No One Wants To Be An Arminian: No one wants to be that Guy.

In Christian circles you will occasionally encounter the term Arminianism. I don't know why but it doesn't sound like a good thing to be. It sounds strange, different, kind of weak. Just not something you would want to be. So every time the topic comes up most everyone says “I’m not an Arminian.” I guess the obvious question is “Why?” I mean what is an Arminian in the first place and why is being an Arminian such a terrible thing in the second place?

Well Arminianism is named for a fellow called Jacob Arminius who was a very learned Professor and Theologian in the time of the Reformation. He was known for his views on soteriology or the doctrine of Salvation and most notably that he disagreed with John Calvin’s followers on Predestination.

Calvin’s followers believed that the gospel is not for all and that the elect (Christians) are predestined to salvation just as the lost are predestined to damnation. They were particularly strong on the view that the believer could do nothing to assist in his or her salvation. That man is so depraved that they could not even decide to believe on Christ Jesus as a personal decision. Thus God made the decision for them at the foundation of the World.

Arminius did not really entirely disagree with Calvinists about the state in which man found himself. However, he believed that God allowed man a degree of free will in the decision about his or her salvation and that the bible did not entirely support the Calvinist contentions about soteriology and the mechanism of Grace.

I sympathise with the Arminian point of view as although the bible supports the Doctrine of Predestination. I don’t believe that predestination means that persons are predestined to salvation or predestined to damnation which is a central theme in Calvinism as I understand it. The reason that I don’t like this idea is that with Christ Jesus came a complete sea change in the relationship available to those who follow Jehovah.

The emphasis under the New Covenant is now on a loving relationship between God and mankind for beside those scriptures on predestination are a raft of scriptures like John 3:16 on God’s love for the World through Christ’s work of Redemption on the Cross. It seems that all are called to salvation upon hearing the gospel preached. This is in accordance with the Great Commission given by Jesus at his ascension and found in the book of Matthew chapter twenty eight . John Wesley called this Prevenient Grace where the Father draws men and women close to His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

The Arminians also known as the Remonstrants hold a view of God that believes every man and woman has the opportunity to hear the gospel call. To be drawn to Christ Jesus by the Father and to believe that He bore their sins on the Cross or to reject Him. In that vain they wrote the Five Articles of the Remonstrance to compete with the Calvinist interpretation of scripture and the Calvinist beliefs around Predestination. Five articles of Remonstrance | Theopedia

Now at the time of the writing of the Five Articles of the Remonstrance in 1610. There was a furor among the mainly Calvinist Christians and in 1618 they convened the Synod of Dort. This is where the Arminians were convicted of heresy and stripped of their congregations and charged not to preach on the Remonstrants. However in due course they were allowed to form Churches and left in peace.

A century later John and Charles Wesley were God’s instruments in forming the Methodist / Arminian Church in the Britain and the United States of America. They also spearheaded a great revival in England which pulled the country from the edge of ruin by bringing an end to the Gin Craze amongst other things. Their work provided a foundation for the Salvation Army and other denominations to build orphanages and address poverty in England in the Nineteenth Century.

As time progressed toward and through the Twentieth Century. The Industrial Revolution combined with a kind of Christian Renaissance to bring about a period of relative freedom and prosperity in the West. Sadly at the same time the devil attacked the Church with Secular Humanism, Liberalism and the Tongues Movement to great effect. This resulted in a steady decline of Arminian centered Christianity to the point that by the advent of the Twenty First Century it had largely morphed into a form of liberal quasi Christian Social Support network. At the same time the Reformed Church had fared better and became the default Fundamentalist Church of the day.

In the current era the word Arminian is a slur that no Christian wants to wear. I don’t think that most Christians know what an Arminian really is but they are certain they don’t want to be one. Actually Arminian Christians believe that Calvinism portrays a perspective of God that is inconsistent with the God of the bible. A picture of God that relates more to the God’s of the Greek pantheon. Super beings with unpredictable temperaments who would punish men mercilessly for no particular reason. Who would create them just to appease some whim and destroy them on another whim. Strange beings with odd moralities.

It is true that Jehovah has reacted with indignant rage in the Bible. He destroyed the antediluvian world completely and he judged certain individuals in a seemingly offhand manner but there is common thread to this. The explanation is sin and wickedness. God will not tolerate sin and acts decisively against it always. However, the Redemptive work of Christ Jesus on the Cross has brought about a sea-change in the way God deals with sin and brought the emphasis back to love.

God so loved the World that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but inherit eternal life. We are saved by our belief in Christ Jesus and the redemptive work He did on the Cross. That belief is credited to us as faith which is not a work. Belief is acceptance and faith is trust so God sees our belief and gives us the gift of faith which gives salvation under the law of faith and by the Grace of God.

The Arminians believe that Grace is in two parts and therefore the first part is called Prevenient Grace where the Father draws us near to Christ and the second part involves our Salvation when we believe. I know that none of this makes much difference to Calvinists they just don’t believe it. But it just seems right to most non Calvinist Christians. Yes there is predestination but God is a loving God and He seeks to find that which was lost. No one is destined to damnation who didn’t freely choose to go there.

