# How did you come to Reformed Theology/Calvinism?



## J. Dean (May 4, 2011)

Obviously, the short answer would be through God's foreordination  . But through what secondary circumstances did you find yourself embracing the doctrines of grace?

Were you born and raised in Reformed doctrine, or did you (like me) start off in an Arminian/pietist setting and come about another way?

I'm going to post a short biography of my experience in coming to be a Calvinist a little bit later on, but are any of you willing to venture out and tell your story? I'd be very interested in reading it (as I'm sure others would be as well).

Thank you!


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## Christopher88 (May 4, 2011)

Reformed is more than the Doctrines of Grace.
Anyways, I became a Calvinist at 20 due to Mark Driscoll's preaching the truth of scripture. 
I was becoming reformed at 21 during my confusion of reading on the Puritan Board. At 22 I am reading the Puritan Board with understanding as I have become a more confessional reformed Christian. 22 is when I took studying reformed theology seriously outside of the doctrines of grace.


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## torstar (May 4, 2011)

A couple of decades of dispensational Baptist stuff, mostly against my will, I never bought into it. 

And then one day... 

Piper's sermons on Romans 1-5 (about 50 of them I think.)

Way of the Master/Wretched Radio for an intro to the Puritans and Lordship Salvation and biblical sanctification.

They got me on the on-ramp of the Road to Geneva.

And then...

About 10-15,000 pages of Reformed Theology, Systematics, Advanced Commentaries, and reading Scripture with proper spiritual spectacles.

And 4 or so years of trying out churches until I joined this one.


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## Bethel (May 4, 2011)

J. Dean said:


> But through what secondary circumstances did you find yourself embracing the doctrines of grace?



I was reading about a homeschool high school program on another forum in October 2009. There was a question about a popular program and whether or not it included emerging church philosophy. Then she questioned the program's use of Rick Warren's book, _The Purpose Driven Life_. I had no idea what the term 'emerging church' meant. In addition, I thought 'Hey, I have that book and went through it with my church...what's wrong with _The Purpose Driven Life_???' From that point, I found The Discerning Reader website and got rid of MANY "Christian" books in our home. In addition, my husband and I started reading John Piper, John MacArthur, and R.C. Sproul, as well as listening to Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. After much prayer, we decided to move from our Baptist church to a Reformed church in May 2010.


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## athanatos (May 4, 2011)

I was raised in a conservative Baptist church. We had some diversity of opinion of Calvinism/Arminianism. Odd, huh? Well, after challenged by my Classical Remonstrant high school/worship pastor, I started wrestling with Calvinism.

Then there was a lot of talking through Scripture. Romans 9:16 was my tipping point, after a ton of discussions over many texts.


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## Osage Bluestem (May 4, 2011)

J. Dean said:


> Obviously, the short answer would be through God's foreordination  . But through what secondary circumstances did you find yourself embracing the doctrines of grace?
> 
> Were you born and raised in Reformed doctrine, or did you (like me) start off in an Arminian/pietist setting and come about another way?
> 
> ...


 
My father died when I was a small child. My mother and I then moved in with my grandparents (her father and mother). My grandpa was a Southern Baptist pastor. These are the people, him principally, who exposed me to the gospel and led me to Christ. He was calvinistic loved Spurgeon, but wasn't theological like a lot of people you see on here. He just preached the bible and served the church. He was always visiting people and busy being a pastor. 

I became a believer and was saved as a young boy. I was baptized by full immersion by my grandpa. I studited the bible my entire childhood at home and in church. When I grew older I rebelled and wanted to do nothing but drink travel and chase women. After that period I repented and joined the military. I fell away again while in the military. I was in college at night and was exploring different trains of thought. I was certain the bible taught God's sovereignty and double predestination and I was questioning it as opposed to other world teachings and sciences to see if it was ethical and true. My grandpa had a stroke during this time and I became angrily opposed to christianity entirely. I had decided it was a lie. I still believed in God I just didn't know if he had ever really revealed himself to us or not. So, I pursued a course of secular scientific agnosticism based on worldly liberal ethics.

