John 3:16
Thank you Greg and Dennis.  I have always said I have an adventurous streak in me and by that I meant doing things like rappeling, flying and white water rafting.  Well I am going to be even more adventurous because this involves my salvation and by relationship with God.
Diana

[quote author="Flyinglady"]John 3:16
Dennis, Stan or Greg,
Please refer a simple book for me to read as a starter about reformed theology.  I read the series of 3 posts today about the gift of discernment.  I guess I am not to thick headed to understand reformed theology:)
Diana

Hi Diana,

There is one book which I think tops a very long list of books on this subject and that is the book:

“Putting Amazing Back Into Grace” by Michael S. Horton.

This book is written in a very entertaining way. Horton proves that theology is not boring.

Horton’s background is very similar to our SDA background, and he writes from a perspective that we who were raised in a legalistic way will really identify with.

Here is a sample quote from Horton:

“I was raised in a solid Christian home, with the nurture of daily devotions and the simple piety of believing parents, they offered me a warm, supportive meaningful environment. But in my teenage years, the same cliches, slogans, and experiences which had provided a sense of being “in” and of belonging to a group, began to appear shallow and trite. The rules which I had never questioned began to choke me. My Christian school became my prison. In my senior year in High School, I had a Bible instructor who took particular delight in enumerating the things for which we could be lost. If, for instance we were to die with an unconfessed sin, we would be eternally lost. The implications haunted me, and since I knew I was not good enough, it continued to have a serious effect. What if I screwed up some Saturday night and Jesus came back before I could walk down the aisle on Sunday AGAIN! What if I couldn’t remember a particular sin in order to confess it? There were so many ways I could lose my soul!”
---------------------------------------------------

Does the above sound familiar?

Horton’s book also has a large appendix with the scriptural backup for what he writes.

I still owe one book to Glennsprings which I promised, so Diana, if you would like me to send you one, let me know. I think I still have your mailing address.

Stan

Speaking of Michael Horton here is an article he wrote for “Modern Reformation” magazine and the title of the article is “Does Justification still matter?”

http://www.modernreformation.org/default.php?page=printfriendly&var1=Print&var2=860

There is an all out frontal assault on the very basis of the gospel in many circles today. It is by the Biblical doctrine of Justification by faith alone that we have peace and assurance of salvation. So, why are so many attacking this doctrine today?

Satan knows that if our assurance of salvation is taken away, then the effectiveness of our Christian life will be taken away.

Stan

John 3:16
Thanks Stan,
I have sent you my address.  It sounds very, very familiar.
Take care and tell Marti I continue to pray for her.
I pray for you also.
Diana

Welcome, Dennis, to 4TG.  Off topic, but I appreciated your statements at FAF related to Catholicism. 

Thanks, Glennspring.  Here are two excellent links on Catholicism: http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=transcripts&aid=231488 and http://www.bereanbeacon.org .

Dennis Fischer

Dennis,

Thanks for posting those links. The MacArthur article is terrific, and to hear him deliver this message on tape is really quite amazing.

But even though I don’t have the time right now, I had to take the time to read the conversion story of Richard Bennett from Catholic priest to a true believer in the Reformed gospel.

Everyone who is a former Adventist should read this testimonial:

http://www.bereanbeacon.org/articles_pdf/rb-testimony.pdf

Compare Bennett’s experience with your own experience of leaving Adventism.

I don’t know how any former SDA website could be tolerant or friendly in any way to RCC. Former SDAs who become Catholics are not any better off, and in fact, just may be worse off, as they have just replaced one false theological system with another. I see former SDA pastors being very soft on RCC, and even recommending their books.

When I read Bennett’s story I see just so much in the way of abominable practices in RCC. As legalistic a background I had in SDA, I never saw anything like which is described by Bennett. Talk about the abundance of pagan practices! There is no doubt in my mind that John MacArthur is correct when he says that the RCC is a front for the Kingdom of Satan, and true believers in Jesus Christ have always believed this.

As Richard Bennett says, he could not be a true believer in Jesus Christ and remain faithful to the RCC.

The Papal system is a true anti-Christ.

Stan

Diana,

A very simply written and interesting book on the Reformed doctrines of grace is “7 Biblical Truths You Won’t Hear In Church (But Might Change Your Life),” by David A. Rich.  It is a $10 paperback published in 2006 by Harvest House Publishers. 

I found my copy in Wal-Mart, on the Christian book rack.  You can also order it from Amazon.com or Christianbook.com.

Bob

Back to the original article of this thread written by RC Sproul.

According to Sproul, Charles Finney, a heretic,(in that he denied the substitutionary atonement, and believed that a person comes to Christ strictly on his own power) has had a huge impact on American evangelicalism. Finney is actually regarded as a giant of the faith by much of evangelicalism. You can go to the Calvary Chapel book store and find a lot of books by Finney, but you will find very few books written by Reformed writers.

We know that Adventism is influenced greatly by Ellen White, and the Bible is read by SDAs thru her eyes.

However, it just struck me that much of evangelicalism has been influenced by another heretical evangelist and writer who could hardly be called a Christian, namely Mr. Finney.

At least Ellen White believed in the substitutionary atonement of Christ, and in her later writings acknowledged that man comes to Christ thru the power of the Holy Spirit, whereas Finney denied both of the above doctrines.

So, is the Pelagianism that we see so rampant today influenced by Finney any better than Adventism influenced by Ellen White?  Hmmm....

That is why even the evangelical churches today need to be evangelized and hear the pure unadulterated gospel of the grace of God.

As RC Sproul says, we need another true Reformation to get back to true Biblical Christianity.

Last night on the White Horse Inn http://www.whitehorseinn.org radio show, the panelists discussed another theological movement that is affecting even Reformed circles, and it is called “the Federal Vision”. This theology sounds like a carbon copy of the SDA Investigative Judgment. I mentioned this on another thread last night. It is really amazing. Here is a paraphrase of what this doctrine is all about:

Like Adventists, this theolgy says “yes, you are saved by grace, and you enter the Covenant community. BUT, and it is a big BUT, you must then prove by your obedient life that you are really God’s elect, and if you don’t measure up to a certain level of performance, then you will lose your salvation!!

How is this any different from the SDA doctrine of the IJ?

Of course the panelists on the WHI radio program said that this was just another form of Roman Catholicism, and I will say that this is just another form of Adventism with their Sunday Sabbath as a requirement to keep in order to measure up in the final judgment.

Check out the WHI radio show for yourself on this and you will be amazed.

Stan

Speaking of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton, the host of the WHI and publisher of Modern Reformation magazine will be on the CBS 60 minutes show on October 14 when the topic will be on Joel Osteen, the author of the book “Your Best Life Now”. Joel Osteen is the king of the “feelgoodism” gospel. See this link for more info:

http://www.reformationtheology.com/2007/10/dr_michael_horton_to_appear_on.php

Stan

Another great program last night on the White Horse Inn last night at http://www.whitehorseinn.org as Michael Horton and Ken Jones were giving a live seminar on worship. And the topic always comes back to law and grace. I continue to be amazed as I listen to this program week after week, how the problems that are pointed out with regard to today’s popular evangelical church are the same problems many of us encountered when we were in the SDA church. It is the constant resurgence of the religion of the natural man, the Pelagian captivity that we are all prone to adopt, if we are not on guard.

Stan