How do opponents of Decision Theology distinguish themselves from Universal Salvation?
Upvote:2
pteranodon, Your question is vast. It covers at least two doctrines in the bible—Conversion and Justification, each of which deserves much time in explaining. But, if you are willing, I'd like to tackle your query.
Defining Decision Theology
Divine Monergists (Lutherans & Calvinists) use the term "decision theology" to describe a particularly Arminian view of conversion in which a person is confronted with Jesus (who he is and what he has done for that person) and then makes use of his will (makes a decision) to be a Christian or not. Years ago the Southern Baptist Convention put out a pamphlet which pictured conversion this way: God has cast his vote; he wants you in heaven. But Satan has also cast his vote; he wants you in hell. You have the ability to cast the 'tie-breaker'. What will your vote (decision)be? If you'd like a current explanation of this, just look at the SBC website:
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior. (http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/bfm2000.asp)
Notice in this explanation of conversion the Holy Spirit terrifies you as you become aware of your sin and the consequences of sin (hell). Then you respond (decide) toward God. So also, in the next paragraph one 'accepts' (decides) to commit himself to Jesus.
Conversion
When Lutherans use the word, 'conversion' we speak of that instant and moment in which a person is an unbeliever and then is given faith to both know and trust in the Triune God. I make this distinction since many especially in evangelical/arminian church bodies make becoming a Christian a process. For Lutherans there is an instant and a moment in which a person is an unbeliever and then becomes a believer.
In conversion, God uses his word to create faith in a person's heart. God is the one who chooses a person and creates faith in his heart through his word. A person is not able to use his will in conversion because, through the fall into sin, his will is the very thing that needs to be converted. In showing this from scripture two points are usually made to back this up from scripture:
- The far-reaching effects of sin (so that a person is dead, blind, an enemy of God, without any ability to know God or come to him and decide for him): Is 65:1; Mt 7:18; Lk 6:43,44; Jn 3:6; 6:44; Ro 3:11; 8:7; 10:20; 1 Cor 2:14; 12:3; Eph 2:1; Col 1:21; 2:13
- Conversion is entirely a work of God: 1 Peter 1:23; Rom 10:17, James 1:17-18; Ac 11:21; Jn 6:44; 1 Cor 12:3; Philip 2:13; Col 2:13; Dt 29:4; Jr 32:39; Eze 36:26; Ac 26:16–18; 2 Cor 4:6; Eph 1:17; 2:5; Philip 1:6; 2:13.
For an exhaustive treatment of this, I invite you to walk through Article II in the Formula of Concord: (http://bookofconcord.org/sd-freewill.php)
Justification
Lutherans have always upheld the doctrine of Justification. Justification is the teaching in the bible that one is "declared not guilty" or "declared righteous" in Christ. The doctrine of Justification has an objective and subjective sense to it. Objectively God has declared the entire world 'not guilty.' (Rom 3:20-24;4:5;5:16,18; 2 Cor 5:18, 1 Pet 3 18, 1 John 2:2, 2 Peter 2:1 et al) Subjectively, God has declared individuals (me!) not guilty (Gal 2:20; Mt 9:2; Lk 7:47,48; 18:14).
Again, the book of Concord is an excellent resource to look into this further: (http://bookofconcord.org/sd-righteousness.php)
Conversation/Confusion
Where these two doctrines come together and are criticized by many Evangelicals/Arminians is the deduction that if God chooses people and declares the world 'not guilty', then everybody must get into heaven. This is not what Lutherans teach. While the credit for being being justified and given faith is given to God (and him alone), it is possible for a person to be given faith and then fall away. For God's word is powerful, but not irresistible. In this case the cause and blame for being an unbeliever (and ending up in hell) is the person's, not God's.(Jr 15:7; 25:5,7; 35:15,17; Ho 11:5,6—Mt 23:37; Ac 7:51; 2 Chr 24:19; 30:6–10; 36:13; Ne 9:29; Jr 5:3–5; Jr 23:14; Eze 13:22;) Again, the above two articles cited from the book of Concord give a more exhaustive treatment of this. And it might be good to back up even further and walk through article I (original sin) too.
Your question does also deal with the doctrine of election too. But, I thought this would be a decent beginning in answering your question. The doctrine of election is covered in Article XI in the formula of Concord (http://bookofconcord.org/sd-election.php) And, I thoroughly encourage you to read through that at well. It does a beautiful job of bringing so many of these issues together.
Pastor Steve Bauer (http://stevebauer.us)
More post
- 📝 Eternity in Christianity
- 📝 What is an overview of different denominations' beliefs about how Jesus Christ performed miracles? (By the Holy Spirit or by something else?)
