—Heretical Lighthouse: The Blind Leading the Blind or the Mythical Sirens Guiding Ships to be Dashed on the Rocks? — An Attack on Calvinism and a Response (revised)
Someone had emailed me an email that he received. Some Christian information source announced its plans to print a book; below that announcement are a plethora of comments both pro and con by those who were or had been supporters of that ministry. I will save most of my comments until the end... [but I will place some of my comments in brackets at certain places, and indicate so with “R.A.B.”]
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Original Email:
LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
SPECIAL NOTICE
February 27, 2018
We have something important to tell our readers that is going to affect how some may view us. But we thought you should know what is taking place.
In our last e-newsletter, we posted something about three upcoming book releases, one of which is a book titled Calvinism: None Dare Call It Heresy. A few days ago, we received an e-mail from a reader who shared concerns about our publishing the book. With permission from the reader, we posted the letter along with our response on our blog. We then posted this on our Facebook account, which ignited a firestorm. We began receiving messages from readers who said they were dropping us, sometimes after being Lighthouse Trails readers for years. (While there were numerous very negative responses, about 80% of those who commented were favorable to our publishing this book.)
At this point, it seems only right to let you, our e-newsletter readers, know what is taking place. We realize that some of our e-newsletter readers may also end up dropping us. While that truly saddens us, we do believe God has led us to this place as the response below will state.
Here now is the e-mail from our reader and our response. We are also posting some of the comments made on Facebook that we think will help to show you the situation.
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M.C.: Dear Lighthouse Trails: In your last e-mail newsletter, you showed us the covers of three upcoming books. And I’m concerned about one of them. It’s Calvinism: None Dare Call It Heresy, which exposes some serious problems with Calvinism.
I am not a Calvinist. Not at all. I’ve seen some very serious problems with that over the years. My concern is for different reasons.
Can you name me even one denomination that is “safe” any more?
The Methodists used to be solid. But these days, there are literally witches in some Methodist pulpits—women pastors who went through witchcraft initiation rituals, and their woman bishop was there with them. And when asked if she was at that ritual, the bishop couldn’t remember because she’s been at so many of them.
[I know of no time that the Methodist Church was ever “solid”... except maybe the Welsh Methodists, who were Calvinists. To say that the Methodists used to be solid reveals that one does not know what “solid” is (presumably, he means “espoused sound doctrine”). This is like a person saying, “Man, these squares used to be round! What are they doing to them nowadays?” If this person noticed “problems” with Calvinism, it is only because he does not understand (or rejects) sound doctrine. R.A.B.]
I have a friend whose sister is a lesbian witch and a Lutheran pastor.
Washington National Cathedral (a large, prestigious Episcopal church) has been in bed with the Muslims for years now, and lets them meet in their church.
Calvary Chapel used to be sound, but now many Calvary Chapel churches are into the emergent nonsense.
The Mennonites are a little odd, but I love them because of their simple devotion to God. But now there are emergent Mennonites.
Most of the charismatic churches seem to have bought into the Latter Rain Movement or the Prosperity Gospel teachings or other crazy things.
The Baptists used to be solid. But of the two large Baptist churches in my area, one has classes in Catholic mysticism. The other has classes in “Christian” yoga and promotes The Shack and the “Red Letter Christians” (ignore anything in the Bible that isn’t in red letters).
[* I stock a book exposing the false doctrine of popular “feel good” tear-jerker, “Christian: best-seller The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity (2007) by William P. Young. Ironically, the rebuttal was written by an author with a similar name: Burning Down ‘The Shack’: How the ‘Christian’ Bestseller is Deceiving Millions (2010), James B. De Young, 253pp., pb., 16.00 + P&H. Similarly, liberal “Christian” mega-church pastor Rick Warren wrote the best-seller (and multiple spin-offs) The Purpose-Driven Life and another “Warren” wrote a rebuttal, Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Life, Warren Smith, 211pp., pb., 13.00 + P&H. See also my book, Does God Repent? — Can God Change His Mind?, 506pp., 25.00 + P&H for a synopsis of this controversy, and my perspective. This book is foundational to understanding sound Doctrine; to understanding God. How can you believe in God if you believe your own notions of what God should be, rather than what God revealed about Himself for us to know...? You cannot. You can believe in “something God-like or “God-ish”, but you cannot believe in the true God if you don’t believe what He said about Himself concerning His Own Nature. Note mine. R.A.B.]
We have churches of various denominations ordaining homosexual pastors and recognizing homosexual “marriage.” And now I heard of one church “celebrating” because their pastor made the transition from one gender to the other one.
There is a large, “successful” Baptist church here in __________ that denies the Atonement (that Jesus died for our sins).
There are so many pastors who have become atheists that they have a support group online. Their slogan is “Moving beyond faith.” Many (if not most) of them are still pastoring their churches in spite of being atheists.
It’s getting seriously crazy out there. And in the face of that, it might be better to avoid going after specific denominations like the Presbyterians.
At this point, I’m attending a Presbyterian church. I am not a Calvinist, and my pastor knows it. But this is a conservative church that believes the Bible and has the guts to preach about sin and things like that. And they do not push Calvinism from the pulpit. It’s in some of the Sunday school classes, but that’s all. I don’t identify myself in terms of denominations. I call myself a Bible-believing Christian.
[—which is a meaningless expression if you reject Bible doctrine. R.A.B.]
If you publish that book about the Presbyterians, then that will turn away a lot of your readers who are Presbyterians. And that could be a large proportion of your readers because Presbyterians tend to be well-educated people who care about doctrine.
[Note well: The proposed book will not be about Presbyterians. It will be a humanistic attempt to refute what is called Calvinism or more properly, the Reformed Christian Faith. Presbyterianism was established by the Reformer John Knox of Scotland. This person has very shakey understanding of most anything that he mentions. That is a good indicator of nondoctrinal Christianity and someone who has not actually studied the works of theologians, or the Puritans and Reformers, but adjudicates as “false doctrine” by his own gut reaction. Faith cometh by the facts [doctrine, theology] in the Word of God; not by personal opinions or “feelings”. True faith does not originate in man. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit whereby the elect believe. Faith is based upon the facts—the doctrine, of the Word of God. Like mathematical formulae, it is not man’s opinion of the facts, but the fixed, unchanging facts themselves that establish true faith as the Holy Spirit imparts the ability to believe, confess, and then—proportionally based upon true prayer, study, and meditation—understanding. R.A.B.]
If you are sure that God wants you to publish that book, then you should do it. But please do some extra praying in order to really be sure about it.
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Comments From Lighthouse Trails:
Dear M.C.,
Thank you for your e-mail expressing your concerns. The fact is, we have prayed about this for many years, not about this particular book (Calvinism: None Dare Call It Heresy) but about the issue of Calvinism. And after several years of study and prayer, we truly have come to believe that God wants us to address this issue. We know there is going to be a price for it. Already one woman who has donated money to Lighthouse Trails for a number of years (which has been a real help to us) called after reading that we are going to be releasing this book on Calvinism and said she would not be able to send any more support if we publish the book. So please know, we don’t do this lightly, and we know we may pay a high price for it. But we have come to believe that the Calvinism gospel is not the Gospel at all because the view of election (which is the foundation of Calvinism) changes God into a “God” whose view of salvation takes on a cruel and non-benevolent nature.
[“Lighthouse” or is is “Lite-house” here without realizing it, confesses that they preach “another gospel”. Their ignorance of Bible doctrine actually comes close to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, in calling election, predestination, Divine Decrees / Determinism “heresy”. Yes, most every toddler thinks, “Spankings aren’t fair”. What makes them believe and say such? —their authority: “because I say so” or “because they hurt”. Thus, the parents are ogres and monsters and evil. R.A.B.]
This foundational view that God does not love the whole world or all people (and created most of them wanting to send them to hell) does not describe the God of the Bible. While Calvinists use a number of Scriptures to “prove” Calvinism, there are countless Scriptures that disprove the Calvinist view of election; and if a particular doctrine is refuted by Scripture itself, then there is something wrong with that doctrine. A few of those verses that disprove the Calvinist view of election are: John 3:16-17, 1 John 2:2, 2 Peter 3:9, Revelation 22:17, Romans 8:32, 1 Timothy 2:4, and 1 John 4:14. There are countless more.
[One who caricaturizes God and projects fallen human notions onto God and expects God to conform to man’s notions, indeed, will have this misunderstanding about the Scriptures. There are no passages that contradict Election / Predestination / Divine Determinism / God’s Sovereignty. If a reader thinks there are such, it is confusion in the mind of the reader. The issue is perspective. The issue is spiritual understanding versus carnal humanistic opinion concerning what is “fair”. Thinking that any of the verses mentioned “disprove” Calvinism (or the specific doctrines that I mentioned) demonstrates not only a poor understanding of the Bible as a cohesive whole, but it shows the inability to even think logically, not even knowing what “proof” is. R.A.B.]
People are often drawn to Calvinism because they think it offers an assurance of salvation, but once they fully understand its doctrines, they realize they are always left questioning if they are of the elect. While Calvinism seemingly promises an assurance of salvation, in living it out, it actually does the opposite because the Calvinist never knows for sure if he is one of the elect.
[This seems to be a personal “confession” under the guise of speaking of some larger population, rather than an actual survey of that imaginary population. Furthermore, man’s confusion does not invalidate reality. Were that the case, my own ignorance would invalidate all disciplines of advanced mathematics, not to mention automechanics, physics, computer science, electrical engineering, etc. R.A.B.]
The Calvinist view has grown rapidly, partly because so many seminaries and Christian colleges have become Calvinist and are pumping out pastors, teachers, and authors into the church at a fast rate. We see that some Calvary Chapel churches have become Calvinist, and we have been told that over half of the Southern Baptist seminaries are now Calvinist. Frequently, we hear reports of churches, ministries, schools, or organizations that have turned toward Calvinism. Perhaps this is why God has led Lighthouse Trails down this precarious path to warn against it.
[I don’t know what world he is living in (but if it exists I would gladly trade places with him), Calvinists (individuals) are nearly nonexistent, not to mention Calvinist Churches and Calvinist institutions of learning. This seems to be fear-mongering scare tactics that have nothing to do with reality. Among Christians in the U.S., U.K., and Europe, Calvinists are probably less than 1%. Rather than “the whole Christian world turning Calvinist”—the very opposite is true. In the end times people will DEPART from sound doctrine. That has been the trend since the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement—and is now at warp speed in the era of Third-world immigration, gender-perversion, so-called “Social Justice” and feminist empowerment. R.A.B.]
We do not want to hurt anyone. Our primary motivation in doing this is because we have seen so much damage that is happening to those in the Calvinist camp, in particular to the young people. We believe it is causing many young people to turn completely away from the Christian faith because they cannot fathom serving a monster God whose desire is to send most people to eternal damnation (even though they have, according to Calvinism, no free will to reject or choose God).
[Here we see another humanistic method, one in which the deluded individual imagines that true religion is based upon his experience; whereas, true religion / Christianity is revelationally based (based upon what God has revealed in His Word that He has decreed). The facts that this person declares such things as, “the view of election (which is the foundation of Calvinism) changes God into a “God” whose view of salvation takes on a cruel and non-benevolent nature” .... “serving a monster God”—is actually blasphemy; and such a person is worse than the blind leading the blind; but more like an evil-hearted blind, deaf, mute leading the blind. God is Good, not because He does things that sinful man adjudicates to be “good”, but because God’s Nature is Good and He cannot do otherwise. Everything God does is good and is not dependent upon man’s agreement. The very creation of Hell (Hell didn’t create itself), the very creation of angels and humans who would fall, the very existence of evil and sin (they didn’t just “evolve”*), the very commands that God issues in the Old and New Testaments (and the God of the New Testament is the very same unchanging God of the Old Testament—and His Standard of Morality has not changed in the slightest, nor His Plan)—all is evidence of the exact opposite of what this carnal-minded “spiritual leader” is declaring in His blasphemy against God. God commanded the Canaanites to be destroyed man, woman, child, and suckling infant. God commanded Achan and his whole family—and livestock, stoned to death and burned. God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead because they lied about the amount of money they gave to the church. God did not let Moses enter the Promised Land for striking the rock instead of speaking to it—despite Moses decades of faithful service. When man judges God he is antichrist; and thus “Antichrist-house”, would be a more-appropriate name. God did not first create sinful humans and then ask Him how He should order His universe, and ask man’s permission concerning how God should be or act. This entire discussion, cloaked beneath feigned spirituality (or at very best, uber-profound spiritual ignorance and delusion) is permeated with humanism. Also, no, election is NOT the foundation of Calvinism. The foundation of Calvinism is the Word of God and election is one of the key doctrines of the Word of God. Finally, if any are turned away it is because God wanted them turned away, even as Christ spoke hard things so that many would STOP following Him (John 6:60-66); even as God declared through the prophet Isaiah (which is the true genesis and should guide the understanding of the other passages that quote this passage, but in a manner than confused people think that it is people who so choose, rather than God): “Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” (6:10) Christ declared, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Matthew 13:15). God determined and ordained and orchestrated and performed it. The means by which He accomplished it was internally, not externally. Scripture clearly reveals, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His Good Pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13). “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.” (Psalm 37:23) “the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) “who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men” (Jude 1:4) “The LORD hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the Day of Evil [Judgment].” (Proverbs 16:4) I could go on, but my books listed below contain these and more. No other passage “contradicts” these. Such verses are not weighed in the balance against each other. God does not contradict Himself. Those who come to Scripture with that false notion, will of course, “see” contradition everywhere, even as people who believe in ghosts and hobgoblins think they see each time something goes “bump”. They are to be understood in context, truth building upon truth, knowing God does not change, nor change His Mind, nor contradict Himself, make a mistake, or have a better idea. He is Perfect and Immutable. Carnal man wants to be in control of His own destiny (and the universe, and God Himself) and that is why most reject sound doctrine. They do not know God, God is not in all their thoughts.
* See my book, God and Evil, 280pp., 18.00 + P&H. See also my Does God Repent? — Can God Change His Mind?, 506pp., 25.00 + P&H. R.A.B.]
We are also witnessing large numbers of Calvinist / Reformed leaders turning to the contemplative view, and we believe this is happening because Calvinism is not really about a relationship with the Lord — rather it is about having to make sure you are of the “elect.” And since there is no way with Calvinism to know for sure (even R.C. Sproul confessed this as you will read about in Calvinism: None Dare Call It Heresy), the Calvinist becomes very disillusioned and thus, when contemplative spirituality is introduced to him, he grabs hold of it because it soothes this inner despair and even terror. But what he does not realize is that this newfound contemplative experience is a dangerous substitute for the real life of Christ and will take him into deeper deception than ever before. If we did not issue this warning and remained silent because it is the easier thing to do, it would be like watching people drowning in a sea while we are in a lifeboat and could help them but didn’t.
