)

Out of the Pietistic movement have come all the revivals of the Great Awakening. The Puritans (and those who subscribed to Calvinism) just happened to benefit from these awakenings, because they began to preach the Gospel of Lord Jesus Christ, even though (unwittingly in many instances) they taught the doctrines of Satan afterwards, which lead people astray. Nothing has changed. People subscribing to these Calvinist teachings, today, preach the gospel when convenient, but afterwards lead people away from experiencing the truth through a relationship with the Son of God.

• I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)
• God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4)

Once they have preached the gospel that people do not have to be born only to die, because Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, after having paid the price for sin, they then lead people away from the truth with a salvation of works based in unbelief that faith is essential for salvation. This they call the perseverance of the saints: worked hard, make money, earn degrees, tell everybody what you think you know and how they are going to suffer eternal torment because they are not like you, saved before you were born.— Can you smell the stench? (Joel 2:20; Amos 4:10)

To further illustrate the difference between the two groups, consider the following passage of Scripture.

• But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Puritans and their ilk (who espouse TULIP) will never quote “the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” but will only quote what follows: “All Scripture is inspired….” Then they will begin to cut and paste texts to teach their doctrines that the blood of Jesus is insufficient to cover everybody; people who have the baptism of the Holy Spirit are of the Devil; limited salvation, except if you acknowledge what they say; nobody has freewill, every person is evil—except them, they can commit whatever evil they like, because they were saved before the foundation of the world.

Salvation Only Comes Through Faith In Lord Jesus Christ The Son Of God

THE POWER OF REPENTANCE RESIDES WITHIN THE CAPACITY TO EXERCISE FREEWILL. Not Everybody Acknowledges Freewill Is A Faculty That Resides Within The Human Psyche, Because Some People Have Weird Ideas Of Having Been Born Without The Ability To Make Choices. Atheists compose of those who believe that everything people do is predetermined by some chemical transaction in the brain or some universal non-descript energy. Among Calvinists, Jews, Muslims and Hindus, there is the belief that their existence was predetermined before they were born by their god.

If a Christian has the desire to repent, does this mean his conscience is not seared?

Happy Riches,  Answer requested by Aidan

A seared conscience indicates that the person has no ability to recognize right from wrong. Searing one’s conscience does not mean that a person does not know right from wrong, but has become indifferent to the distinguishing fact that what is wrong is definitely not right to do.

Interestingly, in the book of Hebrews, we learn that those who are mature have learned to distinguish between right from wrong through practice.

• But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that we are to seek maturity, which obviously begins with a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith towards God. Those who have understood this and have been partakers of the Holy Spirit, but have turned their backs on Jesus Christ, after walking with Him as their best friend—literally talking with Him—these ones cannot be restored again because they have purposefully, knowingly, crucified the Son of God on their own account.

• Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, with instruction[a] about ablutions, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.(Hebrews 6:1-6)

The good news is that crucifying the Son of God on your own account is a very difficult thing to do. First, you have to possess not only a full knowledge of what your relationship with Lord Jesus means, but be also walking in the power of the age to come. Essentially, only individuals who have been mightily blessed qualify for apostasy. People like Benny Hinn or Kenneth Copeland, Creftlo Dollar are the types of individuals who could qualify, if they were walk away from trusting in Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

A Calvinist is a person who does not believe people can commit apostasy, because whoever was going to be saved had been chosen before the foundation of the world. Calvinists do not believe people have freewill. Since freewill is required to commit apostasy, a Calvinist believes that this is impossible.

Ironically, a Calvinist influenced street preacher claims that the likes of Dr David Jeremiah have committed apostasy.

Unfortunately, this deceived person (with a good heart) holds to the doctrinal positions found on John MacArthur's Grace To You website.

Now MacArthur has another gospel besides that which the Apostle Paul preached, which is saved by faith because of the grace of God (Romans 4:16). MacArthur preaches the gospel of salvation by grace alone; and contrary to what the Bible teaches, the man teaches that GOD is the author of evil. Moreover, MacArthur, and his ilk, do not believe in the power of Holy Spirit baptism, so it is understandable that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is not evident in their lives.

In fact, Kenneth E. Hagin wrote in one of his booklets that Lord Jesus showed him a woman, who committed apostasy and walked away from her salvation. Dr Michael Yeager says that the woman committed the sin unto death, spoken of in the book of 1 John.

Of course, there are those who perform mighty works in the name of Lord Jesus, who are not known by Him. Such individuals, are more like the televangelists that seem to proliferate today. Texe Marrs claims there is a Global Explosion of Religious Apostasy.

One of the criteria that needs to be met before a person can commit apostasy is tasting the goodness of the word of God. This refers to financial blessing, wealth and prosperity. Nothing wrong with being prosperous. Just that if one becomes wealthy from preaching the Word of God, then maybe putting one’s head in the water closet before its too late, might be a good thing; especially, if it brings one to repentance. But this is impossible if one follows the voice of an evil spirit.

Did John Calvin have an evil spirit?

He executed 59 people in the first five years of his reign over Geneva and displayed a hatred that is not becoming of a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit.

The grace of God is about growing in moral excellence, not moral depravity. Repentance does require faith towards God, but also knowledge of what sin actually is before one can repent. Hatred of evil is the beginning of wisdom and the reason why people repent and find salvation. This can occur anytime in a person’s life on Earth. Unfortunately, after death comes judgment.

Only Those Who Have Repented Know Where They Really Stand

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