Wretched Saved?

  "...how anyone can legitimately say that such adjectives as "wretched, miserable, poor, and blind, and naked" can be said to be appropriate for only the born again children of God, is truly amazing. It is no "argument" at all either for the Hyperists to say that this letter, and these words, are addressed to church members. This proves nothing unless it can be proven that churches are always composed only of those who are truly regenerate. Clearly the invitation is to those in the visible assembly who did not have Christ within them supping and dwelling with them!"

(From my posting "Anti Invitationalism Gone To Seed?" in The Baptist Gadfly for April 22, 2008 - see HERE)

This indictment of the Hyper Calvinist interpretation of Rev. 3:20 is similar to other interpretations where the Hardshells take texts with such adjectives, describing unregenerate souls, and affirm that they rather describe regenerate souls! See "Them That Are Lost" Are Saved?" HERE and "Was Balaam Saved?" HERE as examples.

If those addressed in Rev. 3:20 are they who had experienced amazing grace, why are they still wretched? Those addressed are denominated "wretched" (among other things). So, they must still be lost, if Newton is right in his famous words "amazing grace that saved a wretch like me."

If you are a wretch, you are lost. If you have been saved, you are no longer a wretch. Newton was saved from his wretchedness by amazing grace at the time of his conversion to the Lord, when he believed in Christ and turned from his sins.

My Hardshell brothers will want to say that the man who "feels" wretched, feels miserable, feels to be poor and blind and naked is really not what he feels to be (by the Spirit's teaching, right?), but is really not wretched, not miserable, not blind, not poor, etc.!

Well, who is telling the truth, the Spirit or the Hardshells? Was the Spirit lying to the sinner who sees himself a wretch and lost as a result of the Spirit's work?

See my postings "Hardshells Make The Spirit A Liar" HERE and "What do you say?" HERE for further elaboration on this point.