[“Calvinism is not really about a relationship with the Lord — rather it is about having to make sure you are of the ‘elect’.” Not only is this statement a paper tiger, but it is a veiled argumentum ad hominem, and demonstrates his lack of understanding of the position that he is attempting to refute as well as his lack of comprehension of the Scriptures and God Himself. Shortly after making his false assertion, he realizes the invalidity of that false assertion, but does not think to actually retract the false accusation. If it is impossible to know whether one is of the elect, then Calvinists could believe or know nothing—if Calvinism “is about having to make sure you are of the ‘elect’.” Has this Biblical “teacher” and “researcher” ever read the Puritan authors? or the Reformers before them? They were in the great majority, Calvinists or at least shared the same views on Sovereignty, Predestination, Election, etc. All of the Reformers of the first epoch and most of those of the second epoch believed these Biblical Truths—even Martin Luther (the Lutheran Church is not even Lutheran! having departed from the foundational teaching of Luther). Here is a person with a record-groove-depth of understanding claiming to know the depths of the ocean which he has never seen, let alone dipped his toe. Calvinism is EVERYTHING about a personal relationship with the Lord—and TOTAL SUBMISSION TO HIM. This Heresy-House author does not have a clue what he is talking about. Now, I do not doubt that he or others may have met some carnal or very confused people who call themselves Calvinists. That does not mean that they are Calvinists or even Christians. Nearly every U.S. President (other than Obama) claimed to be a Christian (and Obama even seems to have lied and claimed to be one, in order to get into Congress). But are people like Bill Clinton truly Christians? Is Christianity and the Word of God Itself to be judged by Bill Clinton’s form of “Christianity”...? If so, we are all in trouble. R.A.B.]
So while we agree that most denominations are in trouble, we see Calvinism as far more than just a denomination (and the Presbyterians aren’t only one group that adheres to Calvinism) — it is a religion of its own. If indeed, our addressing Calvinism (when most do not dare to address it because they know they will come under severe attack) brings Lighthouse Trails down, we are comforted in knowing that we always stood for the Gospel and were willing to speak “bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1) even though we would be greatly harmed by doing so. We hope after you read this book, you will understand a little better why we are doing this.
[This is further anti-intellectual buffoonery. Calvinism is not a religion of its own, if it were, it would not use the Bible as its source. This article is full of false inferences, false disjunctions, non sequiturs, and outright falsehoods. This is why you should not look to someone who cannot think, and who does not know the Bible, to teach you anything. R.A.B.]
Helpful Materials:
What Love is This? By Dave Hunt
And also this excellent sermon by the late Adrian Rogers on Romans 9: (If you cannot view this video, click here.)
FACEBOOK COMMENTS: To see the entire thread on Facebook, click here (scroll down to the Feb. 25th post.) You will not be able to see it if you don’t have a Facebook account. We are accepting comments on our blog though if you have something to say about this situation. Comments are in order of when they were posted.
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Marilyn: Thanks for taking a bold stand. I am from a Calvary Chapel that is not going down the path of other CC and is not going into Calvinism or contemplative nonsense. Praise be to GOD. There are still a few solid Bible Teaching Churches. Pray about it and seek them out. GOD is faithful to lead you.
It needs to be addressed just as much as anything else.
[Most such Christians, have probably never studied Church History, the Reformation, biographies of the Reformers, Reformed Doctrine, and therefore, speak out of ignorance based upon their humanistic misperception of the doctrine of the Word of God and their jaded view of Calvinists who believe different from the humanistic “Christianity” these other Christians believe. They then project their error onto those with whom they disagree, speaking of “solid” Bible teaching, when they don’t understand the concept of sound doctrine or God’s Nature. Their anti-intellectual ego-centrism centered on confused perceptions of their “experience” is the pathology of their carnal notions. God has never opened their eyes nor drawn them into His Marvellous Light. Their foolish notions are tantamount to someone declaring, “Don’t ever get ‘Soup of the Day’. Trust me. I’ve been to restaurants all over the world, every day of the week, and every time I get it, it is entirely different”. Their very confused perception is the problem; like the story of the grandfather sleeping int he living room on the couch one day, and his impish grandchild came in and rubbed cow manure on his moustache. When he awoke and took a deep breath, he exclaimed, “Peeeooo, this room smells like crap.” He went to the kitchen and made the same declaration. He stepped outside and took a deep breath and declared, “The WHOLE WORLD smells like crap!” The very essence of the word delusion precludes ones awareness of it. A person under delusion thinks everyone else is the problem. R.A.B.]
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Michelle: Lighthouse Trails - If you think Calvinism is heresy, then you have no credibility as a discernment ministry. It’s clear from your response to this reader that you don’t even have a proper understanding of what Calvinists believe, which brings your entire body of discernment work into question. How can we trust that you’ve done your due diligence on anything else you’ve written? That’s why you’ll be losing readers and support like you just lost mine.
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Elliot: Michelle, I heard that charge from Calvinist every time the doctrines are examined against scripture. It so esoteric that I even heard James White told Dave Hunt it take years of study to understand Calvinism. The gospel is so understandable a child can know it and so can the humble.
People have the ability and are responsible to believe the written word of God.
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Calvinism is false teaching and is the new age doctrine in a different package.
[Here is the epitome of arrogant ignorance and anti-intelectualism, declaring Calvinism to be “New Age” doctrine. John Calvin lived 1509-1564. New Age? Really? He drew upon the works of St. Augustine who lived 354-430. New Age? Luther believed in Predestination / Election, and that man has no “free will” (that is, a will independent of God’s Will). What Luther, Calvin, and St. Augustine believed was based upon the doctrine of the Word of God. Has this woman (or anyone else making such mindless comments) ever read Luther’s Bondage of the Will...? Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion...? Schaff’s multi-volume History of the Christian Church...? My trilogy, God and Evil, Does God Repent?..., and The Sovereignty of God... or my annotated collection of the works of Spurgeon on Election and Predestination, Salvation Results From God Bestowing Free Grace Upon His Elect... ...? or the works of Dr. Gordon H. Clark* ...?
* —all of which I stock; inquire—NO ONE who attempts to “refute” Calvinism has a leg to stand on if he has not read Clark and attempted to refute him; and to ignore Clark is to advertise ones own ignorance and dishonesty in attempting to refute what he has never truly studied. Anyone who reads Clark will realize that his trying to refute Clark would be like a 5-year old finger-painter attempting to refute Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Monet, Botticelli, Brassey-Hole, and Tissot about art.
The Gospel indeed is simple, but most Christians reject what the Gospel is because what they believe is a feel-good humanism. Christ, when He preached the Gospel in public, spoke only in parables because the truth was not meant for everyone to know (Matthew 13:10-15). This may ruffle some feathers, but God is God, not sinful humans who accuse God of sin. God has Mercy ON WHOM HE DETERMINeS—and the rest He hardens their hearrts so they will not repent so that they do not receive Mercy (Romans 9:18). Not liking God’s Decrees does not change God’s Nature or Decrees or reality—it merely demonstrates whom God has blinded with strong delusion to believe a lie, because they are not ordained unto life. Like it or not, reality does not change by holding your breath. God does not change the Decrees He established before the foundation of the world, because His sinful, ungrateful, arrogant, ignorant creatures don’t like His Decrees—which means that they don’t like Him. MOST ANY doctrine is simple that it can be understood; the issue is the will, not the intellect. However, it is NOT true that every doctrine, including the Gospel is simplistic. This statement is made by someone who has clearly never read (let alone written) any truly in-depth expository Bible commentaries to know the depth and intricacies of Scripture that take, indeed, a lifetime to begin to comprehend. The Word of God is DEEP. Were it not, there would be no need to study to show ourselves approved; there would be no reason for various denominations or dissenting opinions; there would be no need for numerous different Bible translations or commentaries or lexicons or concordances or compendiums of systematic theology. This woman’s is the common anti-intellectual opinion, which is the hallmark of liberalism that will end in apostacy at worst, or Christianity reduced to “a big warm hug” at best. Many like her, declare, “Oh our church does not get into doctrine or theology; we’ve found it to be devisive... we just ‘love’.” That is the self-declaration of the Apostate Church. Without doctrine / theology there is no Christianity, only humanism. R.A.B.]
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Susan: Wow, I thought Lighthouse Trails was one of the few safe places left ... I see that is no longer true.
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Eileen: Bravo Lighthouse Trails Research!!!! For telling the truth!!! I used to watch RC but heard him say some alarming things so I quit watching him as I don’t need to fill my head with half truths and lies! Then came John MacArthur... A very dangerous, deadly man! Run! Yes, discerning truth in this world of heresy is difficult, but We have the sure word of GOD to test things by! Again Bravo Lighthouse Trails Research for setting things straight!
[I find it interesting that about 80% of the people who commented here, declaring how “evil” Calvin, MacArthur, Calvinism, etc., are—are women; women with the spirit of Jezebel: for the Word of God does not sanction women usurping authority or telling preachers or Bible teachers where they are wrong. Scripture says that women are to be silent and learn from their husbands at home. Here, as in other places, these women, in response to sound doctrine, declare, “Run!” and yet many of them speak of the Calvinists of being afraid of open discussion. That is quite revealing. It is also interesting that women, who, most probably do not have degrees in theology, have not studied a lifetime, full-time, double-time, written books, taught in universities, read the Bible in Hebrew and Greek, studied the Church Fathers in Latin, read the Reformers in German or French presume to be authorities to tell the Pillars of the Church there they are wrong...! though their declarations are mostly emotional outbursts, accusations without a shred of evidence or example, yet they shamelessly accuse men of God of spewing half-truths and lies and being dangerous and deadly. Those with the spirit of Jezebel (even masquerading as “spirituality”) shall indeed answer to God for many things. R.A.B.]
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Mike: So sad to see this . . . I had great respect for LT until seeing this. For a ministry devoted to research so that we can be better informed, your obvious lack of research here is glaring. Back as far as Exodus God told Moses that He would have mercy on who He wanted to. (33:19). You obviously believe differently and that ‘man will have mercy on God if he (man) wishes to’.
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Herb: Of course God has mercy on whom He will and He has willed that His Son is the “way, the truth and the life” and has “manifested” grace, and love and mercy in His Son so that no one need perish! “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live.” (Ez. 18:23)
[Sadly, here is a declaration that is ambiguous and generic and really adds nothing to the discussion; the verses, quoted, partially, confusedly, and out of context, seem to be in support of Lighthouse’s anti-Calvinist position, but they do not support such a position; they are disjointed and one-eyed. R.A.B.]
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Scott: Dave Hunt’s What Love is This is extremely good.
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Kiki: A bold step for sure. As we can see from above posts followers of Calvinism are extremely loyal and feel threatened when questioned or challenged. They follow the the Bible through the teachings of men whom they elevate.
We should shudder to use a man’s name to follow and then use a man’s name to identify ourselves... all the false beliefs systems do. Jesus says in Scripture. “Hallowed be Thy name” not a man’s name but they proudly identify with a man’s name and the teachings of men. Teachings and opinions they add to scripture as necessary implying the Holy Spirit is not enough.
When I was first saved a friend, also a new Christian, started to embrace Calvinism and encouraged me to do the same. I wasn’t interested because I came out of a false system where I identified and followed a man’s teachings so I could see right away there was a problem. She however has covered herself in that teaching and all scripture is filter through what she has learned from outside sources. The Bible is now not enough.
[Most of these people don’t know how to think, take verses out of context and interpret them humanistically. The phrase, “extremely loyal” is thrown out as if it is a character flaw... —and non-calvanists are not loyal to what they believe...? This is nonsense; mindlessness followed up by more mindlessness is the accusation that Calvinists follow the teachings of men and “feel threatened”... when questioned or challenged. That is an entirely false and ignorant mischaracterization. Calvinists do not follow the teaching of men, the follow the Word of God, and God uses men (not women) to exposit and exegete the Word of God correctly. No, Christians who believe in the Reformed Christian doctrine do not pray to Calvin; THAT is the blasphemous insinuation in quoting Christ saying “Hallowed be Thy Name”. God’s Word speaks of giving honor to those who deserve honor. The Law of God is referred to some times as “the Law of Moses”. It was not Moses’ Law and calling it such is not “Moses worship”. It being so called a few times is God giving honor to Moses, whom God used to administer that Law to His people. This is mindlessness. Calvin is only “elevated” to a place of honor because he deserves it. To infer the honor is anything greater is a blasphemous accusation by someone who has no authority (or intellectual standing) to so accuse. Calvinists do not feel threatened when questioned because the truth is on their side; the problem is quite often those who do the challenging refuse to listen to the evidence. God commands MEN to be “watchmen on the walls”. To oppose and refute error is not the result of “feeling threatened” but obeying God. Hypocritically, this same women praises Lighthouse for its standing up to attempt to refute what it believes as error, which she disparagingly demonizes Calvinists for doing. If God did not want Biblical truth to be associated with any man’s name, we would not have books of the Bible named John, James, Matthew, etc., or refer to Paul’s epistles. For those who eagerly derail the conversation, this is not insinuating men like Calvin’s teaching are “Scripture”. Focus on truth not falsehood. Were there no need for such teachers —even to call people back from following false doctrine (which is what the Reformers / Calvinists / Puritans did), then God would not have HIMSELF highly elevated the office of pastor / bishop, or established Church authority, or given out spiritual gifts, or declared in Covenant to David that there would never fail to be HIS MINISTERS ministering leading the people, for as long as the sun and moon and waves of the sea existed. Such Jezebels teach a headless horseman theology, while themselves championing their own spiritual champion... yet if that spiritual champion himself should say something with which such Jezebels disagree, they would tell him where he is wrong and abandon him unless he recanted—none of which is their place to do. No, it is a false accusation to claim that Calvinists imply that the Bible and the Holy Spirit is not enough. It is also hypocritical, since they themselves have pastors to lead them (that is, when they feel like following). The issue is not that the Holy Spirit is not enough, but that God ordained headship and while the Holy Spirit regenerates each individual, that is not the method by which God determined to lead people into greater understanding and obedience. Such Jezebels have a very limited (and “convenient”) narrow understanding of Scripture, in which they simply ignore all the passages that they don’t like—and in so doing they blaspheme the Word of God, by not being in submission to their husbands).
The issue also is not one of fearfulness, but that Calvinists don’t fellowship with humanists who twist Scripture—because God demands excommunication with hereticks and those who reject the Doctrine of Christ (which is not merely the doctrine of “who” Christ is, but everything that He taught). Calvinists don’t worship Calvin. Calvin didn’t even invent or name Calvinism. The term identifies the Doctrinal system that he helped establish, that had been believed from the beginning; which was taught by Christ, by the Apostles, by St. Augustine, but which was corrupted by the Catholic Church, James Arminius, John Wesley, and Charles Finney. No, they don’t add teachings and opinions to Scripture—they exposit and exegete the Scriptures. “Encouraged to embrace Calvinism”... “covered herself in it”... this woman can’t even think or formulate thought; it falls with an odd sound, like when a nonchristian tries to use Christian terminology. R.A.B.]
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Trish: I came out of a false system also and so I set out to study the Scriptures for myself. When a teacher of a class on Covenant Theology began to push Calvinism, I had never heard the term, but I knew that the teachings were contradicting the bible. While they do as other false religions do, extract some scriptures to say look here it is in the bible, they are wresting the Scriptures to their own destruction. You have to compare scripture with scripture in order to fully understand the whole counsel of God.
[Here we have a woman who admits that she claims that she came out of a false system—which infers that for all those years she did not understand truth—who now, all of the sudden, upon hearing Calvinism, imagines that she is an expert to declare it to be false, knowing that it contradicted the Bible, which she does not really know. No, Calvinism does not twist the Scriptures, it offends humanism by preaching the full, unadulterated, uncensored Word of God. R.A.B.]
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Karen: Oh, my goodness. You guys are so wrong about Calvinism. Lordship Salvation is simply following Jesus as Lord.
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Candace: Many years ago my husband and I were on a pastoral search committee for our church. One of our prospective candidates considered himself a “Calvinist”.
We were not familiar with Calvinism and what it believes, so did some research, and it did not align with our church doctrinal statement and what we believed. The different levels or “Points “ of a Calvinist, predestination... it was out there.
So, from the outside it sounds doctrinal sound, but once you go beyond the front door. It’s heresy. Preach it Lighthouse Trails!!!
