LeeD
Puritan Board Freshman
I have a friend and brother in Christ who has recently been studying the Scriptures in an effort to determine is Calvinism is biblical. This friend often majors on philosophical argumentation and I have encouraged him to look to Scripture alone. Below you will see his latest email to me. For some reason, I am having a hard time knowing how to respond. Prior to this he had emailed expressing that those saved under the Old Covenant are justified in a different way than those in the New Covenant. I think this is part of the foundation of his email below. I am unclear as to how best to respond, yet I do want to do so as he has been very open to discussion. Any help is appreciated!
This is a much simpler argument against Calvinism. Here are the steps:
1. The Law was intended for unregenerate people (1 Tim 1:9-10)
2. The Law was given to Jews.
3. Therefore, Jews were unregenerate.
4, Some Jews had saving faith (Heb 11:23-40)
5. Therefore, unregenerate people can have saving faith.
Calvinism says (5) is impossible, therefore Calvinism is false.
Now, it should be clear that the "law" doesn't just apply to Jews but to all natural men. Natural man is given the moral law because he is unregenerate. Regenerate men do not need any kind of law because they naturally do what is required by the law. But the Jews were given the particular Mosaic law because it made them holy according to earthly standards of holiness. Their flesh was purified. But regenerate men are made holy according to heavenly standards. Their conscience/heart is purified. And then they don't need the Law anymore, because the law has been written upon their hearts. The Jews needed the Law written upon tablets of stone because it wasnot written upon their hearts.