SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

saved By grace

Through faith in 

lord Jesus Christ

(A Book About Reality)

Happy Riches

Happy Riches © 2014. All rights reserved. 

Individual use is permitted. 

CONTENTS

				Preface	ix
				Introduction	1
			1	Saved By Grace	11
			2	What Is Grace?	27
			3	Saved By Faith	41
			4	Process of Salvation	65
			5	TULIP	87
			6	What Is Faith?	145
			7 8	Saved By Grace Through Faith Bondage Of The Will Notes	175 221 236

tulip

Total Depravity-Unconditional Election-Limited Atonement-Irresistible Grace Perseverance of the Saints

Assessed by the light and the truth of Scripture, does TULIP stand up to the scrutiny of the discerning mind, and do its adherents and promoters have the fragrance of truth?

Total Depravity

The doctrines known by the acronym TULIP are gaining favor among many within Protestant churches. This teaching finds favor with established churchgoers more than those who are searching for Jesus Christ. An example of the difference between the efficacy of the TULIP doctrines and the churches that hold to the teachings can be been evidenced by what happened in Korea beginning in the 1950s, when those churches are compared with another that rejects the man-made philosophy.

Paul Yongi Cho started a congregation that was Pentecostal. At the time, there was a church in Korea that had a congregation of around forty thousand people. The congregation that Cho headed grew and eventually had over one million people. The church that held to TULIP teachings had a congregation that remained the same in number; it retained its numbers by members producing offspring. The original growth of the church was the product of missionary efforts largely due to the financial aid that the overseas congregations provided. These people believed in the Bible, and some even found faith in Jesus, but did not believe in the power of God to heal or the need for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The underlying reason why the church that held to the TULIP teachings did not grow, once it reached a certain critical number, is its members believed (and still do) that they were especially chosen before the foundation of the world to be saved. They also believe Jesus died to save only those chosen before the foundation of the world, whose names were in the Lamb’s book of life. They believe people do not have freewill to choose salvation, but are held captive by the Devil to do his work. Of course, they themselves are exempt because they are the ones God has chosen to be saved. With a theology like this, we can easily see why the members of the congregation see no reason to be active soul winners. Why bother to win souls when those chosen for salvation have already been named and numbered before the foundation of the world.

The doctrines of TULIP are total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints. These are not all of the doctrines that are peculiar to those who adhere to these teachings. Another doctrine, which is most notably a damnable and blasphemous heresy, is double predestination, and it is this teaching that appears to be at the base of TULIP.  We have discussed some aspects of these teachings in the chapter about the salvation process as understood from the systematic method of using biblical truths in understanding salvation. The TULIP doctrines are essentially propositional truths created by taking a verse (sometimes two) from the Bible and then selecting texts throughout the Old and New Testament for support to the exclusion of other Scripture that contradict the claims being made. As one would expect, this method of developing doctrines would have to produce bigots and hypocrites who are liars that have their consciences seared. It definitely produces cognitive dissonance among adherents where they have to hold conflicting beliefs that instead of producing souls who are free from sin, finds them struggling with sin and wondering why they are not experiencing the freedom that is promised in Lord Jesus Christ from sin. According to the Apostle Paul, those who are members of the body of Christ are set free from sin. We read:

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1)

As we shall discover in the following discussion, the claims for the doctrines that form TULIP, although based on texts from Scripture actually distort the truths of the Bible and lead people astray from obtaining the freedom that rightfully belongs to every person who calls upon the name of the LORD.

TOTAL DEPRAVITY

Total depravity as understood by those who subscribe to TULIP is foundational to the following four doctrines. Without the doctrine of total depravity, the other four heresies of unlimited election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints become absolutely nonsensical.

The doctrine of total depravity teaches that we are born as the vilest creatures ever to have existed as a result of the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden. According to this teaching, we could not become anymore depraved, and because of our inherent wickedness, we are fit for no good thing and cannot do anything of worth. Since Adam sinned, we have lost our freewill. We are conceived in our mother’s womb bearing the guilt of Adam’s sin and need to be punished by God. We are born depraved, dead in sin, and enslaved to sin. We are not willing to return to God, because we prefer evil rather than good. This inherent wickedness means we are born in a depraved state deprived of the knowledge of right and wrong, and our wickedness has left every one of us spiritually blind and in utter darkness, perverted of mind and distorted in our judgments, with a hardened heart towards God, we are thereby possessed of a recalcitrant will, having forsaken all goodness. Our corruption has riddled us so much that any emotion that might be otherwise of a positive nature is impure. Our attitudes are like hardened steel, immovably set towards an eternity of torment.

When we read what the evil doctrine of total depravity claims about our mothers as they gave of themselves and fed us, clothed us, comforted us and cared for us as newborn babies, we begin to think our Creator is the Devil. Can we really believe this is what a loving God thinks of people?  Does this sound like the God who showers loving kindness on people, in the hope that they might repent? Could a righteous loving God have thought this of all mothers since the birth of Cain? Yet, unbelievably, this is the heartless attitude and belief system that is fostered by religionists who claim they are only expounding what the Bible teaches. To question this, as far as they are concerned, is worthy of death. Actually, the man who championed this doctrine of total depravity, as part of what became known as the Reformation, was a murderer, just as the Apostle Paul was one before he became a Christian. Only this man consented to have people murdered after he had claimed to be a Christian for many years. Any who defend this man, are just as guilty of his sins, as Jesus said concerning the Pharisees and scribes of His day, that they too were guilty of killing the prophets because they identified with those who did (Matthew 23:29-33).

The Bible teaches that if we believe in Jesus we are saved (1 John 5:13). If we hate another person, we are a murderer (1 John 3:15). No murderer has a place in Heaven; for such a person is destined for the second death (Revelation 21:8), unless, of course, the person repents. Now there are many principles in the Bible, and they hold true. One of these principles is if we honor sinners, we are endorsing their sins, for this is what Jesus said:

Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; and some of them they will kill and persecute.’ (Luke 11:47-49)

The idea that honoring a murderer by giving him a burial is to consent to his sin, when fully understood, condemns many people in this world. Who would have thought that merely honoring someone is to participate in the person’s sin? Holiness, the standard of God, far exceeds what we might perceive to be the right thing to do. What Jesus said in respect to honoring the fathers who were murderers goes beyond what Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul did. He told King Agrippa that by consenting to the death of Stephen he was just as guilty of murder as those who stoned him to death:

I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you. When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’ (Acts 22:19-20).

Now you might think that what you are reading about total depravity could not possibly be true, but this is what those who adhere to these TULIP doctrines believe, with many simply accepting them as the truth because it suits their itching ears.  Worse still, they defend those who created them and, if the father of Calvinism, John Calvin consented to the deeds that are attributed to him, then those who defend him are identifying with his murderous, vengeful sins, just as Jesus said that those in his day, wore the guilt of their fathers who hated and killed the prophets.

Canons of the Synod of Dort

The following articles are from the Canons of the Synod of Dort.[1] The articles have an element of truth that seems like correct teaching, but you will find there is also inconsistency. This will become evident when you realize that the teachings claim, on the one hand, man is responsible for his sin but, on the other hand, he has no freewill to choose sin.

Article 1: All Mankind Condemnable before God

Forasmuch as all men have sinned in Adam, and are become guilty of the curse, and of eternal death (Rom 5:12); God had done wrong unto no man, if it had pleased him to leave all mankind in sin, and under the curse, and to condemn them for sin: according to those words of the apostle: All the world guilty before God (Rom 3:19). And: All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). And: The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23).

For the most part, there seems nothing wrong with this article, apart from the suggestion of injustice in the words: “God had done wrong unto no man, if it had pleased him to leave all mankind in sin, and under the curse, and to condemn them for sin.” For many Christians this seems to be acceptable, because this is what the verses seem to be saying. However, just because Adam chose to sin: Why are all guilty of Adam’s curse? Why should every child born thereafter be condemned to sin? Would not God have been more just to deal with Adam and create a new race?  On the face of it, the answer to the last question would be, yes. But, since God did not create a new race, there would have to be a very good reason for allowing children to be born into sin and show the Creator is just. If the teaching of TULIP doctrines, which permeate the thinking of those who hold to them, is not false, then this should become evident throughout the Bible and there should not be any contradiction at all.

Article 5: The Cause of Unbelief,

The cause, or fault of this unbelief, as of all other sins, is no wise in God, but in man (Heb 4:6).

This article is about belief and faith. Unbelief is sin, so since we are discussing the subject of sinful depravity of humans, we will look at its relevance. The claim is clear; the man is responsible for any unbelief that he might possess. Adam looked at Eve in unbelief when he saw her not die after eating of the forbidden fruit.  The reference to the book of Hebrews below does not refer to Adam, but to those who had disobeyed and, because of this, did not enter the Promised Land at the time of Joshua, and also to us—which makes this a different matter.

Seeing therefore it remains that some should enter therein, and they to whom the good news was before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience, he again defines a certain day, today, saying through David so long a time afterward (just as has been said), “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:6-7)

The Bible teaches the cause of unbelief is disobedience. Now disobedience implies freewill. Although some will disagree with this because they take their dog to obedience classes and, because a dog to be trained to be obedient, this is evidence animals and humans do not possess freewill. For an animal to be disobedient, it has to be trained first.  Likewise, children are trained up in the way they should go, and the Bible tells us, when they are old, they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22.6). This gives the impression children are like dogs—but, can dogs harden their hearts?

Humans, however, unlike dogs, actually think. The difference between a human and a dog is vast. Humans are creative thinkers who have the capacity to make decisions based on an assessment as to whether a matter is good or evil.  Decisions to obey or break the Ten Commandments in respect to other humans occur every day. These are such things as “shall I tell that person a lie” or “shall I take something without asking”, or “shall I obey what my parents have requested of me”, just to name three. After the initial decision, the lies, stealing and parental disobedience can become habitual without any thought at all. Yet we find many teenagers still wrestling with decisions to lie or steal or disobey parents because they have not become habitual behavior. A dog on the other hand, once it has trained at obedience school, obeys the commands of its master. A dog will never talk back to its master, as a child will to a parent. In which case, training dogs to be obedient and requesting children to be obedient are two different scenarios that have little in common, if anything at all.

We train dogs in a different way to humans. Initially, parents might be able to train children using reward and punishment methods. However, there comes a time when other influences will cause children to question whether they should do as parents say. Parents may find themselves having to give reasons for children to obey requests rather than treating them as dogs when expecting them to do as told.

Children might be merely curious and, like little mice, begin to play when the cat is away. Children left alone to play with each other often get up to mischief. Yes, it is true; dogs do the same thing as well, when let off their leash. The difference is owners do not explain to dogs the reasons why certain behavior is not acceptable and other behavior is acceptable, owners simply put them back on the leash, growl at them, and the dog puts its tail down and looks at its owner, knowing that a bigger dog has won the day. A child will want to know the reason why this is so. 

Interestingly, we read the following in the second book of Peter:

But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed, receiving the wages of unrighteousness; people who count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and defects, reveling in their deceit while they feast with you; having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin; enticing unsettled souls; having a heart trained in greed; children of cursing; forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the

way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing. (2 Peter 2:12-15)

Here is a comparison of humans with animals. This speaks of children who refuse to reason and prefer to do what is wrong, rather than what is right. Now we know we cannot reason if we have no freewill to make the appropriate decisions after having considered the facts. Some people refuse to reason and prefer to revel in wrongdoing. However, we cannot say that when a twelve-month-old child is placed on a rug on the floor and told to sit there, but instead crawls off, the child has reasoned that this is the best thing to do, and is therefore willfully disobedient. We can say the child disobeyed, but then to suggest this is disobedience is highly questionable, because, for any of us to disobey a command, we need to have an understanding of the command before we can disobey. Children disobey when they have been told what they are to do, but do not comply; only if they do not understand what it is they are supposed to do, there is no culpable disobedience (Romans 7:7), even though, as in the case of dogs, their action will be referred to as being disobedient.

In the above quoted Scripture from the second book of Peter, we see Balaam as an example of an accursed child—but Balaam was a man who spoke and reasoned with God. Balaam knew what he was doing, and he chose to do what God had told him not to do (Numbers 22:4-32). Balaam is an accursed man. Yet here is a man who was not preordained to be disobedient by God; he is a prophet of God, for that is what he is in the account. By choosing to be disobedient, as we learn in these additional verses of Scripture, Balaam is now consigned to eternity in darkness (Hell):

…but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A mute donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever. (2 Peter 2:16-17)

As is clear, Balaam was depraved, and yet we learn he was able to reason with God, make his own decisions [contrary to predestination] and defy God. Consequently, he has a place reserved for him in Hell.

