DEBATE – LEIGHTON FLOWERS VS JAMES WHITE – ‘DOES JOHN 6:44 TEACH UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION?’

Biblical truth, the character of God as shown in Scripture, and the eternal destination of each individual is of the utmost importance when it comes to determining what is true according to what is being taught by professing Christians. If a teaching based on a Bible verse does not line up with the rest of Scripture as it appears in context, but instead is based on presuppositions and the philosophies of men, we must put aside our presuppositions and go back to Scripture looking at the clear meaning of the text, along with examining other passages of Scripture on the same topic, and determine what is actually being taught before coming to a conclusion. With that in mind, I ask that you prayerfully consider watching this debate and consider the information and arguments given on both sides of this issue of ‘election‘ before coming to a conclusion regarding election.

I will state very clearly that I am neither a Calvinist, nor am I an Arminian. Therefore, I stand with Provisionist, Leighton Flowers, who passionately defended his position and the character and nature of God in light of Scripture during last Thursday’s debate (March 7, ’24). I do, however, have a deep respect for James White regarding his work in debating Catholic Theologians (and others) in order to establish the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice for sin.

When time allows, I pray that you will take the time to listen to this debate with your Bibles open in order to search the Scriptures for yourself to determine what is true or not (Acts 17:11) because this topic is extremely important!

[NOTE: I have decided to open this particular post up for discussion, but it is only for those of you who would like to discuss this amongst yourselves whether you are a Calvinist, an Arminian, or Provisionist (one who holds to the view that Jesus Christ’s once for all sacrifice provided complete forgiveness for those who choose to place their faith and trust in all that He accomplished to provide for complete forgiveness for sin). Presently I don’t have the time to reply to comments due to preparing to have my taxes done and preparing for an upcoming art exhibit in Schaumburg, IL at the end of May ’24.]

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Thank you very much for stopping by today.

God Bless You

~Mary K Dalke – Living4HisGlory – Reflecting His Glory Fine Arts – Photography And Acrylic Art

TESTIMONY TUESDAY – LORETTA FROM MASSACHUSETTS SHARES HER HEART-WRENCHING STORY REGARDING HER DEAR SON AND CALVINISM

INTRODUCTION TO THIS SERIES

Please know that this series is not about putting down Calvinists. I know some Calvinists and love them dearly! This series (as well as all of the posts that I have written thus far on the topic of Catholicism) is about stressing the importance for all of us to test the teachings of everyone we listen to, the books that we read, etc., against the truth of God’s Word –in context — as we are shown to do in Scripture. (Acts 17:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:21,22, 1 John 4:1)

God gives us many warnings in His Word regarding false teachers in the last days and how they will arise even in our midst! (2 Peter 2:1-3, Acts 20:25-31) Therefore we should always be alert and constantly testing everything against Scripture so that we will not be deceived!

It doesn’t matter how well respected a professing Christian pastor or teacher may be, or how many years they have been in ministry, how big a church they may have, etc.. What’s of the utmost importance is:

Do they present teachings to you that are based on Scripture, and are those Scriptures completely in context?

Do they distort the very character and nature of God by using human reasoning, instead of presenting God’s nature in all of His glory, holiness, and infinite love and mercy as He is revealed to us in His Word?

God’s Word also warns us about another Jesus and another gospel:

“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:2-4)

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:6-9)

Therefore, with these stern warnings that God has given to us in His Word in mind, we should constantly be on guard against accepting a false Jesus and a false gospel, both not having complete power to save!

At first I thought Calvinism and Reformed Theology were the next steps to take in order to go deeper into God’s Word so that we can get to know Him better. However, the more that I learned about these teachings by listening to John MacArthur, John Piper, R C Sproul, and Paul Washer, the more I realized how these teachings do not line up with Scripture! I also became very disturbed and troubled as I saw how these teachings distort the character and nature of God and the truly good news of the Biblical gospel! Many Scriptures came flooding into my mind to refute these teachings and I just could not embrace them as being Biblical!! Those were the reasons why I rejected Calvinism. Those are also the reasons why I see the urgent need to write this series; I simply want to point every Calvinist back to Scripture and away from the teachings of men!

It grieves me when I see many Calvinists post quotes from well-known Calvinist preachers such as Spurgeon, A W Pink, Martyn Lloyd Jones, and Calvin himself, instead of simply quoting Scripture. We need nothing more than God’s Word! How can we lose sight of the amazing fact that we have the very Word of God given to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit??!!