[If you, being a woman, were on the pastoral search committee for your church, your church is not a Christian church. Anyone can do research on any topic and come to a completely erroneous conclusion by studying the wrong sources. If your church doctrinal statement does not align with the Reformed Faith your church rejects Scripture and is apostate. “It was out there” explains nothing. Yes, the truth seems odd to those who have never heard it; and when carnal minds prefer humanism that makes man feel good. R.A.B.]
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Wilma: I knew nothing of Calvinism or TULIP until recently when a Reformed Presbyterian tried to convert me. He shared the Scripture verses they use to base their theology on. I found that the verses were taken out of context and the meaning of some words were changed to try to make them support their belief system. I was horrified to learn of the cruelty of John Calvin in Geneva of which it seems, he never repented of. He copied much of Augustine’s writings in his Institutes Of [The Christian] Religion, which he claimed were infallible and should not be questioned. I was appalled to learn that Calvin believed God created some people for Heaven and others for Hell. Much of his teaching was from Catholicism. Due to the current rapid growth of Calvinism and the New Calvinism there is a great need for more information explaining the errors and warning of the pitfalls. I thank the Lord for you LT. Keep up the good work!
[Again, using the word “convert” out of context and in a pejorative manner. And yet if this person attempted to teach someone else the doctrine that she believed, she would be “trying to show the person the error of his ways”, not trying to “convert” him. No, Calvinism does not take verses out of context, or change the meaning of the words, that is a spurious, unscholarly accusation and reveals an utter lack of study from valid sources. One could go to Union Theological Seminary, Harvard or Princeton Theological Seminary, Seminaries of any state university and come out full-fledged atheists. Not all study is valid. The fact that she refers to Calvin as being cruel, delaring that Augustine was infallible, that much of Calvin’s teaching was from Catholicism—show utter ignorance as black as night. Jezebel applauds Ahab as long as Ahab does that which is pleasing to Jezebel. These are the words of a woman who has never done any study, true study, of the History of the Reformation, biographies of the Reformers, or the Doctrine of the Reformation, or the writings of the Reformers and Puritans themselves. The only time (except possibly the first century A.D. and shortly thereafter) that the Church of England preached sound doctrine was during the short period that it was under the influence of the Westminster Assembly, most of whom were Calvinists. The Puritans sought to purify the Church of its false doctrine (Arminianism / Catholicism) and the Separatists broke from it entirely—and they were persecuted for it; that is why the Pilgrims and subsequent waves of Puritans came to America. The Protestant Reformation and the true Reformed faith (which can loosely be referred to as Calvinism) ushered in the Golden Ages of the nations of Christendom. When the doctrine was polluted, the nations slowly began to fall, to the point where we are today where less than 5 or even 1% are Calvinist and Christendom itself is about to fall to the barbarians. R.A.B.]
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Deborah: It takes much courage to tackle this subject. Thank you for doing it. I didn’t really understand what tulip taught and as I learn the tulip of Calvinism is not biblical. I thank God I was not deceived by it. I will be praying for you because the attacks will be coming because it will expose the heresy and errors of this teaching.
[This is really shameful. Someone choosing not to continue supporting an apostate ministry is not an “attack”. This is a classic symptom of those under delusion and who are emotional and anti-intellectual, they negatively refer to a certain behaviour of their opposition, while themselves carrying out the very same behaviour, and yet when they do it, it is noble, and honorable, and spiritual. R.A.B.]
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Megan: I had often wrestled with this doctrine and every time I sat down to my BIBLE and asked God to reveal the truth — He revealed it as heresy every single time. “No man need teach you.” 1 John
[This passage is taken utterly out of context and in this false context, contradicts a plethora of Scripture that establish Church authority, teaching, preaching, learning, submission. And how exactly did God “reveal” to you that Calvinism was “heresy”...? Do you reject the verses of Scripture that you don’t like? R.A.B.]
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Amy: What I am seeing here is that no one can question this book [by LT] or its premise, or else they are “extremely defensive / idolatrous.” How handy is that? You get to be right, and no one had better disagree.
[Anyone has the right to depart from sound doctrine; they are just irrational and deluded if they think that others are going to continue to support them in their heresy. Some doctrines are beyond question. It is NOT Calvinism that is beyond question—but the doctrines that Calvinism champions. Would you continue to support a ministry that was going to publish a book denying the Deity of Christ? or a book that was going to “refute” the Bible’s position on homoperversion, in favor of homoperversion (as some “Christian” ministers and singers have done, demonstrating that they have a seared conscience and are dead to God)...? The fact that you think Election and Predestination and God’s Sovereignty and Determinism, His Immutability and man’s depravity and being DEAD in sin unable to do good apart from God’s Grace, and related doctrines are “open to being questioned” and that those who refuse to question them are the ones with the problem, shows the profoundness of your spiritual delusion and utter lack of Biblical understanding. R.A.B.]
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Karen: Amy, some people more than disagreed, they basically stated that if LT published the book they would no longer support this ministry. I support your heresy hunting even though I am not a Calvinist and I know you are. So perhaps you might reexamine Calvinism, as you have held so many other false doctrines up to the light. Calvinism, my friend, is a false doctrine. I say this in love.
[Again, refer to my previous comment above. Exactly where would you draw the line in stopping supporting a ministry? child molestation, orgies, cannibalism? Just because you have lower standards does not mean everyone else should. Your declaration of Calvinism being false doctrine does not make it so. Why don’t you focus your powers of imperial decree on declaring the (so-called) National Debt to be paid off...? R.A.B.]
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Mary: So Calvin is above inspection? The most influential preacher of all time if you look at the sheer numbers, over time? People likely haven’t even read the booklet and are incensed by it. Classic. Calvinists have done the lion’s share of the arguing for far too long. So much for being teachable. I guess LT hit the mother of all nerves! People who have exposed Calvin as a murderous dictator have paid a price and LT will too. I have nothing but respect for them. Calvin was evil and his loony take on free will was the very thing that put people under his thumb, and his teaching that if they aren’t chosen they’re stuck with eternity in hell presents a cruel God not found in the bible. It’s a false system! Run!
[This comment can be refuted by combining all my previous comments. This Jezebel goes overboard in not only her own hypocritical anti-intellectualism “So, Calvin is above inspection” followed by “Run” (which means, don’t study Calvin), as well as her outright blasphemy of Calvin (“murderous dictator”) and the Word of God (“looney take on free will”). To quote Shakespeare: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”—and to turn a phrase of Shakespeare” this woman “out-Jezebels Jezebel”. God is not declared to be “cruel” because His sinful creatures so defame Him. If we shall give account in Judgment before God for every idle word that we speak—what then, shall be the fate of those who engage in such blatant blasphemy against God, as well as His ministers? Such people have never even begun to think. See my God and Evil and Does God Repent? if you truly care about sound doctrine and don’t want to be ashamed on the Day of Judgment. The very same unscriptural ILLOGIC is used to deny the existence of Hell altogether. See also my, What the Devil? - What the Hell? A Comprehensive Study Identifying Angels, Satan, the Devil, Evil Spirits, Demons, Fallen Angels, and Hell, Balaicius, 798 pages, pb., 40.00 + P&H. R.A.B.]
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Raleigh: It has also infiltrated most denominations and churches across Canada!
[This is more anti-intellectual fear-mongering outright falsehood. Had Calvinism “infiltrated” most denominations and churches across Canada, Canada would be a “city set on a hill” and a bright and shining light to all of Christendom; rather than leading the way in apostacy in North America. R.A.B.]
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Nina: It should be called “Augustinianism” as Calvin pretty much rewrote his teachings and Augustine remained catholic as many Calvinist today stand with Catholicism.
[And Augustinianism should be called “Jesus-ism” and “Paul-sim” and “Peter-James-John-and-Jude-ism”. Calvinists don’t stand with Catholicism; they are the only ones against it; and Calvinism is not taking over Canada or the U.S. During the U.S.’s Golden Age, we were Calvinist, now Calvinists are not even 5% (and the majority of those less than 5% who claim to be Calvinists, are not. R.A.B.]
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Karen: What a sorry testimony to the lack of knowledge of the doctrines of grace and the sovereignty of God (Calvinism). You guys are deceived. The author calls Calvinism “heresy”. What a crock! This shows how uneducated biblically he is and anyone is who falls for this nonsense. This is what happens if someone doesn’t get into the Word and REALLY exegete scripture. It seems as if everything is called “heresy” these days.
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Nina: Karen it is so sad how the theme that runs in Calvinism is arrogance and gracelessness. I’m a better Christian than you. You’re not enlightened. I was in a very strict 5 point Calvinist Reformed Church for over 10 yrs. and my heart was COLD and my head was extremely full of knowledge and extremely judgmental of all non-Calvinist! By his mercy and grace I got out.
[This is again hypocrisy; the very same “attitude” demonstrated by those who agree with Nina, Nina does not accuse of “arrogance and gracelessness” or being “extremely judgmental”. This is a case of a person having a telephone pole in his eye while trying to point out the splinters in someone else’s eye. I guess Jesus was “arrogant” and “judgmental too”. Christ taught not His own doctrine, but that of the Father, and made no apologies for it. “By his mercy I got out”—a 5-point Calvinist Reformed Church can’t be spoken of as it if were a cult in Jonestown or Waco. Were you there held captive against your will? It is God who commands excommunication, separation, and having no fellowship... your accustation of judgmentalism is directed against God. R.A.B.]
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Mary: I really don’t like to separate when there are many things we can agree on, but I’m finding it harder and harder to find common ground with someone whose soteriology is based on Calvinistic doctrine. The meaning and purpose of the whole gospel is affected!
[You are exactly right, and if you reject the Biblical doctrine of the the Gospel, you preach another gospel, humanism, and God’s Word says you are accursed. R.A.B.]
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Anna: Your response to the letter shows a lack of understanding of Calvinism. I plead with you, don’t release this book if you are arguing against a “straw man”. Seek to understand, that will serve us all better and help your readers whether they believe in Calvinism or not.
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Bonnie: John Calvin’s determinism / predestination is based on the teachings of Augustine, who developed a monist view of it from his past involvement Manichaean Gnosticism. He went from a cosmic impersonal view of determinism to one he projected onto God. He then read his view into the Bible.”
[This is utter nonsense and demonstrates the rote pablum spit out by someone who has been indoctrinated by the left and thinks it is reality. It is indicative of someone who reads through the Bible with her eyes closed. R.A.B.]
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Sue: I was deep into Calvinism and a John MacArthur junkie. I came out of it when I realized that, under Calvinism, the gospel of Jesus Christ was no longer good news to all. If you are not one of the elect, the gospel is the worst news you will ever hear forever into eternity, hands down! And if the gospel is not good news to a dying, sinful world as the Bible tells us, then it must be something else. And something else can only mean it is a different gospel. And a different gospel is a false gospel. I studied John Calvin and his life in Geneva. Words don’t describe his evil deeds there. If Calvin truly believed in election as he defines it, then why did he force converts? If they weren’t elect, why would he punish and murder them for not following something that according to his very own doctrine, they were completely incapable of following? He should have felt pity for those that were not “chosen of God.” But he didn’t, he killed them. Don’t be too quick to condemn Lighthouse Trails. They have always been dependable. This should give you Calvinists pause. Ask God for truth. He will deliver. Leaving Calvinism has transformed my spiritual life. I took off those John Calvin reading glasses that filtered the Bible through his doctrine. Praise the Lord!
[Do you think, “Depart from Me into everlasting punishment” is good news? Of course those who are not ordained unto life will not receive the Good News, because it was not meant for them. You believe in humanism. Read Daniel 4:35 and Acts 4:27,28. No, the Bible is not Good News to a lost and dying world, but to the elect in the world. Love not the world. Marvel not if the world hate you. I pray not for the world, but those whom You have given me out of the world. Whom God chose in Him before the foundation of the world. Ye have not chosen Me but I have chosen you. I speak in parables because it is not given unto them to know, and believe, and repent, and be saved. You pick and choose what your humanism is comfortable with and then disgracefully call sound doctrine, “another gospel”—and thus, you earn God’s Curse. Theology is a two-edged sword. What do you do with the plethora of passages in the Bible that you don’t like? Do you denounce the Apostle Paul and refer to his “evil deeds that cannot be expressed in words” because of his writings, which are the major basis of St. Augustine, and Luther as well as Calvin...? Have you read Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will...? If you did, you would accuse the very Founder of the Protestant Reformation as being an evil looney. If words cannot describe the “evil deeds” committed by Calvin in Geneva, that is indeed indicative that what you believe is fantasy. You have read the wrong sources. Go ahead, read a Bible Commentary by a “Higher Critic” and if you believe him, you will reject the Bible as nothing more than ocassionally inspiring literature. What you have studied about Calvin is wrong. Did you actually read Calvin’s Institutes and His massive Bible Commentary for yourself, or did you read a hatchet job by a liberal? How many of the other Reformers have you studied? How many Reformers can you actually name? Do you not realize that they supported and agreed with Calvin on most points? R.A.B.]
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Nina: To further the horrid thought of not being one of the elect is that in the end they say it’s your fault no God’s. Though it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to choose to be one of the elect unless God chooses you it will be your fault for being there. God can choose everyone but chooses not to. So he PURPOSELY created some for nothing else than to send them to hell for eternity! That is not a just God. That is not God’s character. If that doctrine is true God is worse than Satan because Satan has no power to send anyone to hell. It’s disgusting and horrifying.
[The wind bloweth where it listeth (determines), so is everyone born of the spirit. Those dead in their trespasses and sins, even as physically dead Lazarus in the grave, don’t “choose to come back to life”. The Spirit breathes on those whom God determined before the foundation of the world. Those who don’t like that are humanists. It is an emotional argument this woman makes, which does not change reality. God created the vessels of wrath FOR DESTRUCTION. God created the wicked FOR THE DAY OF EVIL (JUDGMENT). Godless men of old were ordained unto condemnation. God hated Esau and loved Jacob before either were born or did good or bad. God has Mercy on the elect and hardens the hearts of the nonelect so they do not repent. It is God’s Drama. His Thoughts and Ways are above yours and a Perfect, Holy, Omniscient God is not dutibound to order His universe to please the frail sensitivities of His sinful creatures with damaged minds. Do you understand the concept of LORD? No doubt you sing about it, but He is not your Lord if you don’t obey Him—and especially if you accuse Him of being “evil” if you don’t like the Decrees He made thousands of years before you ever existed. You declared (by your own authority and Omniscience) that God is worse than Satan, if Election / Predestination is true. By your own words shall you be judged. The honorable servant does not QUESTION his MASTER. Clearly, you are a liberated slave / servant who so accuses her Master and sets limits for Him; and a liberated bride who tells Christ what He can and cannot think, speak, or do. It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God! Jesus will not be hen-pecked. Such as you shall be shut out of the Kingdom / Wedding Feast. You are not God’s equal; nor His Master, to tell Him how and how not He is allowed to be or what doctrines of His are acceptable and those that are evil. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and then punished him for having a hard heart... time and time again. God hardened the hearts of the Canaanites so they would attack His people so the Canaanites would be destroyed. God is the One Who sends strong delusion; He most often uses intermediaries, but He sends it. Satan tempted David, indeed, to number the people—but God raised Satan up to do it and then God killed 70,000 Israelites because of David’s sin! God hardened the hearts of His sinful people (whose delusions He chose) so that they would not repent or be saved. Your humanism is at loggerheads with the Word of God! Your knowledge of the Bible is Sunday School Bible stories—and only the warm and fluffy ones; not the ones you don’t like. R.A.B.]