The doctrine of total depravity informs us that man does not have the ability to make freewill choices. The evil that a man like Balaam did was going to happen because he was never regenerate and his will was always defective, controlled by sin and this was preordained by God Himself. Yet after having disobeyed God initially, we learn that Balaam decides to do what was right and he told his employers, who were paying him to curse Israel, that he would only prophecy what God permits:

Balaam said to Balak, “Didn’t I also tell your messengers who you sent to me, saying, ‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can’t go beyond Yahweh’s word, to do either good or bad of my own mind. I will say what Yahweh says’? (Numbers 23:12-13)

Balaam disobeys God. Then God permits him to go and earn his money, but tells Balaam, that he can only say the words that He gives him. If Balaam had no freewill in the matter, then where is the justice in God sending him to eternal punishment?  The doctrine of total depravity opposes the idea that Balaam or anyone else has freewill—including you! Regarding freewill, this is what the council of Dort stated:

This is a novel idea and an error and has the effect of elevating the power of free choice, contrary to the words of Jeremiah the prophet: The heart itself is deceitful above all things and wicked (Jer. 17:9); and of the words of the apostle: All of us also lived among them (the sons of disobedience) at one time in the passions of our flesh, following the will of our flesh and thoughts (Eph. 2:3).

We will now consider the two texts that are used by the Council of Dort to justify their claims:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

…in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest (Ephesians 2 :2-3)

The Council of Dort claim those two texts say that we have no freewill and are unable to exercise freewill. According to this council of men, these two texts are authoritative and conclusive evidence that we have no freewill to choose good or even to choose life rather than death. We are trapped in the sin of Adam and we cannot escape his sin.

 Based on these claims, the irony becomes, if the heart is deceitful, then how can we trust those who form the Council of Dort to tell us what is true? They are probably twisting scriptural truth—which they are!

There is no mention of freewill in either of those texts, just an allusion to it. By stating the heart is deceitful, this implies that man has the capacity to make decisions. When talking about the desires of the mind, this is an implication that humans may have freewill because they choose to be disobedient, but it does not mean we have no freewill and are robots.

In effect, the doctrine of total depravity teaches that we have no freewill and are therefore robots; or are like animals that disobey God’s commands because we were born to do so. This is taught in the following article:

Article 15: Reprobation Described

Moreover, the holy scripture herein chiefly manifests and commends unto us this eternal and free grace of our election, in that it further witnesseth, that not all men are elected, but some not elected, or passed over in God’s eternal election (Rom 9:22): whom doubtless God in his most free, most just, unreproachable and unchangeable good pleasure hath decreed to leave in the common misery (whereinto by their own fault they precipitated themselves [1 Pet 2:8]), and not to bestow saving faith and the grace of conversion upon them; but, leaving them in their own ways, and under just judgment (Acts 14:16), at last to condemn and everlastingly punish them, not only for their unbelief, but also for their other sins, to the manifestation of his justice. And this is the decree of reprobation, which in no wise makes God the author of sin, (a thing blasphemous once to conceive,) but a fearful, unreproveable, and just judge and revenger.

Here we see the contradiction of this doctrine of total depravity. The logical outcome of the argument is that God is the author of sin—and the suggestion that God is the author of sin is blasphemous. Even though the Council of Dort makes the clear statement that accuses God of evil, they claim they do not; because, as they admit, those developing this doctrine know that this would make the Creator to look like a fiendish imp who suffered from an inferiority complex; something akin to what we would expect of the god of this world.

The argument put forward is God has decided that some should suffer a common misery of everlasting punishment, while the elect will not. This has nothing to do with any decision made by anyone, it is simply a matter of God’s will. No reason is required for God to punish or excuse, for as Creator of the Universe He can do as he likes. Note how they say this is no wise makes God the author of sin—tell a lie repeatedly and the deceitful of heart will believe it.

In their argument as they prosecute God as unjust (although claiming they do not), the creators of this devilish teaching (for this is what it is), overlooked the argument that is made in Romans, chapter nine. They only selected the first two verses of the text and excluded the rest. For although God is willing to demonstrate his righteous displeasure towards the unrighteous behavior of the Jews, who as a nation had been elected to receive His favor, nevertheless, He has suffered their impudence so that He could also justify Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ.

What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory, us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles?  As he says also in Hosea, “I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people; and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.”

   “It will be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ There they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved; for He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.”

As Isaiah has said before, “Unless the Lord of Armies had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.”

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone; even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.” (Romans 9:22-33)

The argument can be summarized: If the number of the children of Abraham is to be as the sand of the sea, those who were not numbered among the elect nation of Israel will need to be included. A remnant will be saved from the elect nation, but it is only those who seek righteousness by faith and believe in Jesus Christ who will find the promised salvation—both Jew and Gentile alike. This God has brought about with patience.

The argument developed in the text from Romans, chapter nine, is much different to the doctrine of double predestination. The doctrine of double predestination is based on a couple of verses taken out of context to support the argument that an unjust Creator consigns all men to a state of sin, and then only delivers those whom he has decided (for no particular reason) to favor before the foundation of the world.  Unlike the Calvinists, when we include the fullness of the argument that is developed by the Apostle Paul in this passage, we find ourselves not having to create convoluted reasons for dismissing other Scripture such as “God so loved the world that all who believe in Him may be saved” (John 3:16), or “God desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4).  They all fall into place.

The argument of the Apostle Paul in Romans, chapter nine, is that the stumbling stone is Jesus Christ. He is a stumbling stone because people who seek to lay hold of eternal life through any other means, have to demonstrate that they have not sinned and have the power over death. Lord Jesus Christ has become a stumbling stone because no sinner can now claim a righteousness of his own, since the Son of God, in the flesh, has demonstrated that the Law can be kept unto death; therefore He holds the key to the door that opens to eternal life.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; no person can have access to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). As we have seen, the Apostle has argued in this chapter that access is only granted to those who are righteous by faith and not by their own righteousness based on works of the law—or any other form of self-righteousness, for that matter. However, instead of following the logical argument of Romans, chapter nine, the Calvinists prefer to take an idea out of context from another passage. This is because they can incorporate into a plausible theology concerning reprobation their heresy of God predestinating people for eternal punishment before they were born and not giving them freewill. The key word in the text (1 Peter 2:8) they use for their heretical interpretation is “appointed”, which is found in the sentence: “they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.” Notice that this once again is the deceptive sleight of hand of the deceiver at play taking Scripture out of context, for we read:

Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow. If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious: coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Because it is contained in Scripture:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, and precious: he who believes in him will not be disappointed.”

For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone,” and, “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”

For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: who in time past were no people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

(1 Peter 2:1-10)

The argument of the deceivers is that those who reject Jesus Christ, the Living Stone, did not reject Him at all—as this requires freewill. Instead, they were appointed to be disobedient before time began, so they could be punished forever.  This is why the complete argument in Romans, chapter nine, is not permitted in their discussion on election and predestination of the wicked. For Calvinists to present the texts used to justify the doctrine of “No Freewill” within the full context of the argument, would mean the scriptural truth that we possess freewill would become obvious. Instead, the argument is overlooked and another text is plucked out of context to hide the truth about freewill, so the doctrine of double predestination can have support at the expense of the truth.

Important to our discussion is the fact that those who are now chosen, had not previously obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy, after having been called out of darkness, unlike the disobedient who [by freewill] rejected the call and the cornerstone. Whereas those who believe in Jesus will not be disappointed for what reason? Because they have made the decision to follow Jesus, having reasoned out that unless the dead are raised, there is no hope for those who are born. Why are the disobedient appointed to disobey the word? Because they prefer to sin rather than obey the word of righteousness. This is how the Mounce Interlinear Greek New Testament translates the verse regarding being appointed to stumble because of disobedience, which is lifted out of context by the Calvinists:

and, a stone that makes people stumble and a rock that makes them fall: They stumble, as they were destined to do since they do not obey the word. (1 Peter 2:8 Mounce[2])

When we see both these passages of Scripture and the context of the Scripture, it is clear that WE POSSESS FREEWILL to reject or accept the inheritance that is available through faith in Jesus Christ. In the passages we have quoted there is no mention of the word “inheritance” but when taken in context of the reason Jesus died, this is what is meant by inheriting a righteousness that is not our own.

The third Scripture used to support this article is once again taken out of context; so that in reading the designated texts together, they say something different to what is written in the Bible. For when we consider the following passage, once more we see a plea to the listeners to exercise their freewill:

“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them;  who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.  Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:15-17)

There would be no need for Apostles to preach the Gospel to others if all those who were going to be saved had been appointed before the foundation of the world and people had no choice in the matter. Yet once more, we see an appeal to reason and an invitation to the listeners to turn (repent) from the vanity of their ways and acknowledge the Creator of the Universe for Who He really is. For it is by God’s grace that the nations have not been destroyed; instead He has through the witness of the Creation made Himself known to all who sought to know the truth about life.  We even read that God allowed the people to walk in their own ways—and did not appoint them to walk in their own ways as if they had no choice to seek Him and find Him. Yet according to the Calvinist’s doctrine of total depravity, God’s grace only extends to the elect who were chosen before the foundation of the world. However, we know the god of this world would not want anyone to believe that salvation comes by faith in Lord Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:15).

Another Scripture that is taken out of context, and used by those who subscribe to the TULIP doctrines of the Calvinists, speaks of having been captured by the Devil to do his will.  According to their philosophical reasoning, this fits in nicely with the idea of following the power of the prince of the air in acts of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). However, when we look at this verse within the context of the whole passage, we see that the Apostle Paul is speaking to Timothy to exercise his will to flee from lusts and to teach others to do so too. If people have no freewill, how is Timothy to teach them to exercise it? This is what the Apostle writes:

Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing that they generate strife.  The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle towards all, able to teach, patient, in gentleness correcting those who oppose him: perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth, and they may recover themselves out of the Devil’s snare, having been taken captive by him to his will. But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also. (2 Timothy 2:22-3:5)

We see in this text the words perhaps, may, repentance and taken captive. These words suggest the possibility of change. Perhaps and may both express uncertainty and have no difference in meaning in that something may happen or perhaps it will not. When it comes to repentance in this instance, if the people are genuine in seeking God, He might grant them to be born from above (John 3:3-7). As for having been taken captive by the Devil, people are not taken captive unless it is against their will.

The idea of fleeing from the Devil or his influences is resident in what James, the Lord’s brother has to say regarding resisting the Devil. We cannot really run away from the Devil by going to another country, state or city; rather we might flee from sinful activists and, in doing so, submit ourselves to God as we resist the Devil. This is what the book of James has to say:

Be subject therefore to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

We cannot resist the Devil if we do not first submit to God. This requires an act of the will. Calvinists claim that because we are in bondage to sin we cannot resist the Devil, and neither can we be subject to God. Yet we read in the book of James that we are encouraged to submit ourselves to God, and in doing this, the Devil has no power over us, because we have chosen life rather than death.

One of the reasons, Calvinists, and even people who hold to a belief in Lord Jesus Christ, do not understand freewill and predestination and election and what being born into sin means, has to do with a lack of understanding of ourselves as individual human beings. Now the key to understanding the truth lies in understanding the truth of the incarnation. When this truth about the Son of God is not understood, all manner of evil persists, guided by the power of the prince of the air, who is the god of this world. The Son of God entered at birth the baby born of Mary, while she was still a virgin. Unfortunately, many insist that Mary carried the Son of God in her womb and point to a particular passage in Luke (1:35-45) to justify this doctrine. The plausibility of the heresy that Mary is the mother of God rests on that Scripture. However, the Bible is clear, that a body (not a woman’s womb or ovum) was to be prepared for the Son of God to enter. For we read:

Therefore when he comes into the world, he says, “Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire, but you prepared a body for me.  You had no pleasure in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of me) to do your will, O God.’” Previously saying, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you didn’t desire, neither had pleasure in them” (those which are offered according to the law), then he has said, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He takes away the first, that he may establish the second, by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(Hebrews 10:5-10)

Some might like to argue that the body that was prepared was the woman Mary, who was still a virgin. However, we know this does not make sense and could not possibly be the case, since the body that was prepared for the preexistent Son of God to enter, was also the body that was offered on the Cross. The Virgin Mary was not offered as the sin offering, only that of Jesus. The body that was prepared was the body that came forth from the womb of Mary, while she was still a virgin; for we know she had other children (Mk.3:31-2; Mt 12:46; Lk 8;19).

