Freewillism, Synergism, and Syllogisms

          Being called a neo-Gnostic brings a sort of anticipatory feeling of angst or intuition that something turbulent is happening; sort of like that feeling you get right before you sneeze.
 

 

 
  I don’t know, it’s weird mainly because society in general does not have categories for such kind of name calling, and I am hardly the exception, although I do try.

Recently, a young Calvinist thought it necessary to apply such a label to me. Why?
Well, because what I said sounded gnostic to him.
Let’s be clear:
A neo-gnostic would be a modern day Gnostic. Gnosticism embodies a great deal of doctrines, especially the modern versions. For the sake of this writing, it is relevant to point out that Gnosticism has to do with secret knowledge, the obtaining of which sets one above and beyond the rest, even heaven-bound while those without said secret knowledge are hell-bound, or at least severely incapacitated.

I used a logical syllogism, and this is what I said that prompted the obscure title of neo-Gnostic:

P1. Heresy is defined as a lie
P2. All lies are damnable
P3. Freewillism is a lie

C. Therefore, freewillism is a damnable heresy.

I must say, calling one who uses logic a Gnostic is comical since Gnostics are some of the most illogical folks in the world. However, we have another reason this young and reforming man used the word neo-Gnostic and that is this.

He is saying that when I say freewillism is a damnable heresy, I am saying that all who hold to it go to hell. He is focusing on the people who believe it, instead of the lie itself.

And he is also saying that since the right understanding is obviously hidden from those who hold to it, then I myself am superior to them as I infer my own understanding as being right.
So since we are talking about salvation vs. damnation this whole idea that just because someone holds to their own freewill as cooperating with God makes them a heretic, then I am a Gnostic for suggesting that my view is the only holy view.

Mind you, this young man holds to reformed doctrine. He is concerned that I would bring a bad light upon Calvinism or otherwise spurn others from listening to the Gospel by using such words as ‘freewillism is a damnable heresy’.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the concern also comes from not really taking the Doctrines of Grace as seriously as the Bible takes them, however I can only speculate over limited online interaction of which this particular discussion was. At the time, I said as much to him and he was offended, however I will point out that a huge problem exists today with what is known as “para-church” ministry or ministry outside the church. There are good things about it, but it easily leads to compromise and not taking the most important things seriously. But that is for another post.

Let's work through my syllogism a bit and dive into what exactly it is that I am trying to say.

First, let’s be clear on what I mean by Freewillism. When I say the word Freewillism, this is a shocker word that is intended to jolt people awake from lethargy. The complacency of most Christians is more than a little frustrating and if we love Christ we will care about everything He has said and we will want to look at Him and point others to Him. We do this with words, and this word is powerful.

Freewillism is just another word for synergism, so the definitions for synergism and monergism will be the most helpful.  

Synergism:
Synergism is the doctrine that the act of being born again is achieved through a combination of human will and divine grace. (From Greek sunergos, working together : sun-, syn- + ergon, work). The Century Dictionary defines synergism as

"...the doctrine that there are two efficient agents in regeneration, namely the human will and the divine Spirit, which, in the strict sense of the term, cooperate. This theory accordingly holds that the soul has not lost in the fall all inclination toward holiness, nor all power to seek for it under the influence of ordinary motives."

So Synergism is A Belief That Faith Arises Out of An Inherent Capacity of the Natural Man.
This system includes Arminianism, Pelagianism, Semi-Pelagianism, and every false religion on the face of the planet who all affirm man as the master of his destiny.


