Calvinist Flyswatter

Galyon's garbling of Gano

GALYON GARBLES GANO
ON EFFECTUAL CALLING

Our sometime poster and professed friend to the Pedobaptist "Reformed" Hybrid Calvinists, the Rev (otherwise known as James Galyon), has an item on his website which appears to be a garbling of the 18th century Baptist, John Gano.

Rev excerpted some comments from Gano's 1784 Circular Letter to churches in the Philadelphia Association, but he "dotted out" one of the most significant statements by Gano -- especially in the light of Rev's admiration for those in the "Reformed" camp who are aberrant on regeneration, as represented by the likes of J. I. Packer and the Flounders.

Here is how the Gano item reads in regard to "the call" in Effectual Calling (I have highlighted the significant part which Rev "dotted out"):

"I. The call. This is an act of sovereign grace, which flows from the everlasting love of God, and is such an irresistible impression made by the Holy Spirit upon the human soul, as to effect a blessed change. This impression or call is sometimes immediate, as in the instance of Paul and others; though more ordinarily through the instrumentality of the word and providence of God."

Rev's excerpt reads as follows:

"This is an act of sovereign grace, which flows from the everlasting love of God, and is such an irresistible impression made by the Holy Spirit upon a human soul, as to effect a blessed change. . . ."

Since Pedobaptist "Reformed" theology on regeneration, as taught by Shedd, Berkhof, Packer, and their disciples, denies the necessary use of the "instrumentality of the Word" in the act of regeneration, when we quote a Baptist writer we include his comments which reveal that he holds the Baptist view on Effectual Calling, that it is by BOTH the Word and the Spirit.

Gano's view contrasts with the Pedobaptist Reformed Hybrid Calvinist view that regeneration is a "direct operation" of the Spirit without the instrumental use of means (the Word).

We therefore consider Rev's "dotting out" of that particular statement on "instrumentality" from Gano's circular letter to constitute a garbling of Gano's teaching on the New Birth. In fact, Galyon's "dotting" leaves out one of the most significant elements of Effectual Calling specified in our Baptist Confession of Faith -- namely, the instrumentality of the Word of God.

posted by Bob L. Ross @ 4:15 PM