With all of that being said, here is the first submission that was sent to me by Loretta from Massachusetts. [NOTE: Names have been changed to protect their identities.] (I am waiting to receive more from some of you out there who would like to share your stories with me. Your names and locations will be changed to protect your identities, as well). When time allows, I may go through the many emails that this dear sister-in-Christ sent me and add more information that she had shared with me to this post –if I see the need to do so, and if I have time:

There are some things only a mother knows, I think God has given us that mothering gift exclusively because every mom I have ever known has had it. No disrespect to my husband, but he never saw this thing coming and I don’t blame him! Eight months after Leroy had left home to start plying his trade in LA after some local training, he took a cheap evening flight home for his first visit home. I was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing him again and did not sleep much the night before. The fact that Leroy had mentioned in his correspondence that he had listened and been to certain Calvinist mega-churches and had been reading Calvinist writers did worry me some. Let us be honest that LA is probably the last place parents want to see their children go, least of all to live and work! The horror stories from there are often not exaggerated.

Nothing, however, could prepare me for the next day. Seeing Leroy turned out to be one the saddest days of my life. I knew he had changed even before I kissed him hello. He looked different, spoke with a fake but weird accent, and he was distant as though his dad and I were actually embarrassing to him. He did not want to be home. I saw that and sensed that.

On the 40-minute or so drive home from the airport, my husband tried to strike up a conversation with Leroy. Leroy kept it strictly superficial and spoke about Hollywood and some of the famous people he had seen, and he said that he was not impressed with the Lakers or the Sparks. Leroy has always been a Celtics and Paul Pierce admirer! (Those days drove me nuts even tho’ they hold precious and sweet memories!) As if prompted, I suddenly felt I needed to ask Leroy something and asked him if he was still spreading the gospel as he used to do in our block.

My son grimaced and did not reply and for the rest of the trip no one spoke. By the time we reached our downtown apartment, my stomach was in knots and my chest was tight of the worryin’. After a late supper that had not gone as I had planned in my mind, and mostly because Leroy had barely spoken with his younger brother Jordan, I offered to unpack his suitcase, hoping to spend some needed time with him alone. While he was sitting on his bed and texting, I asked him to tell me what had happened in LA. I reminded him, silly me, that I was still his Mo. Many things had crossed my mind. Did he have problems at work? Problems in the apartment he was renting? Girlfriend problems? Did he not like the weather? Was the lifestyle change taking its toll on him? Had someone upset him, a friend perhaps? Was he in some kind of trouble?

Although I remember most of Leroy’s stingin’ words clearly, that night is still a hazy nightmare to me, and it still keeps me awake at night sometimes. Even now I sometimes get up at 3 a.m. and do household chores or watch some TV or read some. It’s very hard to write about this specific night because that’s the night that Leroy basically disowned me as his Mo. That’s the night he wrote off  his family, his dad, his brother, his past, and dare I say it, his Jesus. (I say “his Jesus” because he had found another.) I had expected bad news, but I was not prepared for what came out of his mouth and the manner in which he said it. He told me I was not saved. He said I was a “reprobate” like his dad and Jordan. It was also the first time that my firstborn had ever raised his voice at me. As far as my beautiful boy was concerned, everyone who did not hold to his revealed “doctrines of grace” and who did not worship “his” sovereign God on God’s terms, which was the strange unscriptural TULIP, was basically already in hell, “predestined by God to go to hell from before time began.”

Conveniently, and I say this with a mother’s love, Leroy was not one of the unbelieving doomed masses. As if taken over by someone or something else, Leroy explained, stressin’ every word as though I could not hear him, that he was now one of the “elect”, that the “sovereign” God had revealed it to him via the teaching and the elders of his godly church (which he has since changed for another two) and through their godly authority, which neither his dad nor I had ever had.

I broke down and left his room and for the next week, until he returned we did not speak about the incident again. We all pretended that nothing had happened except for Jordan. Jordan was not happy with the way Leroy had treated all of us, but took out his frustration by playing his jazz music with some friends in the church hall at nights. Since then, Leroy has only been home a couple of times, twice with his girlfriend, bless her heart, whom he had met at a church “function.” She is another huge influence on his life and decisions, and even once suggested with Leroy that I go for Biblical counseling so that I could also see the one true way that was found only in Calvinism. I really believed she was playing a joke on me, but it turned out that she was serious! Leroy’s choice of girlfriend is not my decision at all, but I can only pray that she turns from her ways and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. But by far, the saddest aspect of Leroy’s “conversion” to what so many call the doctrines of men, which I agree with, is that since that first night and in the many times after that, is the absence of mentioning and reverence of the Lord Jesus Christ and His complete deity. Over time, Leroy has given me the names of hundreds of websites to visit, the names of just as many books, and he has spoken of Calvinists that I have not even heard of. He has sent me link upon link about this teacher and that one, and the one was as far gone as the next. He has also sent internet sermons that were embarrassing to watch and listen to. But Jesus who died so that anyone who accepts His gift of salvation may be saved, is not esteemed as highly as these false teachers or as some of the websites, many of which were downright offensive to a Christian!