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Dean: Lighthouse Trails has been very helpful in getting information out there on Mysticism, The Emergent Church, etc. I have purchased many of their materials and subscribe to their printed Magazine but I will no longer be supporting their ministry.
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Jonathan: It is wholly a different system of interpreting the Bible. It has its own presuppositions and can be called a different worldview altogether. While there are different “shades” of Calvinism (Edwards, Spurgeon, etc.) any one who studies into the matter simply confing themselves to scripture will find problems with it.
[This is utter nonsense. No, Calvinism is not its own world view with its own presuppositions. It is based upon the world view and presuppositions as established in Scripture. Those who disagree are humanists who with their minds corrupted by an apostate church and a filthy, immoral world, interpret back in time and expect God to get the the program! The only ones who will find a problem with it are those whose minds have not been renewed, but cling to humanism and expect God to conform to their polluted notions of what is “good” and “fair”. R.A.B.]
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Chris: Keep preaching the truth Lighthouse. Eyes are beginning to open, heart are being changed and souls are being won. Thank you for not backing down from the truth of the Word. Sadly Man’s doctrines have become more important than God’s Word in the majority of the modern day church. Keep up the good work.
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
[Again, the pot calling the kettle, “black”, while demonstrating utter ignorance of the history and doctrine of the Christian faith. R.A.B.]
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Kendra: Thank you, LT! I will be praying God is glorified in this. He gives grace for the moment... He will be there for you.
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Alexandro: Calvinism and manichaeism have everything to do with. It is very gnostic.
[Completely unintelligible, as expected, from a Third-world implant into Christendom. R.A.B.]
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Jessica: I have yet to see a Calvinist, or an apologist for Calvinists, NOT say, “You don’t have an understanding what Calvinism is!” or some variation thereof. But they never go on to explain what Calvinism is. What I’ve noticed is many Calvinists don’t know what Calvinism teaches or they’re simply one of MANY branches of Calvinism
[I’ve never yet seen a math teacher, when encountering a student who wrote “2 + 2 = 22”, who did NOT tell the student, “You do not understand arithmetic”. What else can be said? If those who are confused about Calvinism were not confused, there would be no need to say, “You are confused”. Individuals who cannot think want the luxury of being wrong, while not being told they are wrong. Such is the result of the Age of Irresponsibility which has ushered us into the current Age of Confusion, Immorality, and Apostacy. I find it VERY hard to believe that no Calvinist that you have ever encountered could explain Calvinism. TULIP is not really rocket science. Calvinism can easily be explained merely by quoting Scripture. Calvinism is the True Reformed (restored Apostolic) Christian faith. God is Supreme. He is Master of His Universe. He is not passive. He is Immutable. He does not change. Morality does not change. He makes no mistakes. Nothing frustrates His Will or catches Him by surprise. He does not engage in damage control. His creation did not simply “go bad”. He is not a defective Creator. All of History is His Drama (and Dramas have villains) and He wrote the entire Script, and He directs it to perfection and He has done all for His Own Glory and after the Counsel of His Own Will for His Own Good Pleasure. Humanists cannot endure that. Thus, they reject sound doctrine. Man is dead in sin. God planned that for His own Purpose to reveal His love for His elect and His Wrath upon the nonelect. The fact that frail human hearts and minds shudder at it is natural—that they rebel against it, is natural, in light of their depraved, fallen nature; and those who rebel against it have not been regenerated unto life. God is Supreme. Those who think God must operate according to sinful man’s notions are antichrist; they don’t fear God because they don’t know God. If they knew Him, they would fear and obey Him. R.A.B.]
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Tom: Regarding Calvinism: I have come to the belief that BOTH Calvinists and Arminianists share the same problem. They either don’t understand, or don’t accept, or just simply won’t submit to Isaiah 55:9.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Both extremes seem to be trying to understand a concept about God with their human minds. That doesn’t work. We can’t fully understand the mind of God. Mercifully so!
Both “camps” can’t reconcile the FACT that God has perfect knowledge, that is timeless.
God knew, for all eternity, that most of mankind (and even many of the angels), would reject Him. Yet, He went on with creation, even with that knowledge. And He still provided a way for our salvation.
There is more than just those two (man made) concepts. There is a THIRD option... taking the Bible as the whole counsel of God. And, then, we have to accept that we can’t totally understand why God did what He did. Simply. With a childlike faith.
[This is only half true. Indeed, God’s Thoughts and Ways are such—but He has revealed them in His Word in all areas in which He deemed to enlighten us and those who reject His self-disclosure thinking that God has to conform to sinful man’s notions of how a “Good” God must be. Calvinists have no problem with this. It is Arminianists who have a problem with remembering this passage, and you can just read the comments of your comrades here to establish that... “God would be worse than Satan if...”, “God is cruel if...” Such don’t know the very meaning of the concept of GOD. He is not their Lord. God rebukes such through the prophet: “9Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd [useless bits of broken pottery] strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, “What makest thou?” or [shall] thy work [say unto thee], ‘He hath no hands?’ [that is, he is an unskilled, inept potter] 10Woe unto him that saith unto his father, ‘What begettest thou?’ or to the woman [his father’s wife], ‘What hast thou brought forth?’ ” (Isaiah 45) Do non-existent fetuses ask to be conceived? Do infants ask to be born? Do they instruct their father and mother by what rules they should conceive and give birth? That parallel is even more intimate (and insulting) than that of a broken piece of pottery and the potter. See also Jeremiah 18 and Romans 9. God is the Potter. He can make a pot and break it. He can make an honorable vessel, to hold flowers in a king’s palace; or make a crude bedpan. It is His universe. It is His clay. It is His Will. Calvinism isn’t “one extreme”. Calvinism is the true faith, sound doctrine, and all false doctrines are compared to it. The anti-intellectual opinion of accepting contradiction and error is not a Biblical position, but a humanist position dishonestly called Biblical (such as Emil Brunner and Karl Barth); it is not a “Third” option, it is another form of error. Child-like faith, indeed, is the starting place—but we are called to GROW in grace and LEARN and PROVE all things and UNDERSTAND the Will of God and be able to defend what we believe and to progress from mere milk to meat. A 35-year old toddler with a stinker in his diapers blowing milk-bubbles, playing in the play pen is not an honorable reflection of the father. R.A.B.]
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Lighthouse Trails: Just for the record, Lighthouse Trails is not in the “Armenianist” camp either. We have noticed that Calvinists typically say that if you are not Calivinist then you are Armenian (insinuating that you believe that your salvation is partly dependent on your good works and that there is no eternal security for the believer.) Lighthouse Trails believes in eternal security for the born again believer. In our upcoming book by Harry Ironside - Holiness, The False and True - this issue will be addressed. Ironside was involved with the holiness movement (which would be like the opposite of Calvinism) the first 6 years of his Christian walk. We believe both his testimony of how he came out of that and his scriptural refutation is very helpful.
[* First of all, it is not Armenians. Those are people who live in Armenia. It is Arminianists, those who believe the doctrine of James Arminius / Jakob Harmenszoon. Secondly, no, the issue is not works-oriented salvation (though some Arminianists may believe that); nor even that one can lose his salvation (which is a Catholic doctrine and which is a Wesleyan doctrine). It is one of the points of Arminianism, but it is the last point and not the foundational one. The actual pivotal issue, which Lighthouse seems to be utterly in the dark about, is so-called “free will”—that God’s Hands are tied and that man plots his own course in life, determines his own destiny, and “chooses” to be saved and God is helpless in the process (Billy Graham espoused this too). R.A.B.]
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Mary: This is an important point. Calvinists tend to call everyone else Arminians. This is not true at all. The bible teaches “before the foundation of the world...”; it also teaches “whosoever will”. When asked how to reconcile these two teachings, Chuck Smith would say with that trademark smile, “you don’t need to reconcile old friends. Both are true.” I also think that replacement theology and Calvinism represent the same mindset—high minded people telling everyone else who God loves, saves, and/or chooses based on their own rules or interpretations outside of Scripture. Both are man’s teachings.
[You are confused about passages expressing “whoever will.” This is not free will. If all are dead in sin (and there is none that doeth good, no not one, there is none that seeketh after God), if God closed their eyes, stopped their ears, closed their minds, hardened their hearts—tell me then, WHO can hear or respond to the call...? —only those whom God calls. No man cometh unto Me except the Father draw him. Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto you but My Father Who is in Heaven. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Whose ears are those that can hear? —only those whose ears Christ opened. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). When John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus to ask if He was the Christ (and John did this not for himself—for He knew Christ while yet in the womb!; it was for his disciples, whom he would be turning over to Christ, since John was to be beheaded)... Christ replied, “22Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” (Luke 7). Why would anyone be offended in Him...? —because He did not open the eyes and ears of everyone and even spoke hard sayings so some WOULD be offended and stop following Him. This anti-intellectual position that they are both true and old friends is nonsense. Two competing, diametrically opposed notions cannot be true. The solution is that God is supreme and that man’s “free will” exists within the Sovereignty of what God ordained. Man is not a puppet on strings, but God controls the mind and will. Does a moth not choose to fly to his death to the flames...? Yes—but it is God Who gave the moth that nature to so draw it to the flames... and so it is with the wicked. It may horrify you. The GODLY reaction is to submit to God, not invent fantasy and refuse to believe God’s Own Self-declaration. No, it is an obnoxious accusation that “high-minded people tell others who God chooses”. GOD chooses and He commands us to SPEAK HIS WORDS. WOE to the prophets who prophesy, “Thus said the Lord” WHEN I HAVE NOT THUS SAID! LYING prophets are they. God told the true prophets, speak the words I will put in thy mouth. Such men and women would better spend their time on their knees, humbling themselves before God, and actually reading His Word cover to cover and stop attempting to teach that which they do not understand. They shall have the greater condemnation for teaching error—humanism. R.A.B.]
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Leslie: I am heartbroken that you have done such an incredibly valuable work and now choose to break and divide the body of Christ over an issue that no mere man can understand. There is clearly election and man’s free will in scriptures. They work together in a way we can never understand and I love all my brothers and sisters in Christ, even if they see this issue differently than I do. And to think people such as yourself call someone a heretic because they believe in Calvinism. The Lighthouse Trails Ministry, which has been used so mightily to protect the church, is now being used by Satan to destroy and tear it apart. I lost sleep over this last night. What you are doing is just so wrong. I cannot believe that a ministry I have trusted would do such a thing.
[It is untrue that man cannot understand God’s Sovereignty and Predestination. It is simple. The issue is not understanding, the issue is submitting and accepting it. God said He does all for His Own Good Pleasure and after the Counsel of His Own Will and for His Own Glory. His being and doing is not dependent on man comprehending or accepting. Believing that He has done so is simple. He said so—believe it. What we cannot know is WHY He determined to do what He has done, in any depth beyond what He has told us. “Because I am your father and I said so.” “Father knows best.” Such concepts are scoffed and even considered evil in today’s perverse society. But they also explain our Heavenly Father and His Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Sovereignty—and our duty to believe and obey. Again, there is no “free will”. Your studies are deficient in this area. It is admirable that you hold to true doctrine in other areas, but your thinking is off on this. Read Luther’s Bondage of the Will. His is a terser style, but it is well worth reading. I have many copies in stock. Read my, Does God Repent? As I alluded to earlier concerning Acts 4:27,28—show me where anyone mentioned had “free will”. Jeremiah said a man does not direct his own steps. Paul said it is God Who works in us both to WILL and to DO His Good Pleasure. Isaiah revealed, “Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand” (14:24). God’s thought is not passive; it is determinative. God’s is Immutable. He does not play ping pong or dodge karate kicks to His Head. He does not react. He determined all. If it happened He thought it; if He thought it He determined it because He is Immutable and unaffected by anything outside Himself (that is, anything that is not Him). R.A.B.]
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Kiki: If Calvinism is true, why not welcome honest critiques, questioning and examination of your beliefs and doctrine to Scripture? If you are sound then you will be proven so. On the other hand, all cults and false religions are threatened by examination and exposure of their beliefs. I know as I was in one for forty years.
[This is utterly illogical and the thought of someone who cannot think, like many others with similar comments. What would you do, if a Christian ministry whom you support with your tithe money, and whom you support with love offerings or ordering books... what would you do it that ministry announced that it was going to publish a book declaring how adultery, fornication, homosexuality, pedophilia, and bestiality are supported in the Bible as wonderful lifestyle choices...? Would you continue to support them and order and read the book with an open mind? or would you shake the dust off your feet? Those who think the book and open debate is wonderful only think so because they are clueless about true doctrine to know that some things cannot be questioned—and those some things are not “Calvinism”, but are those Biblical truths that Calvinism teaches and defends: The Sovereignty of God. The Immutability of God. The Holiness of God. Predestination. Election. The Virgin Birth. The Deity of Christ. The Trinity. Call it Calvinism or John Knoxism or Ulrich Zwingli-ism or Martin Lutherism (before Melanchthon took the Lutheran Church halfway back to Rome and changed Luther’s doctrine after Luther died) or the True Protestant Reformed Faith; it is all the same (with minor differences). If any “Christian” ministry was going to publish a book to show how those doctrines are not true, only those who do not understand true doctrine think that there is any value in such a discussion. What if some pervert in your neighborhood wanted to discuss with your child the option of changing his gender? Would open discussion be something that you would allow? All false doctrine arises from a false—a humanistic conception of God’s Nature. God is Immutable. God is Holy. God is Perfect. God is Sovereign. Man is none of those things. Contemplating those 4 attributes alone, if one can truly think, would be the first necessary mental purgative to cleanse the mind of humanism which clouds all other thought. R.A.B.]
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Leslie: So, to be clear, because I believe in election you believe that I am headed for hell?
[This is an over-reaction and a false inferential accusation—and even if that is what he believes (which I don’t remember him expressing) WHO CARES what he thinks? If you know what the Word of God teaches you don’t need his stamp of approval, do you? Why would you want the stamp of approval of someone who has already revealed that he lacks spiritual discernment? What he believes or does not believe is not what determines reality or your destiny. R.A.B.]
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Lighthouse Trails: Leslie, if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead and have put your faith in Him for your salvation, you are not going to hell even if you do believe in Calvinism. But that doesn’t mean that the Calvinist belief system is not dangerous or does not keep many from hearing the true Gospel. Someone can be saved in spite of false teachings, not because of them.
We wouldn’t be doing this Leslie if we didn’t believe it has something to do with the Gospel and people’s eternal destination. Calvinism is pulling people away from the truth as set forth by the disciples in the New Testament. Some of these verses below make two things clear: one, that we are to be steadfast toward the doctrine set before us in Scripture (the term heresy means to turn away from that doctrine set before us), and two, that man has a choice (free will) as to whether he will follow or reject:
[* No, heresy simply means, “a choice”. By extension, it means the wrong choice. A heretick is one who is a schizmatic; but again literally, “one who makes a choice” but by extension, the wrong choice and who attempts to sway others to make that wrong choice too. Man does not have a choice (that is, not a choice independent of God’s determination). God determines all. Those who think otherwise are humanists and don’t understand the very concept of “God.” God doesn’t sit on the edge of His Throne with His Fingers crossed praying (to whom I know not) that you make the right choice. The steps of a good man are ORDERED by the Lord. The Spirit breathes new life where God determined before the foundation of the world. Man making choices (not having free will)—choices that God determined, is the method by which God accomplishes it. Christ Himself said, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of Him.” Likewise, the steps (and destiny) of wicked men are determined by the Lord. Sheep don’t choose their Shepherd. Olive trees don’t choose their Orchardist, nor grape vines their Vinedresser, nor wheat their farmer. All these analogies are not given without reason or nonsensically. See my book, Does God Repent? — Can God Change His Mind? Martin Luther himself declared that man has no free will. See his book which I stock, Bondage of the Will (1525) Martin Luther, 328pp., pb., 20.00 + P&H; masterpiece destroying Arminianism / Man’s Free Will. R.A.B.]
