Why Speak in Parables if they are Dead?

Dr. Flowers engages with Drs. John Piper and John MacArthur's sermons on Mark 4/Matthew 13 regarding the "messianic secret," which concerns Christ's purposeful strategy of hiding His identity by means of parables so as to prevent rebellious Jews from believing in Him for a time.

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[eternalbyzantium]

Dr. Flowers is the man. I'm glad I left Calvinism.

[ninomaltese]

The whole structure of Calvinism falls in the Ordo Salutis. They say regeneration precedes faith, but it cannot be proved biblically. If it can’t then the entire structure falls.

[David]

If unbelievers can't hear God's truth then why God sent prophets to the Israelite calling them to repent when they were in rebellion?

[malvokaquila]

Thanks Dr. Flowers excellent video as usual.

[Brandaniron]

This was so eye opening. The explanation of why speak in parables to a “dead person” makes sense I had never seen before. I also realized that I interpreted the reason for parables in a Calvinistic lens and not as a temporary means to the the cross or as a judgment for rejecting the light they had been given.

[jessetoler]

Another good vid by a Christian refuting Calvinism.

[icilahmb]

Ahh, Leighton, you consistently give me others terms on what I already tell Calvinist… keep it up…

[arkrainflood]

question: on a purely emotional level, would not calvinists desire that everybody have an opportunity to go to heaven?

[icilahmb]

Agreed, John MacArthur consistently does that, preaches like an Arminian while saying he is a Calvinist…

[enhancedcalm]

It's mind blowing how inconsistent and contradictory calvinist teaching is.

[awesomefacepalm]

What many Calvinists saw as a "bumpy road to calvinism" I saw (with the help of, among others, this channel) as contradictions, logical fallacies and ultimately dualism.
So I chose not to venture down that road

[_sojourner]

Leighton has a new intro to his videos.

Cool!

[ethankeating]

Hey, Leighton, I’m thankful for your podcast It seems like you are a little more angry than you usually are. Just from what I can observe at least ❤️

[TheProvisionistPerspective]

48:30 what can we Provisionists and other free will theists like us do besides liking and subscribing to get Provisionistic theology out there? How can we “coalesce” as the Calvinists have? Asking for a friend 😇

[contemplate-Matt.G]

I think there is a common misconception about the parables and their purpose. It's not as though Jesus used them to speak of His Messiahship while blinding the majority of Israel to that fact. Israel was already blinded according to Isaiah 6. The parables spoke judgment upon Israel and in some cases, they reiterated old testament prophecies about Israel....prophesies that were both taking place and about to take place.

[jasonkerrigan]

Wow, just seeing the title... I said audibly, Mmm!!!! That’s a good question!”

[truth]

The calvinist Piper says that man is so depraved that he is unable to seek God and then their doctrine blames God for causing sin...

John Calvin does....

“thieves and murderers, and other evildoers, are instruments of divine providence, being employed by the Lord himself to execute judgments which he has resolved to inflict.” (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 17, Paragraph 5)
“The devil, and the whole train of the ungodly, are in all directions, held in by the hand of God as with a bridle, so that they can neither conceive any mischief, nor plan what they have conceived, nor how muchsoever they may have planned, move a single finger to perpetrate, unless in so far as he permits, nay unless in so far as he commands, that they are not only bound by his fetters but are even forced to do him service” (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 17, Paragraph 11)

John Piper

"God . . . brings about all things in accordance with his will. In other words, it isn’t just that God manages to turn the evil aspects of our world to good for those who love him; it is rather that he himself brings about these evil aspects for his glory (see Ex. @-16; John 9:3) and his people’s good (see Heb. 12:3-11; James 1:2-4). This includes—as incredible and as unacceptable as it may currently seem—God’s having even brought about the Nazis’ brutality at Birkenau and Auschwitz as well as the terrible killings of Dennis Rader and even the sexual abuse of a young child . . .

EVERY CALVINIST I HAVE TALKED TO

Jews thought salvation was only for them as the elect nation of God and could be achieved through works of the law. Calvinists think salvation is only for them as the Augustinian-elect of God. Ironically they both have the same elitist objections and can’t stand the fact that salvation is freely and genuinely offered to all through faith. Calvinists can even see the similarity between themselves and the Jews who boasted of their election. The irony is literally staggering. Calvinists are the 21st century Pharisees. Calvinism: Satan's way of unloading his responsibility for what he has done in this world and placing it on God.."God predetermined everything and caused everything including evil" If God predetermined everything..that means everything!! And so Calvinism places the blame of anything evil on God.. That is blasphemy..They follow a false god that is responsible for evil. I mean really?!? God gets glory by purposefully creating creatures that are intended to burn and suffer in unfathomably painstaking eternal torment as a way for Him to have glory?

[Fox]

Can you please link the full sermons for Piper and MacArthur?

[popscott]

He speaks to those without the camp, ( non-believers ) in parables
To those within the camp, ( born again, )
Face to Face,
David's Tabernacle, direct access any time, ,,,
CHERIBIM R US ?

[rlpsychology]

Because Piper and MacArthur are so committed to Calvinism whatever its inconsistency with a boat load of Scripture, they are BLINDED to Calvinism's inconsistency with the Lord's use of parables. Because of their self-imposed blindness, they wouldn't see their inconsistency even if the question is "what does the Lord Jesus' use of parables say about the existence of free will in non-believers?" Or simply, doesn't Jesus' purpose in using parables imply free will even for non-believers? As you know Dr. Flowers, Calvinists are blinded to reality, Scriptural and mundane.