And where is a flawless person, that we may honor him or her? All those we honor have many flaws. Only Christ is purely good. We are all sinners, even if we have now turned away from them. And we are all finite, therefore limited, and therefore subject to mistakes and other errors. Only God is perfect. But He forgives those who turn away from sinning. Why should we not do so?
@@RAY_FILET Who are we to say who is "more flawed" and who "less flawed"? I'd rather honor any good that comes from him, and forgive anything that appears bad to us. But as for following, I'd recommend we follow the one man Who is Perfect, Jesus Christ. Then we may come to understand better what is good and what is not, what is better and what is less.
John Piper wasn’t just honoring CS Lewis, he idolized him who described himself as the most reluctant convert in the UK and who said Genesis and Job were myths and the Holy Bible wasn’t inerrant!
I've never been so hurt when I was interviewed by a pastor to see if I was a wolf in sheeps clothing because I had a past. I was honest about my past but shunned by him. Years later he accepted someone into his church who I knew to be less than honest with open arms. This person put on a good show, I couldn't do that. I was shocked. Jesus is full of light and love. The absolute destruction these church leaders have on the people who need Jesus's love the most, is heartbreaking. We are ALL flawed. Jesus loves our honesty about our flaws. He loves to walk with us in our healing. The first steps are to humble ourselves enough to admit them.
It is none of these reasons that the disciple finds worth in Lewis' words. "The kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power" (1 Cor 4:20). When one understands these words of the apostle Paul then one can understand why some words resonate and others detract.
c.s lewis did not have flaws he preeched great heresis and is a danger to thse who dont understand the message of the gospel the gospel is the burial death and reserection of jesus. thats the gospel. 1 cor 15.1.4. do you know that he despised and did not beleive this he said The one most people have heard is the one about our being let off because Christ volunteered to bear a punishment instead of us. Now on the face of it that is a very silly theory. If God was prepared to let us off, why on earth did He not do so? And what possible point could there be in punishing an innocent person instead? None at all that I can see, if you are thinking of punishment in the police-court sense. On the other hand, if you think of a debt, there is plenty of point in a person who has some assets paying it on behalf of someone who has not. Or if you take “paying the penalty,” not in the sense of being punished, but in the more general sense of “footing the bill,” then, of course, it is a matter of common experience that, when one person has got himself into a hole, the trouble of getting him out usually falls on a kind friend.
Lewis Claims Unsaved Buddhists Can Be Saved Without Knowing It In his book, MERE CHRISTIANITY, C.S. Lewis claims that Christ-rejecting Buddhists can be saved if they gravitate toward the commonly shared virtues of Christianity and Buddhism. Lewis even makes the bizarre claim that Buddhists can be saved WITHOUT knowing it... “There are people who do not accept the full Christian doctrine about Christ but who are so strongly attracted by Him that they are His in a much deeper sense than they themselves understand. There are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example, a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain other points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ’s birth may have been in this position.”
@@catalinak6320 So apparently, you consider that you know better who is to be saved and who isn't? Jesus Himself said "Those who have not the law but do what the law requires are a law unto themselves." It looks to me like Lewis is closer to that than you are. But of course, the whole problem lies in people making comparisons where they have not the ability nor the insight. Which makes all our comparisons here, yours and mine, quite suspect. We can safely ignore it all; we cannot safely pay attention to it.
Let me make this clear about people "moving away" from Christianity as John Piper describes it. In general terms we say: 'You can't get off if you never gotten on'. The Creator describes it in the way that 'those who He starts a Good Work in, He will Finish it'. Be very afraid of commenting via, or teaching, your personal truth.
"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will," -Ephesians 1:4-5 This doesn't negate man's free will, but it is absolutely biblical.
@@denkillen That is not what is commonly meant by "predestination" in common usage. I would tend to question the translation here. But in any case, He opened the way to salvation, for each and every person who chooses to seek that way. It is not predestination of individuals; it is part of the structure of creation, and God Himself established it, guides us there, and preserves it open for all time. A strange use of the word. And it certainly does lead to misinterpretation of the meaning, causing people like John Calvin to fall into the heresy that God does not give everyone the freedom to choose Him or to depart from Him. Salvation is prepared for all, but it requires our cooperation with God's will to be realized, and is never in cement while we live in this fallen world. Our cooperation must be ongoing to our life's end. It is at the fearful judgement that God reveals to each of us what we have really chosen, and then that choice is sealed.
@@farmergiles1065 It's more of a heterodoxy rather than a heresy. Salvation IS cemented by God: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." -Ephesians 4:30 One must certainly finish the race, but if a person falls out of faith, that faith was really just a passing opinion, a seed that fell on rocky places (Matthew 13:5). The original Koine Greek word used for "predestined" is "proorisas", which means, "to foreordain, predetermine, mark out beforehand." This fits with what Paul said about God enabling the understanding of His word in the elect, so that no one may boast of their own understanding (1 Corinthians 1:27-30, Ephesians 2:8). This does not mean we don't make our own choices, but that the nature of those choices are not of the same substance in relation to God's will (Isaiah 55:8-9). To interpret predestination as us having no choice in the matter is too simplistic. It's as simplistic as assuming God is unjust because bad things happen just as Job briefly considered. God causes and permits all things to happen, good or bad, to serve His good will (Isaiah 45:7), including our own salvation. That salvation is open to all, but not all will accept it.
If you are going to speak against what is obviously true in scripture, please at least give your biblical approach to it so others can understand how to approach your beliefs in respect. The Bible shows predestination as a clearly true doctrine whether you like it or not. You did not chose God, you dead lifeless man. You were 6 feet under, without breathe in your spiritual lungs, and unable to do a single thing about it. But thanks be to the living God of Resurrection and Life! Who has caused you and me both to be born again by choosing you and electing you to be a part of what you never deserved: Glory.
Why do you some Reformed people think anyone who doesn't agree with their doctrines is doing the wrong. I've noticed this and it feels like the Pharisees arrogance.
I would not judge a supposed Christian based on his lifestyle and habits (I don’t agree a believer should smoke a pipe or hang out with friends in a smoke filled pub/tavern drinking beer) nor do I delve into ad hominem attacks. I only judge that person on his beliefs based on his published works. CS Lewis was a heretic who: - didn’t believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. - said the Book of Genesis was a myth. - said the Book of Job was not historical. - believed in purgatory. - didn’t believe there was a literal Hell. - who was England’s most reluctant convert (to Christianity). - loved the Roman Catholic Church. - was a life long member of the Anglican Church of England.
