Every now and then when I'm reading some secondary source explaining Calvinism (or attempting to) I come across a particular shock that is delivered to me.
The seals of being in covenant with God (He does His part and we do ours) are baptism and the Eucharist. These two seals correlate to 1) the first conscious shock of self-remembering and accumulating higher energy (the Spirit to ever greater degree, whatever our limit, what we can handle); and 2) the second conscious shock of non-identifying and 'eating our suffering' so to speak (conscious suffering), loving our enemy, identifying with Jesus and His suffering in life and on the cross, and not indulging internal-considering, etc.
If you don't yet know classical Covenant - Federal - Theology it is merely biblical doctrine unwatered down, un-negotiated down to the demands of our fallen nature. Calvinism is a nickname for apostolic biblical doctrine. Hardcore. Accepting true doctrine - propositions from the Bible, as difficult as they may be to accept - to the point of it effecting inner re-orientation in us from being man-centered to being God-centered. It is also armor of God.
But this shock I get is powerful knowledge. To actually *know* how to be 'in covenant' with God. I mean *after* monergistic quickening and regeneration and conversion, to actually know *what it is we do.* The two conscious shocks. And they are what initiates the wayfaring. And wayfaring is warfaring, as the saying goes.
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