My course of repentance was one of searching for God and praying that he would reveal himself to me. Because of my secular logic and pride I explored the Roman Catholic Church and eventually joined it based on their explaination of apostolic succession. However this was a milestone for me because I had accepted that God had indeed revealed himself to the world through the Jews and the Catholic Church that he had used to preserve his truth. So I was comfortable accepting that the Catholic Church was God's instrument of revelation and was the foundation and pillar of truth. This is the time I explored Molinism vs Thomism. I was under the impression that the church was inerrant and infallible and the bible was complicated and could probably only be properly understood by the priests and bishops that God gave that understanding to. So I used the bible as a reference tool and used the teachings of the magisterium as the primary lesson. I was thinking that molinism explained the bible by taking the responsibility for hell and damnation away from God so it must be true. But I wasn't comfortable with it and saw contradictions in the scriptures but thought the priests must know what they are doing. Then I fell away to a degree. I was thinking that there could be no personal relationship with Christ even though I had experienced it before I thought I must have been deceived. I thought relationship with God came only through the sacraments of the church and if one was deprived of that then he was deprived of God. So catholicism was the only way to God in my mind. This was backed up by many church statements. 

As time went by under this state of mind I slipped further away. I joined the knights of columbus and found there was nothing spiritual about it at all. It was a club where people drank all the time, smoked, and cussed like sailors. The knights by the way are the knights of "Our Lady" Mary. Everyone is supposed to carry a rosary and that is his "sword." I used to use mine every morning ont he way to work. I thought we should pray through Mary and the saints because it is presumptuous to pray directly to God. We should take the assistance offered to us by the saints God listens to them but not us because we are sinful. But Mary and the saints understand us and can interceed for us becuase they love us and will help us approach God who is Holy. That is what Louis De Montfort taught anyway and he was a saint and Pope JPII even followed his teachings. 

It was during this time that I was drinking a great deal because it was allowed in the Roman Catholic Church. I used to see my priest at the bar. All the catholics hung out at the bars and went to wild parties and just got ripped. At one of the knights of columbus casino nights at a church fellowship hall we were all drinking one of the older knights was dealing poker with his pin up girl cuff links on. People were smoking out front and some guy was hitting on my wife. I found out later that she had been rather wild and had even developed a relationship with an old high school friend of hers in Oklahoma. She left me and moved in with some of our churches female leaders. When I called and asked them what they were doing and explained the situation they told me I was a monster for speaking badly of my wife. She divorced me and later moved in with the guy mentioned before. She refused to help pay the mortgage on our house and it got forclosed on. It was set up in both our names and needed both our incomes. It wouldn't sell. I moved into a small apartment. 

Eventually I met my wife and got married. She was a non practicing Lutheran. Her step father was a Lutheran pastor. I was trying to convert her to Catholicism. I spoke with the church about getting an annulment so we could get properly married in "the church." We were going to Mass regulary together when I sarted to read and question again. I was questioning the sacraments. I decided I wanted to read the bible for myself again without the church telling me what it meant. I put down everythig else and just read it Genesis to Revelation with the deuterocanonicals (apocrypha) in between. I hadn't done that in years. The bible literaly changed my life. I quit drinking. I started to see things like never before. God spoke to me through it. By the time I was done with it I was convinced that Rome was wrong because the bible when read plainly contradicted them in a multitude of ways. I repented and asked Christ to lead me. I started exploring other churches. As time went by I visited a lot of churches continued my bible study explored the things that stuck out ot me. I was able to reconcile God;s sovereignty and man's responsibility and was exceedingly thankful for that. I eventually joined a Presbyterian Church as I was a convinced calvinist by this point. However I still had some of the Roman teachings that I was finding hard to let go of. Later on through study and prayer and dialog. I became convicted of the credo-baptist position I was raised under. I held this conviction in my Presbyterian church for a while but I was moving. I decided I would leave the Presbyterian church when I moved and simply search for a Baptist church to join when I got to my new town. That's what I did. My wife now has a relationship with God and is active in Church. She is reading her bible and asking questions and is filled with love for Christ. God has been good to us.