In respect to us as individuals, God creates spirits and puts them in children born of the flesh, which is a criterion for being born into the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). Just as the Son of God entered the body that was born of the woman Mary at birth, so too does God place an individual spirit within each baby at birth. This spirit is distinct from the soul and the body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  The following are some of the texts from the Bible that clearly state we have spirits and God is not only the God of the spirits, but also the Father (Creator) of spirits

Zechariah 12:1 A revelation, Yahweh’s word concerning Israel. Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him says…

John 4:23-24 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

1 Corinthians 2:11 For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God’s Spirit.

Numbers 16:22 They fell on their faces, and said, “God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”

Numbers 27:16 Let Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation.

Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?

Isaiah 26:9 With my soul have I desired you in the night. Yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Isaiah 26:19 Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits.

Psalm 88:10 Do you show wonders to the dead? Do the departed spirits rise up and praise you? Selah.

Isaiah 26:14 The dead shall not live. The departed spirits shall not rise. Therefore you have visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of them to perish

Isaiah 14:9 Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the departed spirits for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

Proverbs 2:18 For her house leads down to death, her paths to the departed spirits.

Proverbs 9:18 But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Proverbs 21:16 The man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall rest in the assembly of the departed spirits.

1 Peter 3:18-19 Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;  in which he also went and preached to the spirits in prison.

Clearly, we are conscious beings because we possess a spirit, and we possess the ability to worship God in spirit and truth. God is not only the God of all spirits, but the Father of us all, and there are those who choose to be saved and those who go to the eternal prison. This is why God is called our Father in Heaven, but only those who recognize Him as Father will be saved from having to give an account to Him and all of creation of every careless word they have uttered on the day of the judgment.

When we understand that we are spirits, and our spirit enables us to be thinking, conscious beings, capable of making decisions, we can appreciate that the Son of God was a pre-existing Spirit, distinct from the Father. For we learn that through Him, all things were created and in Him Alone exists life. When it comes to Jesus being born of Mary (a virgin), the pre-existent Son of God, through Whom everything was created, had no need to reside in her womb as the fetus within her grew. When Mary gave birth to the body that was prepared for the pre-existent Son of God to enter at birth, at that point of time the Word became flesh (John 1:14).

The doctrine of total depravity incorporates the teaching of people being born merely to be thrown into everlasting punishment. Central to this belief of total depravity is the doctrine of traducianism. Traducianism is the doctrine that the soul originates with the male parent and every one born carries the sin and nature of Adam. Furthermore, the guilt of Adam’s original sin and condemnation has also been passed down from Him by every male progenitor through the ages. This is in effect the false doctrine of being held accountable for the guilt of the sins of the fathers.

Because the authors and teachers of Calvinist total depravity have no understanding of a person possessing a spirit, a soul and a body, and think only in terms of souls. Their doctrines are predicated on the concept of the sin of Adam being passed down through the soul, where they believe the faculty of each individual’s will resides. The following paragraph on the effect of the fall forms the basis of the argument put forward for the TULIP doctrine of total depravity using three passages of Scripture.

The Effect of the Fall[3]

Man, in the beginning, being made according to God’s image, was adorned in his mind with true and saving knowledge of his Creator, and of things spiritual; in his will and heart with righteousness; in all his affections with purity; and so was in all his parts and faculties holy (Gen 1:26-27). But he, by the Devil’s instigation, and liberty of his own will, revolting from God, bereaved himself of these excellent gifts (Gen 3:1-7), and contrariwise, in lieu of them, gat in his mind horrible darkness, vanity, and crookedness of judgment; in his heart and will, malice, rebellion, and obduration; and in all his affections, impurity (Eph 4:17-19).

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. (Gen. 1:26-27)

Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’”

   The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too. Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves. (Genesis 3:1-7)

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,  being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts;  who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (Ephesians 4:17-19)

Discussion of Argument

The effect of the fall was for the eyes of both the man and the woman to be opened, as a sinner rather having their eyes opened as a saint, which would have been the case had they eaten of the tree of life. Now they both became conscious of their nakedness in a manner unlike that possessed before their disobedience. This does not mean that the two humans were not conscious beings prior to having had their eyes opened, just that they were now conscious of their sin and aware of lustful feelings towards each other. Adam and Eve had become aware of the lusts of the world: the pride of life, the lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16). Prior to disobeying God, they had no consciousness of these desires, but since they had listened to the guardian angel (Ezekiel 28:13-15), he had claimed dominion over them and mankind was now subject to the prince of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2).

The implication from the argument for the effects of man by using “being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God” once again becomes one of those leaps of supposition, which are not really fully supported by Scripture. Too many people have a habit of expounding ideas and half-quoting texts, pulling scripture out of its context to support another pretext, and placing events from the New Testament into the Old Testament. Besides that, often a lack of understanding of what the Gospel message really means, God’s true purpose, and the constitution of man, also contribute to wrongly interpreting scripture. What the Council of Dort is saying here is partly true, but not entirely true, and this is where we encounter a problem, which so often seems to be the case for error.

For it is true that Adam disobeyed God, and in doing so alienated himself. But it is also true that God did not cast Adam into prison. Adam was removed from the Garden of Eden, but not the presence of God. We also know that Adam and Eve had children, but one of their children, Cain, after he had murdered Abel, left the presence of God to live in the land of Nod, east of Eden (Genesis 4:16). This indicates there are assumptions being made in this doctrine of total depravity that are not necessarily supported by the very Bible that is claimed to support their proposition and how they define it. If Adam was totally depraved and everyone else from that time forth, it is rather odd that he and Eve were still in the presence of God.—God even clothed them (Gen. 3:21. cp. Rev. 3:18).

The effect of the fall was to hand over the reins to govern this world to Satan, who sinned from the beginning and obtained the right to rule over the world by deceiving Eve and causing Adam to disobey God. Instead of Adam and his descendants having the right to rule over Earth, this right had been transferred to Satan because of disobedience. Satan became the god of this world. His desire is for everyone to worship him, rather than acknowledge God the Creator. The evidence is that He attempted to beget a race of his own when the sons of Gods (angels) took as wives the daughters of men (Genesis 6:1-4). As a consequence of this attempt to create a mixed race of angels and men, wickedness began to reign on Earth to such extent that God was grieved in having created Man. This is what the Bible records:

The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil. Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart (Genesis 6:4-6)

For God to be grieved, suggests that this was not what He had intended. Yet the total depravity doctrine of the Calvinists depends on God having predestined men to be born into eternal punishment. The dilemma for adherents of TULIP is in trying to demonstrate these abovementioned texts from the Bible are incorrect. Are the Calvinists correct with their doctrine of total depravity and double predestination of the elect unto salvation and the wicked for condemnation? If this were so, then God would not be grieved by anything a man or a woman would do. There would be no need for God to grieve over people having an evil heart, since this is what he planned, as Calvinists claim. (Remember reading the following in the statement from the Council of Dort about reprobation: that not all men are elected, but some not elected, or passed over in God’s eternal election whom doubtless God in his most free, most just, unreproachable and unchangeable good pleasure hath decreed to leave in the common misery …to condemn and everlastingly punish them.)

Now if the Calvinists are incorrect and the truth is their TULIP doctrines are of the Devil, then there should be evidence in the Bible to demonstrate that this is so. There should be evidence of freewill being a faculty that God expects to be used, even though we are all born into a world governed by sin. If God hoped that men and women might seek after Him but instead they did evil and disregarded Him, contrary to His will, then we would expect our Heavenly Father to feel grief.

Grief occurs when death occurs against our will—planned deaths do not produce grief.

From the account that is written in the book of Genesis at the time of Noah, evidently God grieves when men do not seek Him but prefer to do evil and follow after prince of the power of the air, which is the spirit of disobedience luring people into a false freedom; one that creates distrust and fear rather than faith and peace. In fact, the Apostle Paul actually made the claim that the reason God created humans was in the hope that they seek Him out. This is what the Apostle said:

The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’

(Acts 17:24-28)

As we have already discussed, the idea that “perhaps (maybe) we might reach out to God”, is indicative of freewill. Furthermore, this also suggests that we are consigned to sin, unless we recognize that there has to be something better. Other translations have in the hope they might feel after (or grope for), with the generic meaning of the Greek being if then feeling for[4] God they might find Him. The general idea is that God is waiting to see what each person will do. Who will seek after Him? Who will reject Him?

God obviously created us that we might seek Him out and find Him. Our Heavenly Father did not just want us to be robots, but was obviously hoping that Adam and Eve would choose to have fellowship with Him because they loved Him. Indeed it is one thing to be treated as an animal and be told what to do (or programmed as a robot) but it is another matter to decide what to do from freewill. Only freewill allows love to exist in its highest form of virtue. We can love things. We can love animals. Animals can be trained and afterwards prove to be loyal. Unfortunately, animals cannot think and decide to love us because they appreciate who we are. This is something that God can do. This is something humans can do also, because we have been made in the image of God. God was hoping for something precious to occur, instead, He felt sorrow because once the women had given birth to children by the angels, evil and violence became commonplace (Genesis 6:11). One man, however, found favor with God. This was Noah (Gen. 6:8).

In the New Testament, we learn that Noah was a righteous man (2 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 11:7). This can only be because Noah sought God out and hated the evil that he saw around him. From the Old Testament we also learn reasons why Noah may have found favor with God. The following Scripture indicates the difference between the wise and the foolish:

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do his work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Jeremiah 9:23-24 Yahweh says, Don’t let the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, don’t let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he has understanding, and knows me, that I am Yahweh who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says Yahweh.

The Bible has a message to all humans that if we seek the Lord God, we will discover our Father in Heaven is full of loving kindness, and executes justice in righteousness, which is without partiality. Adam sinned and, even though God drove him and his wife out of the Garden of Eden, He had clothed them and still permitted them to dwell in His presence. Why did God clothe Adam and Eve and still permit them to live in His presence?  Could God have loved Adam and Eve, in the same way as he so loved the world that He sent His Son to be the propitiation for sin? If Adam and Eve were estranged from God and living in the futility of a fallen state, then they would not have been still in the presence of God. Cain would not have been born in the presence of God. Yet we know Cain was in God’s presence (Genesis 4:16), and by implication, so were his parents and brothers and sisters. Those who proclaim the doctrine of total depravity would have us believe that this was not the case. They claim that at the time of Noah, because the hearts of men were said to be evil, this had been preordained by God. But if these people were like pieces in a chess game, there would be no need for God to grieve over having created man. Although, the Bible does not exactly say how Noah found favor with God, we read the following in the New Testament:

Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Hebrews 11:6-7)

What we do know about the doctrine of double predestination is it states that those who are destined for everlasting punishment had no say in the matter because they were preordained to be cast into Hell. Those who are predestined to be part of the elect were preordained to be saved. According to this doctrine, this is a matter of grace, least any person should boast. However, when we read the book of Hebrews, we learn that Noah was saved by faith, not grace. Faith is essential if we are to find favor in God’s sight. Therefore, Noah had to have believed God existed and rewarded those who sought after Him. Noah’s salvation was not a matter of grace alone, rather it was the outcome of his faith and personal desire to seek God rather than do evil.

Let us look further into what the Council of Dort has to say about the corruption that came into the world as a result of the fall of Adam and how it has affected every human being since.

The Spread of Corruption[5]

And such as man after the fall, such children he begat; namely, a corrupt issue from a corrupt father (Job 14:4; Ps 51:5): this corruption being by the just judgment of God derived from Adam to all his posterity (Rom 5:12) (Christ only excepted [Heb 4:15]), and that not by imitation (as of old the Pelagians would have it), but by the propagation of nature with her infection.

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one..

(Job 14:4)

Behold, I was born in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me.. (Psalm 51:5)

Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)

For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

Discussion of Argument

The argument here about the spread of corruption is based largely upon the idea that Adam was a corrupt Father, evil in fact. Adam sinned and, in doing so, he had become unclean—as did Eve. Every child thereafter had to be born unclean, because we read the reference from Job, Psalm and Romans and we learn that there appears to have a continuation of sin and death as the result of the sin of Adam. The proposition is unmistakably clear, we are riddled to the core with sin and corruption, absolutely rotten, the same as Cain would have been. Yet we read of Cain that there was a time when he had not sinned, because sin was couching at his door, only he had to master it. This is how the account reads:

As time passed, Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?  If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.”

Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.

Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?”

He said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

   Yahweh said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.  Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.  From now on, when you till the ground, it won’t yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth.”

Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. (Genesis 4:3-13)

The idea that sin desired Cain, but was only at his door, and he had to take authority over it, means that sin did not have authority over him. Cain had not been taken captive by the Devil to do his will at this particular time (cp. 2 Timothy 2:26). This means that Cain had not yet sinned. Cain was angry, but he had not sinned. The Apostle Paul admonishes the Ephesians that they can be angry, as long as they do not sin (Ephesians 4:26). Now if Cain was already alienated from God because he had been conceived in sin within his mother’s womb, we are left to question the reason he is being told that sin desires him. Surely, having been conceived in sin, he was already sold to sin, and sin had him. Of course, if this was not the case and sin is not passed down from father to son, then each must not be born sinners, even if we are born into sin—there is a big difference.

If we are born sinners, then we are not just born into sin or conceived in a world that is bound by sin, we are born sinful and rotten to the core. However, if we are conceived in sin and born into sin, but our spirits are placed into the souls of our bodies by God at birth, then we have not made a conscious choice to sin, and do not inherit the sin of our father. This is different to what the doctrine of total depravity teaches. It teaches that we are totally depraved, which means corrupt and unable to make a decision, because we are born captive to the will of the Devil. However, in the case of Cain we see this is not the case and his father’s sins were not passed down to him that he should bear the guilt. Cain was guilty because he sinned; not because his father sinned. The Bible does not teach that we are guilty of our father’s sin. This is what the Lord God has to say:

The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him. (Ez. 18:20)

Just because death has passed down to all men, and all men sin, this does not mean that the sins of the parents pass down on to the children, so they bear their parent’s guilt. What this means is that because we are born into sin, sin reigns on this Earth, and all things are subject to death. Nevertheless, every child sins when coveting something that belongs to someone else, bears false witness, takes something without permission and disobeys a parent. From that point on, once one of those commandments has been broken, the child is guilty of having committed sin.  What this means is even though we are conceived in sin and born into sin, we are not guilty of sin until we actually commit sin.  Our spirits are untainted by sin, until we are guilty of having sinned. As spiritual beings made in the image of God, like Cain we are not guilty of sin until we have actually sinned as an act of our volition, regardless of the fact our souls are passed down through our parents, as are our physical characteristics and we may have a proclivity towards sin.

In respect to humans being subject to death, and after the flood, not living as long as they did before the flood, there are three reasons why this could be so. Firstly, sin affected the blood, of which the DNA passes down via the male of the species—the Blood of Jesus was not the blood of man. Secondly, our own sins contribute to our inability to ward off cell-death. Thirdly, the atmosphere has changed to such an extent since those days that the environment is no longer conducive to living for ever, or even longevity of individuals approaching one thousand years duration. The longest living person that has been verifiably documented in the modern era has only lived one hundred and twenty-two years, one hundred and sixty-four days.[6]

This is what the Bible has to say about death being passed to all men and how through one man’s disobedience death reigns, but through one man’s obedience eternal life is attainable:

Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not charged when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come. But the free gift isn’t like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not as through one who sinned: for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses to justification.  For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life. For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous.  The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly; that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:12-21)

The idea that death passed down to all men because of one man’s sin, and we inherit his sin as well as death, ignores the fact death is the result of each one’s own sin. The Apostle argues that even without the law, sin occurred, but the law was necessary to point out sin and compare it with grace. What confuses many when reading this text is that physical death does not mean spiritual death. Similarly, neither does a righteousness of works mean eternal life. Sin came into the world because of Adam, but if a person were not to sin, then that person would have eternal life. However, the Apostle argues since all men died, all men had to have sinned. Being born into a world governed by sin, many were made sinners, but not all (John the Baptist is considered by some to be one). The exception, of course, was Jesus Christ our Lord. Since Jesus did not commit sin, when he died, his righteousness was presented as a gift to those who receive it. In the Gospel of John, we read concerning Jesus:

 He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.  But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name. (John 1:11-12)

Not all receive the gift. The gift is rejected. In that text, we see that even those who were Jesus’ own did not receive Him. To reject Jesus is to reject the gift of righteousness and eternal life. To receive Jesus is be given the right to born into the Kingdom of God and be adopted by God as His children; that is, sons of God, who possess the same righteous nature as He Himself possesses. To receive or reject the gift is an exercise of our freewill.

The argument for the validity of the doctrine of total depravity is a faulty argument. The claim is all men have died because of Adam’s sin and death is passed down from generation to generation because of this alone. The claim is false because Enoch (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5) did not die and neither did Elijah (2 Kgs. 2:11; Mk. 9:4). Both of these men did not see death but were taken to be with God. This means the argument that all men died because of the sin of Adam is false and this was not what the Apostle Paul was really saying; rather, he was saying that although we are born into sin, because of Adam’s forfeiture of his right to reign, we can now reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The argument for death caused by the guilt of Adam being passed down the male line has no warrant from Scripture.  The Son of God entered a human soul, which He obtained from the body that came from Mary. Jesus was sinless, therefore the soul, while possessing the desires of the flesh, is not sinful of itself. Sin is the actual breaking of one of the Ten Commandments. The Apostle Paul states, humanly speaking, that sin does not exist, except for the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the only words written by God Himself. They are also the standard that defines and measures sin. This is what the Apostle wrote:

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn’t have known sin, except through the law. For I wouldn’t have known coveting, unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead. I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.  The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death; for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.  Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good. Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful. (Romans 7:7-13)

In this passage of Scripture, the Apostle is saying that he was alive before he knew the commandments of God. The Law here is a reference to the Ten Commandments written by God. According to the doctrine of total depravity, the Apostle had to have been dead in his sins, not alive, as he claims here. He even claims he would not have known sin if it were not for the Law, which suggests he was righteous (as was Cain before he succumbed to sin). But we are informed all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, so we cannot build a doctrine that people are righteous, if they do not know the Ten Commandments. Instead, the Apostle is arguing that the while we might think we have no need to acknowledge God, the Law points out our shortcomings in a way that our conscience does not bear witness—because we can sear it; whereas, what is written remains to accuse us, regardless of what sins we commit. This is covered in the second chapter of Romans, and points to the fact that we possess freewill to choose to do what we know to be right. As James says:

To him therefore who knows to do good [this is, right], and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)

Calvinists love lifting texts out of context to justify their doctrine that we are all condemned to being wicked, and we being wicked have no say in a matter—except themselves, of course, as they falsify the truth.

One text used to justify the belief we have no say in a matter is found in the book of Proverbs. First, we will look at the verse in question, then some other verses lifted out of Proverbs before placing the first-mentioned Scripture—Calvinists lift out of context—back into context.

Proverbs 16:4 Yahweh has made everything for its own end— yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Proverbs 28:4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked; but those who keep the law contend with them.

Proverbs 21:7 The violence of the wicked will drive them away, because they refuse to do what is right.

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.

Proverbs 16:3-5 Commit your deeds to Yahweh, and your plans shall succeed. Yahweh has made everything for its own end— yes, even the wicked for the day of evil. Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh: they shall certainly not be unpunished.

As is evident, the text (Pr 16:4) used to justify the belief that the wicked do not possess freewill, on its own, does seem to indicate that this may be the case. But when we take (the following) three other verses mentioned that are found in Proverbs, we see that people can forsake the law, instead of keeping it; by refusing to do what is right, they become violent in nature; and those who justify the wicked (including those who suggest the Lord has created them to be wicked) are an abomination to our Heavenly Father. Following this, when we read in context, the Scripture used to justify God creating the wicked to do evil that He might punish them, we learn that people are informed that they ought to commit their deeds to God, so that he can help them, but those who are proud in heart will not go unpunished. This is because everything has its own end, those who choose to be righteous commit to God, while those who choose to be wicked, because they are too proud to commit to God, are an abomination. Jesus picks up the same theme, when he talks about those who hate the truth and those who love the truth. In fact, we could say that Jesus was merely rephrasing what we have just read in the three verses from the sixteenth chapter of the book of Proverbs. For we read:

This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God. (John 3:19-21)

The verses of Scripture we are discussing here all point to freewill. The failure of those who contrived the doctrine of total depravity to consider that we are tripartite beings (spirit, soul and body) and not dipartite (soul and body) could be the reason for this heresy of possessing no freewill, even though we have been made in the image of God.

In respect to this doctrine of total depravity, when we start to consider the context of the verses from where the proof texts have been taken to justify the pretext that all men are inherently evil and have no freewill, we note that the Bible does not teach what they claim. By considering the context of the texts that are used to justify the falsehood that humans do not possess freewill and are born as beings of total depravity who are unable to make choices between good and evil, we actually see the Bible teaches men have freewill and those who hate evil and seek God are saved through faith. Even Cain could have overcome sin, had he resisted the Devil and drawn near to God. For Cain to have drawn near to God, he would have had to been like Noah and believed he would be rewarded. This is contrary to the doctrine of total depravity, upon which the rest of the articles of belief found in the doctrines known by the acronym of TULIP rest.

UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION

Since we have seen clear evidence for the doctrine of Total Depravity being an outright heresy and contrary to the teaching of Scripture, the next four doctrines of the Calvinist’s fall apart very quickly because the foundation for their propositions is false. The first of the four we will look at is the doctrine of Unconditional Election.

Many would like to say that we embrace the doctrine of unconditional election because it is true. Those who claim it is true, say it is true because they want to believe they are part of the chosen and refer to Jesus’ statement to His disciples that they did not choose Him, but that He chose them (John 15:16) as proof that this means them. These same people will tell us that we must take Scripture in context and would claim that any text, which clearly states “God desires the salvation of all men” (which is the truth), must not be taken out of context. Hence, we too must put this Scripture about Jesus choosing His disciples in context. He was speaking to the twelve and not anybody else.

John Piper is one of the modern-day mouthpieces for the TULIP doctrines. He makes the following claims about the second of the TULIP doctrines when claiming that there are five reasons to embrace unconditional election:

“I use the word embrace because unconditional election is not just true, but precious. Of course, it can’t be precious if it’s not true. So that’s the biggest reason we embrace it. But let’s start with a definition:

Unconditional election is God’s free choice before creation, not based on foreseen faith, to which traitors he will grant faith and repentance, pardoning them, and adopting them into his everlasting family of joy.

We embrace unconditional election because it is true.

All my objections to unconditional election collapsed when I could no longer explain away Romans 9.”[7]

We have had a look at Romans, chapter nine (p100), and there was nothing to explain away. Romans chapter nine speaks about people being made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. Either John Piper has missed the fact people are made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ, or he has decided to be a teacher of false doctrines to further his academic career and find a solid support base among Calvinists purporting to be Christians who have good paying jobs. This is not a condemnation of the man; rather it is a legitimate statement of what is true. Either the man has not read Romans chapter nine with the intent to understand it, or he has other motives for calling those, who are justified by faith, traitors. Whatever the case, the doctrine is devilish because it teaches we do not need to exercise faith. His definition of unconditional election appears to be deceptively confusing and purposely so. A better definition of unconditional election would have been much clearer and to the point, such as this: 

Unconditional election is the decision God made before Creation to grant salvation to some people and condemn the rest to everlasting punishment; it is not based on faith but based on unmerited favor (partiality).

As is evident in the definition that I have provided, the issue of faith is clear and not stated in a confusing manner like that which Piper uses. Why do tricksters convolute matters? Tricksters design definitions to deceive those who are looking for guidance in knowing the truth.

As for being traitors, this suggests that people have turned their backs on God; to do so, a decision has to have been made. If people had no freewill, they could not make decisions. If people have freewill and are able to make decisions, this means that God had not chosen who would be saved before the foundation of the world without desiring all men be saved.

Much is made of the fact Jesus said that no one comes to Him unless the Father draws them, and He chose His disciples, they did not choose Him. Instead of just pulling out a Scripture here and there, once more we will look at the context of what Jesus was saying at the time of His quotes (doesn’t this make you feel clean instead of devious, deceptive and dirty):

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love.  I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.

