I am not familiar with you to the point where I understand your tag line so possibly I misinterpret it. But the sense I get from it is opposite to mine; I was only born into a Lutheran family; I was not born a Christian; but I was Christian(ized) much latter in life when God working through the means He uses here caused me to be regenerated according to the scriptures. From that time on He has instilled in me, according to His pleasure through grace, a deeper understanding of (1) my sin nature which I inherited from my father Adam, together with (2) my new nature which was the result of His regenerative work in me.
The T in my tag stands for my total depravity, my state before God caused me to be regenerated. My Lutheran upbringing, of which I was a very poor student, taught me one thing that I remembered well; that made it easy for me to embrace the T, but not until after I was regenerated; that teaching was we are by nature sinful and unclean. But after regeneration I realized I was a mixed bag consisting of (1) my old-Adam-nature, dealt a fatal blow but still kicking like a chicken with its head cut-off, and (2) a new-nature. Scripture describes this of course; and Luther in Bondage of the Will describes as much to Erasmus & to me
To my way of thinking, to my senses when coupled with my new nature, God has used many folks on FR to pace & run with me in the race Paul speaks of; but also there have been numerous temptations to detract on FR, not due to personnel animosity, but due to major, and I believe life-threatening, doctrinal/theological differences. When I say temptations I do not accuse anyone, you in particular, of tempting me, I only mean that due to my curiosity-that-killed-the-cat, my pride, my argumentative nature, in short my still kicking Adamic-nature, I am tempted to divert from my race to argue, in the classical meaning of the word, with folks that to me are not on the same race-track, nor running a race with the same rules.
I am grateful that others on FR are equipped to understand & reply to what protestants regard as these major life-threatening doctrinal/theological error – not personnel animosity nor anti-Catholic.
In one sense you might say I appeal to tradition. That sense is the support given me personally by the numerous saints, some here on FR, and many more, now long dead in an earthly sense, through their writings/testimony. But that “tradition” is circumscribed, even self-circumscribed, by what protestants hold to be the word of God and the Word.
Someone on FR has suggested that Protestants might become a denomination of one, sort of like An Army of One. In a sense that is also true as each protestant has recognized that there is only One Mediator. All protestants assert that no one will have any luck whatsoever if we or they attempt to claim any denomination at the judgment; the judgment that is bound in the Scripture to come; the judgment in accordance with “…it is appointed unto man to die once & after that comes judgment…”.
But in fact there is one denomination if by that one means the body of Christ, His church which is yet invisible & known only to God; the church known from eternity past, saved from the wrath to come.
For that church, drawn from every nation & tongue, there is one Rule Book that describes everything regarding the race; the race to which Paul refers. It describes the reason/necessity for the race, the entrance requirements for the race, the means of attaining those requirements, the race itself, and the goal of the race. Each person that attempts to get on one of the many tracks will find out sooner or later that there is truly only one race-track. That race-track has one starting gate, one entrance fee paid by the Starter/Finisher, one goal, much Water along the Way, and numerous impediments; but that ultimate victory in that race has many winners; they can not now be counted or known they can only be named as a member of that church, that denomination. Each runner on that track knows that his victory in that race, from its slow beginning to its certain end, was all of God
With respect to my poor allegory, I apologize to, in my mind, the greatest allegory writer of all time who has explained it all so well in his Pilgrims Progress.I commend it to you
Finally as to the subject of this thread “The Blood of the Everlasting Covenant” – Hebrews 13:20.
I commend to all, who have read or merely gotten this far, Spurgeon’s sermon no. 273. Therein he includes a speculation of conversations regarding covenants within the Triune-God from eternity past. His speculation is of course speculation as to the words but it is not speculation as to its truth. I think the attempt at conversational speculation is justified by the challenge & encouragement of describing the wonders of it all as expressed in 1 Corinthians 2:9 I also recommend to those who reject, maybe misunderstand election, that they read with care Spurgeon’s words concerning it.
1 Corinthians 2:9
9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
As for the truth of it I commend the following with the suggestion that we ignore the comma in verse 19 …power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power..
In fact I think ignore many or nearly all of the commas
Ephesians 2:8-10
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 1
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 15Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
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Ephesians (King James Version)
Amen Brother. I was born by the grace and ordinance of God into a Catholic family. I also was not born a Christian, I was born totally depraved and in desperate need for a Savior.
From where does Spuregon dervive his teaching authority?