So, God led me through many situations and experiences that eventually led me to an unshakable faith in him and his sovereign grace. The bible is true and God speaks through it. It changes lives. It explains a sovereign God who loves his people. The doctrines of grace are taught throughout it from cover to cover. I believe if one reads the bible with an open heart and mind he will be convicted of the doctrines of grace.


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## Jack K (May 4, 2011)

Born and raised Reformed.


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## Quatchu (May 4, 2011)

My general conversion was on the more Calvinists side as i continually found myself trying to "do things to be right with god" finally things clicked and i realized I was a sinner and i was incapable of doing anything to save myself, i put my trust in Christ. Although at this point I had no idea what Calvinism was, about 2 years after my conversion i started attending a PCC church. I always like to be informed so I made a point to find out what Presbyterians believed. I learned about Calvinism and it was not to far off from what i had previously believed also it seemed much more biblical. Although i would say i was Calvinist my understanding was very shallow and i saw arminianism as just as much a legitimate view. About a year ago I started questioning Limited Atonement were i had never before (it literally kept me up at night thinking.) I was pretty close to going completely Armenian when i discovered RC Sproul's teachings which helped me get through my struggles with Calvinism and cementing them. It also introduced me to the greater Reformed movement and i found a much more complete and rich Christianity then the broad evangelicalism i had been part of that so often seemed so shallow and candy coated.


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## TheElk (May 4, 2011)

I read the Bible and then realized my views were called "reformed".


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## MMasztal (May 4, 2011)

When I came to the faith out of Roman Catholicism, I knew nothing of the Bible and was probably an Arminian. But after joining an OPC church and reading Packer's "Knowing God" and attending services, it became evident that the Reformed position was the Biblical one.


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## J. Dean (May 4, 2011)

These are great to read!

Well, I suppose it's time to set the record straight for myself. So here goes...

I was born into a home that was not Christian. My mother came from a Baptist background, but neither she nor my grandmother or my aunt and uncle had attended church in quite some time. My dad came from an Italian Catholic background, but it was essentially the same story for him: hadn't been in church since their infant baptisms (and I'm not so sure that my grandfather on my dad's side did that for all of the children). 

When I was about six years old, my mother was converted to Christianity by a Nazarene co-worker. No sooner had she done that than she started taking me and my brother to church (My father was not a Christian, and it became a bitter point of contention between the two of them for many years). We went to a very fundamental (in both good and bad ways) Baptist church, complete with a fire and brimstone pastor, an "Amen" corner, and getting out much later than the other surrounding churches, thus waiting in long lines for lunch at the restaurants. As far as theology goes, I'd say the church was "schizophrenic Armenian:" they believed in the perserverence of the saints but beyond that were very much Arminian in theology. We were on our way to becoming good Baptists. 

Then my mother had an interesting thing happen to her. She started getting into discussions with another co-worker (a different one than the Nazarene) about things in the Bible: keeping the Sabbath, the status of the nation of Israel, whether or not one could lose salvation, etc. Unfortunately for my mother (and for me and my brother), she was still a relatively new Christian, and not very skilled at handling the Scriptures. Through the influence of this co-worker, she started imposing legalistic religion upon us. We couldn't go to the stores on Saturday (yes, you read that right: not Sunday, Saturday). We were going to lose our salvation and might not ever get it back if we sinned (unless it was an unintentional sin). My mother started questioning the doctrine of the Trinity (Now in fairness to her, the pastor at the Baptist church had an almost Sabellian bent to his understanding of the Trinity, so he didn't help matters any, but still..). She argued with the pastor more than once about a Christian having to keep the commandments in order to be saved.