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (Romans 6:17)
. . . that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. (Ephesians 4:14)
[Both of the above verses that Lighthouse quotes demonstrate that man has no free will. They don’t even understand the very verses that they quote! Man was sold into sin / bondage—due to Adam’s sin! We are bought with a price. We are not our own. There is no free will in any of that. Again, do nonexistent fetuses choose to be conceived? do infants choose to be born? There is a reason it is called regeneration / new birth. It is not of us but of God. R.A.B.]
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. (2 Timothy 4:3)
. . . holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:9)
In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity. (Titus 2:7)
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (2 John 1:9)
These verses demonstrate both the importance of not deviating from sound doctrine and the involvement of the will in making choices.
[You are correct in your first assertion, not in the second. If someone puts a gun in your hand and says, “Kill yourself or we will kill your wife and children”, if the man does so, did he really do so of his own will? He indeed made a choice, but the choice was not of his own will, but duress and force and coersion. God, however, does not do so externally, but from within. That is one of the reasons that God created Satan, because God tempts no man with sin directly. But as in the case of David numbering the people, God was wroth with the sinful Israelites, raised up Satan to tempt David to number the people, so God would then judge them. Like it or not, God is Sovereign. Those who reject it are not of God. It is quite simple. You are “free” to go invent your own religion, just don’t dishonestly call it “Christianity” (and know also that you are also free to then be judged for your apostacy and idolatry). R.A.B.]
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COMMENTS FROM THE BLOG
Nanette: Amen! I am so glad you are doing this. Where I live when trying to find a church to go to I have found that most of them are Calvinist that are not Assembly’s of God. The names of the churches do not give you a hint. It is not until you listen to them that you will find it out and it does not take long because ‘election’ is in everything they teach. The Baptist Churches here are Calvinist. The Presbyterian churches here do not call themselves that they call themselves a community church, or a new life church. Beth Moore is used in the women’s studies, and they have fellowship with the Seventh Day Adventists. They are the ‘new Calvinists’ that Dave Hunt warned us about. I did try to stick it out in 2 of the churches but I just could not. Election is in everything. Blessings! Thank you and keep it up, you are doing a good work for the Glory of God and His holiness. God is Love John 3:16
[This is a bundle of confusion. Regardless, try, “Buster’s Humanistic Rainbows & Cotton Candy Church of Love and Fun”; I think it is what you are looking for. In case you did not realize it, there are 31,101 other verses in the Bible. God is MORE than just Love—and He is NOT “love” and man defines love. Scripture says God HATES the soul that sinneth (not merely the sin—it is not the “sin” that He will damn to Hell). How can love hate...? —the answer is that you do not understand God and you caricaturize Him and twist and distort Him like silly putty to conform to your false notions of what He should be. R.A.B.]
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Anna: Great! I researched this issue too, I felt prompted to and was so glad I did. I ended up writing a whole doctrinal paper on why Calvinism (TULIP) is wrong. I too see so many areas being swallowed up with this doctrine. I am glad too that you are making a stand anyway. How much sense would it make to stop carrying your cross now, right? That would be as bad as what the emergent church does, they shut up so their plates will still be filled, not warning while those in their care go down the broad road to destruction. Each item of tulip is wrong. T=total depravity of man, not just sin nature, meaning he can’t respond to the gospel on his own, but that’s not what the Bible teaches. U=unconditional election, and thus un-election also that has already been written in stone, meaning you were hell bound before birth, not what the Bible teaches. L=limited atonement, but the Bible teaches that Jesus died for the whole world, all, everyone. We must receive it for it to apply to us, leading to the next item. I= irresistible grace, like election, which denies your role of a free will in choosing, like robots, it’s already been programmed for heaven or hell, again, not what the Bible teaches. We see people resisting all the time, and it’s not God causing this, He is the one calling them to repentance. God choosing or predestining anyone is just based on foreknowledge of who would respond. But the door is open to all. Each decides if he will enter or not. P= perserverance
[Well, you researched it. That solves it. Why don’t you now research a cure for cancer and world peace? It would be so wonderful if it is that easy. You seem to have the magic touch. Yes, the Bible does teach total depravity and inability to respond on his own. What part of being DEAD don’t you understand? How many dead men have you ever gotten a response out of? Have you ever seen a dead man in a coffin order a pizza with his cell phone? choose to come back to life? Lazaraus didn’t choose to come back to life. Christ CALLED HIM FORTH. There was a purpose for that. Before Lazarus could even obey, Christ had to raise him from the dead so he could hear. “Come forth” was the command to come out of the tomb. Christ had already raised him from the dead. What part of “There is none that doeth good NO ONE ONE, there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh God” don’t you understand? No man can come unto Me except the Father draw Him. The wind bloweth where IT determines, so is everyone born of the Spirit. Did you force your parents to conceive you and did you choose to be born? No, it is NOT “un-election”. The election and calling of God are without repentance. It is “non-election” or “predestination unto perdition”. No, it is nothing like robots. It is not mechanical. God controls the will. Robots don’t have true life or self-awareness. Humans do. God chooses their delusions so that they believe they are in charge (Isaiah 66:4; II Thessalonians 2:11). Yes, you see people resisting all the time—but what you do not see is God controlling their will!
You are a humanist and a feminist and don’t even realize it. Your “doctrinal paper” just replaced the several centuries of study of a hundred Reformers and Puritans—men whom GOD raised up; many who were burned at the stake, had their nose and ears cut off, were branded, had their bones broken and their joints torn. Too bad you did not live 500 years ago; you could have saved them all that agony and wasted effort. Your Biblical understanding is shallow and haughty. Most of these comments, like this one, are like blind men telling those who can see what colors look like—in fact, demanding that those who can see conform to what he declares to be truth. This woman does not know the Word of God and the little she thinks she knows, she “knows” out of context. My book, Does God Repent? explains it all, irrefutably. R.A.B.]
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Ken: If my experience is anything to go by, trying to embrace Calvinism can turn you into the ‘frozen chosen’, you end up losing any concept of the love of God or that God is kind. It was the kindness of God that set me free from calvinism! I had ‘forgotten’ this is one of his main attributes. I see some truth in calvinist doctrine, but it should never be equated with the gospel, it is rather a system of interpretation. It is more important to be faithful to the text of the NT itself rather than make it fit a theological grid. Any book that brings liberation to anyone with a similar experience to mine is to be welcomed.
[This entire comment is a false inference, a non sequitur. Calvinist doctrine does not cause arrogance. Arrogant people are arrogant no matter what their affiliation. Just because someone professes Calvinism does not even mean he is converted. There are unconverted people in all denominations. Just because someone is converted does not mean that he is godly or spiritual either. The majority are carnal, worldly, disobedient. “Experience” and “delusion” do not presuppose or dictate reality. Former “Christian” singer, Ray Boltz (if I remember correctly) came out of the closet and continues his “Christian” ministry, in churches! and writes and sings songs supportive of homosexuals. Do you think that God “set him free” from the closet...? Calvinism is not a system of interpretation. It is a systematic theology based upon the doctrine of the Word of God; not upon humanism: fallen human ideas, fallen human emotions. R.A.B.]
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CW: I appreciate the letter writer’s concerns and I also appreciate your reply, Lighthouse people. It is a sad state of affairs when we have to choose a church as people vote for presidents — choosing the “lesser of two evils.” This can make sense when choosing a president, but a church??? That’s a completely different thing. My real, central problem with Calvinism is simply this — How does a Calvinist believer KNOW if he or she is one of the chosen, or one who was damned from the beginning? THAT is a weighty question, and I have yet to meet a Calvinist who can answer it from the Bible. Calvinist friends quote scriptures out of context and often answer questions by saying, “I don’t know. My pastor can answer that.” Sad to say, MANY local Baptist churches are either leaning toward Calvinism or are already there. It seems the others have gone liberal / emergent. Some Mennonite churches, at one time so conservative, are now fully celebrating homosexuality and other perversions, too. It seems the church world has gone mad. I’ve heard other Christians speak of reading Biblical prophecy through the years and not being able to envision all the dreadful things written there, but now it has suddenly become easier, and so very painful, to see it all coming to pass. I continually pray for the light of God’s Word to open the eyes, ears, and hearts of unbelievers — and for God’s mercy to draw floundering, drifting believers back to Himself, as that is the only hope.
[Walk by faith, not by sight. The essence of delusion is not realizing that you are under delusion. Who would have thought that Judas was not saved? But are there not tares sown in among the wheat? Are there not those under profound delusion? Has not God Himself sent the delusion and said that HE chooses man’s delusions? Those who judge God saying if He chose to send anyone to Hell then He is more evil than Satan reveal their true nature and that they are humanists who hate God unless God conforms to what sinful man thinks God should be—and that would result in Hinduism, with a billion different gods, because no 2 people would ever agree on anything. By their fruit ye shall know them. But that is one side of the coin. There is false fruit, counterfeit, carnal fruit that masquerades as spirituality even as there are tares masquerading as wheat—and maybe some of those tares even think that they are wheat. This is why we are told to work out our salvation in fear and trembling and examine ourselves whether we be in the faith. This is humbling and focusing, not cause for doubt or fear. It does not mean we save ourselves but look into God’s Word and then look at our own lives to see if we are reflecting what we ought to reflect—God. R.A.B.]
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Kendra: I had to grin a little inside at her description of my own denomination — Mennonites. We might be considered odd and simple-living people . . . but sometimes I want to hang my head. She is right. Even in our denomination, we are seeing the emergent church movement coming in and sometimes it astonishes us. And greatly saddens us. Yet it seems there are many who do not take the warnings seriously that my husband and I give — yet before God we feel compelled to still send the warning. For we will answer to Him one day, and not to man. Thank you for being willing to not only research and publish this book on Calvinism . . . but for being willing to speak out, even if it ends up bringing LT down. Which I hope and pray does not happen. Also, I have truly appreciated the unified front that LT presents as a husband and wife team, plus your writers. Thank you for what you do! I will be praying God is glorified in this.
[First of all, a husband and wife team in preaching and teaching is unbiblical. Like it or not, God ordained women to have a supportive role, ministering to the domestic needs of the ministers—not participating in the roles God established for men. Christ and the disciples were not “partners”. He was their Master. He issued commands and they obeyed. That is the true role between Christ and the Church, His bride, and God established the roles for man and wife and they are not fluid. One litmus test of a church and a doctrinal system, whether it is true or not, is how long it resists corruption. I descend from the very first and second Mennonite Bishops of America, and many other prominent Mennonite Bishops and ministers; those responsible for spearheading the translation of Martyr’s Mirror from Dutch into German in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. I was not raised Mennonite, and neither were my grandparents. No one in my family for many generations even knew this. I myself researched and discovered it a few years ago. William Penn was also a cousin of mine, and I have Quaker ancestors too. But if the Mennonite and Quaker churches are compromising in the area of homoperversion, they are only doing so because their doctrine as a whole was not sound. Once you scuttle the hull of a ship it cannot stay afloat. Remove the structural supports of a house and it will collapse. Tolerance, acceptance, celebration of even one thing that God forbade only leads to acceptance and celebration of more—grosser and viler. Rejection of one Attribute of God or doctrine that God decreed only leads to the rejection of more. Eventually, the “church” will be unrecognizable from the world; full of abominations. The Arminianist Church of the Netherlands (where Arminianism all started) the official Remonstrant Brotherhood, which preserved Arminius’ legacy, was blessing same-sex marriages as early as 1986. The ordination of women and interracialism are the beginning stages of homo-acceptance—then homo-glorification. R.A.B.]
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Thank you for your continued interest in Lighthouse Trails.
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My reply / comments in response to the above, as a whole and as an overview or summary:
The majority of these comments are based on illogic and false assumptions and are “paper tigers” in which the person invents a false notion (as if that notion was the Calvinist position) and then proceeds to attack that false construct he invented, rather than attacking the real doctrine. This is unscholarly, dishonest, and unchristian; such as the MINDLESS comment by one who suggests that by embracing true doctrine it can turn you into a “frozen chosen”. ANY true doctrine can be believed by someone who is so mentally imbalanced, who is carnal, who is sinful, and thus be taken out of context; or like “fractionalized” medicine or nutrition, extracting out one element and then only using that element; when the entire complex is what is needed. Like some declare, “God is love” (understanding neither God nor love) as if that is ALL that God is. God’s Love cannot be extracted from the whole of His Nature without it presenting a caricature. Like most pharmaceutical drugs, when you take one property out of the whole complex and then sell that singular isolate as a drug by itself, it is usually followed by a whole host of bad side effects. Regardless, people who make such statements about Calvinism making you a frozen chosen reveal that they are HUMANISTS and that what man thinks is warm and fuzzy outrules the God of the Universe. Such are so ignorant they do not even realize their own shame.
Truly the Christian Church and Christendom, as I have written for decades, can be called “The Ichabod Church”. Ichabod Crane was the name of a character in the short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, by Washington Irving, which featured the mysterious, scary individual known as “the Headless Horseman”.
Well, that is a picture of the modern church, a headless horseman... (smite the Shepherd and scatter the flock) and the name Ichabod is actually the name of one of the grandsons of Eli, the High Priest, which grandson was born just after the news that that the Ark of the Covenant had been captured in battle and Eli’s wicked sons who polluted the temple, Hophe and Phinehas, were slain in battle. Upon hearing those bad tidings Eli (who was obese—a sign of complacent irresponsibility) fell backwards in his chair, broke his neck, and died. When the Ark of the Covenant was captured, the Pillar of Cloud / Fire, God’s Manifest Presence, the Shekinah Glory no longer hovered over the Tabernacle and God’s Spirit was no longer with His people... and Eli’s grandson was born and was prophetically named, Ichabod, which means, “the Glory has departed”. The colonies established by the Pilgrims and subsequent other Puritans was “a city set on a hill” (that is, a bright and shining beacon of light)—but the Glory has departed and now we are Babylon’s rubbish heap.
The Glory will not return until God’s people bow before Him as LORD and confess that which He has declared to be truth and true doctrine and true theology and repent of their sins (which includes false doctrine). Christ will not return to a rebellious bride unwilling to submit herself to Him; Christ will not return to a “liberated woman” who thinks that she is the boss, or at least, His equal. Such is where we stand in history and prophecy, and while the barbarians are pouring in through the gates, fools attempt to argue about things of which they are completely ignorant; all the while living in such a manner they are barely distinguishable from the world. In fact, they are so deluded they think that it is God’s Will for them to absorb the heathen and give their daughters to them in marriage, despite the fact that God commanded separation! God save your people! Save them from themselves!
“23But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 24And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (II Timothy 2)
[There is no “free will” here.]
“3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (II Corinthians 10)
[Any thought that man chooses his own destiny or even understands reality is humanism, which is a euphemism for Satanism. There are only two options: for God or against Him. Humanism is against Him, declaring man’s independence from God; hence, it is Satanism with a face-lift.]
In reading through the various comments of people in the “comments section” above, it is clear that the majority of “Christians” are greatly confused* and yet think that they are experts in thinking and knowing and that they actually have not only the mental acuity, but even the spiritual authority to imperially decree what truth is; flaunting their disobedience to God and lack of understanding in far-more simple matters. In ignorance, they glory in their shame, as if it is an accomplishment.
