The
Psalmist prays, ‘Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord’ (Psalm 143:9). He
is not concerned only about his own welfare. He is concerned about the
glory of God: ‘For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life’
(Psalm 143:11). How does God lead us in victory? How is He glorified in
our lives? He brings to us the teaching of His Word - ‘Let the morning bring me Word of Your unfailing love’ (Psalm 143:8). He gives to us the strength of His Spirit
- ‘May Your good Spirit lead me in good paths’ (Psalm 143:10). Through
His Word and Spirit, God shows us His ‘unfailing love’. He enables us to
say, ‘You are my God’, ‘I have put my trust in You’ and ‘I am Your
servant’. He ‘shows us the way we should go’. He ‘teaches us to do His
will’. He gives us victory over our ‘enemies’ (Psalm 143:8,10,12).
In this post, I will draw comparisons between Arminius and Berkouwer. * Bangs points out that the historical situation in Holland was not a simple one - Calvinism coming in, Arminius nearly ruining it and the Synod of Dort restoring it: “The earliest Dutch Reformed leaders don’t seem to be Calvinists at all. They rise out of the soil, here and there, nurtured by the old Dutch biblical piety, not seized by dogmatic insights, but steadily pressing toward a purified life of faith according to Scripture” (p. 21). This emphasis is similar to Berkouwer’s insistence that election is not a special gnosis for the theological elite. Rather, it is a confession of faith, arising from the hearts of those who have come to know the grace of God ( Divine Election (DE), p. 216). * Bangs observes that Arminius’ theological method is “practical and through faith”: “For the Theology which belongs to this world, is practical and through faith: Theoretical Theology belongs to the o...
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