How can we know for sure?
You won't discuss this with me.
Did you study Calvin?
Did you study the WCF?
Then how do you know WHAT "their beliefs" are?
I haven't studied Calvin. I have too many other things needing my attention. As I go to a reformed church, we recite from the WCF nearly every Sunday and I hear the teaching from the pulpit.
Not according to the reformed.
But you won't discuss.
I have discussed but you don't like my answer. So, yes according to the reformed, we evangelize because Christ told us to; because we are God's hands and feet. Everyone that is to be saved will only be saved by hearing the gospel. That they believe God chooses who will be saved is irrelevant to that fact. Remember, that is the same as saying God chooses who will believe the gospel, and so be saved. But the gospel has to exist in the first place.
Old Testament.
We have Jesus now.
All the OT is still for us. Jesus most certainly has not shown us exhaustively the mind of God.
1Co 2:11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (ESV)
Does He look like the God the reformed believe in?
Of course. Same God, remember?
We know enough to know that God will NOT send anyone to hell who does NOT WANT to go there.
Unlike what the reformed/calvinists teach.
Actually, I don't see how that would disagree with their teaching. I think it might be hard to sustain the argument that anyone actually
wants to go to hell. Perhaps a relatively few do, but many simply don't believe hell even exists. These people sure thought they were going to heaven and don't want to go to hell:
Mat 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
Mat 7:23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (ESV)
Not same God.
Not same gospel.
No need for Jesus in their theology.
Absolutely, unequivocally the same God, the same gospel, and the need for Jesus. I find their theology far more robust and their focus on Jesus much greater than anything I ever heard in Pentecostal/charasmatic circles, but that probably goes without saying.
Eschatology is irrelevant.
Soteriology is very important.
HOW one gets saved is very important.
Soteriology is important but whether or not God chooses is not important to me. Everyone who gets saved, gets saved from hearing the gospel, which is why Jesus commanded his disciples to go make more disciples.
Some may lose their salvation because of this teaching as to how to become saved.
(you can't).
If salvation can actually be lost. If a person is sure they are saved, then why should they then doubt their salvation just because it is taught that God chose them to be saved? That should rather make a person that much more grateful to God.
No need to evangelize if the reformed are right.
Always the need to evangelize since no one is saved apart from hearing the gospel, and it's being obedient to the command of Christ. The gospel is still central and the death of Christ necessary.
It's not a matter of God having known.
I'm just saying that for me, since God knows and has always known who will be saved, it doesn't matter whether or not it's because he has chosen them. Jesus said to make disciples, so all Christians need to follow that command, since all who are to believe still need to hear the gospel.
Buona notte!