In stark contrast, the Bible teaches what we know as Monergism.
This position teaches that salvation is entirely a work of God; That man can contribute nothing toward the price of his salvation and that one is saved wholly and unconditionally by grace alone through faith alone. That faith itself is a gift of God (Eph 2:8, John 1:13, 2 Tim 2:25, Phil 1:29, Hebrews 12:2, 1 John 5:1, Rom 3:24, Ezekiel 11:19-20; Ezekiel 36:26-27) which is not the cause, but the witness of God's regenerative grace having worked faith in the inner man. This gracious act of God was based on nothing meritorious in the individual, but rather, entirely on God's sovereign good pleasure (Eph 1:5). It was not because God knew which persons would believe of their own free will, for there are no persons which fit that description. This is because apart from grace their is no delight or inclination to seek God (in man's unregenerate nature). And since those dead in sin will not seek God (Rom 3:11), regenerative grace precedes justifying faith. God must, in effect, raise them from the dead- (see Eph 2:5, Col 2:13).

                                      "What have you that you did not receive?"
(1 Cor. 4:7),
and,
                                            "But by the grace of God I am what I am"
(1 Cor. 15:10).

Second, let’s have a look at a fragment sentence from the Westminster Confession. Here is how they used the phrase “damnable heresy”.

“Is not heresy among the greatest of evils? If it is wrong to destroy a human life, how much worse is it to destroy a human soul with damnable heresy?”
Here is why my syllogism is shocking and men have not bothered to think things through before speaking.
Traditionally, the understanding of damnable heresy is that which is taking you straight to hell when you believe it.
So, the Westminster divines are saying that those who hold to a damnable heresy are destroyed.

That is only true in the sense that they have not been regenerated from death to life by Christ and are actually trusting in the power of something else besides Christ.

Bad doctrine ruins lives, without fail. Likewise, teaching bad doctrine does damage to others. However, one can actually believe something untrue and still be a Christian bound for the glory land, and actually I do not believe the Westminster assembly would have disagreed.
Let me write that again:

One can be known by Christ, be saved, and believe wrong things about Christ.

To be sure, it is your faith in Christ that saves you, but that faith is a gift and not only can you not generate it yourself, but if you have saving faith, it will in fact be the right faith in the right Christ, whether you understand Him or not. The evidence will be your obedience toward Him….and this includes things like being submissive to His Word and teachable.

In Matthew 7, we see Jesus declaring that there will be those who say to Him, “Lord, Lord…..Lord, Lord”, and He will say to them depart from me, I NEVER KNEW YOU.
Here is the verse.

   “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.  Matthew 7:21-23

Notwithstanding the fact it will be frightening to hear Jesus say those words, notice that it is whether Jesus knows you, not whether you know Jesus that is on display. Jesus did not say “YOU never knew ME”, but He said “I never knew YOU”.

Reality does not hinge upon our own ability to grasp or command the knowledge of Christ, but it in fact does hinge upon the apprehension of our souls by Christ.

So, let us be very clear. When I say that freewillism or synergism is a damnable heresy, I do not mean that all those who adhere to it are damned to hell. I also do not mean that I am in some way superior to them in my understanding that it is false. What I mean is precisely what the syllogism spells out. The doctrines of free will are lies. They will all perish. It is the inherent worth and state of the doctrine itself that I am speaking of. I weary of those who want to make different classes of heresy and put some on a certain level and others on other levels, and blah, blah, blah.
Look, a lie is a lie. Heresy is heresy. How far do you think we should go in perverting the Gospel before we say stop? I mean how much is too much? As soon as we really entertain that question, then we have stopped caring about the Gospel. Whether you add, subtract, divide, or multiply the Gospel, whatever injustice you do to it at all is a crime of ultimate proportions. You are lying about the Gospel and therefore lying about God. All lies, every one, will be destroyed. All misstatements about the Gospel will perish in everlasting flame. When we use a strong word such as damnable, we should reserve it for the description of the hellfire of God’s wrath.
I do.
When I use it as an adjective for freewillism, I am speaking of the doctrines themselves and not necessarily those who adhere to them.

Recently, when I made this statement it was online and in so doing acts as a virtual Bible tract of sorts, certainly with respect to the fact that true interaction is quite limited through cyberspace. Saying such a thing about free will is intended to spur conversation and debate and cause people to think more deeply about Christ. It sort of had the opposite effect, but let me say this. While we should always be mindful of how we approach people with the Gospel and we do indeed want to be winsome, telling the truth is often itself very offensive and tends to expose people’s hearts.