My dear pastor was visibly upset when I asked him for advice about Leroy’s situation. Leroy and Jordan were both born-again in our small church, only two years apart! My pastor gave me some books to read on Calvinism and then gave me advice that turned out to be so helpful. He said I should read up and find out everything about it for myself so I can learn about it from the horse’s mouth. Although I had a good understanding of Calvinism before, due to an altercation I had had with a colleague years ago, reading and learning about it broadened my understanding of it even more. It is an ugly belief system, I must admit. Against my will I patiently visited and read through every website and blog that Leroy had given me and it did not take long to see who and what was poisoning him. Every site had the same message of “total depravity” and every site made excuses for sin and even condoned it, including the evil acts of Calvin himself. What was most disturbing and heartbreaking was that many of these sites were downright rude and pious and going as far as to say — and this Leroy had said so himself — that the evil acts of men were for God’s glory, and these included 9/11, the Sandy Hooks School bloodbath, the Orlando nightclub shootings and every other disaster and even the molestation of children, as shocking as that may sound! “It is God’s will,” Leroy says to all these horrible things! What kind of God would take glory from such things? Not the God of the Bible, and on a few occasions I have told Leroy that. Every time he has given me the same answer, that I don’t understand Calvinism or the “secret ways of God.”

Over time, Leroy has come to reflect the false gospel that he now believes in. Again, I am saying this because I love him, because I want to see him be freed from this terrible lie, and because there are other Leroys out there.

Before I continue I must make it clear that until a few months before he left for LA, Leroy, Jordan, and a couple of other brave youngsters, still spread the gospel in our neighborhood as was their custom. Even though our block of the city and neighborhood have had the tragic fentanyl drug plague for years, it’s known as Apache or China White on the streets, the street gangs, and the dirty clubs and its intimidating barkers, these things had never stopped Leroy from venturing out at all hours to tell everyone about Jesus Christ. He especially enjoyed weekend nights and basket ball games to tell the lost souls of the salvation that Jesus offered. Despite these dangers I never feared for his safety or for that of Jordan’s as much as I fear for Leroy’s safety now. I am talking about his spiritual safety.

He has changed. The handsome young man with the charming dark brown eyes (in his late teens, he was known as the young Denzel Washington of our specific ‘hood’) is no longer there. My real son is not behind those eyes anymore. Someone else has moved in and took his body, someone spiritually proud, arrogant, condescending, angry, and unloving. He has become unhappy and is depressed. I have noticed that he is looking down on women, as though he is superior simply by being a man. I spoke to him about that and he went into the “submission without questioning” tirade that grieved me deeply. Would he one day really treat his own wife that way? I asked him that too and he said that’s what the scriptures really teach.

I dare not list the number of insults Leroy has thrown our way since he has “found” Calvinism. There have been Easter cards that mocked Jesus, that had made fun of me, Calvinist Christmas cards, and hundreds of memes with senseless and offensive Calvinist memes. He went so far as to call me a bad mother because I had kept the “truth” from him, and he has turned red in the face on many occasions when I have asked him for some straightforward answers on simple issues like why even bother to share the gospel when god has already decided who’d be saved? “Because we don’t know who the elect are,” he answered, and that answer I’ve heard countless times from other Calvinists and have seen on blogs.

It does not even make sense! I understand my son is under someone else’s control and his normal way of thinking has been altered, and I get chest pains when I think who is responsible! He does not laugh like he used to, or talk to his brother and hang with him like he used to when he visits, he ignores his dad, he sees himself as good for nothing, which is not what the Bible teaches! He has become rude and even cusses…! And he is watching and promoting movies with extreme nude scenes and blasphemy that he’d never dream of watching before, and this because some false teacher has said there’s nothing wrong for a Christian to watch worldly things (Ephesians 4, verse 29). He has even turned his back on the music we used to listen to together. The artists he listens to now I won’t even name as there is nothing Christian or wholesome about them although these performers are found at every Calvinist conference or “event” and some of the big names in Calvinism even promote these worldly songs.

Leroy spends much of his money attending these conferences and he used to tell me about it all the time, and every time I realized that he was being led by the nose and being brainwashed. What struck me is that these conferences were obviously aimed at people within his age range. But how do I tell him that I can see he is involved with the works of darkness without pushing him away even more? On the rare visit, I have tried to talk to him, to remind him of how he had been before. I even asked him on the last visit in 2016 if he even realized that he was hurting everyone who loves him. He shrugged his shoulders.

Jordan has had words with Leroy and has demanded he apologize for the way he’d been treating my husband and I, and an apology did come forth, but even that did not last long. Jordan has been amazing and has told me over and over that Leroy will come to his senses, that he is simply star struck and following personalities and not Jesus; Leroy is caught in human idolatry. Jordan says, “It is just a phase that will pass.” He tells me that every now and then. He misses his brother so much and is planning to visit him in LA during the summer.