[* This can easily be realized by merely a few moments in most any forum, book review, or comments section on the internet most anywhere. One quickly finds out that the majority have very little worthwhile to say, and yet go to great lengths in their attempt to say it. One woman who considers herself an internet “preacher”, thinks that people should just let go of all that doctrine and theology and “love, love, love” and “God is crazy about his people”. Those were her actual words. Sorry. My God is not crazy. Other simple minds who seem sincere, are sincerely confused, spouting notions as if they were 8-year olds in a tree-fort trying to brainstorm ideas that will save the world, such as (comments I actually read at a book review at Amazon), a woman who wrote: “Everything is falling apart, can’t we all pray and ask God to reconsider? He’s made a terrible mistake. Whatever He’s doing isn’t working.” How terribly, terribly sad. The majority seem to be a point or two above being spiritually profoundly mentally retarded.]
A Charles Shultz’ “Peanut’s” cartoon teaches a Biblical lesson (as many of his comic strips did, as he was a Christian) in one strip which Linus or Charlie Brown, after some flub-up of one sort or another had an “ah-ha!” moment and declared his realization of this truth, “I’ve met the enemy— and he’s ME!” Sadly, most Christians will never come to this realization, and if they perchance do, for a moment, the slough it off as an impossibility, or they refuse to admit it, as Will McFarlane in one of his songs expresses, “Everybody else but me”. As I have written for decades, the average Christian thinks that he farts cotton candy: In his mind, everyone else is the problem; and he thinks, “God is just so gosh-darn lucky to have me on His side.” To the contrary, rather than realizing that he himself is the problem, the average “Christian” thinks that he is the saviour (if it is he who chooses salvation, then indeed, he has reason to boast, for being so wise and good; though Scripture tells us the very opposite).
The invading aliens, the homoperverts, the antichrists, etc., are not the problem. They are the SYMPTOM. They are even the early stages of the remedy (called Judgment)... and as they say, sometimes the remedy seems worse than the cure. God has sent all these vile people and caused them to overpopulate their own nations and invade ours because WE are the problem. We turned from what God commanded and lusted after the world; and now God is giving us that which we should not have lusted after (just like He inundated the Israelites with quail 3-feet deep). If God’s people today repent of their sins (which entails knowing what sin is: the violation of all that He commanded and all that He forbade) and turned from their sin and faithlessness and bitterness and rebellion and returned to what He commanded, He would then take care of the enemy. He has actually so promised. But, God’s people refuse to do so (which God has ordained, to teach the lesson that everything is of His Grace, not of man); so we all must continue to suffer senseless loss and brutality until the rest “get it” and fall on their faces before God; open His Word, read all that He commanded us to observe and perform throughout all our generations forever and either DO IT or go side with the enemy.
I have written for decades, “Sadly, the majority of people in the world don’t mature: they merely age (and something that has aged beyond a certain point then begin to decompose and rot): The majority of adults today are adolescents running around in adults’ bodies”. Sadly, this indictment is true psychologically for the general public as well as spiritually for “Christians” (and even at that, “adolescent” is probably a a flattering exaggeration in light of their actual spiritual age). Those who don’t appreciate the stark reality of this, don’t, because they have nothing with which to compare that which they think is “normal”. An honest genius, when he actually meets a superior genius, is in awe and realizes his own stupidity. As iron sharpens iron so does a man the countenance of his friend. Shallow people only want to be around others who are not a threat to their own abilities; but you will never become better by only hanging out with or playing against inferiors. But such people are not concerned with self-improvement, but only appearances and perpetuating the delusion that makes them feel good about themselves. Most immature persons will feel threatened and be bitter and resentful around someone whose abilities dwarf their own. Those who want to learn are in awe and take notes.
There are so many terribly, terribly confused people claiming to be Christians... thinking that God has to be as their fallen minds imagine Him to be or they declare that He is “evil” or “even worse than Satan”. Such fallen minds imagining themselves to be converted spew blasphemies and think that it is spirituality.
“15Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” (Titus 1)
The majority of Christians cannot even think rationally—or they espouse a nondoctrinal “Christianity” that is anti-intellectual and embraces irrationality and contradiction as being some higher spiritual level of truth that man cannot understand. But faith does not come by confusion or ignorance! Furthermore, in denial of what God actually says, they claim that their “God” “does not choose” who His children are (an irrationality in itself; a foundation built not merely upon sand, but upon foul air alone—mental flatulence). Of course, they must also believe that Christ does not choose who His bride is. Clearly Socialism has infected the mind of Christians (but hypocritically also being deluded by a socialistic false doctrine called “Liberation Theology” and a heaping helping of “false guilt”) in that parents do not own their children and do not have the right to raise them according to their convictions, but according to State-determined Mandates. The State has replaced God in the minds of most “Christians” and it is from Socialism that the false notion of “equality” has been derived. Hypocritically, they accept—hook, line, and sinker—the false philosophy that attempts to establish the authority that the government has, ignoring all Constitutional and Common Law and the Bible upon which it was founded, in favor of a Marxist ideology that is sterile of logic. They bow down to an illegitimate godless Socialist State that has no valid authority, and yet they violate what God commanded. Scripture says that no man can serve two masters. It is clear that God is not their Master. God said that we are to be pleasers of God; not of man, not of ourselves. Christ Himself rebuked some of His self-professed followers “Why call ye Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not the things I say?” The unspoken answer to this rhetorical question is, “—because I am not your Lord”. Similarly, Christ said, “My sheep hear My Voice and follow [obey] Me... the voice of a stranger they will not follow”. Christ said, “I did not come to destroy the Law... not one jot or tittle shall pass from the Law”. The majority of Christians believe that Christ abolished the Law. What is the clear explantion...? —they are not His sheep.
As Scripture informs us, you are servant to whom you yield yourselves to obey. That god or master for most “Christians” is the State, and the ever-changing chimera, that other mythical creature called “society”. As Scripture says, if they knew God, they would fear and obey Him; not make up excuses why their disobedience is not disobedience—not relegate God to the status of a passive, well-meaning but impotent grandfather who sits on the edge of His Throne, wringing His Hands, crossing His Fingers, hoping... wishing... that His children will find within themselves the goodness to do what is right and choose to be saved. This is unbiblical from start to finish, and it is blasphemy through and through. How insulting to God to not obey Him, while obeying everyone else in his life. This is a form of adultery; just as if a wife was loyal to everyone else, all her other lovers (good or bad), but not her husband. Scripture compares idolatry (as well as joining with aliens) with whoredom. Most “Christians” have lives full of idols and false gods. They may not bow down literally, but their lives revolve around them and the only true God is squeezed in there, if there is room, every now and then, tokenly.
Most “Christians” (non-Calvinists) believe that God does not choose who His children are or who Christ’s bride is—which is blasphemy and violates every possible area of Scripture (history, law, prophecy, God’s Decrees, God’s Sovereignty, God’s Faithfulness, God’s Immutability, etc.). They believe this because they espouse the heresies of the Universal Brotherhood of Man and the Universal Fatherhood of God (thus claiming that everyone is God’s child), and because they believe the antichrist lie that God abolished His Own Law—all of which is unbiblical nonsense. The mind of the modern “Christian” Church is polluted with Women’s Liberation ideology and imagines that God must conform to empowered women’s demands. God is not henpecked, and foolish women will find themselves shut out of the Kingdom / Wedding Feast, with the declaration, “I know thee not”.
The underlying, unspoken error and false doctrine (which the average Christian will blasphemously speak, if painted into a corner) concerning why God does not choose who His children are, who will be saved, who Christ’s bride will be is that God does not have that right; based upon their perverse notion of “right” and “wrong” and “good” and “evil”. God is not Good because He does things that sinful, fallen, man deems to be good. Goodness is God’s Nature (defined in His Being, not by what man thinks) and is a Perfection of His Nature. He cannot do what is not Good; however, that Goodness is in terms of His Trueness to Himself and His Immutable Perfection and Holiness. Goodness refers to God doing things consistent with His Own Nature and doing them after the Counsel of His Own Will, and for His Own Good Pleasure. In the days of creation, when God saw that what He created was “good”, that is not referring to some self-existing quality external to God and it is not referring to morality. It basically means that it was “just the way that He wanted it to be”: it was pleasing to Him because it was perfect, according to His Plan.
Likewise polluted is sinful man’s notion of “equality” and “fairness”. God does not operate upon what His sinful creatures deem to be “fair”, even as parents (if they are godly) don’t raise their children the way children think is “fair” (as if all have a vote in the government of the house). God does not operate upon some mythical notion of “fairness”. He rules His universe, micromanaging everything, as HE wants things to be and He operates upon the principles of His Nature. God deals in Justice according to what He has declared to be Good (the way that He wants things to be). This is shown even in the parable of the talents. It is shown in God even determining who would be the princes / chief houses of each tribe of Israel. “Yahweh giveth and Yahweh takes away—blessed be the Name of Yahweh.” The majority of Christians choke at this glorious truth that righteous Job confessed after he had everything stripped from him. God builds up and breaks down. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; the world and all they that dwell therein.” Let the earth be silent! (in awe of His Majesty and Power and shut up and don’t murmur or think that you can judge him—like a flea, a worm (or more properly translated, “maggot”) thinking that it better understands how the universe should be than the One Who created it by merely speaking it into existence! Humble yourselves in the Sight of the Lord and HE shall lift you up. He giveth Mercy to whom HE determines to give Mercy—and the rest He HARDENETH so that they deserve Judgment. Like it or not, that is reality. Choose another religion and another god if you don’t like it; but it won’t end well for you. God resisteth the proud but giveth more Grace to the lowly. “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
God is not required to tap dance, do the Flamenco or the Limbo or play Twister, to please man in conforming to man’s perverted notions of goodness, equality, or fairness. God makes Decrees; He doesn’t call for a vote or weigh everything out to make certain no one gets a single milligram more of a certain thing, than another person gets; or to make sure no ones fragile “feelings” are hurt.
Most all Christians have a confused notion of what it means for God not being a respector of persons; their notion is take out of context and is unbiblical; even as is their notion of adoption. Adoption is not bringing an alien into the family (which God forbade), but the coming of age of a child to manhood, or the re-instatement of a previously disgraced son back to a place of honor (as perfectly depicted in the Parable of the Prodigal). The Greek word means, “son placing”. God not being a respector of persons does not mean that He loves everyone equally or dispenses gifts or blessings around based upon man’s notion of equality and fairness. It means that God does not respect a person in his rank or status and pervert Justice just because of that person’s status; like cops or judges covering up and dismissing drunk-driving charges against a politician, or his son, etc. During the days of nobility, one inequity was that a person’s status was more important that the crime that was committed. But God commanded one law for all His people (which did not apply to aliens, who were not supposed to be living among them) and that judges were not to show partiality or take bribes. Such a Judge is God Who does not take bribes, nor ignore the charges of sin against someone of higher status, if the offense was committed against someone of lower status. That is what “no respector of persons” means—and nothing else. Those who think otherwise do not know how to think and either have never read the Bible, or only selectively remember those portions that fit their humanistic notions. They somehow think that the God of the New Testament is an entirely different God than the God of the Old Testament (and that is not only blasphemous false doctrine, but it is idolatry). They must think that the God of the New Testament is a “much nicer Guy” now that He is “on His meds” and has undergone “cultural-sensitivity training” and “anger-management classes”. Someone I know said that he met an elder of a church in his town who in casual discussion brazenly blurted out “I hate the God of the Old Testament”. The feeling is probably mutual and that is why you have that delusion and hatred and hardness of heart—because God sends such delusion and hardness of heart and blindness.
Modern confused “Christians” have the same polluted notion of what “government” should be (and that's why our nations have been destroyed). They don’t realize that as established “government” is not some separate, autonomous entity—it is the people (the lawful people, not aliens). They ignore the warning of Thomas Jefferson, “Government big enough to supply all your needs is big enough to take everything that you own”. We live in an Age of Irresponsiblity and Anti-intellectualism that has bloatedly morphed into the Age of Immorality and Perversion and Confusion and Delusion. People want everything for free without having to pay the price. They want the same from God. They want a God who loves them, blesses them, and delivers them from trouble—but otherwise, be quiet, stay out of my life, don’t speak unless spoken to, and don’t tell me what to do. I had a neighbor lady, a retired R.N., of Italian-Hungarian descent. She was raised a typical Catholic and barely believes in God. She shamelessly told me one time with a straight face, “I believe in a Higher Power but I’m not going to let Him rule my life”. Her husband stood there nodding his head solemnly as if she had just spoken the most sublime truth of the universe. A few months later he had a stroke which left him a shell of a man, out of touch with reality, bitter. A few years later he was gone. “All souls are Mine” (Ezekiel 18:4), God declared. He dispenses and dispenses with them as He pleases; not according to any myopic, egocentric humanistic notions. Such people don’t even understand the concept of “God”; their concept of God is merely a little more advanced than ancient mythology. People whose minds are filled with pagan notions generally don’t and can’t submit to God. The carnal mind / natural man is at enmity (war) with God. However, those humanists who want to flatter themselves with the delusion that they are “Christians” don’t see it as enmity against God (and thus they call God a liar); they view it merely as “a difference of opinion” with God (which show that they don’t understand the concept of God / Maker / Creator / Master / Lord / Judge / Supreme Sovereign / Owner).
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof, the world and all they who dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)
“The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, Thou hast founded them.” (Psalm 89:11)
“The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.” (Isaiah 14:24)
“9Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My Counsel shall stand, and I will do all My Pleasure.” (Isaiah 46)
[In the above two passages we see that God’s Foreknowledge is not passive knowing (as if He has a crystal ball but no power to decide, control, or change what happens), but determinative.]
“And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His Will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His Hand, or say unto Him [authoritatively], ‘What doest Thou?’ “ (Daniel 4:35)
“Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing.” (Isaiah 40:15)
[If entire nations are considered nothing, what then of individuals? God said that He gave the lives of other people as a ransom (life for life, taking the lives of the heathen and sparing the lives of His people). The fine dust of the balances, is so insignificant it does not change the weight of ancient scales—and it was without thought ritualistically blown off by merchants in a show of fair play.
“The LORD hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the Day of Evil [Judgment].” (Proverbs 16:4)
“27For of a truth against Thy Holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles [nations], and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28For to do whatsoever Thy Hand and Thy Counsel determined before to be done.” (Acts 4)
[There is no “free will” here. Satan actually entered Judas. What “choice” then, did Judas have? The vessels of wrath God created for destruction—to show His Power and Glory and Wrath; and to, in contrast, show His Mercy and Love and Grace on His people. Instead of judging God (and being deluded by a false notion of “Survivor Guilt”, one should be humbled and submit to God in fear and awe and love and gratefulness. Instead, most impugn Him and claim He is more evil that Satan if Calvinism is true!]
“But the LORD is in His Holy Temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him.” (Habakkuk 2:20)
Consider 2 completely different things: Imagine a box shaped like the word “Holy”. Imagine now that in this box a stick of dynamite is placed which blows the box to smitherines. Now imagine another identical box, but instead of being filled with high-charged explosives, it is filled with a spray-foam insulation that expands to fill all the empty cavities and contours within the box, respecting its boundaries. The latter is how individual Scriptures relate to and interact with one another; and it is also how God’s individual Attributes relate to and interact with one another. The former, however, is how the faulty humanistic understanding of most Christians causes them to misinterpret any given verse of Scripture, or how humanistic understanding views any Attribute of God. Most Christians seem to have spiritual Alzheimer’s. They forget every verse they read and think each new verse that they read is all that exists. However, showing that this is not a matter of the intellect, but the will, the selectively choose which verses they will forget and selectively remember which they will remember. But they think that new verses cancel out the old, which is unbiblical. God is Immutable. Morality is immutable. God’s Word is an extension of His Mind, which does not change. Each new verse it to be interpreted in harmony with the older, already established verses which set the Standard... not in opposition to them, and not in place of them. THIS is rightly diving the Word of Truth. Truth never changes.