The other day, a Reformed brother of mine who is a career open-air street preacher was preaching at our local (plural)-versity campus. He was literally thrown to the ground by a “Christian” who had become very upset that this brother was even proclaiming the Gospel, let alone describing it in detail.
I am absolutely convinced that when full persecution of Christians arrives, it will be in the form of “the church”.
Those of us who proclaim the fullness of the counsel of God, or the predestinarian faith of Christ, or the Doctrines of Grace, or authentic Christianity, or Calvinism as it is sometimes called, have always been and are now under the most severe of attack from the Christian community. Calvinists will become the most hated of all by mainstream evangelicalism as we move closer to the Day of the Lord, whenever that may be.
This will happen no matter how winsome, charitable, or compassionate you are toward those who suffer cognitive dissonance and do not grasp the sovereignty of God, make no mistake.

My point is that there are indeed times when strong language can be, must be, and indeed will be used to fire up conversations and awaken people to what matters. Meaning and worth are so vacant in so many of today’s conversations about God, and this includes a vast majority of sermons preached in America today.
With discernment, it is most well and good to use powerful words to lift the minds of men up from the complacency of hum-drum views of God and of taking His grace for granted.
I cannot tell you how many times I have pulled punches or otherwise refrained from saying what I truly wanted to say when speaking about the Gospel to those in my close sphere of influence. Yet, without fail, all those who disagree with monergism, (though they have no understanding of it) today will barely speak with me about much at all let alone the Christianity they profess.
Why? Because they know I will hold them to their profession and I will want to stare with them at the person and work of Christ.
Now, I have never told my own brother he is holding to a damnable heresy, yet he does indeed believe that it is his own faith that works together with God to effect salvation. That is a lie, and it will perish.
That does not necessarily mean my brother is going to perish with it, for truly if he is saved, he is saved by the perfect righteousness of Christ which does not change. Nevertheless, no matter how winsome and compassionate I have labored to be with him, he wants nothing to do with conversations of Christ.
The same goes not only with family but with friends.

So, I only encourage those who care about the Gospel to just be bold, and ask God how he would have you interact with others.

The problem is that when we start talking of heresy, the question always arises as to whether the person who is holding to a particular heresy is a heretic. Well, not always and in fact, it really is changing the subject because we are speaking of whether a certain doctrine is a heresy, not the individual who believes it.
Mayhaps, honestly describing the lie for what it is will by the power of God awaken the lethargic mind and soul?

This is Jeremiah Burroughs.
He says , “ Merely to neglect that which is good is an evil; but to cast off that which is good as an abomination, shows the sins of the people is grown to a great height, that they are near to judgment indeed.”

I think it fair to say that when a person is adamantly against a truth and they may even “set up weaponry against it”  then they would fall into the category of heretic.

So a Rob Bell is definitely a heretic, but I am not sure I would label all those in his church as such. Does that make sense?
Additionally, just because someone could have the potential of being labeled a heretic, does not mean they are hell-bound.

My big picture here is that we are speaking of lies, their origin, their symptoms, and where they lead. Lies are of their father, the Devil. Lies are corrosive and destructive to creation. Lies are damned and will all burn in hell.
The notion that your will is free to choose Christ or deny Him as you see fit, is a lie.
Therefore……well you get the idea.

In closing, allow me to drive home my point.Those who hold to synergistic theology and believe their own free will somehow cooperates with God in their salvation, essentially hinging the very act of regeneration upon their own permission for it to happen, are not automatically hell-bound or do not automatically warrant the title of flaming heretic. I frequently refer to my “Arminian brothers” when speaking in mixed company.

However, free will theology is the very height of idolatry.
Will I choose Christ or not choose Him? What can I do for God? How can I help God? What do I deserve from God?
The idea that the whole of God’s plan hinges upon your personal decisions is quite idolatrous.
Sovereignty simply is sovereignty. If God “limits” His sovereignty in order to make room in His plan for the randomness of your unexpected choices, then He is no longer sovereign, and therefore not God.