My dear husband has been supportive too even though he has probably been hit the hardest by all of this. He has taken it very personally, and I often find him staring at nothing. He has been patient with Leroy and has told him that our home is still his home, and that Jesus is still his Savior, and that there is no other. My husband has often asked me and I have often asked him where we’d gone wrong. But we’ve been told by wonderful friends and fellow believers that we are not to blame, that Leroy has made his own choices, and that we should not give up praying, hoping, and believing. Our son will come “home.”

For all the grieving and worried parents out there whose children have wandered away from Jesus and into Calvinism, I can say take heart! It seems to be a almost fashion like and this fad should pass. In Leroy’s case, this fad has been going on for 3 years, but it will pass. Never argue with your children about Calvinism, but speak to them gently about it by quoting the Bible and not the words of men or women.

Also, although technically it is a cult, please don’t call it one when talking to them as that will make them more determined in following after men. Never stop praying for them or loving them or showering them with kindness. Learn as much about Calvinism that you can stand and find out who the popular Calvinist and Reformed leaders are and what they teach. Remember, Calvinists have twisted every Christian phrase and word to mean something else. Above all, let them know that you love them despite everything.

Growing up, my mom and her friends had the beautiful and exciting habit of break into song whenever they got together. It was second nature for those women to sing and sing. “His eye is on the sparrow” by Mahalia Jackson was one of their favorites, and before I turned seven, I knew the words to the whole song! I know that despite the fact that Leroy has temporarily turned his back on Him and despite Leroy being blinded by Satan, God is still keeping an eye on my boy. That is the God we believe in, a God of love, forgiveness and salvation that comes through believing in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Our family’s story does not have a good ending yet, but I know it is gonna have one. Many precious people are praying for Leroy and for his girlfriend too. I thank them all. Our story will have a good ending too. I just know it. God bless y’all!

And thank you Mary for allowing me to share our story.

Loretta D. Massachusetts

 

TEACHING THURSDAY – DAVE HUNT – ‘PREDESTINATION AND FREE WILL’ – THE FRIGHTENING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ISLAM AND CALVINISM

Lord willing, and if time permits, next year I hope to start a series regarding Calvinism and how it distorts the gospel and the very nature of God. At the least I will be sharing more teachings by well respected Christian teachers and pastors who have done much more research on Calvinism, Reformed Theology, and John Calvin and his Institutes of the Christian Religion in light of Scripture than I have done so far. As always, I encourage you to get your Bibles and follow along as you listen to these teachings, being sure that you test everything against Scripture to see if what is being said is true (Acts 17:11), and in context.

If any of you are former Calvinists and would like to share your journey out of Calvinism with me, please send me a message along with your story via the CONTACT FORM and I may feature your testimony here in order to help others see the unbiblical nature of Calvinism/Reformed Theology.

Thank you very much for stopping by today.

~God Bless You

Mary Dalke – Living4HisGlory & Reflecting His Glory – Photography And Acrylic Fluid Art

TEACHING THURSDAY – DEBATE – WHAT IS THE BIBLICAL VIEW CONCERNING MAN’S FREE WILL?

As I have mentioned to you in a few posts over this past year, Lord willing, as soon as I get the time to finish the different series that I am doing concerning Catholicism and the Alleged Apparitions of the Virgin Mary, I am hoping to begin a series on Calvinism and Reformed Theology in light of Scripture. In light of that, I thought this debate that a dear sister-in-Christ let us know on Facebook was being live streamed would be a good video to share with all of you today for a Teaching Thursday post to make some of you who are not fully aware of some of the teachings of Calvinism and Reformed Theology come to understand some of the beliefs that they hold to. The speakers for this debate that will be presenting their position on man’s Free Will from the reformed view is not typical of most Calvinists; most Calvinists are known to be polite and respectful, though some can be harsh and unfair in their attitudes and statements at times, like James White. However, what you will hear from Dr. Sonny Hernandez, and especially from Dr.  Theodore Zachariades, is a lack of self-control and a lot of yelling, and a change in what they claimed to believe concerning man’s free will during the discussions and online interactions they  all had  before this debate took place. Leighton Flowers and Jonathan Pritchett who represented the Traditionalist point of view did an excellent job of staying in control under such shock and pressure and exhibited God’s grace towards Sonny and Theodore, and Leighton and Johnathan also kept them on point. This is one debate that you will not be  bored listening to! Above all, I pray that you will learn the importance of truly having a Biblical perspective on every theological issue, and not just accept a  teaching because it is being taught by someone who has been known to be a well respected teacher for many years. We must constantly compare Scripture with Scripture and look at it in its context and grammatical structure to determine the Biblical meaning of a verse, and not simply accept man’s interpretation of a verse!