So lets remember that Arminians are nice people with big hearts who happen to love the same God as the other Christians. You could say that Arminians are Christians too. We have a similar view of mans ability to save himself as Calvinists but we happen to believe that Calvinism is only half of the picture. The other half is that the Father draws all who hear the gospel preached to Christ Jesus – Prevenient Grace.

To sum up then, the argument is largely between the Calvinists who tend to need God to be the strong, silent type who doesn’t stand any nonsense. A key scriptures would be “God is not mocked.” Hence God is not averse to being angry and judgmental and get to physical if he needs too. He is a God we can be proud of. In a similar manner we could be proud that our government has just bought the latest jet fighter. God is strong. He’s the man! As it were. As a result Calvinists have a God who will only accept those he has predestined from the beginning of time and he doesn’t care about the rest. They can “Go to hell!” Literally.

From the Arminian point of view the key scripture is the one entitled The Beatitudes of Matthew Five. Here Jesus lays out the attitudes that are important to God. Note “Blessed are the Meek for they shall inherit the Earth.” The Meek from a Calvinist perspective would be the weak. However, the Meek are not weak. They are people of all kinds who love God and live their lives in peaceful humility. They never respond violently and are almost certainly represented by those who have laid down their lives in sacrifice throughout the Church Age. So to be Meek in the eyes of God is not to be weak but is a required attitude to represent God on the Earth.

John Wesley considered himself to be Arminian and his focus was strongly on the love of God. God used him to lead a great revival in England and America establishing the Methodist Church in the process. The outcome though was a period of Christian growth which reformed society and the way we treat the poor and needy in the Western World. It established a vibrant largely Christian middle class which lasted until the 1980’s. We have all benefited from the hard work that Arminians have put in to shepherd Christianity in a loving and compassionate way, even in this era when we are moving once more through a period of spiritual darkness. So next time someone mentions Arminians to you. You might be better informed as to who they are?

Calvinism – Predestination and all that jazz...

 There are certain precepts that we can use to test a theory. In this case Calvinism which is based on Augustine’s thinking about Determinism which also came in no small part from Plato and the Ancient Greek religious philosophies. Determinism holds that God determines everything in the Universe. Augustine was originally a follower of Mani the author of an esoteric philosophy called Manichaenism. A form of gnostic dualism. Gnosticism tends toward the idea of a supreme hidden divinity and a lesser malevolent one often identified as Yahweh. Dualism is a division between two states such as light and dark or good and evil. Augustine later converted to Christianity but brought some of his previous Manichaen thinking into his new faith.

Now Calvinism roots deeply into the scriptures where both Christ Jesus and the apostle Paul spoke about Predestination, being Chosen from the foundation of the Earth and being drawn close to Christ Jesus by the Father. The good thing about Calvinism is that it does have scriptural basis for the claims it is making. These being that everyone is predestined either to salvation or damnation by God and from the foundation of the Earth. This belief is held firm and uncompromising within the the Reformed Church globally.

The What Ifs

• What if, the bible has been altered slightly to enhance the scriptures relating to predestination with the intention of supporting the doctrines relating to Calvinism? This would have worked well in the Church before the Reformation given that Rome always proposed to be a one stop shop for salvation. So it figures that you’re predestined to salvation through the Church or Eternal Damnation outside of it.

• What if, we look at the example of Lucifer. He was an archangel created perfect and without defect. Yet he must of had self will. At some point he became corrupted and began to be jealous of Yahweh Elohim. He began to be angry and embittered about the way that God ran the universe. This judgement and hatred of God spread amongst the angels and one third of them rallied in battle against Yahweh, at Lucifer’s side.

  • This is where the doctrine that God is the Perfect Sovereign begins to founder. If God were perfect and orders the Universe in perfection then this situation would never have arisen. Lucifer’s programming would have been such that he had no autonomous control and could never malfunction in the way he did. As it is He failed and Yahweh is at fault.

    • This is because Yahweh allowed a measure of freewill. This shows that Yahweh does not wish his creations to be enslaved. It behoves that he is prepared to take responsibility when things go wrong. When Lucifer and the angels rose up against God it must have been an unimaginable battle on a truly cosmic scale. Some wonder whether the Earth shows the scars of it and if this might explain the fossil record? Our God is a truly wonderful God who grants love and freedom and will fight to make things right even if it seems He is far from achieving it. It does not embarrass God that this situation is imperfect and He will correct it to His high standards of perfection in the end. Romans chapter 8 verse 28.

• What if we apply God’s handling of the Satanic rebellion and the situation that arose in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve at the Fall. God made man and man was innocent but not perfect because He and She had freewill. They had a relationship with Yahweh Elohim and were in close communion but not locked into that relationship. If they accepted what Satan said to them. Which they did and were tricked into disobeying God. As they were. They were free to choose to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge although they underestimated the consequences of doing so by an order of magnitude. When God told them the impacts of their rebellion and how things were to change one can only sympathise with them and how they had been duped by the Dragon.