Here are a couple of quotes from something called The Book of the Law, or
Book of Thelma which is actual satanic Scriptures used in cults the world over.

“Do what thou wilt, shall be the whole of the law.”

and

"Love is the law, love under will"

The standard interpetaion of this is that "every man and woman is a star".

What is the difference with this and mainstream evangelical thought?

Synergism is damnable heresy.

At what point do we cease from the idolatry of will worship and stare at Christ as the author and finisher of our faith?

The Bible says in Colossians 2:20-23
20If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22(referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
In the KJV, verse 23 is translated as, “Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship….”

The idea that we can somehow do something for God or actually participate in the new birth is will worship and will perish forever when Christ returns.

Only truth is eternal. All lies will be destoyed.
 Synergism is the brood mother of all false religions and apostate faiths.
It is a road that has its end in the hellfire of God.

 

How Can this Be??!!!

        One of the main problems with Christians today is that they do not know how to think or reason and consequently can't or won't understand what Scripture is truly saying.

Not only do they not possess simple skills of logical deduction, they have been force fed
presuppositions about Scriptural things and thereby fall into traps of hyper-inductivism.

The inability to read the plain text of the Bible is a disturbing trend among American Christians and much of this is due to preconceived errors about the will of man.

For instance, when they read Romans 7 where Paul is lamenting his struggle with sin, many today feel that Paul is speaking of his pre-conversion struggle.

One reason this is blatantly false is that an unbeliever would never have such a struggle. This should be glaringly clear to a Christian, yet many refuse to see it.

To help us read the Bible, we in the 21st century have the benefit and blessing of so many men of old who spent more time in the Word of God in a month than most of us will in an our entire lives.
We do truly err if we do not listen to what they have to say.

Check out  John Calvin in his "Genevan Confession":

"Article 8 - Regeneration in Jesus
Second, we acknowledge that by his Spirit we are regenerated into a new spiritual nature. That is to say that the evil desires of our flesh are mortified by grace, so that they rule us no longer.
On the contrary, our will is rendered conformable to God's will, to follow in his way and to seek what is pleasing to him.
Therefore we are by him delivered from the servitude of sin, under whose power we were of ourselves held captive, and by this deliverance we are made capable and able to do good works and not otherwise.
...

Article 9 - Remission of Sins Always Necessary for the Faithful
Finally, we acknowledge that this regeneration is so effected in us that, until we slough off this mortal body, there remains always in us much imperfection and infirmity, so that we always remain poor and wretched sinners in the presence of God.
And, however much we ought day by day to increase and grow in God's righteousness, there will never be plenitude or perfection while we live here.
Thus we always have need of the mercy of God to obtain the remission of our faults and offences.
 And so we ought always to look for our righteousness in Jesus Christ and not at all in ourselves, and in him be confident and assured, putting no faith in our works.

Hmm..isn't that interesting? We see John Calvin clearly affirming that a saved person is freed from the bondage or domination of sin. Then we see in Article 9, he affirms that we remain imperfect, in infirmity, and that we are poor and wretched sinners in the presence of God!

Does this seem like a contradiction to you?

  Let me put it to you the way one confused person put his apparent dilemna to me:

Query: If a regenerated Christian's "evil desires of" their "flesh are mortified" "so that" the "evil desires" "rule" them "no longer" and that the regenerated Christian's "will is rendered conformable to God's will, to follow in his way and to seek what is pleasing to him." The regenerated Christian is "therefore" "delivered from the servitude of sin" and "made capable and able to do good works AND NOT OTHERWISE." Then how can "there" remain "always in us much imperfection and infirmity,

so that" the regenerated Christian "always" remains a "poor and wretched" sinner?

And keep in mind, the person who asks this is not legitimately asking, "How can this be?!" He thinks by simply asking the question he is thwarting Biblical theology in order to promote his own theology.