And me and my brother, we didn't know any better. We were attending a Christian school started by that Baptist church and received good doses of more orthodox theology (albeit more Arminian than Reformed in basis) and then we got home to a mother who had been convinced that we would end up in hell for eating McDonalds on the Sabbath. Eventually, my mother stopped attending church there, and she did a little bit of church-hopping here and there, but for the most part she ceased attending, although she continued to send us. 

To add even more interest to the mix, I was becoming introduced to pentecostalism through a friend of mine in my class who attended school with me. Here he was talking about the awesome worship services and speaking in tongues and Spirit filled experiences, making it sound so vibrant and alive. Then I would think about the organ and piano driven hymns we sang from the Baptist hymnal, and I found myself wishing to be in what I perceived to be greener pastures. So I made my move: in my junior year, we had a presentation in our school that was heavy on altar calls, and succeeded in moving many people to the front for rededications and salvation. I had to admit that I was moved along with many others, including another friend of mine who was in the class a year ahead of me. Old enough to drive on our own, and seeking more of that "experience," we set out for a large pentecostal church in the area.

And there was no disappointment at first. The music was pumping and driven, people had wide grins, raising their hands up as tears streamed down their faces. Chaotic tongues exploded at various intervals within the service, sometimes from the pastor himself in the middle of preaching. In addition to the new church, I was a changed man. I started reading my Bible every day, took daily prayer more seriously, threw out a whole load of my secular music collection: I felt like a truly sanctified Christian, and I loved it. 

But my older friend didn't. He had changed. Within a few months after the school revival, he had gone back to his old ways on a lot of things. The excitement of a new church faded away, and not much longer after that he stopped attending church altogether. He started back down the old, unregenerate path, and invited me to follow him. I couldn't do it; something within wouldn't _let_ me do it. We parted company, and my stance as a Christian cost me a friend. We found each other online and say hi to one another from time to time, but as far as I know he is still exhibiting the regular fruit of an unregenerate person. We'll never be friends like we used to be.

After graduation, we moved to another town. I immediately sought out another pentecostal church (a much smaller one in comparison to the megachurch I had been in for over a year) and took my brother with me. We encountered a warm, friendly congregation and a vibrant pastor. Yes, it was charismatic, but to this day I still give credit to that pastor for not making the gifts of the spirit the central point of his messages or of Christianity itself. We went there for over a year, during which I went on a mission trip with the Assemblies of God to Mexico City (overall a good experience, but not without issues as well). I had gotten on fire by reading Charles Finney and was pumped by his preaching (which I now understand is basically Pelagianism with evangelical nomenclature). 

By the end of my second full year at that church, I met my wife for the first time, who attended a Nazarene church. She invited me to attend with her, and so I did-which worked out, as it turned out that the pastor of the pentecostal church was going to be leaving. So I started attending the Nazarene church. It wasn't a bad church (and still isn't), but I never got the impression that there was deep preaching. Of course part of that had to do with the fact that the pastor at the time was a bit quiet and reserved in his sermons, which was a shock to me after being exposed to firey preaching for most of my life up until that time. So it was more and more exposure to Arminianism, with a heavy emphasis on pop psychology and good works and our responsibility for everything, with talk about God sprinkled in here and there. But hey, I didn't know any better at the time.

So life went on. I went back to college (I had dropped out for a while), then split up with my then-girlfriend-now-wife, did a little church shopping here and there, and got a job as a DJ at a local Christian radio station. Life was typically Arminian for me. 

And then, one day, while flipping through the radio stations, I come across this guy named R.C. Sproul, who was talking about God's sovereignty and predestination.

I was furious. I screamed at the radio (literally) in my car. I couldn't believe that _anybody_ would teach such a doctrine like this! Every bone in my body burned with the cry of "unfair!" And to make matters worse, this guy was on _my_ radio station! This man needed to be taken off the air!

So I flipped on the station again the next day. Sproul was talking about something else, though; something that I agreed with. In fact, for quite a while he was addressing topics I had no problem with. On the contrary, Sproul was lamenting the lack of sound doctrine in the church and criticizing the friendship with Roman Catholicism (this was not too long after the Evangelicals and Catholics Together event). I was totally on board with him on it; so long as he didn't bring up the predestination thing.

