For all the "one steppers"...

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Phil Stearns

No, but it has not been my argument that the lack of proof indicates that the Acts 2:38 message was not preached and therefore no one was saved for approximately 1800 years.

The question doesn't really involve an attempt to know the mind of God as Timmy humorously suggests. The question involves the historicity of an idea.

In this case the idea is the "Three Stepper" doctrine and the fact that it had no adherents before the 20th Century.

Phil asks if the same can be said concerning the idea of "sovereign election" and justification by grace.

The answer to Phil's question is that there are many examples of those who believed justification by grace before the 20th Century.

[CC1]

Phil can be so stern....er... Stearns.

[Timmy]

Oops, I'm too slow! He already conceded!

[Phil Stearns]

Originally Posted by Timmy

Oops, I'm too slow! He already conceded!

[Jack Shephard]

Timmy kind of beat me to it. I was ask if there is any verification of ANYONE ever making heaven? I mean there is no long distance carrier that could cover that call of confirmation.

[Phil Stearns]

Originally Posted by JTULLOCK

Timmy kind of beat me to it. I was ask if there is any verification of ANYONE ever making heaven? I mean there is no long distance carrier that could cover that call of confirmation.

See post #7.

[Jack Shephard]

Originally Posted by Phil Stearns

See post #7.

I did...was just stating my thoughts, but I was a bit late in doing so. Thanks

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Phil Stearns

Many of you are fond of saying that there is no proof of anyone being saved by the 3 steps of Acts 2:38 in the past 1800-1900 years, before the turn of the 20th century back to the apostolic era. Right?

My question to you would be, do you have any proof of anyone being saved by simply "believing" or "justification by faith" before the Protestant Reformation? By your reasoning no one was saved during the Dark Ages or from the post apostolic era to the Reformation because there is no record of it on a large scale.

Augustine (354-430 A.D.) wrote that because of the sinfulness of human nature all virtuous acts must originate with God. We repent and believe because God sovereignly bestows the grace upon us needed for our salvation.

Humans are "so hopelessly corrupted that we are absolutely incapable of doing anything good by our own forces; free choice, if it means a choice between good and evil, has been utterly wasted by sin; our will, insofar as it is ours, and not God’s, can merely do evil and desire evil,” Augustine wrote.

The answer to this is the grace of God.

Augustine was perhaps the most influential theologian since the Apostle Paul. His writings were in fact the motivation behind the Protestant Reformation. Thomas à Kempis and Desiderius Erasmus are just two of the most famous members of the Augustinian orders, and one did not have to be an Augustinian to be a follower of his teachings concerning grace in the NT.