• What if we take the Calvinistic perspective and we say God is Perfect Sovereign and cannot be anything but perfect. He cannot make mistakes and this series of failures are not mistakes. So Satan was predestined to be corrupted and sin and the same with Adam and Eve at the Fall. One can only be amazed that God would be so caught up in His own pride that He refused to accept any blame for the great errors in His creation and that he takes the point of view that He predestined them to fail and fall into sin. Accepting no responsibility and stating that He intended it to happen for His own reasons? Highly illogical and something that sounds surprisingly like the sort of nonsense that Satan would endeavour to spread, far and wide, in his efforts to besmirch the character of God.

  • To many Christians this is simply too unbelievable to accept. As a friend of mine once said “This is not the the conclusion we would come to by simply reading the bible.” He also said that he found it to be an abhorrent attack on the character of God. A clue to why this is the case is that the bible describes God as a loving Father who interacts with His creations. Many times he does this on a personal level. Note his interactions with Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah and Daniel and there are many others.

Yahweh’s negative reactions are always enacted by His complete abhorrence of sin. His love overcomes these and he has enacted a more perfect solution in Christ’s work on the cross, bearing our sins and through His resurrection lifting us to the newness of life in the Spirit and eternal life to come. To speculate that He has predestined those who are saved and those who are lost is frankly out of step with the purpose that He has laid out in the New Covenant. He desires that none would be lost as the scripture says in 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance...’ ESV

If we look broadly at Scripture it shows the interaction between God and His creations. It highlights the importance of the decisions that we make as men and it warns of the consequences of bad decision making. Rather than describing the concrete actions of automatons it shows the freedom of choice that our loving God has given us. Does this mean that we are not predestined? No it means that those who can be influenced by the Father to come to the Saviour do so. Those whose hearts are hardened by the world and the activities of Satan reject God. But my belief is that God’s desires a people who will choose to follow him and gives all of mankind the choice.

So, what can we say of Calvinism and it’s stoic insistence upon the absolute Sovereignty of God but applied in such a way that it conflicts with the literal interpretation of much of scripture. In this doctrine man’s view of God will not allow God to be himself. God is perfect and no one can be allowed to say that he has made mistakes or has allowed for error on the part of His creations. Yet scripture describes the events and consequences of those errors and it would appear that God allowed for those errors and consequences and intends to use those events to build a more robust and perfect creation in the end. At which point the old creation will have served its purpose and will be done away with and a New Heavens and Earth will arise.

Bear in mind that when I say this I am not disputing the main points involved here. Is God the Sovereign God? Yes He is. Is God Perfect? Indubitably, He is absolutely perfect. Has he made errors in Creation? No, He has allowed for freewill in His creations and has been prepared to accept the consequences of His actions. As Romans chapter 8 verse 28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Finally, I would ask whether Calvin’s teaching around “The Sovereignty of God” is a false teaching. Is this doctrine another gospel? Calvin followed Augustine’s teachings which included gnostic dualism and Augustine had been a Manichaen. Augustine also believed Plato’s theories of determinism based on a creator God who by nature was inherently arbitrary and whimsical. In the Greek world view where God controls the destiny of every aspect of creation whether object or creature.

This is not God of the bible who brought into being a creation that He said was “Very Good.” A God who created man in His own image and who shows us in the bible that we possess the range of emotions just as He does and we are creators just as He is. A God who is prepared to risk imperfection in His creations to allow Freedom of Choice. A God so loving that He bore our sins on the Cross at Calvary and was raised from the dead on the third day that he might defeat sin and death and pave the way of salvation for all of mankind should they choose to believe on His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

My answer to this question would be that the God of the bible is not the God of Plato and therefore not the God of Calvin. The determinist God of the Greeks is Zeus or Lucifer and we know him as Satan, that old Dragon. He is a hard and dictatorial ruler who has little love for Yahweh or His creation. This in the end means that Calvinism is in essence a cult based on the Greek Perspective of God. It has the essential aspects of a cult in that it has false teachers and a false teaching. It has John Calvin and Augustine of Hippo as founders and holders of the false doctrines and a central distorted doctrine in their view of the Sovereignty of God and in essence the nature of God. They see God as a whimsical creator saving whom he desires and damning those he hates.

That there are scriptures in the bible that imply some integrity to this teaching does not genuinely convey that the God of the bible is a vengeful and hateful God. He is long suffering, a loving father who judges even those who hate him in a just and even handed way not an arbitrary and whimsical way. His main emphasis is to end sin and heal creation. To save man and to restore him for eternity.

Destiny

In biblical terms destiny plays a big part in Gods plans. To be honest the battle over destiny has played a great part in Christianity and the lives of Christians over the past centuries of the Age of Grace. Questions have arisen from scriptures like Romans chapter 8 verse 28 which says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”ESV “While many Christians take great solace from this scripture and consider it a promise of God. Others see it as a part of a concrete determinant in God’s Sovereign Will where Christians are predestined and without choice and the wicked are destined to hell, both groups for time immemorial.