   “This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.  You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

“I command these things to you, that you may love one another.  If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. (John 15:10-20)

Jesus talking to the twelve uses “if” a number of times here. The word “if” is a conditional conjunction used to indicate uncertainty.  While the disciples to whom Jesus was speaking may have been chosen by Him, there were still many “ifs” within the speech. Notice that Jesus said to them that those who will keep the word of the disciples would only do so if they were prepared to keep Jesus’ word. What we see here is Jesus effectively saying that if people desire to keep the Father’s commandments, they will desire to keep His commandments and the word of the disciples also. On the other hand, if they are not prepared to keep the commandments of the Father or the Son, neither will they listen to the disciples. Moreover, it is important for us to understand that not all who were disciples were prepared to follow Jesus. We learn:

But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life. But there are some of you who don’t believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who didn’t believe, and who it was who would betray him. He said, “For this cause have I said to you that no one can come to me, unless it is given to him by my Father.”At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.  Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You don’t also want to go away, do you?”

   Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

   Jesus answered them, “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (John 6:60-70)

Here we see that not everybody was prepared to follow Jesus. They made decisions to leave Him. However, notice what Simon Peter said regarding his decision to stay with Jesus. Indeed, freewill was very much a part of this relationship. Not only do we see evidence of freewill, but the reason why Jesus chose whom He did. Jesus possessed foreknowledge—because he was able to discern the thoughts and intentions of a person’s heart (Rev. 2:23; Heb. 4:12-14) and included Judas as one of the twelve because He knew the man’s heart.

Jesus would not have needed to make a choice if everything had been already decided before the foundation of the world. Jesus would have known that Judas was the man (or robot) he was going to use before Adam was made. We cannot deny that this would have been the case if the doctrine of unconditional election for the saved and eternal punishment for the condemned were true—only it is not true; it is false; a concoction of manmade philosophy.

Much of what Jesus said in the Gospels applied to those present and to the situation at the time. Nevertheless, understanding the principles of salvation contained within the Eternal Gospel is another matter, and the Calvinist proposition of unconditional election in some respects does sound like unconditional salvation and universal salvation for all; but the way they explain the proposition, it is not. The proposition is that God only provided unconditional salvation for a certain select number of people. If the doctrine of unconditional election were the truth, whether it meant universal salvation or salvation for a particular number of people, there is no incentive and no need to preach the gospel if those who are to be saved have already been chosen. Yet this is what John Piper says is the strong point of unconditional election (salvation):

When you offer Christ freely to all unbelievers, suppose one says, “I have sinned too terribly. God could never choose to save me.” The most ultimate despair-destroying thing you can say is this: Do you realize that God chose before the foundation of the world whom he will save? And he did it based on absolutely nothing in you. Before you were born or had done anything good or bad, God chose whether to save you or not.[8]

Firstly, it needs to be said, that if only a certain elect have been chosen before the foundation of the world, how can Piper or anyone else, for that matter, offer salvation to unbelievers? Notice how he advises by implication, look we have a trick up our sleeves, “we say he is really saved because God chose the unbeliever before the foundation of the world”. Unless there is an ulterior motive, who would tell unbelievers untruths?  Who resorts to tricks?  Who are agents of the Devil? Who but Pharisees will do and say anything to make a convert? Unfortunately, the convert becomes twice as much a child of Hell as themselves? Look what Jesus said:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

(Matthew 23:15 NKJV[9])

In this scenario, the unbeliever thinks he has sinned too terribly to be saved. But instead of being told about how salvation is provided to those who have faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, he is told, God has already decided who will be saved, so there is nothing to worry about. The person then thinks, since there is nothing I can do about the matter, I will just continue in my sin and there is no need to repent after all. Either I am saved or I am not.  If I am saved, there is nothing I can do about it. If I am not saved, there is nothing I can do about it, so I may as well enjoy my sin.

Because the unbeliever does not see any reason to become a church member or participate in the hypocrisy of the self-righteous, the hypocrite then does everything he or she can to persuade the person that now they are saved (even though they are an unbeliever) it is really better for them to demonstrate to others that they belong together and become a member of those who have been selected. These people then begin to provide inducements, claiming that they are from the blessings of the Lord. Not only are financial gifts provided but also career and employment opportunities, depending on the convert’s abilities, employment history and social standing. Often those who are of a lower social standing are encouraged to attend Bible College to raise their academic profile. Those who have not got the finances are often supported financially, so they can then be indoctrinated in apologetics and the propositional truths of TULIP and become full time ministers.

The doctrine of unconditional election is the doctrine that we are saved by grace alone. There are no conditions attached to our salvation. In this respect, universal salvation for all is the same as unconditional salvation (election). However, the Bible teaches that we are not saved by grace alone, we are saved through faith in Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is a condition required for salvation. If salvation were unconditional:

(1) There would be no need for Jesus dying on the Cross.

(2) There would be no need to seek God.

(3) There would be no need to repent.

(4) There would be no need to have a changed heart.

(5) There would be no need to obey the commandments of

   God.

(6) There would be no need for Jesus to search our hearts.

(7) There would be no need at all for the six conditions that

   have just been mention to be included in the Bible.

If we had been chosen before the foundation of the world, there is no need for God to search our hearts at all. He already knows who is going to be saved. However, if salvation were conditional upon our hearts being acceptable to God, then it is understandable that our hearts need to be searched.  In fact, the Bible tells us that God searches our hearts and that we need to search after God also, as this is the precondition for our salvation. Here are some of the verses regarding this:

Romans 8:27 He [Jesus] who searches the hearts knows what is on the [Holy] Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God [the Father].

Revelation 2:23  I [Jesus] will kill her children with Death, and all the assemblies will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

Psalm 7:9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God.

Jeremiah 17:10 I, Yahweh, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

Hebrews 4:12-13 For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God, and you shall find him, when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Jeremiah 29:13 You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts.

1 Chronicles 28:9 You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Yahweh searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

Clearly, God searches the hearts of all people to see who are searching after Him. For without faith we cannot please God. But if we believe that He exists, and He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), we will be inclined to do so.

Atheists do not seek God because they do not believe there is any need. They see no reason to find a purpose in life other than living for themselves and, usually, they are seeking approval from other people. Michael Shermer, founder of the Skeptics Society, is such an atheist. He claims he was once a born again Christian and studied theology for a while, but is now an atheist. Instead of knocking on doors and telling people about religion, he found there was more personal success in pursuing an anti-God crusade. Shermer is an opportunist like those who did not really believe in Jesus but were only after free food, when He was providing feeding frenzies for the multitude. When Jesus began to talk about true realities of life, they were not interested and went their own way. This is what atheists do; but like Antony Flew, when death approaches, often they start thinking that the only hope for humans is if God is real.

In some respects, it seems pointless continuing to discuss John Piper’s claims because the doctrine of unlimited election is not actually biblical, as we have convincingly refuted them already. But just in case there are some who happen to feel the need for the following answered, a short rebuttal will be made. Besides this, we can see how deceived these people really are. 

PIPER CLAIMS:

Jesus confirms this teaching: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). Coming to Jesus is not a condition we meet to qualify for election. It is the result of election. The Father has chosen his sheep. They are his. And he gives them to the Son. That is why they come. “No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (John 6:65). “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16; see John 17:2, 6, 9; Galatians 1:15).[10]

Here the trickster Piper, who was devising plans to convert unbelievers (as revealed earlier), says all that the Father gives will come, and that coming to Jesus is not a condition, because the Father had chosen who would be saved beforehand (which leaves honest people wondering why Piper promotes the need to convert unbelievers). Even if we put this in the context of today, rather than the context of when Jesus was speaking to His disciples (John 17:25-26), we see that the Apostle Paul says it is Jesus doing the choosing; not the Father (Romans 8:27).

PIPER CLAIMS:

In the book of Acts, why did some believe and not others? Luke’s answer is election: “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). This “appointment” — this election—was not based on foreseen faith; it was the cause of faith.[11]

In saying “as many who were appointed to eternal life believed” is the same as saying “as many who were chosen believed”. What this means is that at that particular place, those who believed were the only ones among the redeemed at the time. There were no people of weaker faith who could lose their salvation (Hebrews 6:6), as we find in other places such as Corinth (1 Corinthians 8:8-13), where all manner of wickedness was going on in the church; so much so, that the Apostle Paul wrote to them saying that they were worse than the heathen (1 Corinthians 5:1).

PIPER CLAIMS:

 “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise . . . so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. . . . Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:27, 29, 31).[12]

To suggest that God preordained the wise in the world to be shamed by the foolish contradicts the book of Proverbs, which states that when a fool mixes with wise people, the fool ceases to be wise, but when a wise man mixes with fools, he becomes a fool himself (Proverbs 13:20). However, the context of the texts mentioned here is a different matter all together.

The foolishness of the cross is compared to the wisdom of man’s philosophy in that those who have accepted Jesus were often those who were despised by the world. Consequently, as in those days, even today, the more educated and wealthier people become, the less likely they are to look to the Cross of Jesus. Hence, when we read the Sermon on the Mount, we find those who are more likely to look to Jesus being those who are poor in spirit or who are mourning or merciful rather than filled with worldly knowledge, enjoying the riches of this life and self-interest.

If Piper and his ilk are to be believed, the other point, of course, is God determined before the foundation of the world only to choose the foolish—which we know is not true, for only the wise choose God, whereas a fool says there is no God (Psalm 14:1).

PIPER CLAIMS:

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, compassionate hearts, kindness . . . forgiving each other” (Colossians 3:12–13). No one has seen or savored his election truly who is not moved by it to become kind and patient and forgiving.[13]

This has nothing to do with the doctrine of unconditional election, but is a ploy that is used by tricksters to divert a person’s thinking away from the real issues. However, if the person has been already elected to salvation, there is no need to put on anything, for everything has been done. It is a different matter if we have freewill and need to forgive others before our Heavenly Father will forgive us (Mark 11:25-26 Matt. 6:14-15).

PIPER CLAIMS:

Therefore, you dare not get in God’s face and tell him what qualifications you lack in order to be chosen. There were no qualifications for being chosen. “What then should I do?” he asks. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). That’s how you begin to “confirm your calling and election” (2 Peter 1:10). If you will embrace the Savior, you will confirm that you are elect, and you will be saved.[14]

As we have noted that there are a number of qualifications for being chosen, but these are not works based, they based on how genuine our desire is to know God. Even telling a person what he needs to do suggests that something is required to qualify for salvation. In this scenario, where the person is asking the question of what needs to be done, he is not told, “Nothing, because you were already saved before the foundation of the world.”  Instead, he is told, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Which also means, “if you do not believe, you will not be saved.” To this, the Calvinist will say, the person was not elected, because he is not a believer. However, Piper goes on to say, “If you will embrace the Savior...”  “If” is used to express a condition. And as for the need to confirm one’s election, the question becomes Why? And to Whom? Why the need to confirm to God, what has already been decided? But if we need to confirm our election to others, this is the same as becoming a member of a club and conforming to the club’s requirements as men pleasers. (And let us not forget Piper’s early remarks about the ploy of being saved before the foundation of the world to convert unbelievers to Calvinism.)

The most puzzling statements by John Piper are the ones about needing to proclaim the grace of God to a hostile world and seek converts. If people are already unconditionally saved before the foundation of the world, there are no lost sheep or lost souls to save. Yet Piper writes:

We embrace unconditional election because God designed it to make us fearless in our proclamation of his grace in a hostile world. We embrace unconditional election because God designed it to make us humble. We embrace unconditional election because God made it a powerful moral impetus for compassion, kindness, and forgiveness. We embrace unconditional election because it is a powerful incentive in our evangelism to help unbelievers, who are great sinners, not despair.[15]

You could use the phrase “theory of evolution” instead of unconditional election, when claiming it is a powerful incentive to make converts. Atheists are doing this all the time. The theory of evolution is taught to children in schools and creates believers out of people who initially claim they did not believe. There is no difference really in the methodology that Piper advocates. There is no doubt that what Jesus said about hypocrites making converts twice as much a child of Hell as themselves (Matthew 23:15) has to apply to those who become Calvinists, because they believe they have already been chosen, but, like Piper, to get numbers they need to make converts out those unbelievers who have not been chosen.

It is more understandable to seek out sinners if we believe that unless they hear the gospel, they face eternal punishment without a chance of salvation. Evangelicals and Pentecostals that believe this are extremely missionary minded. Pentecostals, more than Evangelicals, tend to preach about faith in the resurrection and baptism of the Holy Spirit than holding to ideas of total depravity and limited atonement for the special ones, who are always wicked and not able to possess the thoughts that God has. On the other hand, if we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then it makes sense that the thoughts of God can be our thoughts. To suggest that we can possess the Holy Spirit and still be powerless to change is a denial of the power of God. In respect to such people and their beliefs, this is what the Bible states:

…having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:5)

For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

(1 Corinthians 4:20)

In actual fact, to say that we possess the Holy Spirit and deny that we can be transformed by the renewal of our minds to think and act like God would have us do so, in accordance to His ways, is an act of unbelief and a damnable heresy.