Here is the video description:

Published on Nov 4, 2017

“Dr. Leighton Flowers and Dr. Johnathan Pritchett (Traditionalists) debate Dr. Sonny Hernandez and Dr. Theodore Zachariades (Calvinists) over the doctrine of Free Will. Things become a bit contentious in the CX when Theodore and Sonny disavow the London Baptist Confession’s statement on free will (Chapter 9) since prior to the debate Leighton and Johnathan were told they affirmed it. This cause much unnecessary confusion and contention. On July 18th, an email with all parties copied, Sonny said, “Hey Leighton, The best way to summarize our position would be to review the 1689 London Baptist Confession or the Westminster Confession of Faith (See Free will).” And even after Leighton literally copied and pasted chapter 9 (the one on Free Will) into the email and asking specifically what they affirmed, Sonny wrote back to all parties (including Theodore), “Leighton, what you see in the confession is what we affirm…” Leighton put up a live video on the Soteriology 101 facebook page showing all these emails for his followers to read for themselves. Things also became unnecessarily heated when Theodore called his opponents “brothers” and then retracted that statement saying they were merely “opponents” and that he wasn’t sure they were actual “brothers” due to their view of grace.”

Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.

God Bless You

~Mary/Living4HisGlory

RELATED SCRIPTURES

“Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14,15)

“And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16,17)

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6,7)

“And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” (John 5:37-40)

“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me,” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15)

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God –children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12,13)

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8,9)

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CHURCHLESS ONCE AGAIN

It is with sadness that I am writing this post to share with you that I have now left the church that I had been attending for over five years.

I remember the first day that I attended that church and how deeply I appreciated the pastor’s expository preaching! So much so, that tears welled up within my eyes as I heard God’s Word finally being preached the way God intends His Word to be preached: in truth, verse by verse, in context, and without the text being manipulated to say something other than what God intends for it to say to us! I even went up to the pastor after the service and told him how much I appreciated his preaching, and eventually told him how I had recently left a church (HBCRM) after attending there for over 14 1/2 years because God’s Word was being twisted and taken out of context by the pastor in order to manipulate our thinking and to try to make it say something that the pastor was trying to get us to accept in some way, and I also told him that I left because of many compromises that my former pastor had made.

I met so many wonderful people at my now former church, and made some friends, as well. I will miss them all, especially M who I recently met at the women’s luncheon, and J who sat in front of me during the services.

Some of you may be wondering what happened that caused me to leave, so briefly, and respectfully, I will tell you:

Last year my pastor came up to me and asked me how I was doing, which is something he does with everyone quite frequently because of the kind and caring person that he is. He also asked me if I was still writing poems on my blog, and I proceeded to tell him how the direction had somewhat changed concerning what I am writing, and that presently I was writing a series out of my desire to reach Catholics with the Biblical gospel. I also told him that next year (Lord willing) I am going to be writing about Calvinism to warn those who read my blog of the importance of knowing God’s Word because of how the teachings of Reformed Theology/Calvinism distort the character and nature of God and even the gospel itself! I then asked him if he could recommend something for me to read to help me as I prepare to write about it. I was almost certain that he would agree with me regarding the valid concerns that I have about Calvinism/Reformed Theology, but I was stunned by his reply as he proceeded to tell me that “salvation is a mystery” and how “God’s ways are past finding out.” He then had me open my Bible to Romans 11:33, which he also did, and then he read it out loud as I followed along in my Bible:

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”

I was speechless and devastated by what he had just said to me, and quickly became aware of the fact that my jaw began to drop out of shock and I had to make a conscious effort to pull it back up in order to close my mouth! There were simply no words that came to mind to say to him at that moment –I was stunned, and filled with concern, as well!

He also shared with me how the church that he had grown up in split because of Calvinism, and that many people were hateful in the way they treated one another. He told me near the end of our conversation that he would send me some information on Calvinism, (but I never received anything).

I came away from our conversation with the impression that he was afraid of a split taking place at ‘our’ church, and that it may possibly be the reason why he seems reluctant to speak out against it. It seemed to me like he was trying to push Calvinism to the very back of his mind so that he would never had to deal with it at all. At least that’s what I initially thought.

The next major thing that happened to raise the level of my concern was something that my friend discovered when she took part in the women’s Bible study last year:

My friend, who  attended my former church for the past two years (she left two months ago), told me that John MacArthur’s study guides were being used in the women’s Bible study classes that she was attending. Knowing that John MacArthur is one of the most prominent preachers/teachers of Reformed Theology, and to hear that his books were now in our church was a very troubling truth to discover! She expressed her concerns about that to ‘our pastor’ and was told basically the same thing that I was told, and he tried to assure her that Calvinism was not being taught and that no seeds were being planted as she had suggested to him out of her valid concerns.

