The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (19)

“Many are chosen” (contra Matthew 22:14) is the provocative subtitle selected by Boettner in chapter XI (“Unconditional Election”): “When the doctrine of Election is mentioned many people immediately assume that this means that the great majority of mankind will be lost. But why should any one draw that conclusion?” (p. 130) Many people “immediately assume” [...]

William Wilberforce: “Practical Christianity” (9)

Section 3, chapter 3 is entitled: “Consideration of the Reasonableness of Affections towards an invisible Being”: “Now, an object, it is admitted, is brought into closer contact with its corresponding passion, by being seen and conversed with. This we grant is one way; but does it follow that there is no other? To assert this, [...]

William Wilberforce: “Practical Christianity” (8)

More from William Wilberforce. Chapter 3, section 2: “On the Admission of the Passions into Religion”: “It was the remark of an unerring observer, ‘The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.’ And it is indisputably true, that in religion we have to argue and plead with men [...]

The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (18)

More from Boettner regarding the “State of the Heathens”: “In fact the belief that the heathens without the Gospel are lost has been one of the strongest arguments in favor of foreign missions. If we believe that their own religions contain enough light and truth to save them, the importance of preaching the Gospel to [...]

The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (17)

In the chapter on “Unconditional Election,” Boettner considers the “State of the Heathens”: “The fact that, in the providential working of God, some men are left without the Gospel…virtually involves the principle set forth in the Calvinistic doctrine of Predestination. …For centuries the Jews, who were very few in number, were the only people to [...]

William Wilberforce: “Practical Christianity” (7)

Section two of Chapter 3 is called: “On the Admission of the Passions into Religion.” In this section Wilberforce investigates the suitable role of the “passions” in religion, specifically of Christianity. In the following quote, Wilberforce determines what is to be the proper criterion or standard by which the particular “passion” called “love” is to [...]

The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (16)

Continuing with the 11th chapter Boettner now considers the topic of “Reprobation.” In this section Boettner is alleged to be “defending” this doctrine. This calls to mind the “defense” of one John Bunyan in his ironically titled book “Reprobation Asserted,” in which Bunyan did NOT assert, but brazenly denied (cf. http://www.outsidethecamp.org/efl94.htm). “Those who hold the [...]

The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (15)

More from Boettner’s lengthy 11th chapter entitled, “Unconditional Election”: “Furthermore, the reason that God did not choose all to eternal life was not because He did not wish to save all, but that for reasons which we cannot fully explain a universal choice would have been inconsistent with His perfect righteousness” (p. 97). The reason [...]

The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (14)

In Unconditional Election (chapter XI), Boettner pontificates: “Conditions in the world at large and our own experiences in every day life show us that the blessings bestowed are sovereign and unconditional, irrespective of any previous merit or action on the part of those so chosen. If we are highly favored, we can only be thankful [...]

The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (13)

Continuing with chapter XI (Unconditional Election), Boettner speaks of God’s sovereign decision concerning the various times, places, and circumstances into which men and woman are born: “One child is born with health, wealth, and honor, in a favored land, in a Christian home, and grows up with all the blessings which attend the full light [...]