Then there are the destiny words like chosen, predestined, foreseen and foreknown. Merriam Webster defines Chosen as “one who is the object of choice or of divine favour; an elect person.” Predestined is defined as “the doctrine that God in consequence of his foreknowledge of all events infallibly guides those who are destined for salvation. Foreseen is stated to be “to see (something, such as a development) beforehand.” Foreknown is “to have previous knowledge of; know before- hand especially by paranormal means or by revelation.”

These are the power words in the battle between those who see God as a whimsical, vengeful, angry dictator and those who see him as the Loving Father of all Creation. Who when faced with sin and imperfection has used His cosmic ability to every affectation to rescue humanity and all of His work in this Universe from the brink of ruin and loss. They key phrase to the latter group is found in the writings of the apostle John in 1John chapter 4 verse 16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” ESV

So, the question arises “What is God’s purpose with the Creation and Mankind?” God clearly knows who will be predestined to Salvation through Grace to Eternal Life and those who are destined to reject His Saviour and to meet their eternal destiny in the Second Death. Therefore, are all actually predestined to Salvation in Christ Jesus but many reject the Saviour and so do not receive the benefits Grace and Eternal Life. Or, are we predestined either to Salvation or Damnation.

One would assume that this discussion leads to a debate over the nature of the Living God. As I mentioned before is God an angry and vengeful God or is He truly a God of Love? There are those who believe strongly one way or the other just as there are those who believe some combination of both views. How can we truly ascertain what the attitude of God is to salvation and unbelief?

I believe that there is one scripture in particular that gives us a glimpse into the nature and thinking of God on this matter. Mark chapter 12 verses 28 -31 “Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” NKJV

Would it then be fair to say that those who are destined to Salvation have a capacity of soul, heart and mind to love God with all of their strength? Would it be fair to say that they are capable of loving their neighbour as themselves, such that, they honour their parents, don’t murder and don’t commit adultery, don’t keep slaves, don’t lie or covet other’s possessions. Bearing in mind that it is only possible to keep the God’s Law with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit with the fullness of God in our hearts and minds. Can you see the link that Jesus was making here between loving God and keeping his commandments with the law fulfilled in His redemptive work on the Cross and now under the New Covenant. Matthew chapter 26 verses 26– 28 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Isn’t this thinking congruous with the theme of a loving Saviour that is underlined in that other famous scripture John chapter 15 verse 13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” KJV

Conversely, are those who reject Christ incapable of loving God with all they have and unable to love their fellow man? Are they because of their state of mind then destined to damnation? Now you might say here. “ Why would God allow men to have hearts which are hardened against him?” Hardened in a way that they can never receive the good news of Salvation in Jesus Christ and are therefore lost to eternal damnation. At which point I would say “God doesn’t do that and that in my opinion He reads their hearts, from eternity, and notes that they will never come to him in humility and repentance seeking forgiveness and eternal life.” In this way they are predestined but not as a direct action of God against them. It just happens to be a fact that because of internal wiring they will never accept God’s grace.

Having said this I do need to qualify my statement here and mention that God does harden men’s hearts on occasion and that their are incidents in scripture when he has caused them to refuse to repent. Proverbs chapter 28 verses 13 – 14 puts it this way “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.” ESV So it maybe even today that some people provoke God’s ire against them through their actions so that He hardens their hearts and causes them not to repent.

Noted American preacher of the nineteenth century, Charles Finney spoke of a man who boasted that he would not repent until he was about to die. When that fateful day came. Try as he might to seek God and to repent of his sins. He could find no peace, security or hope of salvation. It brings to mind the scripture Isaiah chapter 55 verse 6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near...” ESV The question in this case then is, was this person destined to damnation because God hardened his heart or, was he simply incapable of salvation because of his rebellious heart? The result being in either case that God knew his destiny from the foundation of the world. The question then being did the man choose to rebell or did God predestine his rebellion?

The point I’m trying to make here is that those men and women that receive eternal life have as a consequence chosen to live with God for eternity. Satan has eternal life and it seems he could not live an eternity at peace with God and in the end developed a rebellious heart and literally went in to battle against God with a third of the angels under his leadership. God will not allow that situation to arise again and so those men, and women, who receive eternal life need to be able to live an eternity at peace and in love with God. Hidden in God with Christ for now and then presented as the Bride of Christ at the Wedding Party of the Lamb and from then for eternity as the beloved possession of God.

So in conclusion, are we destined to salvation or damnation? My answer would be yes we are destined to salvation or damnation. However, I don’t believe God would determine people to damnation but rather that he might make a decision not to choose someone to salvation who couldn’t survive eternity in the presence of the most high almighty King of Kings. As it says in scripture Isaiah chapter 55 verses 6-9 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

A people for his own possession

 This week I want to look at what the Word of God says about salvation. Now I know that if you lean toward being a Calvinist then you will be feeling doubtful as to whether I will treat this subject fairly. I can assure you that I will endeavour to be fair in my presentation of the facts as they appear in the bible. Before I jump into the many scriptures that relate to this subject I would point out that the bible has one continuing theme from the beginning to end. That God wants a people for his own possession.