Ok, so first of course, one must have a grasp of the Biblical doctrine of Total Depravity.

This doctrine does not mean that we are as bad as we could be.

It means that our entire beings are infected by sin. Not one square inch is left uncorrupted by the foul mark of sin.

Romans 3 explains this fact well. And Paul makes sure we understand he is talking about every living being.

Man has will, but that will is bound to his sin nature. We get to do exactly as we please every time we make a decision and that is exactly what we do. You will never be able to name a time when your highest desire of will did not win out.

Unfortunately, we only please to do sin all the time.

On our best day, we are failures before God.

God tells us that our very righteous deeds are to Him as used menstrual garments.
Isaiah 64:6

Now follow with me as we exposite Calvin's most Biblical words.

When Calvin explains that the point in which a person is regenerated from death to life he is no longer a slave to sin, that his evil desires are mortified by grace, and that he is NO LONGER RULED BY SIN, well, that is exactly what he means, and he is just expounding on Scripture.


Paul explains it to us here in Romans 6:
5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a
resurrection like his. 6We know that our old selfa was crucified with him in order that the body of
sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For one who has
died has been set freeb from sin. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live
with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer
has dominion over him. 10For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he
lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

 

"We are by Christ delivered from the servitude of sin, under whose power we were of ourselves held captive, and by this deliverance we are MADE CAPABLE TO DO GOOD WORKS AND NOT OTHERWISE." says Calvin.

And he is right. AS is clearly seen he is merely agreeing with the apostle Paul.

Like God tell us in Romans 8, THE MAN IN HIS FLESH CANNOT PLEASE GOD.

 

We need to realize that God commands of men that which men cannot do. This includes believing in Jesus. That pleases God, yet a man in his flesh cannot do this. The very act of believing is a gift from God. Phillipians 1:29
IT HAS BEEN GRANTED UNTO YOU TO BELIEVE AND TO SUFFER FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST.

In Christ, a saved person, a regenerated person, a person brought from death to life, a born again person NOW HAS THE ABILITY TO OBEY GOD!!!

This is no way negates the fact that a saved person will still struggle with sin as they are sanctified by Christ and await final glorification in the very presence of the Father.

The whole point is, only saved people actually struggle with sin.

  In Romans we read paul saying "I do the thing sthat I don't want to do and I don't do the things I do want to do." So many people mistakenly think that  Paul is describing an unsaved person.
 The absurdity of this interpretation really knows no bounds.

Again, quite simply, an unbeliever would never have such a struggle.

In Romans 7, Paul is describing a dual nature that exists in all Christians. Now that they have been set free from the dominion of sin, they are free to obey God, yet they still war with that old nature.

We see in Scripture that saved men and women in Christ have been freed from the domination of sin.
Then we have so many Scriptures like 1 John 1:8 where we read:
 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

 

Bear with me and let us read again and see that John Calvin was simply rightly dividing the Word and soundly expositing Scripture.

When he says:

"Finally, we acknowledge that this regeneration is so effected in us that, until we slough off this

mortal body, there remains always in us much imperfection and infirmity, so that we always

remain poor and wretched sinners in the presence of God. And, however much we ought day by day

to increase and grow in God's righteousness, there will never be plenitude or perfection while we

live here. Thus we always have need of the mercy of God to obtain the remission of our faults and

offences. And so we ought always to look for our righteousness in Jesus Christ and not at all in

ourselves, and in him be confident and assured, putting no faith in our works."

 

He is helping the faithful through their walk with Christ, reminding them they are no longer in bondage to sin, and that now they have a fight ahead of them as they war inwardly with the remnant of their old stony heart.

Pelagianism is that old heresy that says man is born in the same perfection that Adam was born in. This is is anti-Scripture. If we take this theology to its logical conclusion, then re-birth in Christ by necessity means we may attain unto a sinless state while here on earth.
Is this what you believe? It is called the Holiness Movement and it is heresy.

