Ronnie W. Rogers, “Taking every thought captive…”

Recently, I was asked what the Bible says about public nudity. As you well know, many believe that the taboo of public nudity is merely social, and that apart from societal mores, there is nothing immoral about public nudity. What does the Bible say?

First let me be clear. I draw a distinction between task nudity and social or sexual nudity. Task nudity refers to a person being nude for such things as taking a shower at the gym. Therefore, this article does not refer to task nudity but rather whether it is moral to be nude in public, in mixed company other than with one’s spouse, and/or for the purpose of being nude, disrobed etc., for either sexual or social nudity. (more…)

I affirm that God predetermined to seek and to save all, and desires every person to be saved.  This is demonstrated by His words, acts, and His provision for everything necessary for a genuine offer of salvation, which can be received or rejected, by enabling and allowing them a real choice as a free moral agent like Adam (Acts 17:30, 2 Peter 3:9, 1John 2:2; Ezekiel 18:21-23 & Ezekiel 18:32); further, that those who by faith accept grace and mercy to trust are saved, and those who spurn His grace go to hell, which is a place created not for men, but for Satan and demons (Matthew 25:41).

I disaffirm that God elected some to go to heaven by regenerating them prior to faith and some to hell without a chance to be regenerated in response to faith;¹ further that Romans 8:29-30, a reference to God’s foreknowing, is satisfactorily handled by making it merely love, and/or synonymous with “predestined.”

Next Topic: Where Did Sin Come From?

1. Calvinists are clear about their understanding of predestination, which either emphatically declares God determined to send some to hell or it happens as a consequence by His determining to only offer real salvation to some; for example, “By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death.” John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, translated by Henry Beveridge, (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997 reprint), Volume 2, Book 3, Chapter 21, Section 5, page 206. “We say, then, that Scripture clearly proves this much, that God by his eternal and immutable counsel determined once for all those whom it was his pleasure one day to admit to salvation, and those whom, on the other hand, it was his pleasure to doom to destruction. We maintain that this counsel, as regards the elect, is founded on his free mercy, without any respect to human worth, while those whom he dooms to destruction are excluded from access to life by a just and blameless, but at the same time incomprehensible judgment.” Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Volume 2, Book 3, Chapter 21, Section 7, pages 210-211. “We say, then, that the scripture clearly proves this much, that God by his eternal and immutable counsel determined once for all those whom it was his good pleasure one day to admit to salvation, and those whom, on the other hand, it was his good pleasure to doom to destruction.” (Canons of Dordt, First Head of Doctrine, 3:21:7) [↩]

Recently, Page Lynn presented a paper on the environment in The Ethics Round Table. From which, I suggested four guidelines to The Round Table to assist us in thinking and acting christianly about environmental issues and our involvement. Following are those four suggestions. For a fuller discussion of this issue I recommend Cornwall Alliance web site, or sign up for the Round Table next year. (more…)

One of the weakest links in Calvinism is the teaching that Christ died only for the elect.  The Scripture seems lucidly clear in proclaiming that Christ died for everyone who is lost–the world, which reality has caused many to wear the label “four point Calvinist”.  Here are my thoughts on what the Bible teaches concerning whom Christ died for. (more…)