Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Discussing Dave Hunt on facebook



As Calvinists, we all know that God wants to be known for who He is. God is not secretive about displaying His glory to us, in fact, if Dave Hunt did a proper exegesis of Exodus 33:18-19, he would have discovered who God TRULY is. When Moses asks God to show him His glory, God shows us a unique manifestation of His “name” and who He is, by answering Moses: "… I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the “NAME” of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy (Exo 33:19).” This freedom of choice is synonymous with sovereignty. And the very name “LORD” here, is used to show God’s divine prerogative to choose whom He will. God is telling us that freedom is essential to His name, and that He is not constrained or influenced by any outside force, but can, and will do, as He so pleases.

So, here’s my question: If someone gets the nature, attributes, and the practical outworkings of the character of God wrong, are they teaching a false gospel? This is the sixty-four-thousand-dollar-question, to me at least. And I ask myself this all the time. Are there Christians who are guilty of teaching a false God/gospel, in spite of the fact that they do get the Apostles Creed correct? Remember, a false God can only lead to a false Jesus/gospel, because God insists on being worshipped in Spirit and in TRUTH; and Scripture is replete with God condemning all the false icons and Golden Calves we human’s bow our knees to.

I believe God’s glory (His name) and all that that entails, should be the unambiguous, categorical construct that NEEDS to be grasped at some pivotal point in any Christian’s life. Not only does the Holy Spirit prod us to ask questions like: what must we do to be saved, but also, who IS this God with whom we have to do? If we don’t undertake that question with all gravity and seriousness, and invest our time, minds, and hearts in discovering the true qualities of God, we simply will be guilty of a creating a fill-in-the-blank Deity. Faith is ALWAYS predicated on the character and the knowledge of God.

So, at what critical point does Dave Hunt’s loosely gathered, tidbits and morsels, of God’s character and outworkings, become real, flat-out heresy? I personally think he has crossed that line. Dave Hunt resists the God of Scripture. He hates the God of Scripture. He mocks the doctrines of grace, and in vain, attempts to dethrone the sovereign God of the Universe; and he knows an infinitesimal, miniscule, and negligible amount about the outworkings of the true and living God.

Election, God’s right to choose whom He will (from the same lump of clay, btw) is no evil fabrication that is foisted upon its victims, as Dave Hunt would have others believe, but is seen by those who truly love and cherish this doctrine, as being the only true way in which God has chosen to reveal Himself to sinful mankind.

God has invested so much in His name, so that those who are truly born again can understand His true nature. “Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His NAME or His son's NAME? SURELY YOU KNOW (Pro 30:4).” The question we are left with, does Dave Hunt really know the God with whom we have to do?

Note: I do believe that many Arminians are true Christians, but those who are so rabid and hateful of the true, sovereign God of Scripture, are clearly a horse of a different color.

I thank God that James White takes it upon himself to refute this man and others like him. It is a time consuming venture, but Dr. White, I’m sure, treasures every minute of it.

***Added note: I was hoping my question would engender more of a response, here. It boils down to this: If we HATE the way in which God has represented Himself to us in Scripture, even though we say we believe in Jesus Christ, does this pose any real problem?