If it is not what you believe, why do you struggle with the fact that one can be born again, freed from the power of sin, yet still be at war with sin? Why is it hard for you to see that only a Christian has a new will and a new nature and by definition that new nature will be at war with the old one until the day of glorification with Christ?

 

Why is it so hard for Christians to just stop and think?

 

 

Is it because when see paradoxes we immediately call them contradictions?

 

Methinks so.

 

You see, when that man asked me the "query" above, he had a presupposed notion that his very question refuted Biblical theology because he viewed Calvin's statements as contradictory. In fact, they are not contradictory at all but in full alignment with Scripture.

A paradox is a seeming contradiction and Scripture has quite a few. As professing Christians, we should be honest enough to dive deep into the Word and understand that there are zero contradictions and zero mistakes.

Discovering, explaining, and otherwise meditating on a Scriptural paradox is one of the most awe-inspiring things we can do as Christians.

So, the man's question does not take issue with John Calvin. The question ultimately takes a beef with God Almighty.

Clearly, a man in Christ has been given a new will. Therefore, he is free from slavery to sin and now can war against it. Of course, there will be many trials and temptations, but he will be saved to the uttermost by Christ alone.

 

Romans 6,7, and 8 speak of Justification by faith alone in Christ alone, Sanctification by faith alone in Christ alone, and Glorification by faith alone in Christ alone, respectively.
Those three things, Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification are what constitute salvation.

 

If you think that the free will of man participates with God in salvation, I plead with you, forsake your man-centered doctrines. May I say to you, you are not thinking properly and you are being dishonest to the Scriptures.

The greatest preachers, teachers, missionaries, and evangelists the world has ever known have been Reformed and Calvinists, because that is the pure, unadulterated, uncompromised, unsensualized Gospel.

 

If you think that your decision is what allowed God to save you, or if you just don't think it matters and "you are good on your doctrine", you are terribly mistaken, and you have been decieved by deceivers and now you decieve others.

 

Wake up.

 

Please don't continue to ignore sound reason and then turn around to ironically use rationalism to attack theology in an attempt to escape Calvinism.

This is the MO of all who have tried such things down through history.

 

Don't let this be your church!

 

 

 

Pity, it is freewill theology that dominates the visible church, and it is freewill theology that gives so much ground to those who seek to attack Christianity.

Holding to freewillism renders a person incapable of truly explaining the more difficult passages of Scripture.

Come out of the sensualized gospel and embrace authentic Christianity.
You will be glad you did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Which One Are You?

My apologies to my subscribers for I have not entered a blog post since July of last year. I could give you all the usual excuses, but suffice it to say that I pray I can be more consistent.


I want to write a little about the difference between the only two camps of Christianity, Calvinism and Arminianism.



Folks who are somewhat aware of this difference oftentimes like to attack John Calvin as evil and actually in Hell. These naysayers will declare that John Calvin was "the pope of Geneva" and that he slaughtered people at will.

In reality, men use such ridiculous arguments in an attempt to

thwart Biblical doctrine. These arguments not only reveal ignorance of history but are logical fallacies. So, rather than beat up straw men, chase geese, and use this time to define terms and spell out history, I humbly ask you to walk with me for a few minutes along what a foundation of truth actually is as well as peer into the divide between the two camps of Christianity aforementioned.



When speaking about anything, let alone Biblical truth, it is extremely important that one have basic understanding of logic and absolute truth. This may seem silly at first glance because you automatically assume you have the common sense to do so, yet it has been my repeated experience that people in general do not understand the nature of truth, or if they say they do, when it gets applied to theri worldview they quickly must back peddle away from certain things they at first affirmed.

As humans, our statements can become very contradictory, very quickly if we are not thinking correctly about reality.