Then, just a few weeks ago, I received a call from ‘my pastor’ in which he stated that he was calling to let me know that my friend was no longer going to be attending ‘our church.’ I could be wrong, but I had the feeling that this call was more about finding out what I already knew about my friend leaving, and if she had influenced me to also leave in any way, and maybe he also wanted to find out how much I really knew about Calvinism. The statements that he made to me during our conversation seemed to confirm that, and I proceeded to tell him that I was considering leaving too, but that as I listened carefully as he preached through the book of Romans I did not hear him say anything that would indicate that he was trying to present the teachings of Calvinism to us. He told me to trust him and that he was not trying to bring Calvinism into the church. He tried to assure me by telling me that he has never been to any of John MacArthur’s Shepherd’s Conferences, and that he is not part of the Gospel Coalition. However, the one thing that I have learned from all that I have already been through with pastors, my former husband, and with a few friends, is the fact that the only one we are to put our trust in is the Lord, and no one else! That thought remained unspoken, and I soon learned that I was right in not trusting him, as nice of a person as he may seem to be.

At one point in our conversation that lasted for more than an hour and twenty minutes, I posed this question to him:

“Since you are now preaching through the book of Colossians, may I humbly ask you to prayerfully consider addressing Calvinism when you get  to Colossians 2:8? Then I would feel more assured.”(Assured that he was not trying to bring Calvinism into the church).

I then proceeded to read the verse to him…

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ,”

…and then waited for his response. At first he seemed to consider it, but then quickly changed his mind saying that in all of the years that he has been a pastor at the church he has not had a problem with it. He also pointed out the fact that there were some Calvinists who were presently attending out church, which was something that I was already aware of.

At one point he mentioned that “there are no seeds being planted,” obviously referring to what my friend had previously said to him. At that point I cautiously and humbly  brought to his attention what I credit God for putting in my mind at that very moment, which was this:

“But if John MacArthur’s  books are being used as study guides, some people may think that you are  in agreement with all that John MacArthur teaches, and they may get involved in Calvinism as a result.”

He seemed to give pause at what I said at that point. He also said that he would try to keep a closer watch on the books that were being used, but that he tries to give freedom to the teachers in what they choose for the Bible studies. I gently tried to remind him of how Scripture warns about false teachings in the last days and how Satan comes to destroy.

At around this point I also brought up how after receiving an email about the upcoming women’s Bible studies I did a search on the authors of the books that were going to be used as the study guides and found information that indicated that both authors may very well be Calvinists, since one was a part of John MacArthur’s church at one point. Since I was sitting at my computer when he called I was able to access the quick captures that I had taken of the information and read some of it to him.

Here is what I discovered. Consider this information as a warning, dear reader, so that you can beware of these authors: Jen Wilkin and Elizabeth George.

From the beliefs of Jen Wilkin that you will find stated below, note how she emphasizes “His children” when she says the following:

“For His glory and because of His love for His children, God initiated a plan of redemption, which He fully accomplished on their behalf. God the Father sent Jesus the Son, fully God and fully man, to die on the cross as a substitutionary  sacrifice for the sins of His children. Jesus lived a sinless life on earth, suffered death on the cross, was buried, and then rose again from the dead, demonstrating His victory over sin and death. Jesus fully paid for the redemption of God’s children, and by God’s grace, we respond with repentance and faith.”

Now, I may be wrong, but to me it was a clear indication that she was presenting the teaching of Limited Atonement which says that Jesus Christ did not die for the sins of the whole world, but only for those whom God chose to save before the foundations of the world, referred to as “the elect” by those who teach Calvinism. (More on that when, Lord willing, I do an extensive review of John Calvin’s teachings compared to Scripture, as soon as I finish the series that I am presently doing concerning the topic of Catholicism.).

Concerning Elizabeth George, as you can see from the information below…

“She was also a Logos Bible Institute instructor and a Bible study lecturer and curriculum development team member at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley California.” 

That happens to be the church that John MacArthur is the pastor of. Enough said, IMHO.

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At one point in our conversation I told him that I had some videos that I wanted to share with him concerning how Calvinism distorts the character and nature of God and the gospel itself, if he would be willing to listen to them, when time allowed. He told me that he would listen to the clips if I would send them to him, which I was thankful to hear him say.