Two scriptures that relate to this are Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth...” ESV This speaks to the nation of Israel and is delivered through Moses and the Law. The other scripture is 1Peter chapter 2 verse 9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light...” ESV This scripture relates to all Christians. Those of Israel and those who are in the Gentile Church as of such are we.

But it applies to the angels as it applied to Adam and Eve. Lucifer was created perfect and the scriptures tell us he remained so until sin was found in him. Ezekiel chapter 28 verse 15 “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you...” NKJV So although Satan was created perfect he chose to sin and became corrupted. Not only was he corrupted but he corrupted a third of the angels of heaven and led them in rebellion against the Creator. Revelation chapter 12 verse 4 “His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth...” Satan and the angels that followed him were defeated and cast out of heaven.

So God began the creation on Earth and created mankind in His own image. Adam and Eve were made perfect. But in Genesis chapter 3 verses 1-7 we see the Serpent spin God’s commands another way to deceive them into disobeying God. So they went from being a people for God’s own possession to a people separated from God by sin through disobedience. This is the same tactic that Satan has used to divert mankind throughout history.

Now prior to the great deluge mankind has completely forsaken the Creator to the point that He said he regretted ever creating them and only Noah was a person for His own possession. Through Noah and his family God was able yo re-establish mankind after the flood. Within a short time disobedience had recurred at Babel where mankind built a tower to heaven. God destroyed it and confused the language sending mankind off into different races and nations. This I believe, was to stop Satan creating a world empire and setting up worship of himself at that time.

Shortly thereafter God called Abraham out of Ur of the Caldees and into Canaan and made a covenant with him and his descendants. The offspring of Abraham and Sarah were driven into Egypt by famine and settled there where they stayed for nearly four hundred years until God sent Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.

For the first time God lived with the nation of Israel as they journeyed around the Sinai while he gave them the law and prepared them to enter Canaan. Thus began the nation of Israel. This is where God said through Moses “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth...” So you see here that God desires a people who will obey him and be holy to Him. His treasured possession.

My belief is that God not only calls his people and enables them to come to him. He enables them to choose him and He only wants those who seek him in their hearts. Those who reject God are those who never sought to follow Him in the first place. John chapter 3 verse 18 puts it this way Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ESV

So what is belief? Merriam Webster Dictionary defines belief as “A state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing.” So it is an action or in Christian terms a work. So in this case this scripture is crucial to God seeking a people for his own possession. A people who choose to follow God. Jesus said in the scripture above that if we don’t believe we are condemned already. He clearly indicates in this scripture that we have the choice.

Yes we are chosen but we are chosen on the basis that we have a heart condition that is favorable to God. A heart condition that will lead us to respond to his calling. A heart condition in which He can engender that action of belief within us. Without that action of belief we are condemned already. Without that belief we do not have faith.

Merriam Webster dictionary defines faith as “belief and trust in and loyalty to God.” Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 says “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” ESV So if we cannot please God if we are without faith. We cannot believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him with eternal life. Again we see that faith is an action just as belief is an action. So if we are to draw near to Christ Jesus or if we are drawn near by the Father then an act or work of faith has to occur before God can redeem us.

It is a confusing business to tease out the threads of knowledge and to understand what the bible says about predestination. Being chosen by God and choosing to follow God. Being sought on the basis that we choose God and being accepted on the basis of election from the beginning of time. Understanding that we are hapless lost souls who can do nothing of ourselves to rectify our position before God. Yet also being chosen on the basis of acceptance of Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross. It begs the question “Do we believe ourselves or does God enable us to believe?” For myself I believe it is both. We need the Father to draw us near and we need to answer Christ’s knock on the door with a resounding “Yes!” Indeed “Yes I wish to be a chosen person who is holy to the Lord and a treasured possession out of all the peoples on the face of the Earth.”

I can tell you that it is true that I wish with my entire being to be a part of a holy nation and a royal priesthood. A people belonging to God. Now you might say that I can’t say that for myself and that only God can cause me to say it at all but I can tell you that I desire it with all my heart. Now, it seems to me that I wish it and I believe it but you may be right and that it only seems that way because God has done this for me. Yet it seems to me that I have made that decision and I believe it with all my heart and I also believe that God intends that to be the case.

So if we conclude where we began and look at the case of the Angels and Adam and Eve. In the case of the Angels they were created perfect and with purpose. As I understand it God did not allow for them to be other than they were made to be. Perfect and without sin. Yet in time because they are self aware entities. Satan was corrupted with personal sin and in due course he caused a third of the Angels to be corrupted with sin as well. It would seem that this led to the creation on Earth.

On Earth God performed the Creation as it is described in Genesis and He created Adam and Eve as the first humans. He placed them in the Garden of Eden and placed them in control of everything in Creation. He gave them instructions as to which trees they might eat of and specifically forbade them to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. This was a choice that God allowed them to make for themselves but it was a test of character as well.

