ARE WE "ARGUING WITH GOD" WHEN WE
DISPUTE
THE THEORETICAL VIEWS OF MARC CARPENTER? [07/12--2005]
In
a message dated 7/7/2005 9:25:53 PM Central Daylight Time,
CarpenterMD@vtrocket.com writes:
You're not arguing with me; you're arguing with
God.
How many people in the world believe like me when it comes to the
gospel?
Every single true Christian in the world. Every single true
Christian in
the world believes the same
gospel.
This is what happens to the mind of a
man who becomes so persuaded of the accuracy of his own theoretical
understanding of theological topics that he actually believes that what he
says is, for all practical purposes, synonymous to the very inspired Word of
God.
Thus, the "logical" conclusion is that the only Christians in the
world are those who believe the same theoreticalisms as he believes. They
define what theoretical views must be MUST be believed, and likewise how are
"wrong" one can be on other matters without exposing themselves to be
"unregenerate." They select what elements of theoretical and practical matters
are "essential" and what is "nonessential."
This has always been the
ditch into which the founders of cults and aberrant sects fall.
Their extra-scriptural expositions of Scripture on faith and practice are
regarded by the founders and their disciples as being as infallibly true as the
inspired writings themselves. So it was with the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus'
day. Jesus said, "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition,
which ye have delivered; and many such like things do ye" (Mark
7:13).
Any man -- such as Marc Carpenter -- who evaluates the validity of
the New Birth by any extra-scriptural theoretical standard is doing
exactly what the Pharisees did. To weigh a profession of faith in Christ by that
person's comprehension and acceptance of certain theoreticalisms which
purport to be the "truth" of the Word of God demonstrates how little
comprehension and understanding Carpenter has of the New Birth.
That fact
that Carpenter endorses the Hardshell Baptist theory that the New
Birth precedes the creation of faith in the sinner by the power of
the Holy Spirit in using the Word of God is within itself a demonstration of
Carpenter's lack of understanding of the New Birth.
His idea that the
validity of one's profession of faith in Christ is measured by that
person's comprehension and acceptance of "efficacious atonement" and
"imputed righteousness" is just as foreign to the Scriptures as is the
heresy that one is born again before the Holy Spirit has produced faith in the
sinner. Carpenter would as soon find a born again unbeliever in Scripture
as he will find any one's profession of salvation being tested and evaluated on
the basis of understanding and believing the theoreticalisms advocated by
Carpenter. -- Bob L. Ross
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