By strange concurrence, I had also started reading John MacArthur. Again, I chafed against his Calvinistic leanings, but applauded the majority of what he wrote. MacArthur had written a book entitled _Charismatic Chaos_ which, along with the explosion of the prosperity teachers like Hinn, Copeland, and Hagin, were beginning to make me rethink my pentecostal leanings. There was a change going on in my thinking, and while I still called myself Arminian, I was finding myself not nearly as hostile toward Calvinism as I had originally been.

By this time, I was attending another pentecostal church. About four months into my time there, the pastor had gone down to the Brownsville revival at an A/G church in Florida. He came back and was a completely different preacher-and not for the better. He gave altar calls and refused to end the service until people came down. He started becoming dictatorial with the service time, saying things to the essence of "God's got something going, so don't make any plans for Sunday afternoons." That was enough. I left and started going back to the Nazarene church, having reunited with my wife-to-be. 

By this time, more and more Calvinist teachers were getting my attention. In addition to Sproul and MacArthur, I picked up a book by Alistair Begg, and started reading Spurgeon as well. The more I read of Reformed theology, the more I struggled with it, because I wanted to argue with it, and yet couldn't. Finally, I was forced by Sproul's book _Chosen by God_ to study Romans 9. And it hit me between the eyes: Calvinism is right. There is simply no way to read Romans 9 in any other light than Reformed theology, not without doing violence to the plain meaning of the text.

And I realized then and there how sweet Calvinism is, how beautiful the doctrines of grace really are, how free-really free-salvation is, and how dependent we are upon the finished work of Jesus Christ for eternal life. 

And it's all to the glory of God.

I could go on, but I think I've said enough. It's so refreshing to share this with others. Soli Deo Gloria!


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## extolHIM (May 4, 2011)

Went to all Arminian/Southern Baptist churches growing up (even though my parents used to go to a Hyper-Calvinist church before I was born, and left it due to the Hyper part and still embraced the Doctrines of Grace). Also, when to Free Will Baptist private school, and Church of God Bible college. However, I was saved 2 years ago and started to listening to guys like John Piper & Matt Chandler. Not cause of their beliefs per se, but because I had heard of them and thought they were interesting preachers. Anyways...started noticing differences between what they taught and what my church taught, but couldn't put 2 and 2 together. One morning a little over a year ago, I was reading in Ephesians 2 and the light bulb just went on! I was like...holy cow...this all makes sense now! And then it was like, all the barriers starting falling down and I started seeing the truth of Reformed doctrines all over Scripture. Anyways...called my brother (who is a worship pastor at a Reformed church) and told him...dude, you were right! He said he knew I'd come around eventually. Crazy thing is...I didn't know my Dad believed this way until about 6 months ago! Totally brought up in Armininan circles, and yet that's not even the way my parents believed and I had no clue.

Anyways...I just give all glory to God for revealing the truth through the reading of His word...with a little stirring of the pot beforehand by some good preaching.


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## JonathanHunt (May 4, 2011)

born and raised reformed baptist, remain so.

sdg!!


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## PuritanCovenanter (May 4, 2011)

I was in the Navy. I had been involved with a lot of teen rebellion and drugs. I was asked to join the KKK by the guys I lived with. I declined and was threatened. I called my mom and had her send me a Bible she had been trying to get me to read. I read Matthew and was thoroughly convicted of the sin in my heart and that the end of all things were a reality. Read Luke and saw a marvelous healer. Read Mark and found a compassionate man who spoke for God. Read the Gospel of John and found out Jesus was God incarnate. I didn't pick up on that till I got to John 8:58. "Before Abraham was, I Am." I had seen Charlton Heston a few times in the Ten Commandments and the God in the Burning Bush said His name was I Am. When I got to John 15:16 "I chose you, you didn't chose me," I believed it. There were just too many things in my life that proved God had specifically targeted me. 