You could argue that God drew them to disobey simply by instructing them not to eat of the fruit of that tree. In issuing that instruction it became a part of the law of God. Romans chapter 4 verse 15 says “For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.” ESV and Romans chapter 5 verse 20 it says “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more..” ESV So where there is law there is sin. If there had been no instruction regarding the Tree of Knowledge neither would there have been disobedience on the part of Adam and Eve.

So, finally, what am I saying here. Well, put succinctly I am saying that the fall of man was necessary for man to have experienced the consequences of sin. To know what Christ Jesus was saving mankind from and sort those whose desire and love for God was great, inspite of being lost in their sins. Therefore, God desires a people for his own possession. A people who will choose to follow Him. A people who given the choice will remain obedient to Yahweh Elohim simply because they are His people and He is their God. He loves them boundlessly and they return that love in unending faith and loyalty for eternity.

Reference List

All verses come from the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible

Belief https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belief 16/03/21

The Fearful Believer

 I’m speaking in this article to other believers. I don’t know how you find life but for various reasons I have glass half empty world view despite of being a Christian. I can remember being very young and looking at my older siblings and being fearful that I would not be able to do the things they were doing. They were leaving school and starting work at the time and the responsibilities they faced terrified me.

Just to add to this my father died when I was a child and the personal and shared grief of that event left its mark on the entire family. My mother was left with seven children and a farm business to run. She remarried and that had an almost tidal effect on the family. I went to boarding school which was a wonderful thing but I didn’t think so at the time.

A few years later we moved to the Rotorua area to a dairy farm here and my mother didn’t shift so well. She ended up suffering from coronary heart disease and we almost lost her. God really blessed us though and she lived well into her eighties in the end. This was a happy and a sad time in my life which I look back on fondly. I didn’t realise at the time, though, that I had begun to develop an attitude of fearfulness.

In Church, the common preaching of the time focused on the near return of the Lord and the likely beginning of the Tribulation time, being near at hand. There was also a tendency among Christians to frown on others who expressed concern about the negativity of this message. So if you had doubts you were made to feel guilty for what was essentially deemed to be unbelief. So as well as already being fearful you now felt emotionally oppressed and confused also.

As the years passed and I began to seek ways of changing that negative outlook. Some of this involved questioning Christian perspectives that I had previously accepted without question. This related to some of the ultra conservative thinking in the evangelical church at the time about attitudes to child discipline, bible versions and even negativity itself. This took a while but I had seen a conflict between the attitudes of Jesus in the Gospels and the thinking in my Christian circles for sometime. I would say that this is continuing even now. A favourite scripture in this vein is 1John 4 verses 18-19 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.

Twenty years ago I decided for a number of reasons to change careers. I left dairy farming and entered a degree course in teacher training. I hoped at the time that this would help set us off on a new journey. It did this but at a personal level, being an introvert with a negative outlook on life. Changing careers caused as many problems as it solved. Teaching is a confidence game and requires enormous self belief. It can also create equally enormous self doubt.

So, the career change was a good thing for the family but a mixed bag for me. In terms of developing a wider knowledge of life and empathy with others it has been incredibly successful. I would have to say though that I now have less self confidence and self esteem than I did when I started this journey. I am even more cautious and introverted than I was and being with large groups of people while teaching is emotionally draining..

So, that question again. What can I do to change this situation and make myself into a glass half full person. Well I never forget God has a plan and even if things don’t seem to be going how I would like them. He has a purpose in bringing me through these trials that he has seen fit to challenge me with.

Back in 2010 my son, who has Williams Syndrome discovered a little Reformed Presbyterian Church plant that was meeting in the school hall of the local primary school where my wife works. He began to attend there and I only lightly supported him as I wanted him to do this for himself. These awesome folks took my boy to their hearts and really cared for him and became his church home.

About two years ago I began to attend a bible study with some teacher friends and my son came along to that as well. I was thinking of ways to stretch myself and develop a more positive attitude. Now I was feeling that I needed to take a step in faith. I guess the Lord was pointing me to get more involved with the Church.

In support of my son I began to attend Grace Presbyterian with him but it was important for me as well. This has been a big challenge for me as it has required self confidence, self esteem and the courage of my convictions. I was raised congregational and Grace Church is all about the Reformed Tradition. We still maintain a connection with the bible study group of my teaching friends although this has been stretched with the commitments at Grace. But the point is that God is working in our hearts and  is healing the lack of self confidence, esteem and introversion in me. Largely through the prayer support of friends at Church and being in a nurturing environment with a loving church family.

Just a final word. The scriptures contain many promises of God relating to fearfulness. These are very valuable sources of encouragement in my walk as I seek the peace and security in Christ Jesus. Below are a few of the verses that have helped me to become more positive and grounded in the love of God.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ESV

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ESV

Psalm 27:1 Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? ESV

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ESV

Psalm 94:19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. ESV

1Peter 5: 6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ESV

Luke 12: 22-26 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ESV

Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. ESV

Psalm 46:1 To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ESV

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. ESV

Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. ESV

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ESV

You can find these verses using a favourite study tool of mine https://www.openbible.info/ which renders verses via a topical search engine from the ESV bible. When I’m feeling a bit down I often use openbible.info to find these verses for me again. It’s not that a verse gives you power necessarily just that they remind you of the love and care that God feels and brings to us as his children. Gradually He is changing my heart and breaking the shackles of fear in my life.