LIMITED ATONEMENT

This doctrine teaches that Jesus died only for those who had been elected to salvation before the foundation of the world. Once the idea of unconditional election has been established in the minds of people, it would be foolish to then say that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world and this really means everyone. According to this heresy, the Apostle John evidently did not mean Jesus died for the whole world when he wrote that this is what our Savior did. According to Calvinists, the whole world means “all those who were unconditionally elected in the whole world”. (Do you get the feeling that someone is trying to pull the skin of a bull over your eyes and darken your mind?)

This is what the letter that the Apostle John wrote, states:

My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. One who says, “I know him,” and doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him.  But whoever keeps his word, God’s love has most certainly been perfected in him. This is how we know that we are in him:  he who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just like he walked (1 John 2:1-6)

Let us go consider what the Apostle John wrote. We are told that in the event we happen to sin—that is break one of the commandments—we have an advocate with the Father. Now this presents Jesus as a lawyer representing a client before a judge. If there is a need for a lawyer, then this suggests that there has to be a prosecutor. A prosecutor accuses someone of a crime before a judge and insists that the person should be punished accordingly. The lawyer advocates that this is unnecessary because of mitigating circumstances. This occurs if the lawyer’s client is guilty or pleads not guilty because of ignorance, or is actually innocent and has been declared guilty due to the evidence. When it comes to appearing before the throne of God, innocence is not something that can be pleaded. The Devil (Satan) only prosecutes those he can lay some charge against. Jesus, on the other hand, pleads the case for the guilty, whether this is because the sins were committed in ignorance or because the person has truly felt remorse for knowingly, or having with intent, willfully, committed sin against other individuals and the Lord God.

There are two types of sin that need to be dealt with in the Bible. These are the sins that involve our own actions and the sin that Adam committed which handed over the world to Satan.

As a Christian, if we have committed a sin, Satan has the right to persecute us and cause us to suffer. However, after having sinned as a Christian, if we have repented of our sin, by calling upon the name of the Lord and having asked forgiveness, Satan now has to prosecute his case to obtain permission to harm us or take away our blessings in respect to that particular sin. Depending on the circumstances of the situation, justice will be done.

For instance, if we have committed a sin of omission and failed to have done something that we should have done because of forgetfulness, confusion, uncertainty or doubt, or find ourselves in a situation seemingly beyond our control and do not want to sin, but call out to God in the sin, Jesus acts as our advocate and gets us off the hook. However, if we knowingly fail in a certain area of our commitment to the Lord or actively sin (sins of commission), Satan has the right to persecute us. This often occurs in situations where we are presumptuous, and rather than seek the will of the Lord in a matter, we think we know better, and then inadvertently stumble. When we realize our error, we go back to the Lord, but Satan is still demanding his pound of flesh in the courts of Heaven; only we are now seeking the Lord to cover us once more, and plead our circumstances. While this idea of Satan appearing in Heaven as our accuser might sound absurd to some, this is actually what happens, and the story of Job brings this home (Job 1:6-2:10), as does King David’s sin (1 Chronicles 21:1-30), and we must not forget Satan desiring to possess Peter, the disciple of Jesus (Luke 22:31-32).

The second sin issue concerns what Adam committed and this affects the whole world. The Apostle John says that Jesus is also the atoning sacrifice, that is, the ransom price, for the sins of the whole world. This covers the sin that Adam committed, which gave Satan control over the whole world. However, Jesus redeemed the right to rule over the whole world when he paid the ransom price.  This is what Jesus said:

For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Calvinists claim that this means Jesus only died for some and not all. (They overlook that “For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many”—Romans 5:15 KJV. The “many” here actually means “all”, otherwise “many” did not die.) However, when we understand that Jesus did not just die to redeem the world from the sin of one man, Adam, but the sins of many (including all who believe by faith) then there is no limited atonement. Not only did Jesus redeem the world and wrest it from Satan, but also the many descendants who would seek God and be acceptable to Him.

The third point in this passage from the second chapter of John that we will consider, speaks of knowing God because we keep His commandments. In the event that we desire to keep His commandments but we fall short because we are struggling in an area of sin that we have yet to overcome, we have an advocate. If we claim we know God but do not keep His commandments, we make ourselves to be liars. Those who do not desire to honor God and keep His commandments are hypocrites. While, on the one hand, if we desire to walk with God, we will do our best to seek Him and keep His commandments; on the other hand, if we are hypocrites and deliberately sin, we have no advocate and face the prospects of everlasting punishment. This is what we are told in the book of Hebrews:

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27)

The Calvinists actually create a description of our Heavenly Father that is more in keeping with the god of this world.  They fail to realize that Jesus gained the right to judge the world when He paid the price for sin. Not only is the ruler of the world judged, but Jesus will draw all people to Himself, not just some, as the Calvinists claim. We read:

When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; about sin, because they don’t believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged. (John 16:8-11)

 Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes.  Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

(John 12:30-32)

Because Jesus will draw all (not some, not many, but all) people to Himself, as we have already noted about those who love evil, this does not mean that they will accept His invitation. While we all have the opportunity to make choices and choose whether we want death or life, we can also refuse Jesus.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me. Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life.  I don’t receive glory from men. (John 5:39-40)

We make our own decisions as to whether we are going to seek God and desire to keep His commandments because we accept they are the way of blessing. If we do desire what God has for us, then we will find ourselves in the kingdom of God, however, if we are relying on our own understanding, then we will miss out. Many think by reading the Bible that they are saved and are part of those who have been predestined before the foundation of the world to be numbered among the elect. Yet the very Scriptures themselves inform us these people refuse to come to Jesus to be cleansed of their sin. This is why Calvinists are always moaning about possessing a wicked heart. They do not see the need to seek Jesus with all their heart and be cleansed; whereas those of us who have been saved though faith and understand the truth, desire to keep God’s commandments and walk in faith. We do not believe that our destiny was predetermined before the foundation of the world and therefore we are saved by grace alone. Having secured the assurance of our salvation through faith, we now rely upon Jesus’ unmerited favor to keep us from sin. We recognize that Jesus died so that we might be raised with Him in his death (Romans 6:4) and tell the world about our wonderful Savior, so that those who hear might choose life, too, rather than death.

Nobody asked to be born into this world. It is because of this that the sin of the world needed dealing with, in order to prove that God is just. When Jesus died, He went into Hell and preached to the spirits that had disobeyed in the days of Noah, so that they might know why they are judged.

Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which he also went and preached to the spirits in prison, who before were disobedient, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ship was being built. In it, few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you—not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him. (1 Peter 3:18-22)

Jesus died for the unrighteous. Who are the unrighteous? Everyone who has sinned is unrighteous before God. Jesus did not know sin, yet He became sin, so we might enter into His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:17). This righteousness is conditional upon us believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus. For if we do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead, we are in our sins and our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14-17).  But this would not matter if we had been saved by unconditional election before the foundation of the world. This only matters if our salvation is conditional upon our faith in Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:15).

One of the reasons Jesus needed to die to redeem the world was that the righteousness of God, although shown in the Law, did not bring about the redemption of humans. The Law only described the righteousness of God.  For God to be truly seen as righteous, He needed to pay the ransom price and redeem what had been taken from Him. The only just way God could recover ownership of what Satan had stolen was to provide a righteous life that would atone for sins and leave an inheritance for those who desired to be His children. This becomes evident when we consider the following two passages of Scripture:

 But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction, for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance;  to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this reason, he is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a last will and testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him who made it. For a will is in force where there has been death, for it is never in force while he who made it lives (Hebrews 9:14-17)

All have sinned and Jesus paid the price for all; there is no distinction. Jesus did not pay the price of sin for many while, at the same time, not pay the price for many more; or, to put this another way, Jesus did not pay the price for some and not others; that is, the price of sin for the elect, but not the condemned. Jesus paid the price of sin for all of humankind and, because of this; He has the right to judge those who refuse to accept the offer of forgiveness and participate in the inheritance that has been made available.

As for those who refused to accept the offer of salvation provided by Noah, they too were judged, but they did not understand the significance of the reason for their confinement in Hades (the holding prison until the Great White Throne Judgment when those whose name is not in the book of life are thrown into the Eternal Lake of Fire). When Jesus had paid the price of their salvation, as well as ours, they learned the reality of the truth they had rejected. This occurred when Jesus went into where they were kept to tell them that He was the Savior of the world that they had rejected when Noah was preaching. Now that they have been made alive in the spirit, their worm will never die. Jesus paid the price for everyone so that He could judge all and show mercy on the merciful; those who forgive others for the sins they commit against them.

IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

The claim for this doctrine is that the grace of God is needed to save the elect. Yet according to the doctrine of unconditional election, the elect are already saved by grace before the foundation of the world, so why would God need to institute another means to save the elect by grace. Evidently, some men think God is not as powerful or as good as His word. For if God had saved the elect by His unmerited favor before the foundation of the world and His word is law, there would be no reason to institute another means such as irresistible grace.  This doctrine suggests God is impotent, even though Calvinists claim this doctrine demonstrates His power. What we have here is clearly an attempt by men to put the Infinite Almighty God in a box—which is really what TULIP doctrines are designed to do. This is why these doctrines are so convoluted, inconsistent, and illogical.

In my experience, Calvinists like to say they honor God with their doctrines and get very defensive if any one suggests that the Bible actually has other Scripture that contradict what they claim. They are quick to point out the word freewill is not in the Bible, but overlook the names of their doctrines are not found either. There is no mention of total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, and irresistible grace. When Calvinists are shown from Scripture how their doctrines are unscriptural and overlook certain Scripture, they refuse to acknowledge the verses pointed out. However, like a woman who is having a child taken from her, Calvinists refuse to let go of the false beliefs they cherish; instead, like some rat that is cornered, they will go on the attack making numerous false accusations.

If Calvinist claims for double predestination were true, there would be no need for any doctrine of saving grace, for the Word of God is all-powerful and the end of the matter. Once saved before the foundation of the world should be sufficient to be saved. The idea that effective grace needs introduction into a sinful world to save those who are already saved seems rather bizarre; although proponents of the TULIP heresy will insist, it is essential. Effectively, it states that the original grace executed to choose those for unconditional election is ineffectual, and their god is not the God of Creation. In some way, their kind of thinking is like reincarnation where people originate from the All-soul, go through a series of meaningless existences because they return once more to be non-existent, having been absorbed into the All-soul. What this demonstrates is these doctrines are philosophies of man, or doctrines of demons, but not the truth of God.

This doctrine of Irresistible Grace actually originated because a man by the name of Arminius and a group of about fifty preachers in Hague disagreed with the oldest doctrinal confessions of belief adhered to by the Reformed Church. This is the (Calvinist) Belgic Confession that we are not justified by faith. Apart from what Arminius disagreed with, there are issues with that Confession claiming that Jesus had human blood—which means tainted blood—instead of the blood of God (Acts 20:28).

The following two articles of faith are the statements in the Confession that denies we are justified by faith, which is a refutation of the very Scripture they claim is the Written Word of God.

Article 22: The Righteousness of Faith

We believe that for us to acquire the true knowledge of this great mystery the Holy Spirit kindles in our hearts a true faith that embraces Jesus Christ, with all his merits, and makes him its own, and no longer looks for anything apart from him.

For it must necessarily follow that either all that is required for our salvation is not in Christ or, if all is in him, then he who has Christ by faith has his salvation entirely.

Therefore, to say that Christ is not enough but that something else is needed as well is a most enormous blasphemy against God-- for it then would follow that Jesus Christ is only half a Savior. And therefore we justly say with Paul that we are justified "by faith alone" or by faith "apart from works."

However, we do not mean, properly speaking, that it is faith itself that justifies us—for faith is only the instrument by which we embrace Christ, our righteousness.

But Jesus Christ is our righteousness in making available to us all his merits and all the holy works he has done for us and in our place. And faith is the instrument that keeps us in communion with him and with all his benefits.