Those who think that God does not have the right to do as He pleases with what is His (the entire universe) don’t know the true God. Those who believe that God does not send anyone to Hell, that people themselves choose to go to Hell or choose to be saved don’t know the True God and don’t understand the very basics of logic, God’s Nature, Scripture, or even the Gospel.
A God who creates a Hell, but does not choose who goes there, and who also decrees what morality is, Who comdemns to Hell those who violate that morality—a God who is Omniscient and Omnipotent, who “impotently, passively” knows who will “choose” to go to Hell is no better than a God who creates a Hell and determines who will have it as their destiny. The true God is Deterministic. Their God is Passive and guilty of depraved indifference. According to their confused notion, their “God” is no more “loving” than the “evil God” who would create people just to damn them. He could have selectively not created each who would “go bad” (and if any “go bad” that shows He is a BAD Creator). He could have not allowed sin or evil to enter the world. Where there is no law there is no sin; so He could have created no law. He could have not created Hell. Any way you look at it, from a humanistic perspective, God is “guilty”. How loving would it be for parents to let 4 year olds play with razor blades, gasoline, and matches? How “loving” then (from a humanistic view) is a God Who creates Law, creates Hell, and then let’s inferior hearts and minds make the wrong choice to suffer for eternity? The only two solutions are to abandon faith in God entirely (which is only a solution for as long as a person lives, then, after he dies, reality begins) or to trust what God has ordained and declared even though our human hearts and minds cannot comprehend WHY. We can comprehend that He said this is what He did. Faith and trust that He is Perfect, Holy, and Good is to accept the “Why?”. It is the duty of children and servants (slaves) to trust their father / master. If they don’t they are dishonorable and may be disowned.
Arminianism (“free-will-ism”) is the “Step Down” Program by which a person to eventually weans himself off God completely. Those who think that God must, like a puppy dog on their leash, sit when they say “Sit!” and stand when they say “Stand!” imagine that God must be the way that their minds want Him to be—and that is idolatry, worshipping false gods, and blasphemy. “Heel, God!” “Stay, God!” “Good God!” “Here’s a treat, God!”
Such persons who espouse this humanistic false doctrine, and / or descendants of those who take this position that God would be “evil” if He predestined anyone to Hell, merely take that false humanistic doctrine to its ultimate conclusion (the next “level”, sub-basement 9) and humanistically reason that God would be “evil” merely for creating a Hell. So, they dispense with the doctrine of Hell altogether, rendering it a “parable” or “analogy” or even “pagan myths” that “found their way into the Bible”;* or they simply toss entirely the Bible and God out of their minds as some outdated myth or fable; since once you totally gut the Bible and God of the majority of what makes it the Bible or God, it is practically empty and useless so why continue the charade? Sir Thomas Huxely, famed British biologist, doubted the Divinity of the Word of God—and his grandsons, Julian (also a famous biologist) and Aldous (a famous humanist and philosopher) rejected it entirely.
[* See my, What the Devil? - What the Hell? A Comprehensive Study Identifying Angels, Satan, the Devil, Evil Spirits, Demons, Fallen Angels, and Hell, 798 pages, pb., 40.00 + P&H. The most-comprehensive scholastic work on this topic ever made.]
Why atheists and those who don’t believe the Bible even remain preachers can only be because:
1. they have no marketable talent;
2. they purposely want to destroy the Christian faith; and
3. God is using them to separate the wheat from the chaff and fill up their measure of God's Wrath.
Those who make many of these comments are fools who profess to be wise, ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, attempting to explain things they know not. Their main problem is that they have no fear of God. Their god is harmless. He would never hurt a fly. Their god is very small (possibly only a step or two from the god of the Deist). They don’t comprehend God or His Nature or that “it is a FEARFUL thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God” (the passage does not say that “it is a fearful thing to fall into your own stupid choices”). There will be no lawyers in Heaven to help you challenge God’s Decrees (they will all be somewhere else).
Such “Christians” do not trust in the God of their salvation. They think that God is their “business-partner” in salvation; that man is not depraved and spiritually dead, but that he just has a head cold and the hiccups. They cannot think logically and practically every sentence that they form is illogic and flawed humanism and they make accusations against Calvinism in utter ignorance of Calvinism, as if they are actually competent experts to make any accusation; and their very accusations invalidate their own position and contradict the Bible itself. They relegate the Old Testament to the dust-bin of history, archaic, obsolete, flawed—and thus they have to also dump half or more of the New Testament that quotes or builds upon the Old; and they have to ignore* all the “unpretty” things that they don’t like in the New Testament: Judgment, Punishment, Suffering, Hell, Christ’s Return to destroy the wicked, uproot every plant that His Heavenly father has not planted, slay His Enemies, all the Plagues sent in the Judgments poured out in the Book of Revelation, the Bottomless Pit, Lake of Fire, torment, Christ’s declaration about dogs and swine and not being of His sheep, declaring on the Day of Judgment, to many “Christians” who claimed that they did “wonderful things in His Name” depart from Me ye that work iniquity; I never knew you!, etc.
[* Sort of how a weak family passively ignores all the inappropriate comments and actions of the “idiot cousin” at the table, or any other obnoxious family member, pretending that such comments were never spoken or such actions never took place. The proverbial “elephant in the room” that everyone knows is there, but pretends is not.]
They likewise have to throw out or ignore the plethora of New Testament passages that they can’t understand (or refuse to accept) which confirm the Old Testament, concerning God’s Law and God’s Nature and the elect of God’s people. Theirs is truly a “holey” Bible—but it is not God’s Word at all when twisted to say the opposite of what God decalred. Christ shall spew them out of His Mouth, saying, “I know ye not” and “ye have no part in Me”. It would be more honest to be cold / frigid and reject God and His Authority entirely. They maintain a lukewarm “Christianity” for the appearance of self-respectability or under some false delusion to make themselves feel better about reality by invention a pseudo-reality, but their homogenized, pasteurized milquetoast, cotton-candy “Christianity” is sterile and has been stripped of all nutrients, to which is added artificial color and flavoring and sugar to make it more palatable to the carnal taste buds.
One person (or more) claims that it takes years to understand Calvinism, and therefore, “it is wrong”. DUHHHH. It takes YEARS to understand the BIBLE. Gold and diamonds do not lay around on the surface to be picked like daisies. God said that He HID truth and it is the HONOR of others to SEEK OUT those truths (Proverbs 25:2). What reason would there be to meditate upon something that was so simple everyone already perfectly understands it after the first reading...? For what purpose then are there teachers, preachers, pastors, and prophets? Why inform us that we are to RIGHTLY divide the Word of Truth...? or to study to show ourselves approved...? or that we should seek out truth, diligently search the Scriptures, endeavor to understand mysteries...? Christ spoke in parables so that most WOULD NOT understand. The majority of those who think that they understand it, don’t because they have been raised on false, liberal, humanistic theology (which yes, is very easy to understand, you just believe whatever makes you “feel good”). Not all translations are trustworthy and even those that are trustworthy can only be properly understood if you understand the Biblical text harmoniously in context with the whole—that is, THE ENTIRE BIBLE; because truth builds on truth and God's Word does not contradict itself; and unless one has a least a basic knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew languages and a sound foundation of understanding God’s Nature (and the laws of logic, without which, one cannot think or read validly), one cannot understand... —and that’s why most don’t.
When the average Christian come to a verse that “seems to” contradict a previous verse (especially if the previous verse was in that naughty, obsolete, archaic, faulty “Old Testament”) he simply chucks out the previous verse. The whole must be understood and without contradiction—which is the KEY to the only correct interpretation.
The Bible cannot be read in 1-single sitting (except by an excellent speed reader, but even then, quality of comprehension suffers, and it would take hundreds of reading through the entire Bible, before one would begin to understand). The Bible is not an Alexandre Dumas novel that can be breezed through, merely for entertainment purposes, with any type of actual recognition of truth and conviction of the heart and changing of the mind and conforming of the will and applying the truth to every aspect of ones life. George Mueller read the Bible through 200 times in his lifetime; and probably in several different languages. Those who made these comments that were listed earlier in the email sent out by Lighthouse—how many times have they completely read through the entire Bible? How many commentaries, Bible encyclopedias, dictionaries, and Lexicons do they have and daily consult?* what knowledge of Hebrew, Greek, or Latin do they have? Have they formally studied logic? They are not even “Arm-chair Theologians”—they are “Sand-box Theologians”... engaged in make-believe thinking that it is real, while having theological stinkers in their diapers.
[* There is safety (wisdom) in a multitude of counsellors—but not just any fool is the type of counsellor to which Solomon is referring. Certainly Solomon’s son Rehoboam heeding the counsel of his godless, young, dark-hearted friends is not what the verse is suggesting. There is safety in a multitude of INTELLIGENT, GODLY, EDUCATED counsellors. Thus, it is not merely a matter of consulting “any” commentary, lexicon, etc., but those written by SOUND Bible scholars. The majority are not sound. The majority are liberal and humanistic. Even those that are not are still human and prone to error. Thus, a multitude of GOOD commentaries, lexicons, Bible encyclopedias, Bible dictionaries, etc., is what is needed—or at the very least, even if having some more liberal ones, one needs to be aware of the weaknesses and flaws in doctrine that each has, in order to properly weigh their opinions. Those who don’t like this, who think that it is too difficult—switch to Mother Goose or Aesop’s Fables.]
God would not have ordained priests and ministers and teachers and preachers if “you have no need for any one to teach you” is a universal, generic truth; which one commenter took completely out of context. That person had better not read the verse that says “there is no God” because he might just make the wrong decision after he reads, “and Judas went out and hanged himself” if he then reads Christ’s admonition: “Go thou and do likewise” and “whatsoever thou doest, do it quickly”. Such people belong in mental institutions in padded rooms to protect them (and others) from themselves. Irish minister and scholar Adam Clarke, though a Methodist (of second importance after John and Charles Wesley themselves) is a cut above the rest of Methodists. Of this passage (I John 2:27) he says in his Commentary (1810),
“St. John does not say that those who had once received the teaching of the Divine Spirit had no farther need of the ministry of the Gospel; no, but he says they had no need of such teaching as their false teachers proposed to them; nor of any other teaching that was different from that anointing, i.e. the teaching of the Spirit of God. No man, howsoever holy, wise, or pure, can ever be in such a state as to have no need of the Gospel ministry: they who think so give the highest proof that they have never yet learned of Christ or his Spirit.”
The unequalled Dr. Gordon H. Clark, American presbyterian minister, language scholar, and probably the greatest philosopher and theologian of all time, in his commentary First John (1980), with his own translation (not intended to replace any translation, but only to show the exactness and often, difficulties of translation) offers:
“And you, the annointing which you received from him remains in you; and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his annointing teaches you about everything, and it is true and not false, and as it taught you, remain in it.
“The translation: A literal translation here makes awkward English. It is rather awkward Greek, too. The last word of the verse presents a difficulty. The pronoun is either masculine or neuter: the two genders have the same form. All the English versions translate it as masculine: ‘remain in him.’ But the only antecedent noun is the anointing (neuter); it is this noun that controls the phrase, ‘is true and is not false.’ The subject of the verb teach is the neuter term anointing. Then how can the final autô be anything or anyone else? It makes little difference whether the last verb, remain, is indicative or imperative.
“In verse 20 we concluded that the anointing was not baptism. The present verse supports the identification of the anointing as the gospel. This is what they received. It is a teaching. For this reason John’s addressees do not need anyone [else] to teach them. Of course, they need teaching. Is not John teaching them all through this letter? The meaning must be that they do not need any further teaching to recognize that the heretics in view are heretics. The verse applies to this limited situation. Evangelical Christians must strenuously resist the mystical claim that the Holy Spirit apart from the Scripture gives us all we need. A minister of my acquaintance, when I quoted Romans 10:9-10, ejaculated, “Oh, no; not that way. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to discern the state of a man’s heart, and we receive him into membership because the Holy Spirit tells us he is regenerate.” Unfortunately this young minister took to himself a paramour, divorced his wife, and married his girlfriend, splitting his congregation.
“That the anointment is the gospel is clear from its being called true and not false. This applies to Romans 10:9-10. Admittedly, we sometimes talk of false disciples and true disciples; we can say that the Holy Spirit is true, but it is awkward to say that he is not a lie, or not false. The wording of the verse scarcely allows any other interpretation. The anointing is the teaching. The simple, literal meaning of true and false attaches to propositions, and these have been identified as the doctrine of the Incarnation. So far as this unmasks the Docetists, no further teaching is necessary.
“How, then, does the ‘unction’ teach us about all things? The previous sentence is one possible answer. It limits all things to the subjects under discussion. Or one could imagine that the teaching actually given on the incarnation presupposes or implies all other scriptural teaching. Since God is rational, and not insane, truth forms a completely logical system. As geometry cannot exist without theorem 17, that is, one cannot establish theorems 2 and 20 without theorem 17, so too, there is no incarnation without sanctification and no Trinity without the priesthood of all believers. Therefore, as you have been taught, stick with it!”
Yes, the overall foundational truth of the Bible and the Gospel is SIMPLE. But you don’t live on the bare foundation—you build upon it, not with your own ideas, but with subsequent doctrine. Hebrews 6:1 begins, “Therefore leaving the principles of the Doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection”. This does not mean “leaving them behind in the rear view mirror”. It means “moving on with them, advancing to maturity”. This is the foundational truth of Scripture in a nutshell: God is the Boss. (If any don’t understand that, then they do not understand anything.) Understanding all the little details takes time, study, learning, and direction by the Holy Spirit; otherwise the learning may result in a Ph.D. but be completely in error and you will have a diplomaed, educated idiot, who understands very little but thinks he is an expert because he has a piece of paper that he paid $200,000 to receive that tells him that he is an expert.
There would be no reason for God to have issued directives of church authority if each could simply make up his own personal theology, as if the Bible was a “build your own creation” taco-salad bar. But Scripture says MARK those that cause divisions and who don’t abide by sound doctrine and EXCOMMUNICATE them.
So many ignorant people use “bait and switch” and “straw men” defense themselves. They attempt to demonize those who object to the printing of this book as if the reason is because they think that Calvinists think that Calvin is “above reproach” or that Calvinists are “afraid”... —which accusations have nothing to do with anything. God commanded false doctrine to be excommunicated, not celebrated, not paraded about on display to seduce immature minds that don’t know how to think, and weak-souled people who would jump at the chance to believe a more “user-friendly” doctrine; or anti-intellectual emotionally led people who confuse what a “peacemaker” is, and sacrifice everything (including doctrine) so we can all “get along” and be “one big happy family”—which sounds lovely, but is unbiblical. Such persons need to study the Reformation—biographies, history, and doctrine—to know what is really at stake. They may counter, “but if there is no open debate then if a church or denomination is subverted how will the truth ever be heard...?” —which shows exactly why it is so important to do what Scripture commands and DEFEND the faith and not allow the subversion. Those who don’t know sound doctrine are blown about by every wind of confusion. If a church is subverted it should fail! People should leave. Fire the pastor and elders. Truth is sacred and is to be defended. There is no “tolerance” or “equality” taught in Scripture. Sin is to be rebuked and excommunicated if it is not repented of—not given a big warm hug.
