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A Calvinist’s Experience with Free Grace
Grace in Action

A Calvinist’s Experience with Free Grace

Josef Kruppenbacher is an Associate Pastor at Ponderosa Bible Church. With his position and influence as a pastor, he felt the need to finish his seminary degree that he had started over a decade earlier. Josef recognized that he needed to learn how to rightly divide the Word of Truth.
Grace in Action

A Calvinist’s Experience with Free Grace

Josef Kruppenbacher is an Associate Pastor at Ponderosa Bible Church. With his position and influence as a pastor, he felt the need to finish his seminary degree that he had started over a decade earlier. Josef recognized that he needed to learn how to rightly divide the Word of Truth.
A Calvinist’s Experience with Free Grace
A Calvinist’s Experience with Free Grace
My experience at Grace was transformational. I came into the school a full-fledged Calvinist, and now I am leaving as someone who holds to “grace-centered theology.” The professors were kind, understanding, and patient. It was these things that kept me in school, even when my Christian Theological ideas were being assaulted by the truth.

He shared that even though most churches believed that there is no need to get further education to be a pastor, Josef discerned to pursue his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies at Grace School of Theology through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Having witnessed two of his colleagues within his church, Allen Mann and Curtis Fahrlander, his decision to undergo training through Grace in teaching the Word as well as having practical ministry skills was further affirmed.

Another reason Josef decided to choose Grace is the ease of its online classes. With Grace’s distinctives of providing accessible, attainable, accredited, and affordable seminary education, reentering the student life was entirely possible for him. Grace School of Theology provided Josef with the opportunity to learn the Word of God in-depth as a full-time student from literally anywhere without taking away his current commitments. His wife fully supported his decision because she recognized how Grace is a valuable investment in their personal lives and ministry.
Grace left a lasting impression and impact on Josef as he observed how everyone demonstrated Christlikeness in every class. If some students were missing due to health problems, the whole class would pray for them. If someone was struggling, the entire class would process it together. Almost every session felt as if it was being held “on location” because they actually interacted as a class. As the interactions became regular, names became familiar. Each student recognized others’ personalities and welcomed their views. This meant so much to Josef as it carried him through any struggle he had within and beyond the classroom. Even as the pandemic hit the world in 2020, Josef appreciated how Grace stayed true to its vision of equipping leaders across all nations by continuing to be affordable and available.

Josef admits how transformational his Grace education is as he entered as a full-fledged Calvinist. Today, he proudly shares that he holds a “grace-centered theology“. He appreciates his professors who were kind, understanding, and patient with him. Even when the truth created dissonance in his understanding of theology, these qualities in his professors kept him curious and challenged in school.

The classes he had impacted his life, particularly the courses on The Doctrine of Salvation with Dr. Ezequiel Serrato, Church History with Dr. Richard Bustraan, Old Testament Survey with Dr. Mark Cancel, and The Prophetic Books with Dr. Mark Haywood.

Dr. Serrato’s class immensely impacted Josef due to his professed belief in Calvinism. His views clashed with what Grace was teaching. He shared how Dr. Serrato was so patient with him. Instead of arguing, Dr. Serrato presented what the Scripture said. At first, Josef was filled with anger that he considered quitting Grace. However, when he sat down, prayed, and talked to God about what was being taught, Josef had to be humble and honest that the anger manifested because what he believed in didn’t align with what Scripture really taught. After learning from Dr. Serrato for the entire module, Josef emerged with a renewed understanding of Scripture with the Free Grace Theology lens.
Dr. Bustraan’s class also impacted Josef because it showed him that what an evangelical Christian believes didn’t come out of thin air. He began to learn more about the seven major councils and what type of contribution they had on theology. Josef began to understand that the world can deceive us about the truth of these councils. He also saw how the doctrines we hold came about due to heretical movements in the faith. These councils did not determine what we believed. Instead, they confirmed what we believe—this is a huge difference that helped him understand the different doctrines of the faith better.

Josef notes that Dr. Cancel is one of his favorite professors. According to Josef, Dr. Cancel has vast knowledge of every topic he teaches and is very organized in his presentations. His class, Old Testament Survey, showed him a clear perspective of the Old Testament and reinforced that God intentionally chose what books were to be placed in the Old Testament. Josef had many classes with Dr. Cancel, and every one of them was memorable in his education at Grace.

Dr. Haywood was also instrumental in Josef’s education at Grace—most especially the class, The Prophetic Books. The course showed him that the Book of Psalms is not just an arrangement of random songs but there was intentionality about it. Until Josef had this class, the Book of Psalms was one of his least favorite books of the Bible. Since taking this class, he had come to love and appreciate the Psalms.

At present, Josef is writing a novel called “The Priest.” It is the first book in a series that he plans to finish as he soon graduates with the Class of 2022. He shares that whenever he had free time, he continued to write consistently so he could finish his book series entitled “The Priest, The Prisoner, and The Prophet.” Josef is wholeheartedly asking for prayers regarding this endeavor.
A Calvinist’s Experience with Free Grace
Josef Kruppenbacher in an outreach with middle school students

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