Pagan Reset

Back in the days of the Roman Empire paganism was the religion of the day. The Romans were taken with Greek mythology and the many deities of the Greek Pantheon. As a result they took many of the Greek gods for themselves and incorporated them into the Roman form of worship. In Rome you could worship whichever deities you wanted providing you acknowledged Caesar as God and were prepared to kneel before him.

After the crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem around 33AD the gospel was carried by the apostles throughout the Middle East and to Asia, Greece and Rome by the apostle Paul. By the fourth century Christianity began to seriously displace paganism as the religion of prominence and with the action of the Emperor Constantine who began to institute Christianity as the state religion. This did not happen officially until sometime after after he died (337AD), in 381AD. We could say that there had been a major religious reset in favour or Christendom at that time.

This has remained the case in Europe and the West for the last sixteen hundred years but with the advent of humanism and evolution combined with liberalism and theistic evolution in the Christian Church and, including the activities of New Age Movement and Theosophical Society. We are witnessing at a situation where we could say that we looking at a Pagan reset.  In this regard we have seen a great falling away as Christ Jesus prophesied in Matthew chapter 24 verses 9 through 13.

In fact, one could look at the activities of Rome over the last five centuries, since the Reformation, through entities like the Jesuits, the Knights of Malta and the infiltration of Free Masonry by esoteric illuminism. We see a move to change society by educating the ruling elite in humanism or paganism with the intention of replacing bible believing Christianity with either esoteric New Age thinking or scientism and humanism. The result be a society based on atheism or secretly containing pagan adherents who worship the old occult deities but behind closed doors.

Either way we see a massive turning away from Yahweh Elohim in our time as Jesus prophesied. In many parts of the world believers are persecuted for their faith in Christ which is also mentioned scripture quoted above. No where is this more obvious though than in the Western World where in the last forty years Christian churches have close en-mass as a result of ageing congregants and youth taking up atheism and humanism.

An interesting illustration of this is the infiltration of Western democracy by the extreme left wing. In New Zealand we see an example of this in the person of our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who was a past President of the International Union of Socialist Youth in 2008. We are seeing society increasingly taken over by humanist groups with anti-Christian agendas. Whether it’s related to race or gender or even issues such as abortion, euthanasia and Islam. Christians are being identified as extremists and often besmirched as fascist conservatives.

After the Christchurch mosque shootings (2019), it was noteworthy to see an Interfaith group called on to pray together in the New Zealand Parliament debating chamber. This was reported in an article from Radio New Zealand entitled “Praying With Strangers In Parliament,” and this is the first time it has ever happened. Basically this is a New Age group involving Islam, Buddhism and various ecumenical Christian groups. It is also interesting that Interfaith is basically under the auspices of the Pope and thus Rome.

So what could we say as a final word about this impending World Pagan Reset. Well if we draw back to Matthew chapter twenty four and what Christ Jesus had to say then. He indicated that when we saw these things we might know that end is near and that they have to occur before He returns. So sharpen your knowledge of the word and take up the full armor of God mentioned in Ephesians chapter six. Get the gospel out there and lead as many to Christ as we can. The time is, I believe, nigh.

Reference List

Five Things You Didn’t Know About Jacinda Ardern. https://www.penguin.co.nz/articles/2566-five-things-you-didnt-know-about-jacinda-ardern 28/02/08

Greek Gods & Goddesses https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/greek-vs-roman-gods/ 28/02/21

Pope Francis: “Interfaith dialogue an antidote to violence.” https://ing.org/pope-francis-interfaith-dialogue-antidote-violence/ 28/02/21

Matthew chapter 24 verses 9-13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+24%3A+10-13&version=NASB1995 28/02/21

Pearson J.B. 1999. RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC:WICCA AS ESOTERIC SPIRITUALITY https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/133457/1/11003543.pdf 28/02/21

Praying with Strangers in Parliament https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/the-house/audio/2018687276/praying-with-strangers-in-parliament 28/02/21

 

Calvinism

I was brought up as an Evangelical Christian. I was taught to believe John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. I was also taught to obey Acts 2:38 “Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” So  believe on Christ Jesus and make a profession of faith in the act of immersion baptism. Basically Christianity is not that complicated.

Once many many years ago I remember hearing of Calvinism. It was a warning that some Presbyterian Churches followed John Calvin’s teachings from the Reformation. I didn’t know a thing about Calvin and I wasn’t too sure what the Reformation was at that time either. What I’m saying here is that I was oblivious to Reformation Theology and as there were countless denominations, and churches, that had no knowledge or concern about Calvinism. It made no difference to me or many other believers at the time.

Well things have changed. Due to the influence of secular humanism and the impact of liberalism on the Church as a whole. A large part of Bible Believing Evangelical Sector is now being slowly reabsorbed into Rome or has simply vanished as ageing parishioners have passed away.