Many of these comments speak from emotions and ignorance of what “makes sense” to uneducated minds (more properly, emotions) of the people, who think that it is their right to choose what is sound and what is not. The Church of God is not subject to popular vote; let alone decrees of uneducated fools who know relatively little but think that they know it all. The wisest, most-educated person reading this needs to read all of Dr. Gordon H. Clark’s books (all of which I stock) to be profoundly dwarfed and humbled and realize just how little he knows. To the average person, much of Dr. Clark will not be an easy read—but it will be worthwhile. If an aspiring athlete did not push himself, lift heavier weights, etc., he would not build muscles or improve. You improve at any discipline by challenge; you don’t get better in tennis or soccer by playing 5-year olds. You may become a better pianist learning from a 5-year old, if that 5-year old were Mozart.
God is not remote-controlled by sinful man’s impressions and ignorance; if He were he would be a billion different gods because no one would agree on anything but their personal self-made god. God is as He says that He is and man is to believe and conform himself to what God clearly declared. If left to themselves, the majority of “Christians” would be like a 10-year old taking apart a wind-up clock or engine or other device and once he “puts it back together” he realizes that he has a whole boxful of “left-over, unnecessary parts”. Thus the majority of “Christians”—with no concept of Holiness and no fear of God—would toss out verses, chapters, entire books, left and right out of both Testaments until nothing is left but a few disjointed, out of context inspirational sayings glued together by abominable feel-good antichrist humanism.
The majority have never heard or read sound doctrine or true theology, so what can they possibly use as the Standard by which to compare whether their doctrine is genuine or counterfeit? —they cannot... so they go by what “feels good” or “makes sense” to them (as if they are the spiritual sovereign of their own life, to so determine, based upon their profound ignorance), even though they have no “sense” and live in delusion. Faith does not come by “feelings” or modern, liberal “opinions” or the “general concensus” of a polluted society.
Many of these people (if not the vast majority) arguing and giving comments in the email sent around by Lighthouse, are women. God’s Word says that they are to learn in silence and that if they have a question, they are to ask their husband at home... —not tell him how he ought to understand the Bible and that his doctrine is wrong... and certainly not to be rebuking ministers as if they have authority from God to do so. These words, these injunctions of Scripture, of course, are not popular in a liberal, feminist society, but those who don’t like these words will answer to God for their rebellion against Him. God also said that women were not to hold office not only in the church, but also not in the state—nowhere in society (which includes not being the CEOs of corporations, or other positions of authority). Most of our problems are the result of renegade manly women (Jezebels) and runaway irresponsible womanly men (Ahabs) who let the women change the family, the church, and the nation into abominations: both share in the carnage and the guilt.
Many spew their ignorance in their comments... speaking of things of which they are utterly ignorant... almost every single one of them having NEVER studied 1/10,000th of that studied by those whom they think they can refute with the typing of of few words on their keyboard. Not only do they not understand the answer—they don’t even understand the question. They are like ants in an ant-farm on a science room table imagining that they can explain from beyond the walls of their plexiglass sandbox the universe that they have never seen, which they don’t even know exists... when in reality, they are the ones being studied.
Those who reject Calvinism are like day-old infants who think that they understand the world better than their parents. Don’t they realize that God uses parallels of relationships for a reason, of infant to father (and even new birth), sheep to shepherd, olive trees to orchardist, grape vines to vinedresser, slave to master, wife to husband (not the polluted modern notion, but the Biblical model). None of these relationships is a “partnership” or “democracy”.* It is one-sided. Fetuses don't choose to be conceived; infants don't choose to be born; sheep don't choose their shepherd, etc. Amazingly, many of the women who think that God has no right to choose the destiny of his children, think that they own their own body and have the right to choose whether the life inside of them is born or not. The majority deny God His Right because they are fool and fools rush ahead where angels fear to tread; they have no fear of God. They don't understand His Nature or what His Attributes mean, let alone the ultimate ramifications of them when thought out logically to their ultimate conclusion. Such women don't realize that the life inside of them is not their property and they don't have the right to decide because their body is not their own, it belongs to the husband because the purchase price was the dowry; and likewise he is not His own because he is owned by Christ. And so, they cannot comprehend anything because even as a liberated woman (whether she admits that she is or not--the proof of the pudding is in the eating, every tree is known by its fruit) she (and all effeminate men who espouse such doctrine) have liberated themselves from God thinking they are their own and that they choose their own destiny.
[* —the U.S. is not supposed to be a democracy either; and those who think so are just as confused about our Constitution and form of Government. Our Constitution is not open to modern interpretation; it is a will set in stone; just like Scripture is fixed, not fluid. Our Forefathers CLEARLY told us that they purposely DID NOT give us a democracy, for in their study of 2,000 years or more of history they learned democracies are short lived because they are subject to corruption! “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge!” Freedom has been lost and Christendom and the true Christian faith has been lost for the same reason—ignorance as a result of taking God’s blessings for granted and NOT faithfully teaching history, law, morality, in both American History, the Reformation, and Bible Doctrine. We were established as a Christian, Constitutional Republic—NOT a “democracy”. Any educator, politician, jurist, or journalist who refers to the U.S. as a democracy or operating upon democratic principles has outed himself as an utter ignoramus or conspirator (or both). “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican form of Government...” (Article IV., Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution) I offer many hundreds of the very best books, which I have stocked for decades. There is no excuse, only apathy. “The curse causeless shall not come.” “You reap what you sow.”]
Just as inane are those who claim, “I am a 4-point Calvinist” or “I am a 3.5-point Calvinist”. However, the reality is, if a person told me that he is “1/2 human”—that would be completely irrelevant to me because all that he is, is governed by the reality of what “other half” he is. If a person is “half human” the reality is that he is nonhuman. The whole is more than the mere sum of its parts and dissimilar things do not make a whole. If mad scientists spliced human DNA with gorilla DNA the result would not be “half human”—but all abomination! Christ said that He would command the angels, when He returns, to uproot every plant that His Heavenly Father had not planted (all hybrids, corruptions) and remove all things that offend. Liberal fools will shriek, “Human-gorilla hybrids have rights too!” No, they do not. “Human-gorilla hybrids have feelings and bleed red blood just like you or me.” That is utterly irrelevant. Can a person be 1/2-Christian? Can a woman be 1/2-pregnant? Can a person be half man half woman? —well, in today’s perverted society, any combination of abomination is possible, but it does not change the fact that they are abominations and rejected by God.
Some mentioned “different levels” of Calvinism (as if Calvinism was a sky-scraper), and mentioned Spurgeon. Despite his wisdom, Spurgeon had blind spots. I compiled a book of a dozen or so of his famous sermons or tracts on Election and Predestination, or such, with my annotations.
[Salvation Results From God Bestowing Free Grace Upon His Elect not from the Erroneous Notion of Man Having “Free Will” To Choose To Be Saved — The Charles H. Spurgeon Election, Predestination, and Calvinism Collection, 299pp., pb., 17.50 + P&H.]
Spurgeon tried to compare Arminianism and Calvinism as two rails on a railroad track where in front of you at your feet they are at great distance apart, but as they reach the horizon they appear as one. While that is an ingenious analogy, it is completely invalid and shows that the problem is eyesight and lack of understanding perspective, not a matter of the train rails becoming one. Spurgeon confessed that with one eye in the Scriptures he saw predestination and with the other he saw man’s free will. In my notes I exclaimed: “You’ve got a bad eye, close the bad eye!” Those who see any validity in man’s free will do not understand God or reality and any God that they imagine is a humanistic god. It is a god, possible a little better than the gods of mythology, which shared all the foibles and weaknesses and even vices of the people who invented them in their minds; but this humanistic imaginary God is not really too much better. The truth is, such a humanistic God develops aches and pains the older man grows, and man continually must jettison various attributes and doctrines of this God, as with them this God becomes feeble. Thus, over time, they toss out a vast number of Scriptures (as society “improves”—the false doctrine of meliorism—and has less and less need for God). Thus, this imaginary God, eventually, must fade into antiquity and become irrelevant in a modern world. A God who is not Immutable, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign, Good, True, Faithful, Just, etc., can only change and change and change until he has been reduced to being mortal, and then he too is cast aside, for there is nothing in him in which to be in awe, and no reason to bow before Him, worship Him, obey Him, honor Him... and such a god must get in the same soup line with all the other hobos and eventually just disappear down the train tracks.
Many of the same fools that denounce Calvin also denounce Moses. Those who denounce Calvin or the doctrine that he explained—he did not invent it, he coherently explained it—those who claim that he or the doctrine of Calvinism is “evil” come very close to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (which sin shall not be forgiven—which means such persons who commit that sin were never regenerated; because you cannot lose your salvation if you are actually saved).
Until they submit their minds to God, they will understand nothing. If they do not submit their minds, it is because that is what God has ordained. And that is the very reason why they reject Calvinism, because they reject a powerful God who is Master of His Universe who has done all things after the Counsel of His Own Will and for His Own Good Pleasure—regardless of whether His damaged, imperfect, fallen, sinful, ignorant creatures “agree with” Him or “appreciate it”; regardless whether it “makes sense” to them or whether it “feels good” to them. God is Immutable and is not governed by, hindered by, or altered by anything that is external to Himself (anything that is not God). The majority of modern women don’t accept the God-ordained role in the authority of their husband, or the authority of their father, so they can never understand or accept the authority of God, unless God humbles them and given them repentance unto life. God forbade women to be in positions of authority in church or state; and also to always be under the cover / authority of their father, husband, brother or pastor, priest, prophet. That’s what God ordained. Start screwing around with the perfection that God established and everything goes haywire. The same goes for church government, same goes for state government, same goes for DNA in a laboratory. Frankensteins are created in each sphere and result in the same destruction.
God did not hire any humans to re-write His Word and Law. He ordained certain men to teach it. Those who alter it have God’s curse upon them.
I don’t know what world some of these people who made comments live in, but those who say that Calvinism is taking over the Baptist seminaries (which first of all is a confused notion, because Baptists were originally Calvinistic / Reformed and then most embraced humanistic heresies); and the claim that churches are “turning Calvinist” at an alarming rate, especially in Canada; and that they are hard-pressed to find any church around them that is not Calvinist. I don’t know what time zone they live in, but it must be in a time machine and set in the year 1780, and if so, can I please borrow the time machine? If churches and seminaries were turning Calvinist then the U.S. and Canada would be becoming godly again. If such churches and seminaries are turning Calvinist, it has to be pseudo-Calvinism, which is sterile and has no effect. Those who denounce Calvin or Calvinism only show their ignorance of history as well as theology, because without Calvinism there would have been no American Reformation and we would all be slaves on the Pope’s plantation. While Luther and Calvin did not agree on every point, they BOTH agreed that there is no such thing as the “free will” of man (that is, man does not have a will that is independent of God’s Will that has determined all). Modern Lutheranism reverted to Catholicism, as did Anglicanism (and its American counterpart, Episcopalianism). The Pilgrims and Puritans and Separatists were Calvinist and they were separating from the Anglican church’s Catholic heresies. Many Puritans eventually became Separatists, yet are still known as Puritans, it seems, to show that they first did all they could to PURIFY the Church, before SEPARATING from it. Scottish Reformer John Knox founded Presbyterianism and he was “Calvinist”, not that he was a follower of Calvin, but that his doctrine was basically the same. The majority of modern Lutherans, Presbyterians, Calvinists, and Baptists—and nearly all “Protestants” (who don’t even know the doctrine or history of what they “protested” against, or how) have no right call themselves by those names. Only in foolish ignorance do they argue and claim that the Baptists are turning Calvinist!* Baptists who have shed (or never knew) most every founding doctrine of upon which the Baptist denomination was founded, other than the one-common trait of water-immersion in believer’s baptism—are not Baptist!* They are deluded. They need to invent a new name (instead of hijacking a denomination or riding on the coat tails of another denomination’s name and then subverting it) and go by an honest name, such as “Free-will, carnal, antinomian humanistic fluid aqueous immersionist”. Or better yet, they can name their church similar to the actual church that exists over in, I believe, Sneedville, Tennesse (near Rogersville), whose sign out front proudly reads, “Compromise Church”. This is not to say that there are not Baptists, Calvinists, Presbyterians, etc. who are sound in their doctrine; but that they are in a very small minority. “Broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be which go in thereat.”
[* There circulates the story of a conversation overheard in a Wal-mart, a few years ago. It seems that a remake of the children’s movie “Annie” was made, in which Annie was cast as a black girl! A black girl and her mother were shopping and the black girl passed a DVD display that featured an original of the classic movie. The black girl was incensed, and declared, “Mom! Look at this! They’ve made Annie white...! It’s just not right!]
One person who commented called Calvinism “New Age doctrine in a different package”. That would really be amusing were not not so blasphemous. A 400-year old “new age” doctrine. Such people spew vocabulary without even knowing what the words mean. That’s like saying Martin Luther plagiarized Joel Osteen!
It’s sad that this group is attacking Calvinism, because they seem to do some good... they published a book teaching that Transgenderism is not God’s will and is harmful to society and children; but then realized that it may be banned in Canada, so they called Canadian customs to inquire.
Canadian customs replied that the way to tell if the booklet on transgenderism is “hate” literature, is to substitute the word “transgender” with the word “black person” in any sentence in the book, and if that does not sound kosher (my paraphrase) then it is hate.
[—and by the way, if Canada’s churches were all “falling into Calvinism” there would be revival sweeping the nation, not totalitarian censorship.]
The carnal mind rejects God’s Lordship and Sovereignty, but deludedly likes to imagine that it does not. It issues to God ultimatums, telling God in which areas it will “allow” God to be Boss.
Those who would dare call Calvinism heresy, ought to just quietly leave the Protestant Church and become Catholics or invent their own demon-ination. The Arminianist churches were the first to accept every abomination that God forbade.
The problem of such people is:
1. they think that they determine what reality is, and God must conform to their concept of it.
2. they take verses out of context and use them as if the rest of the Bible does not exist.
We saw earlier one person’s comment, which is a classic example. He quoted this verse like dropping a one-liner, as if it is the silver-bullet one-size fits-all cure-all to rebuff any doctrinal issue: “You have no need that any man teach you”... and he interprets that as if whatever each individual thinks the truth is, therefore it must be (and that if any Christian is ever led by anything, it is only and 100% the Holy Spirit). This is mindless spurious interpretation. This is why people need teachers. People like this, if they were to think as they do in other fields of expertise (like chemistry or explosives) would blow themselves up, because the laws of chemistry and physics are less forgiving (immediately, that is) than theology. As we saw, this Bible verse is a specific statement in a specific area: “Since I have already taught you these things, you have no need of any man to teach them to you again, because you already know and practice them; and if any man tries to teach you differently, you have no need to listen to him”. But the way that one guy (and possibly one woman also, if I remember correctly) misinterpreted the verse, it means that there is no need for pastors or theologians or Bible teachers because everything in the Word of God is so simple any child can figure it out on his own. This is unbiblical and shows utter ignorance of the Word of God, in specific or overall meaning.
A plethora of other verses could be dropped like one-liners, taken out of context, to sound as if doctrine is a “personal thing” and can be assembled any way that each person chooses to believe “feels good” for himself:
“Let each man be persuaded in his own mind.”
“Let no man judge you.”
“Work out your own salvation.”
“Love is all you need.”
“God is Love.”
“God’s Mercy endures forever.”
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, you are all one.”
“God is no respector of persons.”
“God is not willing that any should perish.”
“All Israel shall be saved.”
“For God so loved the world.”
[—by which they twist the Word of God to suit their own needs and caricaturize God into a cartoon with exaggerated features, other Attributes being lost entirely in the humanistic embellishment / false perception / re-creation of God.]
When some individuals speak their minds, it is similar to the sewer backing up.