When those benefits are made ours they are more than enough to absolve us of our sins.[xvi]

Article 23: The Justification of Sinners

We believe that our blessedness lies in the forgiveness of our sins because of Jesus Christ, and that in it our righteousness before God is contained, as David and Paul teach us when they declare that man blessed to whom God grants righteousness apart from works. And the same apostle says that we are justified "freely" or "by grace" through redemption in Jesus Christ. And therefore we cling to this foundation, which is firm forever, giving all glory to God, humbling ourselves, and recognizing ourselves as we are; not claiming a thing for ourselves or our merits and leaning and resting on the sole obedience of Christ crucified, which is ours when we believe in him.

That is enough to cover all our sins and to make us confident, freeing the conscience from the fear, dread, and terror of God's approach, without doing what our first father, Adam, did, who trembled as he tried to cover himself with fig leaves.

In fact, if we had to appear before God relying-- no matter how little-- on ourselves or some other creature, then, alas, we would be swallowed up.

Therefore everyone must say with David: "Lord, do not enter into judgment with your servants, for before you no living person shall be justified."

Arminius’ Objection

The two little subtleties that were introduced into the articles that state, “we do not mean, properly speaking, that it is faith itself that justifies us” and “before you no living person shall be justified” were objected to by Arminius and his followers.

Below are the points the followers of Arminius wanted the Reformed Church to accept:

Article I — That God, by an eternal, unchangeable purpose in Jesus Christ, his Son, before the foundation of the world, hath determined, out of the fallen, sinful race of men, to save in Christ, for Christ's sake, and through Christ, those who, through the grace of the Holy Ghost, shall believe on this his Son Jesus, and shall persevere in this faith and obedience of faith, through this grace, even to the end; and, on the other hand, to leave the incorrigible and unbelieving in sin and under wrath, and to condemn them as alienate from Christ, according to the word of the Gospel in John iii. 36: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him," and according to other passages of Scripture also.

Article II — That, agreeably thereto, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, died for all men and for every man, so that he has obtained for them all, by his death on the cross, redemption, and the forgiveness of sins; yet that no one actually enjoys this forgiveness of sins, except the believer, according to the word of the Gospel of John iii. 16: "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"; and in the First Epistle of John ii. 2: "And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

Article III — That man has not saving grace of himself, nor of the energy of his free will, inasmuch as he, in the state of apostasy and sin, can of and by himself neither think, will, nor do anything that is truly good (such as having faith eminently is); but that it is needful that he be born again of God in Christ, through his Holy Spirit, and renewed in understanding, inclination, or will, and all his powers, in order that he may rightly understand, think, will, and effect what is truly good, according to the word of Christ, John xv. 5: "Without me ye can do nothing."

Article IV — That this grace of God is the beginning, continuance, and accomplishment of a good, even to this extent, that the regenerate man himself, without that prevenient or assisting, awakening, following, and co-operative grace, can neither think, will, nor do good, nor withstand any temptations to evil; so that all good deeds or movements, that can be conceived, must be ascribed to the grace of God in Christ. But, as respects the mode of the operation of this grace, it is not irresistible, in as much as it is written concerning many that they have resisted the Holy Ghost,—Acts vii, and elsewhere in many places.

Article V — That those who are incorporated into Christ by a true faith, and have thereby become partakers of his life-giving Spirit, have thereby full power to strive against Satan, sin, the world, and their own flesh, and to win the victory, it being well understood that it is ever through the assisting grace of the Holy Ghost; and that Jesus Christ assists them through his Spirit in all temptations, extends to them his hand, and if only they are ready for the conflict, and desire his help, and are not inactive, keeps them from falling, so that they, by no craft or power of Satan, can be misled, nor plucked out of Christ's hands, according to the word of Christ, John x. 28: "Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." But whether they are capable, through negligence, of forsaking again the first beginnings of their life in Christ, of again returning to this present evil world, of turning away from the holy doctrine which was delivered them, of losing a good conscience, of becoming devoid of grace, that must be more particularly determined out of the Holy Scriptures before they can teach it with the full persuasion of their minds.[xvii]

A Deceptive Technical Truth

The idea that we are not justified by faith of itself is technically true, but when we are speaking of faith, we have to have faith in something or someone. This thin edge of a devilish doctrine has manifested in the doctrines of TULIP to lead people astray so they do not to have faith in Lord Jesus Christ, but have faith in the belief that grace is extended to all men—only “all”, according to Calvinists, means, “All who were predestined to be saved before the foundation of the world.”

In support of faith—even faith in Jesus Christ—not justifying anyone before God, an appeal is made to a prayer of King David’s in which he says.  “Lord, do not enter into judgment with your servants, for before you no living person shall be justified." Like so much of TULIP support from the Scriptures, this is twisted as it is lifted from the context of the situation.  For we read:

Hear my prayer, Yahweh. Listen to my petitions. In your faithfulness and righteousness, relieve me. Don’t enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no man living is righteous. For the enemy pursues my soul. He has struck my life down to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is desolate. I remember the days of old. I meditate on all your doings. I contemplate the work of your hands. I spread out my hands to you. My soul thirsts for you, like a parched land. Selah.

Hurry to answer me, Yahweh. My spirit fails. Don’t hide your face from me, so that I don’t become like those who go down into the pit. Cause me to hear your loving kindness in the morning, for I trust in you. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you. Deliver me, Yahweh, from my enemies. I flee to you to hide me. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Revive me, Yahweh, for your name’s sake. In your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble. In your loving kindness, cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul, For I am your servant. (Psalm 143:1-12)

 When we examine the context in which we find the text of Scripture we are discussing, we see that David is seeking the Lord in prayer—an act of faith. Now we know the Lord searches our hearts to see whether we are seeking Him from a pure motive. David also understands the need to possess a pure heart, as we have already seen in his advice to Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:9). When David speaks of nobody being justified in His sight, effectively, he is saying that all have sinned and not one of us can justify ourselves in God’s sight, for there is none righteous, not one, but blessed are we to whom He does not impute our sin; because we put our faith in Him to deliver us. This becomes evident as we read the following verses of the Psalm and see the context of the verse taken out of context.

The Bible is replete with Scripture that speaks about justification by faith. It is an affront to common sense to suggest that this is not the case, or that we need not accept that we are taught to repent and exercise faith towards God (Hebrews 6:1) or that the Scriptures are able to instruct us for salvation through faith in Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:15). For many these might seem like moot points and a matter for theologians in ivory towers, alienated from the common person, arguing about words. But there is no need to argue over Greek nuances of meaning as some do. The Scriptures are very clear and the seriousness of false doctrine needs to be addressed, especially that which can cause people to turn away from seeking and serving Lord Jesus Christ, and living lives of hypocrisy, because of what they have been taught.

Irresistible grace is supposedly the agency that the Holy Spirit uses to draw those who were singled out before the foundations of the world to Jesus. Much is made out of what Jesus said to his disciples to justify this teaching of irresistible grace. This is the particular Scripture that it is claimed this false belief of irresistible grace rests upon: 

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day. (John 6:44)

Once more, we will look at the context of the Scripture to see whether the claim is justified as a proof text, in this case, for the Doctrine of Irresistible Grace. Here is context in which Jesus spoke:

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But I told you that you have seen me, and yet you don’t believe.  All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.  This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day.  This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

   The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down out of heaven.”  They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, ‘I have come down out of heaven?’”

   Therefore Jesus answered them, “Don’t murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.  It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who hears from the Father, and has learned, comes to me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God. He has seen the Father.  Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life. (John 6:35-47)

He who has seen the Son and believes in Him has eternal life, but the added emphasis again is “he who believes in me has eternal life”. Never does this say, “he who responds to irresistible grace has eternal life.” There is no mention of irresistible grace. Choice is what is on offer. The people saw the Son of God and they rejected Him. Not because they were not drawn to Him, but because they were not willing to accept Jesus as the Son of God.  The fact that no one can come to Jesus unless they are drawn to him does not preclude unbelievers or those who refuse to believe. Nevertheless those who are drawn to Jesus and who do believe will be raised up in the last day.

From the book of John, we read the most well-known Scripture regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ that endorses the need to believe in Jesus, and its context clearly indicates that freewill is involved not irresistible grace.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.  This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:16-21)

There is no denying that Jesus will lose none of whom the Father has given Him—the number is set (Rom. 11:25)—and He will in the last day raise them up. As for nobody being able to come to Jesus except the Father draw Him, and this being irresistible, not only do people who do evil hate coming to the light, lest their deeds be exposed, but there is the famous incidence of Sapphira and Ananias, who were obviously drawn to Lord Jesus Christ, but resisted the call of grace. This is what is recorded in the book of Acts:

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While you kept it, didn’t it remain your own? After it was sold, wasn’t it in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You haven’t lied to men, but to God.”          

   Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things. The young men arose and wrapped him up, and they carried him out and buried him. About three hours later, his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in. Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.”

 She said, “Yes, for so much.”

But Peter asked her, “How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

She fell down immediately at his feet, and died. The young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband. Great fear came on the whole assembly, and on all who heard these things. By the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. They were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. None of the rest dared to join them, however the people honored them. More believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. (Acts 5:1-14)

As we can see that rather than be truthful, Ananias and Sapphira decided to lie to the Holy Spirit. According to Calvinists, this was predetermined before the foundation of the world, so the loving God of Creation could punish them according to His good pleasure. Ananias and Sapphira had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and what the apostles were teaching, but like Achan (Joshua 7:1-26), they were not fully committed to the calling. Consequently, we see many more people believe, but are not committed enough to join the Apostles in a greater sacrifice of themselves unto the Lord, even though they glorified the name of Jesus Christ.

While it may be argued that all this was planned before by God and those who were not worthy were not called by irresistible grace, there is no justification for such an argument from the Scriptures. Instead, what we see is a calling going out to all the world (Ps 19:1-4) and people responding (Romans 10:20). Jeremiah says God spoke to him and said that He has drawn His people to Him through loving kindness (Jeremiah 31:3) and the prophet Hosea makes a similar claim regarding Israel coming out of Egypt (Hosea 11:4). The Apostle Paul tells us that God’s goodness and loving kindness is meant to bring all people to repentance both Jew and non-Jew. For we read:

Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?  But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God;  who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:” to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and incorruptibility, eternal life; but to those who are self-seeking, and don’t obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath and indignation,  oppression and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

But glory, honor, and peace go to every man who does good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. (Romans 2:4-11)

God shows no partiality and if people resist His Spirit as He calls every human to repentance, then they will be judged accordingly.  There is no doctrine of irresistible grace justifiable from the Scriptures that state nobody can resist God’s calling. There is, however, plenty of Scripture in support of a loving God reaching out to people who are self-seeking rather than being desirous of the truth and seeking to know their Creator. In fact, in the book of Hebrews, we also learn of two Scriptures that debunk any claim to not being able to deliberately resist God’s call and turn away from Him. This is what the Bible says:

For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:4-8)

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27)

After a while, it does begin to get monotonous as we beat the same drum found within the Bible that tells us the word of God and the grace of God are resistible, and although God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, not all do. Many, unfortunately, turn away after having initially responded, but are not prepared to continue with a full commitment. Jesus is searching the hearts of everyone. Those that are capable of bearing fruit, and do, are the ones who are acceptable to Him. Even as we read about the vine and the branches and learn that the branches that do not bear fruit are cut off, Jesus is reminding us that those who resist can lose the salvation that is promised them. Jesus said:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.  Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.  I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you. (John 15:1-7)

How similar this is to what we read in the book of Hebrews, chapter six, about only being fit to be burned if we do not bear fruit. To bear fruit, we need to continue in the promises of God. This is only possible if we have truly been chosen by Jesus and set free from sin (John 8:36). Jesus also said:

The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:35-36)

The evidence is very clear that not only can we resist God and turn away from seeking the truth, we can be given to Jesus and yet still disobey. Those who trumpet the false teachings of TULIP are really doing the work of the Devil, even if they are doing it in ignorance. As for those who are truly ignorant of these false teachings, for their sakes, let us hope they wake up from their ignorance and repent. For how can a person reject Scripture to justify a philosophy of man and then claim that the Bible is the inerrant, authoritative, Word of God, and not be a hypocrite?

PERSEVERANCE

OF THE SAINTS

For anyone holding to the doctrine of unconditional election that is based on the belief that we were saved before the foundation of the world, while those who are condemned have no hope because they were predestined to everlasting punishment, there is no need for perseverance. This idea of perseverance is an oxymoron; that is, it is contradictory because there is nothing to persevere for, if true, eternal life has already been granted. What is there for those who have already been predestined as members of the elect to attain? There is nothing to seek or pursue or attain to, if they already have eternal life; for if the doctrine of unconditional election is not a false teaching—which it is—they have been saved by grace alone.