So, we Christians who are not catered for in the Charismatic or Liberal Mainline Churches are left with few alternatives. Hence I have found myself in a Reformed Presbyterian Church and am having to come to grips with Reformed Theology, Calvinism and nuanced approaches to things like preaching style and the sacraments of baptism and holy communion.

Initially, I found it all rather strange and upsetting. I knew I needed to come to terms with the Reformed Theology or I wasn’t going to be able to stay. As always it comes down to learning about something and coming to understand it before you can finally make and assessment and a decision about it for the future.

So first I studied Calvinism. Calvinism is based on the teachings of John Calvin and speaks largely to the doctrine of Predestination and the sovereignty of God. It holds that a person is predestined by God to Salvation or Damnation. This has caused quite a controversy since the time of the Reformation with numerous proponents and opponents.

Since the time of John Wesley, Calvinism has been a minority teaching in the British Colonies. However, with the impact of liberalism and ecumenism weakening many denominations, it has made a strong resurgence. Largely it speaks to the nature of God and it can be a real bone of contention between believers with strong opinions but, it does not effect salvation and can be ignored with an attitude of love and tolerance. So it isn’t a problem unless it’s a problem.

Next is the Reformed Theology which embraces Calvinism and all things traditional to the opinions and approaches of the Reformers. So I’m talking again about sacraments like baptism and communion along with entrenched methodologies relating to issues like preaching style.

Baptism in the Reformed Tradition is focused on having congregants baptised as babies. Now the traditional thinking from Rome is baptise babies as fast as possible so they can be saved. While baptism in the Reformed Tradition does not relate to a persons salvation but when a baby is sprinkled they are considered to be baptised. Thus they do not require a further baptism when they reach the age of understanding.

My view is that a child may be dedicated or presented to the Lord as a baby and is supported by the church community but that this does not constitute baptism. It is however a very necessary and good thing. I don’t have a conflict with the Reformed Tradition here because I feel they are dedicating the child not baptising it.

Another issue in the baptism discussion is the sprinkling versus immersion debate. I believe a person is baptised at the age of understanding, or later, upon belief in Jesus work on the Cross at Calvary. I also believe that true baptism is immersion baptism where a person is completely immersed in water as John the Baptist performed it.

So, can I accept the Reformed Churches methodology in relation to baptism? In short yes I can. I don’t believe you can baptise a child but you can present and dedicate (Christen), a child. So I have not argument with what they do. In fact I applaud them that they are so fervent in this regard.

Do I accept that dedication is enough to cover a person’s baptism for life. No, not really. Baptism is not essential to salvation but it is a profession of faith and a time of beginning of ministry. As it was for Christ Jesus when He had John the Baptist perform baptism on Him. The Father said “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Then Spirit descended on Him as a dove. So as it says in Acts 2:38 “Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Immersion baptism then signifies repentance and baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is a time of major blessing and a new beginning. I would certainly encourage any believer to get baptised and this could bring me into conflict with the Reformed Tradition and so result in censure. However, that would be a pretty extreme situation. So again, it isn’t problem until it’s a problem.

Another difference relates to the Reformed Tradition and the approach to the nature of the sacraments. Of which baptism as described above is one and the Lord’s Supper is another. With Holy Communion I would say the Reformed Tradition lies between Rome and the congregational churches approach. Rome holds that the priest is re-crucifying Christ each and every time the sacraments are given and the congregational approach is that the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper only symbolise the body and blood of Christ. I gather and I will stand corrected that the Reformed Tradition holds that bread and wine are more than just symbols of the body and blood of Christ and that there is a spiritual element to the performance of this sacrament and the nature of the bread and wine when it is employed.

This could be the case if you read what Christ Jesus said in Matthew 26: 26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant... However I would still tend to lean toward the congregational opinion that it is purely symbolism and not more than that. Although a very necessary part of Christian life.

Now another issue and the last I will discuss in this article that is different is the way preaching is handled in the reformed church. Whereas, preaching in congregational churches is topical and largely left to the preacher to decide on the issue to treat with a selection of scriptures applied during the sermon. In the reformed church preaching is performed using a scripture focused verse by verse and chapter by chapter methodology. Although this is limiting some latitude is given to the preacher to address issues in the church and to tie in other scriptures. It is different but it seems to work quite well and I wouldn’t say it’s a deal breaker. Although it can be a bit overwhelming if you take it as another part of the whole Reformed Theology which takes some adjusting too. Yet again, it isn’t a problem until it’s a problem.

So, as you can see there is definitely a need to understand what the Reformed Churches believe if you intend to join one of them. There are, I believe, real advantages to belonging to such a church. For a start the members of a reformed church are very earnest and search the scriptures. They hold strongly to the Reformed Tradition and can, and will, mount a defence of those doctrines. I can also state that if you join one of their congregations you will learn a lot more about church history, doctrines and traditions than you would have thought possible when you started the journey. You will be challenged and these caring and loving Christians will expect you to flourish and to grow.