Much more was said, but that is all that is necessary to allow you to see pretty much what was said during our conversation. Emails were exchanged in the days ahead, and I did send the video teachings to him by Pastor Tom Stegall. They were the same ones that I previously shared with all of you in my previous post, which is the series entitled, ‘Confronting Calvinism.’  [Note: I truly regret sending him those teachings, because I found out some time later that Tom Stegall wrongly teaches that Jesus died spiritually, as well as physically. Please read this post so that you are aware of this heretical teaching, as well as some who teach it: HOW DISCERNING ARE YOU? REFUTING THE HERETICAL TEACHING THAT JESUS DIED SPIRITUALLY]

The deciding factor that caused me to finally leave without hesitation came about as I did research on the association of churches that my former church belongs to. Upon coming across the information that I believe God led me to find, and some information that another friend had shared with me, I not only discovered the association’s clear involvement with Calvinism, but also I came across two articles that were written by the person who leads worship at what is now my former church. In the articles he spoke highly of John Piper and other prominent pastors and teachers of Reformed Theology. I then wrote what will probably be my last email to my former pastor to let him know that as much as I appreciated his expository preaching, and how kind and caring of a person that he is to all who attend there, and as much as I love all of the people that I met during the five years that I attended there, I would not be returning. I then proceeded to tell him about some of the information that I had discovered, and ended my email by saying the following:

“I have made my decision after much prayer and research, so there is really no need to discuss this any further. I am taking a stand for Biblical truth by leaving because I completely reject and oppose the teachings of Calvinism because they are unbiblical and damaging to the character of the God whom I serve and the very gospel itself. I just pray that one day you will come to realize the serious problems with Reformed Theology/Calvinism and see the need to warn those whom God has entrusted to your care, and trust God with the results. Since there are people who attend (name of church) who are Calvinists, as wonderful as they may be, it is only a matter of time before problems arise.”

You will continue to be in my prayers, (name of pastor). I am very sorry that it had to come to this.”

So, dear reader of this blog from time to time, now maybe you can understand that even though I started out with an urgency to write about Catholicism in order to reach Catholics with Biblical truth, why I found myself equally concerned about the teachings of Calvinism; its teachings are just as damaging to the gospel as Catholicism is, and it was God’s way of preparing me for this time in my life. I may have started out with the desire to warn you of the importance of testing its teachings against Scripture, but because of all of the videos that I have listened to on the subject, and because of testing its teachings against God’s Word myself, all of my studying  has served to help me stand firm on the Rock of my salvation, never realizing that one day Calvinism would affect me in such a deep and personal way!

In hindsight, I now can see why God kept bringing Calvinism to my attention in many small ways, even before I knew what it was! The first incident happened back in around the year 2010. A friend from my previously former church of 14 1/2 years came to me and tearfully said, “What if I’m not one of the elect?” I had no idea what she meant, but that pleading, tear-stained question stayed with me even after I tried to help assure her of her salvation by sharing Scriptures with her and asking her some questions.

The second thing that occurred  was finding the teachings of Reformed Theology that was presented on a website by using the acrostic, TULIP. It didn’t take long for me to  realize that these teachings did not line up with Scripture!  (Please consider watching the videos that I added below).

Then, after writing about leaving my previous church in January of 2012, someone contacted me through my blog and asked me if I was “reformed.” Once again, I was puzzled by another question, not knowing what she meant because I had never been asked that question before. I assumed that she was referring to the Reformation, so I answered her email by saying, “Yes, I believe we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.” Even though I had a strong feeling that I didn’t give her the answer she was expecting, I answered honestly and proceeded to hit the ‘send’ button as I slightly cringed.

Now I realize that God used those puzzling moments in my life in order to motivate me to begin researching Calvinism so that I would be prepared for this time in my life when I would need to know what Reformed Theology actually teaches, and how it distorts the character and nature of God, the Word of God, and the gospel itself!

I pray that God will somehow open the eyes of my former pastor so that he finally comes to see the damaging effects that Calvinism has on the gospel and the extreme importance of warning the people that he will one day stand before God and give an account for how he taught them according to God’s Word.

That makes four churches that I have now left because of errors (the Catholic church) or because of pastors drifting away from Biblical truth, or making compromises with Biblical truth in some way.

So maybe now you can understand one of the reasons why I have not been writing as much lately, and that is because I have been dealing with this issue and seeking God concerning what I should do about it, and hoping  and praying that God would somehow use me to warn my former pastor of the dangers of Reformed Theology/Calvinism. But who am I to tell a pastor what he should do, and what God’s Word clearly says? I am just someone who seeks to follow Jesus Christ, and earnestly contend for the faith, someone who does not follow any man’s teachings.

I am not a divisive person either. I am someone who simply refuses to compromise or to remain silent. Why? Because I have learned from others who have become very dear to me,  how destructive  the teachings of Calvinism can be to the beliefs and convictions of those Christians who once lovingly reached out to others with the good news of the Biblical gospel which clearly states that Jesus Christ died for ALL who will CHOOSE to place their trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ’s ‘once for all’ sacrifice.