One can only think that the reason that this doctrine could have been dreamed up is to make it look like people are actually saved, and because of this, they have a purpose in doing some good works. Many atheists point out that they are better than most Christians because they are more noble in intent when it comes to doing good works. Similarly, many claiming to be Christians who are members of the Reformed movement have a good works agenda.

In a study of educated people and their religious propensities, research within the United States has revealed, somewhat surprisingly for secularists, that educated people are more religious than thought. What is noticeable is they are attracted to denominations that espouse the Calvinist view or congregations that are more inclined towards TULIP. Not all denominations insist that congregations adhere to teachings other than what are known as the essentials.

The most essential teaching is Jesus Christ is the preexistent Son of God, through Whom all things came into existence. In human form, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and having not sinned, was crucified on the Cross of Calvary, only to rise from the dead three days later, victorious over sin and death. Since the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit has been bestowed upon all who believe and are members of the Body of Christ, who will be received in glory by the resurrection of the just at the Second Advent, when Lord Jesus Christ returns to rule the Earth.

Anybody can give lip service to the above teaching and be declared a believer. Many congregations exist as part of a denomination or movement that acknowledge the above essential teaching, but then teach other ideas that are not truly biblical, because they are propositional assumptions that are purported to be true, as is the case with the TULIP doctrines.

The idea of unconditional election appeals to people whose only interest in attending church is for any reason other than genuinely seeking God.  To quote the report from the research into educated people and their religious propensities:

“It all falls down to what you consider to be religious,” said Schwadel, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “If it’s simply attending religious services, then no. Highly educated people are not less religious; in fact, they’re more religious.”[xviii]

In another article discussing why intelligent people are less likely to be religious, the author concludes that social environment is the major reason for not attending church. While secular thinking academics interpret the drift of the more educated away from attending church as people seeing reason, this is because of their own presuppositions. Meanwhile, one researcher, looking for other reasons than personal rejection of religion, has observed a correlation with peer group influence. The view is expressed that intelligent people reject religion because they are influenced by their

social environments to consider it to be wrong.[xix]—So much for the so-called critical thinking that the intelligent are supposed to possess.

What appears to be overlooked is when one does not think for oneself and is influenced by others; this demonstrates a lack of intelligence. We are encouraged to reason with God (Isaiah 1:18) but this is overlooked by people who are indoctrinated by the education system and mistake intelligence for the regurgitation of ideas. Those who think that there has to be a Creator, but are influenced by secular environments to be socially aware of their status as professions, are less likely to be found in a Pentecostal “holy roller” congregation. Therefore rather than seek God, being part of a denomination that holds to a philosophy consisting of supposed theological propositional truths, rather than atheistic reasons for existence, has appeal—especially the idea of being saved by grace. Hence, many of the participants who sit in on religious services are comfortable with the TULIP worldview. This is because perseverance is not really about struggling to be anointed or appointed by Jesus Christ to become a fruit-bearer for the Kingdom of God. Perseverance from a Calvinist perspective is about infallible grace, eternal security, the impossibility of losing salvation (for once we are saved we are always saved), and demonstrating to the those who do not belong to the club how much superior they are as people.

Those who adhere to this belief believe that they possess the guarantee of their inheritance because they have been sprinkled with water, or baptized, or take communion or have become a church member. They believe that because God knows them by name—especially if they are a church member—no one can cause them to lose their eternal security and have their name removed from the book of life. Even though this implies that regardless of what people do, they cannot lose their salvation, they will be told they must be faithful to the end; this is because church attendance is important. Hypocrisy, of course, abounds even more—sounds very much like Judaism at the time of Jesus.

The number of people who have rejected attending church because of religious hypocrisy is high. (I was one of those people myself, but I would not judge people now, even if comments in this book are barbed and challenging, as I have since found Jesus Christ in person and He alone is the judge.) In addition, the idea that we can sin and it does not really matter is implicit in the teachings of unconditional salvation and forms part of this teaching of the perseverance of the saints. However, such an explicit declaration would be contrary to the gospel, so a charade is maintained and adherents are encouraged to refrain from loose living and worldliness.

For those who do take the idea of being faithful to the end seriously, self-righteousness often becomes a problem as they perform their good works. Good works and concepts that are false lead people to being self-righteous, or, more to the point, the self-righteous are attracted to good works and propositional truths masquerading as the real deal.

Sincere people who like to please their fellows are always susceptible to deception. The more schooled people are in conceptualizing intellectual ideas, the easier they are to deceive when it comes to theoretical matters that sound plausible. Hence, a girl might be looking for some meaning in life and when presented with the idea of God being true rather than not true, because of environmental influences, she attends a TULIP church, which may be Baptist but definitely Reformed and most likely one of the mainline protestant or evangelical churches, other than those influenced by Wesley. Instead of continuing to seek Jesus, the person is told that because she has confessed her belief in Him, she is saved (chosen before the foundation of the world, just like John Piper advocates). From that time on, she will become encouraged to read the Bible and understand the propositional truths about God being a judge who is angry at sin and the unrighteous, which forms part of the doctrine of total depravity. The person will also learn that she is saved by God’s grace because she is part of the elect, and as such, she was predestined to be chosen before the foundation of the world. She will be told God hates people like Esau before they are born, but not those who have responded to His irresistible grace. This person will feel so privileged to have been chosen before the foundation of the world to be part of the elect; the fact that Jesus only died for her sins is all that really matters. The doctrine of limited atonement is usually not questioned, as like the doctrine of unconditional election, this is not mentioned much from the pulpit. The wrath of God on the sinner, the irresistible grace of God and the need to persevere to the end are more likely mentioned; with total depravity and perseverance thumped the most. The person ends up believing that she is saved and it does not matter whether she tells other people, since God knows who is going to be saved, and she can continue to persevere in her Westernized, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratized (WEIRD) way.

Cognitive dissonance is often the result of the TULIP doctrines. A woman might become a member of a congregation that adheres to these teachings; only to find that she is serving an angry God who hates sin and expects her to do better. The result is conceptually she has high ideals, but in practice, she is always failing. Eventually, she becomes depressed and, spends much of the rest of her life visiting the doctors for medication to help her depression. However, having been indoctrinated that God is the Creator, and strong in her views, she will defend them and proclaim that things like the Bible is the Living Word of God, and if the word, “blood” were taken out of the Bible it loses its efficacy to bring people to the knowledge of salvation and improve their lot in life. She is told reading the Bible is essential if she is to have a relationship with God and possess the knowledge and truth about salvation. Only because she is a sinner, her thoughts and ways can never be God’s ways, all she can do is persevere in her struggle against sin, even though she has been chosen in Jesus before the foundation of the world. She knows this, because Jesus told His disciples, the Twelve, that He had chosen them and one of them was a devil (John 6:70). Subconsciously, she sometimes wonders if the Devil is herself. She is chosen, yet she sees herself unworthy of God and He does not answer her prayers.  She prays for many situations in the world, and ironically, she is encouraged to be pray for the lost; but her prayers seem in vain. Still God’s infallible grace covers her, but most of the time the struggle seems futile, for her depression reigns.

Many of the preachers in churches that do major on the doctrines of depravity and perseverance find there is sufficient to preach about because the world is depraved and sin is easily spotted, but persevere the church attendee must. Every week many go to hear what they call the Word of God; a homily about the evils of the world, and the good grace of God towards each one of them, the saints. Also they are told how they are eternally secure in the arms of Jesus, chosen and precious—which is a marvelous position to be in, if true and each person possesses the joy of salvation.

There will be exhortations about how they ought to attend church regularly, perform tasks, and assume responsibilities within the congregation, if they are to honor their commitment to the word of God. Yet there is a lack of warmth among the people and there is often a sterile atmosphere within the church; although, these days, efforts to greet and meet are encouraged more often with some congregations having the sign of the peace where they shake hands with the person next to them. Still people find that no matter what they do, they believe they are in a battle between striving against sin and looking good in front of other people.

The irony of the doctrines of TULIP is those who espouse them believe in working out their own salvation. Like every false teaching, there has to be the appearance of truth, but the emphasis is always on the Scriptures that discourage true realization of each one’s personal obligation to diligently be seeking God’s rest—so we can rest from our labors, as the Creator of the Universe did from His (Hebrews 4:11).

The tragedy about these doctrines is many of those who believe in these heresies think that being totally depraved as sinners means they have to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling; only they cannot do this until their will is set free from bondage. Unfortunately, they are unable to do this because their hearts are deceitful. However, since they were chosen before the world by the unconditional election of God’s grace, and their sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus, which was predetermined to redeem the fall of Adam that God preordained (even though it was really freewill), the irresistible grace of God enables them to be born again into His Kingdom. Some believe that once born again, they can exercise their freewill to work out their own salvation, having been set free from the bondage of total depravity. But then they claim since they are sinners and cannot change their wicked ways, they have to persevere, for God is at work in them for His good pleasure. With fear and trembling, they will proclaim their belief in God, even though they know they will not change until they are resurrected from the dead.

The idea of the perseverance of the saints is a dangerous doctrine when presented within the context of the TULIP worldview, because it sets up people for failure. Instead of learning about faith—that is, how to grow in faith and have prayers answered—perseverance is about toughing it out, maybe God will answer prayers, maybe He will not, or maybe He is saying wait. (Atheist researchers using TULIP adherents and Roman Catholics enjoy pointing out how ineffective those who pray are found to be in studies designed to assess the efficacy of prayer.) Whereas those who are walking in faith, know where they stand with God and seek him out until they have the confidence that their prayers have been answered. Perseverance of faith is not the same as perseverance under grace. True humility comes as we grow in faith, not on account of us needing more grace, because this suggests defeat and not victory. To quote the Apostle Paul:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-4)

We are called to be victorious in our proclamation of emancipation; for according to the gospel of Lord Jesus Christ, the captive is set free. We are not called to bemoan that we are wicked sinners undeserving of the favor of God, because our ways and thoughts are not His ways and thoughts. Without faith in Jesus, what we do is in vain. This faith only comes when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit and have the joy of salvation as the guarantee of our eternal security. This is not an intellectual concept. This is an experience of the reality of life in Christ Jesus; something which cannot be discovered if we are relying on God’s grace and not exercising faith. We are not saved by grace alone. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not of works, least any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

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[1] Peter Hall, The Harmony of Protestant Confessions (London: John F. Shaw, 1844), 539–73. This translation is in the public domain. The titles of the articles, not part of the original, are added from the edition of the Canadian and American Reformed Churches, see “The Canons of Dort,” pages 1–26. http://www.esvbible.org/resources/creeds-and-catechisms/article-the-canons-of-the-synod-of-dort-1619/--retrieved —retrieved Dec. 1 2014.

[2] Mounce, Robert H.., William D..The Mounce Reverse-Interlinear™ New Testament  Copyright © 2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[3] Article 1 Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine - Of the Corruption of Man, His Conversion to God, and the Way It Occurs.

[4] psēlapháō comes from a root meaning, "to rub, wipe"; hence, to feel on the surface HELPS Word Studies copyricht 2011. Used with permission.

[5] Article 2 Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine - Of the Corruption of Man, His Conversion to God, and the Way It Occurs.

[6] http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-person/

[7] John Piper Topics:  The Doctrines of Grace / Calvinism— July 9, 2013 Five Reasons to Embrace Unconditional Election  http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/five-reasons-to-embrace-unconditional-election —retrieved Dec. 2 2014.

[8] ibid

[9] New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[10] John Piper, ibid.

[11] ibid

[12] ibid

[13] ibid

[14] ibid

[15] ibid

[xvi] The Belgic Confession  Reformed .Org.     http://www.reformed.org/documents/index.html?mainframe=http://www.reformed.org/documents/BelgicConfession.html  —retrieved Dec. 3 2014.

[xvii] Five articles of Remonstrance. http://www.theopedia.com/Five_articles_of_Remonstrance—retrieved Dec. 3 2014.

[xviii] Study: More educated tend to be more religious, by some measures

By Jim Kavanagh, CNN  http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/11/study-more-educated-tend-to-be-more-religious-by-some-measures/  —retrieved Dec. 3 2014.

[xix] Monge. Jordan. Why Intelligent People Are Less Likely To Be Religious. Christianity Today http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/august-web-only/brains-and-belief-arent-mutually-exclusive.html  —retrieved Dec. 3 2014.