Hebrews 6, Warnings, Calvinists, and Arminians

Yesterday I posted an excerpt from Tom Schreiner on the perseverance of the saints. Wednesday night, Pastor Donny read Hebrews 6 aloud to our congregation, exposing us to one of God's most somber warnings to us. Today, in a brief article, Schreiner responds to Arminian NT scholar Scot McKnight on the meaning of the warning passages in Hebrews. What is refreshing--and to many, perhaps, surprising--is the amount of exegetical agreement that can exist between an Arminian and a Calvinist. Make no mistake, however, there are key differences as well. Give it a read. :)

 http://www.credomag.com/2011/12/29/calvinism-and-the-warning-passages-a-brief-reply-to-scot-mcknight/

How Do You Know You Won't Forsake God?

"If this passage (Romans 8:35-39) merely says that God loves believers no matter what happens but that we may still depart from his love, then it is cold comfort indeed, for our prime concern is not that God will cease loving us. We know he will be faithful to the end. What worries us is that we will deny him, that we will turn our backs on the faith and renounce our first confession. This text assures us that we will not do so. We will remain true to God, not because we  are so noble, but because Christ is so loving, because Christ's love is so relentless. Nothing, not even ourselves--especially ourselves--can ever cause us to renounce the love of God that has invaded our lives." 

--Thomas Schreiner and Ardel Caneday, The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverence and Assurance

What Are Warnings For? Understanding Perseverence

John Dagg was an early Southern Baptist theologian. This except dates from the mid 1800s. In it, Dagg is discussing how God intends the warning passages to function in our perseverance. For clarity, I will cite the passage of Scripture he is commenting on.  

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV)

"The explanation which has been given of this passage [1 Cor. 9:27], removes all appearance of inconsistency between it and the doctrine of the saints' final perseverance; yet it admits that Paul was stimulated to activity and perseverance in the Christian conflict, by the belief that his obtaining of the crown depended on his perseverance and success in the struggle. The who understand the doctrine of perseverance to imply that God's people will obtain the crown without the struggle totally mistake the matter. The doctrine is that God's people will persevere in the struggle; and to suppose that they will obtain the crown without doing so is to contradict the doctrine...So God has appointed necessary means for preserving the divine life in the soul, and the use of these means is as indispensable to the accomplishment of the purpose in this as in all other cases in which he has chosen to work by means...The warnings which the Scriptures give to the people of God constitute an important part of the means which God has appointed for their perseverance in holiness to eternal life. As the rock in the mariner's chart guards him from being dashed to pieces, so these warnings preserve the spiritual mariner from destruction. The awful warnings given by Paul to the Hebrews were designed to guard them against final apostasy. They therefore imply that there was danger of such apostasy. The heirs of promise might have strong consolation in the hope founded on the oath and promise of God that they would be brought safely through the danger. In the wisdom of God, the warnings are so given so as to secure their proper effect without destroying the confidence in God which is the Christian’s hope and joy.” 

John Dagg- Abstract of Theology    

(For a defense of this view by a modern Baptist, see Tom Schreiner's Run to Win the Prize. http://www.amazon.com/Run-Win-Prize-Perseverance-Testament/dp/1433514362/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319889525&sr=1-6 )