Praise God brother, that's what He has put on my heart so hard, the proclamation of His word to the lost. It's His word that saves, and He transforms us to proclaim this to the lost so that EVERYTHING goes under Him. I am not a "Calvinist", I do not call myself a "Pentecostal" either, although this is the "type" of church God put me in.
I do understand the purpose and reason for these labels and do think they are necessary, but absolutely loath them when they are used with broad strokes to paint everyone THEY put under that label, and they use it to attack the individual person relentlessly by assuming that by that label alone you know everything that person believes. Then they proceed to throw straw man after straw man at the person before even one question is asked, never even knowing if that person believes the things they are arguing against. In my experience it's always due to lack of communication and understanding. The very things we are commanded to be known for. I of course say this having learned it by doing these thing the wrong way and trying to learn from it.
(his Spirit teaching me it. ALL glory to Him) Also not being scared to admit when I'm wrong and openly try to change it even when it's embarrassing, and/or being called a hypocrite while doing so, by my own brothers. But it's not them I desire to please.
This leads to the other HUGE problem these us/them labels lead to, and that is this false "either/or" division that some people COME to the table with. They just lay it down that if you don't believe exactly what "I" say is truth then you're and unsaved heretic, period and I got nothing for ya.
Praise Jesus for EVERYTHING He provides, and may His Spirit bring peace and unity to the His people here on CC to come together and be a brighter light than ever before. Amen.
Ok brother, I'm going to just respond to the part of this post that was to me. First off, I'm a sister...Don't know why but most people on here think I'm a man....My cross avatar must look manly, jk...lol I do agree with what you say about the labels. I grew up in between Baptist and Pentecostal churches half my family was Baptist other half Pentecostal...so you can imagine the division and arguments, I saw growing up...lol I learned to try to focus on the Lord and not take on either of those labels. I do not believe everything exactly the same as all Baptists or all Pentecostals and don't want to be held to all the belief of each and everyone who calls themselves by those labels.
That being said, I don't think I ever even heard of Calvinism before starting this site. I did have to take a religion class in college to get my degree, but it didn't get into the different denominations of Christianity.
Anyways, I am glad I never heard of limited atonement before I got saved. To me this could cause many problems. I believe that Jesus died for everyone, and God draws everyone, but it is ultimately their choice to accept or not. To me, the idea of limited atonement gives satan a vice to use when God is calling someone. The devil is deceptive and tricky just like he was in the garden. He will use anything that he can to cause people not to believe and have faith in what God has said. God has said that whosoever will may come unto him and that whosoever believes in him shall not perish. He is not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance. The idea of limited atonement could cause doubt and confusion. The devil could use this to cast doubt and cause someone to think that they cannot be saved because God did not choose them and will not save them.
I have met a few Calvinists on here that say that they do not preach limited atonement to the lost. I am glad about that, but I still don't understand if it is something someone should not preach to the lost then why preach it to anyone...Anyways, the Calvinistic versus non Calvinistic discussions are usually very heated. I have had many call me a liar, uneducated, simpleton, or even twists my beliefs and tell me that I believe in universalism, or that I think I saved myself. This guy would never admit it, though. He thinks that he is never in error. This is very frustrating and I have said and did somethings in the past that I am not proud of myself because of it.
I am trying not to fall into that same type of behavior that I have displayed in the past, but when it comes to limited atonement...I will have to say, I do not believe it is biblical. I think it is harmful and cannot compromise with it.