Puritan heretic Thomas Watson writes:
“We love a saint, though he has many personal failings. There is no perfection here on earth. In some, rash anger prevails; in some, fickleness; in some, too much love of the world. A saint in this life is like gold in the ore, much dross of infirmity cleaves to him—yet we love him for the grace that is in him. A saint is like a fair face with a scar—we love the beautiful face of holiness, though there is a scar in it. The best emerald has its blemishes, the brightest stars have their twinklings, and the best of the saints have their failings. You who cannot love another because of his infirmities, how would you have God love you?
We love the saints though in some lesser things they differ from us. Perhaps another Christian has not so much light as you, and that may make him err in some things; will you presently unsaint him because he cannot come up to your light? Where there is union in fundamentals, there ought to be union in affections” (Thomas Watson, A Divine Cordial).
For true Christians, where there is union in fundamentals there necessarily IS union in affections.
To those who profess faith in Jesus Christ’s efficacious atonement but who also count universal atonement advocates [1] to be their spiritual brethren I ask:
What are the fundamentals you are united on with your brothers in Satan? It is my belief that for many professing Christians the only fundamental is that there aren’t any fundamentals.
[1] “Universal atonement advocates” is a broad term that includes professing Christians who believe Jesus Christ died for everyone without exception. The Christian Confession of Faith states the following concerning the aforementioned advocates:
Those who deny the effectual work of Jesus Christ, claiming instead that the blood of Jesus Christ atoned for everyone without exception (including those in hell), deny the very heart of the gospel. They do not believe that it is the work of Jesus Christ alone that makes the difference between salvation and damnation; instead, these self-righteous boasters believe that it is the effort of the sinner that makes the difference between salvation and damnation. These blasphemers deny that Jesus Christ made full satisfaction for sins and that Jesus Christ accomplished and ensured salvation for all whom He represented. They trample underfoot the precious blood of Jesus Christ, treating it as something of no value. They glory and boast in themselves, for whatever one believes makes the difference between salvation and damnation is what one glories and boasts in. There is not a single one of these blasphemers who is a child of God. [Psa 25:14; 74:18; 94:4; 139:20; Pro 30:12-13; Isa 28:14-18; 42:8; 48:11; Joh 16:8-14; Rom 3:27-28; 4:2; 10:3; 16:17-18; 1Co 2:12; 2Co 10:3-6; Gal 1:8-9; 6:14; Eph 2:8-9; Phi 3:18-19; 1Ti 4:1; 2Ti 3:2-5; 4:3-4; Heb 10:29; 1Jo 2:22-23; 4:6; 2Jo 9]
http://www.outsidethecamp.org/ccfiv.htm
Agrammatos 