I was then discipled in a ministry called the Navigators. At the same time I was introduced to a Church where many of the guys who were involved with that ministry attended. It was a Reformed Baptist Church. I heard that my Pastor there was into Calvinism. I was taught that anything that was an ism was probably a cult. So I determined to know if we had all been involved with some cultic beliefs. As I met with my Pastor and Father in the faith, he explained to me the 5 points of the Synod of Dort. I just turned to him and said, "Well that is what the Bible teaches." So I guessed I was a Calvinist and it was biblically sound. lol. I was so smart back then. I actually thought I was smart enough to determine a lot more than I actually was. It was purely by God's grace that I know him. And God was more than merciful toward me in my pride. And He still is. 

I later learned that Calvinism is only a small part of the Bible. It is a pathway for many to learn about Reformed Theology but I would have to say that Reformed Theology is a better understanding of the Bible than just plain Calvinism. It is actually easier to understand than Calvinism is and much more understandable in my estimation. I don't think one can truly understand the 5 points unless one understands Covenant Theology. But that is just my opinion.


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## littlepeople (May 4, 2011)

Born and raised presbyterian by the grace of God


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## Reformed Thomist (May 4, 2011)

As a Roman Catholic, I had a very hard time trying to save myself, or be my own co-savior. Weary from a years-long miserable personal struggle with sacerdotalism and finally open to Christian alternatives, I happened across R.C. Sproul's _What is Reformed Theology?_ and it, and my subsequent Bible reading, spoke to me deeply about the problems I had been having in my spiritual life. What I found was that I did not, in fact, have to save myself; that this was actually impossible. All the work -- _all_ of it -- has already been done; moreover, it has been done since long before I existed.

I was absolutely stunned, confounded and ultimately overjoyed by the Definite Atonement which this Sproul guy spoke of -- an Atonement which _accomplished_ something, _saved_ me, and did not merely create a possibility for me to be saved (if I _do_ A, B, and C; in effect, be my own co-savior). My first response was that this was too good to be true. In time, I found that it was too great to be false. My cognizance of the sovereignty of God in my salvation, from first to last -- the Gospel of grace -- was and is like medicine for my soul.


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## seajayrice (May 4, 2011)

An elder at a Baptist church I was attending gave me some Ligonier tapes. Shortly thereafter having moved west, I found myself visiting new churches and settled on a big one where I thought I could attend unnoticed. The church was PCA (which had nothing to do with my church selection), and that was that. He rescued me. When I joined the church, I was given the standards to which I replied, “what’s wrong with the bible!” Well it has been a long road!


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## JBaldwin (May 4, 2011)

Convereted and mostly raised an independent, fundamental Baptist. The teaching left me feeling hollow and guilty. Tried a variety of Brethren churches including the Darbyists and the Plymouth Brethren, then the Keswicks, then reformed Baptists. While attending a reformed Baptist church, I was challenged by a family member to read through the Bible and look for all the instances of sprinkling. By the time I got to the NT, I was convinced that the proper mode of Baptism is sprinkling. It didn't take long to grasp infant Baptism. Since the reformed Baptist church I was attending frowned on sprinkling, I switched to a PCA church, and found myself among friends.


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## Herald (May 4, 2011)

Raised R.C. and then came to faith in Christ at 17. Was pentecostal and then mainline Baptist until the mid-90's when I did a study of Romans. I embraced the doctrines of grace but it wasn't until 2005/2006 that I shed dispensationalism and adopted a covenantal view of scripture. 

"Once you head down the Reformed path, forever will it dominate your destiny. "

sent from my most excellent Motorola Atrix.


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## Gord (May 4, 2011)

I came to understand the truth of the Gospel from following a KJV only forum, and a gentleman George who was attempting to lead his flock down the Arminius path of truth. Read the long banter here . It was a 3 month study to learn the truth that I had figured out by my post #120 and by my post #124 did he not realize he had lead me the understand the truth. I had a battle on my hands, and only the Holy Spirit to help me in that lion's den.
I am grateful to brother George even to this day for opening my eyes.


