A few days ago, I posted a video of Pastor Bill Harrell’s recent Romans 9 sermon. In the post, I mentioned that sermons like Brother Harrell’s are leading to the rise of Calvinism within the Southern Baptist Convention.
I realize the video posted was over 45 minutes long and most do not have time to listen to it. In light of this, I share with you Brother Harrell’s preaching and teaching on Romans 9:14-24. Continue Reading…
Yesterday, I listened to a recent sermon on Romans 9 by Pastor Bill Harrell of Abilene Baptist Church. After listening to all 45+ minutes of it, I realized, this is one reason young people are flocking to Reformed theologians, pastors, and schools. The sermon never offers a meaningful explanation of God having mercy on whomever he chooses nor does it address why Paul would think some might be offended at his teaching. Paul’s famous indignant question, “On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God?” is left utterly meaningless.
Since the Conservative Resurgence, Southern Baptists have exhorted each other to return to the Bible. By God’s grace, young people are doing just that! But what they are often hearing in the pulpit are inadequate expositions of the biblical text and unsatisfactory answers to their questions. Many college aged Southern Baptists are waking up and asking, “What I have been taught my whole life? This doesn’t make any sense.” Continue Reading…
Dr. Tom Schreiner’s JETS article on individual or corporate election in Romans 9 is a very helpful explanation and defense of the Calvinistic understanding of God’s election. Regarding his purpose for the article, Schreiner states: Continue Reading…
John Calvin on understanding God’s grace through the doctrine of election:
We shall never be clearly persuaded, as we ought to be, that our salvation flows from the wellspring of God’s free mercy until we come to know his eternal election, which illumines God’s grace by this contrast: that he does not indiscriminately adopt all into the hope of salvation but gives to some what he denies to others.
Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion (ed. J. T. McNeill; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 2. 921.
James Petigru Boyce, Southern Baptist pastor, theologian, and founding president of the SBC’s first seminary, details four views of the biblical doctrine of election in his Abstract of Systematic Theology.
This will be a three part series posting Boyce’s writing on each of the four views listed. The four views include:
I. Nationalism
II. Church Election
III. Election Unto Perseverance of Foreseen Faith
IV. Unconditional Election
Introduction
The words Elect, Election, Foreordination, Chosen, Foreknow, and Foreknowledge occur so frequently in Scripture, that it is allowed by all that the Scriptures teach a doctrine of Election of some kind. The chief controversy is as to what that doctrine is.
The third and fourth views of election addressed are the theories known as “Election Unto Perseverance of Foreseen Faith” and “Unconditional Election.” Because the third view addressed is only a few sentences, I have decided to post the final two together.
James Petigru Boyce, Southern Baptist pastor, theologian, and founding president of the SBC’s first seminary, details four views of the biblical doctrine of election in his Abstract of Systematic Theology.
This will be a four part series posting Boyce’s writing on each of the four views listed. The four views include:
I. Nationalism
II. Church Election
III. Election Unto Perseverance of Foreseen Faith
IV. Unconditional Election
Introduction
The words Elect, Election, Foreordination, Chosen, Foreknow, and Foreknowledge occur so frequently in Scripture, that it is allowed by all that the Scriptures teach a doctrine of Election of some kind. The chief controversy is as to what that doctrine is.
The second view of election addressed is the theory known as “Church Election.”
James Petigru Boyce, Southern Baptist pastor, theologian, and founding president of the SBC’s first seminary, details four views of the biblical doctrine of election in his Abstract of Systematic Theology.
This will be a three part series posting Boyce’s writing on each of the four views listed. The four views include:
I. Nationalism
II. Church Election
III. Election Unto Perseverance of Foreseen Faith
IV. Unconditional Election
Introduction
The words Elect, Election, Foreordination, Chosen, Foreknow, and Foreknowledge occur so frequently in Scripture, that it is allowed by all that the Scriptures teach a doctrine of Election of some kind. The chief controversy is as to what that doctrine is.
The first view of election addressed is the theory known as “nationalism.” Continue Reading…
Last week I was blessed to travel to Shreveport with my girlfriend Libby and visit a used bookstore. The store, The Thrifty Peanut (won’t forget that name anytime soon), has locations in both Shreveport and Bossier City. The larger store is located in Bossier City so we shopped at that location.
I love the religion section in used book stores because you never know what you will find. I came across and purchased a book titled, Southern Baptists and the Doctrine of Election by Robert B. Selph. The book introduces the doctrine of Unconditional Election as a Southern Baptist heritage, gives a survey of Baptist and Southern Baptist fathers (17th-20th centuries) who affirmed Unconditional Election, and lastly addresses the doctrine of election and its implications regarding the Christian life.
I’m just getting into the survey of “significant Baptist voices in history” but right at the end of the introduction I came across two paragraphs on page 16 that I wanted to share.
It was the assurance of Unconditional Election that brought the Apostle Paul such tenacity and drive in his Gospel labors. He told Timothy, “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10). Paul knew he would not fail. He was deeply convinced that his Gospel preaching and imprisonments were not in vain. He could stand beside riverbanks, inside synagogues, before kings, or lay bound in dark dungeons and preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, fully persuaded that every one of those chosen before the world was formed would eventually bow before the preached Christ for salvation. The word preached would not return void. It would accomplish exactly what God sent it out to do. It is God who prospers His word with success – not man (Isaiah 55:11). His sovereign purpose determines when hearts will be broken or hardened.
Welcome! My name is Joshua Breland. I am a disciple of Christ, husband to Libby, and full time student.
