“That little word ‘if’ brings a world of doubt and grief.”
Edward Reiss said:
"The point is that there is no ‘if’ embedded in the Lutheran syllogism, where the Protestant syllogism has an ‘if’ embedded into it--do I really have faith?”
God said:
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Mt 6:14).
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (Jn 6:51).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death” (Jn 8:51).
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (Jn 10:9).
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).
“If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned…If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love…You are my friends if you do what I command you” (Jn 15:6,10,14).
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9).
“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Heb 3:14).
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7).
Well, what else is there but to exclaim:
ReplyDelete"....that there is an "if-eeee" proposition from which one has only silence and repentance to claim, "if" necessary though....".:::>
1Pe 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
1Pe 1:7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
You know, because if you're baptised, you don't need faith.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes it even funnier is that Lutheran theology teaches one can unbecome regenerate, whereas Calvinism denies such.