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## kodos (May 4, 2011)

Been a believer for a couple of months. Remembered that some of my coworkers were Christians. Entered into a Bible study with them. The leader was from _Calvary Chapel_ and for one reason or another the topic of Calvinism came up. He said it was a rank-heresy. I didn't know Calvinism from a hole in the ground. I was still trying to figure out what the Bible said on a basic level! 

Amusingly enough he had a copy of Grudem's Systematic on his desk and recommended it. I bought a copy and saw that it taught the 5 points of Calvinism - and I told him that.

I think that sent him into a mild panic and he gave me Dave Hunt's atrocious book _What Love Is This?_. Amusingly enough, it had the opposite effect on me. It convinced me that the passages Mr. Hunt cited actually said what the Calvinists said they said, and not what his contorted and puzzling interpretations made them out to be. Oh well. I became a lurker on the PuritanBoard and was _very_ challenged by what I learned.

Through God's grace, He shut down the company I was at (which meant parting from these Arminian brothers) - and I moved to Texas, where my further studies in Reformed Theology made me recently move to a Presbyterian (PCA) church for the first time. I changed my stance on Baptism (ask me a year ago, and I'd say that Infant Baptism was unthinkable!), the sacraments, etc. leaving behind the Baptistic past that I'd accumulated through simple American Tradition.


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## Doulos 2 (May 4, 2011)

I was a student at Calvary Chapel's School of Ministry in Costa Mesa when God led me to the Doctrines of Grace. We were required to read George Bryson's "The Five Points of Calvinism: Weighed and Found Wanting." When I compared Bryson's arguments and "exegesis" with the Bible my conversion to the Doctrines of Grace was rather quick. 

Since then God has graciously sanctified my understanding. My family and I attend a small confessional church now that we are blessed to be a part of. This web site has also been very helpful in sorting out some issues and questions I've had along the way.


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## Rufus (May 4, 2011)

Between searching the internet on different Christian groups and getting ticked off at the prosperity gospel I found John Piper, and that changed a lot.


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## Skyler (May 4, 2011)

J. Dean said:


> How did you come to Reformed Theology/Calvinism?



Kicking and screaming. =)

I started studying Calvinism in order to prove a [Calvinistic] friend wrong, because everything I'd heard was exactly the opposite of what he was saying. He very helpfully offered me a stack of debates, lectures, and reading material on the subject, and I powered my way through it with a vengeance. (I think it took me less than three months to finish Dr. Curt Daniel's 75-hour lecture series, if you're familiar with that.) As I worked my way deeper into the subject, it got uncomfortably personal, culminating in a "black pit" experience where I was confronted with my wretchedness and God's awesomeness in a way I never had been before. I decided then that I wanted to serve God even if I went to hell at the end of this life, because He was worth it.

That was really the turning point, although not just in my progress in Reformed theology.


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## Martin (May 4, 2011)

I had stopped attending church all together and was dead in my sin, though I knew it not. At some point, I believe I was regenerated while attending a revival. Still struggling as a new believer, it was a morning radio program by Chuck Swindoll on Romans that got me back to attending church. During Sunday school, we were going through Romans also. Somewhere around Chapter 9 my eyes were opened to the doctrines of grace. This really tore my theological world apart. After much research online (the Puritan Board played a big part), reading books, listening to MacArthur etc, praying, and studying scripture I began to see that the doctrines are indeed Biblical. I am still fairly knew to the doctrines, but that is my journey so far.


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## PuritanCovenanter (May 4, 2011)

Gord said:


> I came to understand the truth of the Gospel from following a KJV only forum, and a gentleman George who was attempting to lead his flock down the Arminius path of truth. Read the long banter here . It was a 3 month study to learn the truth that I had figured out by my post #120 and by my post #124 did he not realize he had lead me the understand the truth. I had a battle on my hands, and only the Holy Spirit to help me in that lion's den.
> I am grateful to brother George even to this day for opening my eyes.


