Arminianism, Federal Vision, Slavery, Whitefield and the Worst Theological Idea Ever

Hey, I was thinking this morning By the way before I continue.

I've got my son Noah here. We're both having trouble sleeping Probably for different reasons But I was thinking this morning when

I woke up somehow just instantly I don't know if you ever had this happen But I was thinking about a topic like as soon as I woke up and I was thinking about federal vision and Arminianism And an article that I reviewed on my youtube channel a long long time ago

This is an article on the for the church blog Called was George Whitfield a

Christian. Do you remember this controversy? This is an ongoing controversy and The and the question is was

George Whitfield a Christian because he owns slaves And this is one of the worst articles

I've ever read Not because like it doesn't make some good points because it does make some good points

I've been thinking a lot about this and I think at the time I did the video I said that this article was a mixed bag, and it is a mixed bag

I mean, there's some good points here. There's no question about it. There's some things that we ought to think about There's no question about it.

It's written. Well. It's got good. The guy's a good writer. There's no question about it But this is one of the worst

Articles I've ever read it has one it contains one of the worst ideas one of the worst theological ideas

I could possibly imagine and my attention is to To relate this to the the federal vision controversy and the

Arminianism controversy The idea that I think is just so terrible here, this is just Guys like like Theology really does matter and it matters in everyday life and it matters in in in practical situations and how you view the world and how you view yourself because The way you view

God and and what God does and how God is like It affects everything about you

You know what I mean, this is this is this is real I'm not I'm not just saying this to quibble with someone's theology on minor points know the way you view

God affects everything about What you are and who what you do and how you interact with people and things like that Because so what this author does is he doesn't take a very strong stance

He says well, I hope George Whitfield was a Christian, but I can certainly understand why you wouldn't

It's just terrible like it's a terrible idea. First of all, it's a terrible idea To view

God in such a way that we can't even know if one of the most brilliant Theological minds one of those brilliant pastors that we've know about one of the most storied

Christians of all time. We can't even know if he's saved. It's a terrible idea And here's this is and this is what it boils down to it

It was he cheating on his wife was he killing people left and right? No, no, no, no He owned a slave and This is not to say anything about how we treated this slave.

He owned a slave and Here's that. This is the part that I think is just so Awful, this is this is this is terrible guys

And and I if you think I'm clutching pearls here I am I am clutching pearls here because this is the worst

Theological idea I could possibly imagine He says here a good tree

Does not produce bad fruit after all as far as we can tell Whitfield never repudiated his sin

He never repented of it that alone brings the genuineness of his faith into question in many of our churches today

Why should Whitfield get a pass on the same scrutiny? If he held the same views as a member of your church, would he not face discipline?

I affirm the rationale of those who answer the question of Whitfield salvation No, and I affirm their freedom to do so.

I see how you get there. I respect the conclusion. I will not argue it

What is being said here well He never

Repented he never changed his mind about the sinfulness of owning a slave Therefore I see how you say he's not a

Christian. I'm not gonna argue that I respect that conclusion This is a this is a man who's trying to be woke, right?

He's trying to please the woke crowd He doesn't want to go all the way because he says well I want to believe that George Whitfield was a

Christian, but I understand why you don't so he's like a little bit woke Right, but in the service of this woke church nonsense

He destroys the gospel of God Because we need to keep in mind

I told you this would be about Arminianism and federal vision to the other day on my on My reform Jellicle live show, which by the way guys you should watch it.

It's awesome me and Matt Williams We have a good time. Please consider, you know joining and watching that What I said was

I said federal vision is in my mind It's an error Okay, I love a lot of people who do hold to the federal vision

I'm not talking to people that you say hold to the federal vision but they say they don't like Doug Wilson and and Sumter and all that kind of stuff

That's not what I'm talking about people who actually gladly call themselves federal vision black coffee federal vision, right?

I have friends like that. I love them and I think they're an error and Guess what guys

I'm on that show I said federal vision in my mind is an error similar to the error of Arminianism Not that it's the same error, but but rather it's the same level of error, right?

Arminianism if you take it to its logical conclusion Eventually if you just keep going logically down the line eventually in my in my opinion and if you're

Arminian I'm sorry, but this is my opinion if you take Arminianism to its logical conclusion. Eventually, you're gonna become a heretic

Okay Eventually, you're gonna you're gonna ruin justification by faith alone. I know you disagree with me.

That's fine Here's the reality Most Arminians don't do that.

They believe in justification by faith alone They don't believe that their faith is is is is is what's it called meritorious and they're not being like, oh god

Thank you, because I'm so great because I have my faith No one no Arminian does that some probably do

But most of them don't and so federal vision is the same way Like if you keep going with federal vision and to the logical end

You'll get to a point where eventually you're a heretic, but most of them don't do that Most of them have an error and they're inconsistent with it now

Don't hear me saying that That means it's no big deal. It is a big deal because here's the reality guys.

I'm gonna try to tie this all together Teaching and believing wrong things about God is a sin

It's a grievous sin To say God is one way and he deals with us in one way and that is not the way that God deals with us

That's evil and it's a sin So if we're gonna follow this woke logic here about Whitfield, well, he never repented of his sin of owning a slave

What about people who believe wrong things about God like an Arminian? Or a federal visionist.

