Calvinist and Traditionalist - Share the Gospel Today

As time draws near for the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Houston the dialogue between the Calvinists and the Traditionalists seems to be ramping up. The blogosphere is bloated with blogs defending the Soteriology of the blogger and often condemning the Soteriology of those who disagree. While this is a dialogue that Southern Baptists should and must have let us not lose focus on the main thing. Those who know me know that I have an opinion in this discussion, however, my purpose is not to defend my Soteriology or to attack that of another. Allow me a few random thoughts:

There is an evident lack of humility among some, not all, who are posting. As the level of rhetoric rises so does the level of arrogance. The great scholars of Christian history have failed to settle this debate. By what rationale do we think that a few words in a blog will correct the perceived doctrinal errors of those with whom we disagree? Or, is it possible, that we are simply enjoying the oft abused privilege of expressing our opinion. A good dose of humility would go a long way to healing the hurt and division that exists.

It would be good for those who are spending their time writing, researching and positioning to spend an equal or greater amount of time sharing the Good News with the lost. It does no good to have the correct message if we keep it to ourselves. We must communicate it not only from our pulpits but also face to face in the marketplace where we live. Many assert that only the radical or hyper-calvinist is not interested in evangelism. Those who claim that they are not among this group should be busy about sharing the Gospel. Many Traditionalists avow the need to win the lost, yet, do nothing week in and week out to share their faith. These errors must be corrected if we are to impact the world with God's message of redemption.

I have discovered lost people do not ask me, "Are you a Calvinist or a Traditionalist?". They are in need of hearing the message of God's love and the grace He so freely offers. We live in a sea of people drowning in their sin and they need our Savior. Let us not become so busy debating the design of salvation as we are in sharing the truth of the salvation Jesus purchased on the cross.

Again, we should have the discussion concerning Soteriology and each individual believer should be fully persuaded in His own heart as to the correctness. But, this should not become our focus. Our focus should be our obedience to Jesus' command to preach the Gospel to all the world. Dear Calvinist friend and dear Traditionalist friend - let us leave our keyboard, go into the highways and byways and find someone to tell about Jesus the mighty to Save. Soul Winning still pleases the heart of God.

Attempting to Connect the Dots...

Wayne