Salvation is available to ALL who are willing to come to Him and to believe the true Biblical gospel that declares Jesus Christ, who was and is God in the flesh, willingly came to this earth to live the perfect sinless life that we are incapable of living, to die in our place as our substitute for all of our sins – no matter how horrendous they may be – and that He was buried and gloriously arose from the dead on the third day to show that His sacrifice was accepted by God the Father to satisfy the wrath that He has towards all mankind because of our sin and rebellion, and I will continue to earnestly contend for the faith by defending that truth in a respectful, but firm manner –no matter what!

RELATED SCRIPTURES

“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (1 Timothy 4:16)

“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1)

“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

“This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, (and for this we labor and strive) that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10)

“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)

“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teachings you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” (Romans 16:17,18)

“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” (Jude 1:17-19)

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)

“Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:26-31)

Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.

God Bless You

Mary/Living4HisGlory

RELATED VIDEOS

Although I realize the title of these videos may offend some Calvinists who may see them, that is certainly not my intention. I am sharing them because the truth presented in these videos is powerful because it is based upon the truth of God’s Word. Please prayerfully consider listening to his teachings when time allows, and be sure to test everything that he says against Scripture as we are shown to do in Acts 17:11, as well as the teachings of everyone you listen to who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ and a preacher or teacher of God’s Word.

TEACHING THURSDAY – ROBERT CONGDON ADDRESSING CALVINISM/REFORMED THEOLOGY IN LIGHT OF SCRIPTURE

Welcome to another post in the category of posts entitled, TEACHING THURSDAY.’ Lord willing, every month or so on a Thursday, I will be posting either a video, an article, or some form of teaching  in which a *Biblically sound teacher *(Biblically sound because what they say and teach lines up with the truth of God’s Word,  Acts 17:11) will either expose an unbiblical movement, teaching, or a practice that is leading many Christians astray, or present some type of Biblical teaching to help you grow in a deeper understanding of God’s Word on different topics. Some of these teachings may be essentials of the Christian faith, and others may be things that we can debate but not divide over.

It is my hope and prayer that by presenting these teachings to you, many more Christians will not only come to realize the importance of testing the words of men (and women) against the truth of God Word so they will not be deceived, but also it is my hope and prayer that many Christians will come to know the joy of learning God’s Word.

Now on with today’s TEACHING THURSDAY:

As I had mentioned to you in the very beginning of the year, Lord willing, next year I will be presenting you with an in depth series in which we will be comparing the teachings of Calvinism (also known as Reformed Theology) to Scripture. This series will begin after I complete the Catholicism series that I am presently writing; a series in which we are comparing the teachings from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to Scriptures that can be found in the Catholic Bible. Just as I am trusting that God will open the eyes of many Catholics so that they will begin to question all that they have been taught as they see what God’s Word actually says, I will also be trusting that God will open the eyes of many who have embraced the teachings of Calvinism so that they will come to realize that the teachings of Calvinism do not line up with Scripture, distort the very nature and character of God, and — if I may be so bold as to say — that the teachings of Calvinism even present another Jesus and another gospel. (2 Corinthians 11:2-4, Galatians 1:6-9) Yes, I realize that is a very shocking statement to make, but if you will choose to pray for discernment and examine the teachings of Calvinism through the lens of Scripture instead of accepting the interpretations of what Bible teachers of Reformed Theology/Calvinism say concerning God and a certain passage of Scripture, your eyes will be opened to the truth by the power of the Holy Spirit to see how God’s Word and His very nature are being twisted and changed into something that is clearly not Biblical Christianity.

Since watching some of the presentations by speakers at the Pastor’s Conference that took place at the end of April 2017 at Calvary Chapel Appleton, in Appleton, Wisconsin, in which the the focus was on the book of Galatians, I decided to share these teachings with you today concerning Calvinism as an example of what you can expect next year in my series concerning Calvinism/Reformed Theology: teachings based on Scripture, truth spoken in love, and the words of men being tested against the truth of God’s Word to see if what is being said is true (Acts 17:11), or not.

Please prayerfully consider listening to these teachings by former Calvinist, Robert Congdon, whether you are someone who has no idea what Calvinism/Reformed Theology actually is, whether you are someone who has heard of it and knows a little about it, or even if you are someone who has actually embraced any or all of the five points of  TULIP, which are:

• Total Depravity
  

• Unconditional Election

• Limited Atonement

• Irresistible Grace

• Perseverance of the Saints

 

Thank you very much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy day to read some of my posts and poems.

God Bless You

~Mary/Living4HisGlory

UPDATE:

Over the past week I have been trying to finish writing Part 2 of May 13th Marks The 100 Year Anniversary Of The Alleged Apparitions Of The Virgin Mary At Fatima – Learn To Discern Do Not Be Deceived and hope to have it finished by Sunday evening.