- 📝 Can a child presented by a same sex couple be validly baptized in the Catholic Church?
- 📝 Did Pope Benedict XVI grant permission for heterosexual couples to use artificial birth control methods?
- 📝 According to Protestant trinitarians, what is the significance of the father-son relationship between God and Christ?
- 📝 Mormon view of the wrong action committed by angels according to 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude
- 📝 Does a legal compilation of all laws included in the New Testament exist?
- 📝 Are there any statistics that show how many scientists are Christians or otherwise believe in a personal God?
- 📝 What is the modern argument against obligatory head coverings?
- 📝 How binding are encyclicals on practicing Catholic's beliefs?
- 📝 Anglican Minor Orders?
- 📝 What is the minimum necessary description of God?
- 📝 Was there no word for son in law in Biblical Koine Greek?
- 📝 According to Catholics (and Mark 7:19) what happens to Jesus' flesh after it is ingested?
- 📝 According to Trinitarian theologians, why is Christ distinguished from God at 1 Corinthians 11:3 as a man is distinguished from Christ?
- 📝 Married man becoming Latin Rite Catholic priest if giving up sex?
- 📝 Scriptural basis for a Christian Congregation to vow to “guide and nurture” an infant being baptized
- 📝 Who can give the sacrament of confirmation in the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What does it mean to interpret the Bible literally?
- 📝 What did Christ mean in Matthew 10:34?
- 📝 What topic in Theology does Tozer's "The Saint Must Walk Alone" fit under?
- 📝 What is an overview of how contemporary Christians discern that God is giving them instructions to follow a very specific course of action?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for believing that it is sinful to commit illegal actions?
- 📝 Do we have no control over our flesh?
- 📝 Do we know how many bishops attending the Council of Nicaea were victims of the Roman perscutions?
- 📝 Any mentions of Environmental protection in Bible?
- 📝 What would happen if the Pope were to abuse his power?
- 📝 Is communion service at the rail vs. in the pews a function of denomination or church size?
- 📝 What distinguishes Christian meditation from the Catholic tradition from non-Christian meditation?
- 📝 How can a Pope be chosen from outside the conclave?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How do opponents of Decision Theology distinguish themselves from Universal Salvation?
- 📝 How does one discern between thoughts inspired by the Holy Spirit and those produced from themselves
- 📝 How do errantists distinguish the parts of the Bible that are trustworthy from the parts that have errors?
- 📝 How did the Christian movement distinguish itself from Judaism?
- 📝 How does reformed theology reconcile the universal resurrection with limited atonement
- 📝 For traditional sources, how does the Catholic Church distinguish between holy truth and human speculation from the same author?
- 📝 From the perspective of the theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church, how should Christians react to a political leader who fights the Antichrist?
- 📝 How is the Christian Jesus different from the Muslim Jesus?
- 📝 How is "Veneration" similar or different from "Adoration"?
- 📝 How do opponents respond to the Grace Gambit?
- 📝 How could Jesus be descended from the royal line of David if he was born of the Virgin Birth?
- 📝 In evangelicalism, how are Christians free from sin?
- 📝 How is Jesus descended from David?
- 📝 How have mainstream Christian denominations interpreted the Acts command to abstain from blood?
- 📝 How can a Pope be chosen from outside the conclave?
- 📝 What is the Lutheran doctrine of consubstantiation and how does it differ from transubstantiation and a more general protestant sacramental view?
- 📝 How do Christians discern genuine spiritual experiences from hallucinations or other mundane psychological phenomena?
- 📝 How to verify if a "message from God" came from God?
- 📝 What is joy? How is it different from happiness (or is it)?
- 📝 How does the doctrine of the URC differ from its predecessors?
- 📝 How many witnesses are there who physically saw and/or touched the golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was reportedly translated?
- 📝 How did Martin Luther's views on Free Will differ from those of Erasmus?
- 📝 From a non-trinitarian perspective, how is love explained as an attribute of God?
- 📝 How do opponents of penal substitutionary atonement theory handle Isaiah 53?
- 📝 How do opponents of Penal Substitution explain God's declaration that He "will not leave the guilty unpunished"?
- 📝 How is the 'New Perspective on Paul' different from Catholicism with respect to good works?
- 📝 How does the relationship of the Church of Scotland to the state differ from that of the Church of England?
- 📝 How do the Personal Ordinariates differ from Anglicanism?
- 📝 How does the view of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints about Jesus Christ differ from Protestant Trinitarian Christology?
- 📝 How best for a Christian to explore the ethics of a Covid-19 vaccine that might use farmed cell-lines from aborted foetuses?