 That is really cool Gord. They really don't have a good definition of Grace. It is sad the scripture twisting and poor understanding they have. I cant believe how the Georgeist nullifies so much. Praise God you actually were given spiritual ears to hear and spiritual eyes to see.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (May 5, 2011)

While conducting my post-grad work on the Reformation, with the confident intent of exposing its errors, during my seven years in the Jesuit Order, I ended up a RCC heretical Jansenist and ultimately, by the grace of God, moved the Reformed view.

AMR


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## dudley (May 5, 2011)

*My journey and conversion from Roman Catholic to solidly Presbyterian Protestant*

I was a Roman Catholic until I was and became interested in the study of the Protestant Reformation and the different branches of Protestantism about 6 years ago. I was also very disillusioned by Pope Benedict and I was no longer able to believe in the primacy of the pope or accept him as Christ's vicar on earth. I was invited by Protestant friends to attend services with them in January 2006. I explored all the mainline Protestant denominations and a series of circumstances led me to make a decision to become a Presbyterian. 
I began an intensive study of Protestantism and the Protestant Reformation. I began to believe the Reformation was establishing and returning the Church and the Gospel to the way it was in the early church. My studies and exploration of the Protestant Reformation and the mainline Protestant denominations also lead me to firmly believe in the doctrines of the Protestant reformation. As one who believes in the doctrines of the Protestant Reformation i.e. the authority of the Bible alone in all matters of faith and practice and that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone and all Glory and Honor is for God alone I knew I was no longer Roman Catholic and realized I had become Protestant in my religious views and convictions. I did not realize that it was really Gods amazing grace at work in me util I became interested in the Reformed theology and John Calvin. After studying John Calvin I also became convinced that the Protestant doctrine of Justification by faith alone in Christ alone was biblically correct and I became very interested in the Reformed Protestant theology. When I accepted the authority of the Bible alone in all matters of faith and realized that salvation is by grace alone I could no longer say I was a Roman Catholic in any way at all. I began to fully understand that only Christ heads his church. I wanted to find a Protestant denomination that I believed had the purest form of the Gospel. It was in that search I became a Presbyterian in faith and a Reformed Protestant not only a Protestant. My journey and conversion from Roman Catholic to solidly Protestant, Reformed and a Presbyterian has been about 6 years and my conversion process was completed in the last 2 years that I have been here on the PB. I consider my self now a strong convinced Reformed Protestant and a solid affrimed Presbyterian in my Christain faith and Beliefs. I have said I am thankful for Gods amazing grace which led me to the Reformed Faith and I am happy and proud to be a Presbyterian.


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## Gloria (May 5, 2011)

Christian rap drove me to study the Protestant reformation and the Five Solas. A Christian rap message board drove me to a PCA church.


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## Curt (May 5, 2011)

I was raised nominal RC. I was never even skeptical about religion or Christianity. It simply wasn't even important enough to ridicule.

God arranged for me to be saved while I was at L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland, in 1976. I was totally reformed from the first minute - THEN went to Covenant Seminary.


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## pepper (May 9, 2011)

I was converted in 1973. In 1975 a friend had become reformed in theology. We debated about it for one year. At the end of that year I admitted that the Bible taught predestination and election. Since I was converted in 1973 I commited myself to follow the scriptures alone as my guide. So while I did not like the doctrine, I knew that it was biblical so I have been reformed in theology ever since. Over time God has given me a love for that truth.


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## JP Wallace (May 9, 2011)

Father Calvinist elder in mixed bag church and denomination (generally conservative, sort of Arminian. Good library in the home! Converted at 17.

Book 1 - The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner.
Book 2 - Outlines of Theology by A.A. Hodge
Book 3 - Louis Berkhof's Systematic.

In other words never been anything else but Reformed since conversion.

Then an RB church started nearby and the rest is history....


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