A Come Back Of Sorts

Well, as I watch the sitemeter dwindle to nothing I figure it's time to post a little something. I simply hate watching the sitemeter do that. O well. It is time to rebuild. Some readers will come back, some won't. That's reality.

These past several days I've toyed with the idea of deleting this blog. Then I thought that I would grow to regret such a move in a very short while, so I canned that idea.

So now what?

Thinking back over these nearly three years I guess I must conclude that there truely is nothing new under the sun. I've been involved in discussions about LS/Calvinism on both this my blog as well as on many other blogs. The Free Gracers have seen all of my arguments as I have seen all of theirs. What new ground is there to cover.

Does that mean that I will no longer go into that subject again?

Well, let's consider some things: Though I am actively collecting the works of Ryrie ( I have his study Bible as well as "So Great Salvation" - which I have read cover to cover - I am going to used book shops to see what of his works I can find there - I now have two kids in college so my finances are limited ) Yet I still hate classic, or "normative" dispensationalism, and its evil little daughter, Free Grace Theology.

Again, Does that mean that I will no longer go into that subject again?

FAT CHANCE!!!

A system that separates the Promises from the Person of Christ simply MUST be opposed, and vigorously so.

Christ is Prophet, Priest and King. We must present Him to the world as such. His offices must not be broken up. There simply is no scriptural warrant for that. His kingdom is within each believer, and that with God the Holy Spirit, indwelling the believer. This relationship between God the Holy Spirit and the believer is what the kingdom is all about in its present form. Later, at Christ's coming, the kingdom will be in power and judgement. In the mean time the Christian, being a subject of that kingdom, is the outward manifestation of God's rule to a lost and rebellious world; a world that has broken God's bonds, and cast away His cords; a world that loves sin, and hates its Maker.

In placing so very much emphasis on a future millenial kingdom the dispy has changed the whole Biblical character of the Christian. Old line dispy's present the Gospel as a ticket to Heaven while the Bible presents a much more comprehensive picture than that. The Gospel results in the indwelling of the Spirit, death to sin, slavery to Christ, conformity to Christ - sanctification - and on to glorification. Ryrie, as does Kendall, who is not a dispy, btw, says that since practical sanctification is not listed in the unbreakable chain in Romans 8:29-30 that it must not be vital to the salvation experience. What a terrible mistake. I guess that is what happens when one's system thrives by fragmenting the Word of God.

Well, enough for now.
Mark