Are they just totally there's no grace for them Like I guess the power of God's Christ's cross doesn't forgive those sins because they never repented they went to their bed still believing these wrong things about God Well, if you follow the logic here, this is the worst theological idea

I've ever heard by the way, let me remind you if you follow the logic then the answer has to be yes What about Baptists all you

Presbyterians out there who? Want to be woke to and think Whitfield might not have been a

Christian What about Baptists they believe wrong things about God's covenant one of the most important things that he told us about If they go to their deathbed believing that stuff, that's a sin that they never repented of Well, according to this woke logic about Whitfield, well,

I guess it's too much too bad for you What about if you're a Baptist and you're listening to this, right? What if you're a

Baptist and you're listening to this and us baby, but my son here look how cute he is He's been baptized

Okay, I taught my son Things about God if you're a Baptist I taught my son things about God that aren't true.

I told him he was in a covenant that he wasn't in and And and God willing he's gonna teach the same thing.

He's gonna teach what his daddy believes, right Bubba anyway So what does that mean for Presbyterians if you're a

Baptist? Presbyterians are teaching all kinds of things about God's covenant That you think are sinful to teach

Is there a grace for us or where are we gonna go the way of Whitfield as well? You see this is this is a terrible theological idea

That's that that thinks that you have to you have to be repented up and if you're not and you miss one thing

Well, we've got significant grounds to even question Your salvation can

Christ save you if you don't repent up Did Christ die for that sin if you're not fully repented and every one of your sins that you've you've it's been brought to your remembrance

And you say sorry God and you don't do it again. Like is that what we're talking about here? That's the worst theological idea that I've ever heard a serious person make

It's not true. It's not true. So in the service of wokedom don't

Undermine that gospel that you claim to love Because that gospel the gospel of grace the gospel of Jesus Christ is so much better than well

Christ can save you just so long as you write down every sin that you have and make sure to repent of each

Individual one and if you oh and by the way, you have to believe all the right things, too We have to believe all the right things too.

We're saved by grace guys Through faith, we're not saved by perfect doctrine and unfortunately this article here

Lynn gives gives gives quarter to that idea that well, you know George Whitfield He held a slave

I'm not gonna argue if you think he's not saved. Well, I am Because my God is bigger than that.

My God is more gracious than that to his people. Let me tell you about my God I'm sorry that this is getting a little emotional, but it's just this is important guys.

This is important story of Uzzah and the ark is the second

Samuel chapter 6, you know the story about Uzzah and the ark This is this is not the kind of story that you put on a coffee mug, right?

We don't we're uncomfortable reading this story. We really are It says this it says it's talking about they're bringing the ark and they're doing it all wrong

They're not doing it the way they're supposed to be doing not carrying the ark. They were supposed to be carrying it They're they're carrying it in a way.

That's that God didn't command them to carry it, right? So they're making mistakes here They're not doing the right thing

Okay, and so it says this it says they brought it out of the house of Adinabab which is at Gibeah accompanying the ark of God and Ahio went before the ark and David and all the house of Israel played before the

Lord on all manner of instruments made of firwood even on harps and psalteries and timbrels and Cornets and cymbals.

When they came to Nashon's threshing floor Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it for the oxen shook it

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and God smote him there for his error and there

He died by the ark of God And so what happens here is they're not supposed to be carrying it on an ark on an ox, right?

They're supposed to be carrying it on their shoulders the the priests are So this ox, you know does what ox do and you know jostles it it's about to fall down and Uzzah doesn't want it to fall down Uzzah probably it's like oh no

God's ark and he grabs it so that it doesn't fall down and God kills him where he stands

Sorry He kills him for that Now this is the point my god

I think Uzzah Was immediately in the presence of his

Lord at that point Yes, there's severity with God, but there's grace There is grace

Uzzah made an error There was an error there. They shouldn't have been doing that in the first place carrying it on an ox

They probably did it because it was far and it's too far to carry on their shoulders and stuff like they probably did had very good reasons good sounding reasons to disobey

God there and Frankly Uzzah had a very good sounding reason to prevent it from falling after all he didn't want

God's ark on the floor But There's severity there right

God told him not to do that. Don't touch this and so there it is But that doesn't cancel

God's mercy for his people When you make a serious error like that so serious that God smites you for it

That doesn't cancel God's mercy for his people his love for his people.

I think Uzzah met the Lord I Don't see anything in the text that would lead me to believe he wouldn't

I Think we can meet Uzzah in the eternal state when we go to meet the

Lord That's my God a God of mercy. Yes severity.

Yes but mercy if we can't understand that a coveted member like George Whitfield who we have so much evidence of His love of his penitent heart of his of his

God honoring stance If we can't say that that man is a

Christian It's only logical to believe that nobody can be a

Christian because You ought to be the worst sinner that you know

Yeah, you might not own a slave There's a lot going on up here, isn't there? And let me tell you

Contrary to this awful article this awful idea about God that I just talked about Contra to that But God will keep you

No matter what if you're in his covenant if you if your faith and your hope is in him alone

Nothing can can take you away from him. Nothing can snatch you out of his hand even your stubbornness

Even your maybe missing some of your sins and not bringing it to him in repentance and faith

Because he didn't know it was a sin God's bigger than that man.

God's better than that God God loves his people. God loved his son

God loved George Whitfield. I should say loves because he's still there

And if you're in his covenant God loves you This doesn't mean you don't try to be holy as God is holy this does not mean you don't repent you do but this whole idea of well,

I better make sure that I've I've Repented of everything and and if you don't believe the exact same things as me

Well, then you can't possibly be a Christian because that's also a sin and things like that. That's not how it is guys