Updated Friday, Jan. 11, 2008

Systems are interpretation errors

The mumbo-jumbo theories about differing "elections" God uses for mankind's destiny has no meaning among missionary Baptists!

Calvinism, Arminianism, and Molinism are errors of interpretation. They're not biblical "truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Otherwise, why have missionaries, evangelists and preachers?

I believe sound hermeneutics of God's word for biblical scholars is accurate and dependable exegesis of the Holy Scriptures, which disproves claims about "election" in the recent Recorder article (Jan. 5).

The scriptures teach Christ died for all! Many passages speak of man's freedom to accept or reject God's overtures for eternal salvation, starting with John 3:16. God offers salvation by freely giving us faith, that we may respond by believing Him, or not.

My personal understanding about God's "election" is this: The scriptures speak three times about "names blotted out of the Lamb's Book of Life."

1. Exodus 32:32-33: "But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin - and if not, please blot me out from Thy book which Thou hast written. And the Lord said to Moses, Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of my book."

2. Psalms 69:28: "May they (adversaries) be blotted out of the book of life ..."

3. Revelation 3:5: "I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels."

This I deny to be proof-texting, for it covers the Holy Bible in three specific sections.

Christ died for all! Everyone is "elected" into the "book of life." Only those denying Christ will have their names removed.

Ray W. Benfield

Winston-Salem, N.C.