For instance, one might say.they believe there is one doctrine of Christ or a singular soteriology as we would say, yet continue to question why we would argue with another Christian over Biblical truth. Ask yourself and be honest,if there is only one truth then wouldn't anything contrary to that truth be wrong? In fact, wouldn't the slightest deviance at all be wrong? And if it is wrong, isn't it worth exposing? Isn't the truth worth defending? We wouldn't let someone get away with saying that 2+2 = 3.9. Yet everyday, folks insist that arguing Biblical truth with other professing Christians is more devisive than helpful. This flies in the face of Jude when he says:3Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.


and again....But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18Theyf said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.

Not only is contending for the faith a command, but we clearly see that it is those who bring false doctrine that are the devisive ones; NOT THOSE WHO ARE CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH!



One mark of a saved man is violent contending for the faith. When I say violent I use it in the way Christ did when He said the violent take Heaven by force. This is not some Islamic Jihad, but instead is a very real understanding that any force or effort is essentially an act of violence upon something, not to mention Jesus is speaking in a spiritual sense.

If I lift a stone from the ground, this is a violence being done toward the stone.

Efforts to exhort someone in the truth, affirming absolutes over against their faulty worldview, and casting down lofty arguments are violence toward things.

Would that more Christians were active in contending for the faith and exposing the works of darkness, rather than languishing in lethargic complacency. Oh how we would see the church rise to it's place as a city on the hill!



You see, It is very hard for folks to understand that there is a difference between someone's opinion and actual truth.

One must first realize that if truth is true, it defines YOU, it reads YOU, it discovers YOU!



Truth is universal and absolute, therefore we as men are completely unable to shape it. We may try so very hard to manipulate it, but we may never, ever shape it. It is what it is, despite our belief.



So, I don't "look for something to believe in", I look for something to know. Belief is a result of knowledge. The Kingdom of God is like a man "who finds a treasure in a field......". This finding of a treasure is an intellectual apprehension of a factual thing. Jesus says this apprehension comes first.



Do you see that the truth is something outside yourself?



Do you understand that we must doubt our own hearts and put confidence in the external truth?



Let me say this: Correct thinking often involves holding two truths in your mind that may be paradoxical,that is, a seeming contradiction. So in our current case we have this paradox.

IT IS TERRIBLY WRONG TO DECLARE SINGULAR AUTHORITY AS THE ONLY PERSON OR GROUP OF PEOPLE TO WHICH OTHERS MUST CONFORM AND IT IS JUST AS INTENSELY RIGHT TO SEE SPECIFIC LINES OF BIBLICAL TRUTH TO WHICH WE ARE COMMANDED TO CALL OTHERS TO CONFORM.



So, as far as statements about Calvinism and Arminianism go, you truly are either on one side or the other. There is absolutely no middle ground. If you want to state that the argument is silly and you are neither one, either do not understand the two systems or you are just being dishonest.

Those in Christ are called Christians. Many shy away from words like Calvinism thinking it blasphemous. The reality is we use labels every day. The word Calvinism simply denotes a system of theology, a Biblical one I might add. In the words of that Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, Calvinism is simply a nickname for authentic Christianity.

You see, no one is saying that understanding right theology and sound doctrine is necessarily an essential for salvation. We are however saying that understanding who God is and how He works in His creation, is not only a command from God, but is indeed an essential for a proper Biblical worldview and consequently for a more authentic, satisfying walk with Christ.

So, with that, here is the dilemma every Christian must face at some point in his or her life.



You either believe that an individual gives the deciding vote along with God's predestination of them because He saw that they would choose Him,

or ....

you believe with Scripture that God actually predestines people from before the foundation of the world based upon nothing in them and on everything in Christ.



You either believe that man is wholly infected by sin so that he is spiritually dead and cannot choose God over evil,

or....

you believe with mainstream evangelicalism that man is only sick or drowning and God is there with the only cure or with the only life preserver and man can either accept or reject the help.



You either believe that Christ has written a blank check on Calvary that must then be signed by anyone desiring salvation, that the Robes of Righteousness have simply been thrown to the mud for any passerby to pick up and don, that God is promiscuous with His love throwing it around for whomever it may land on,

or....

you believe with the Scriptures that Christ made an actual atoning work on Calvary whereby He finished everything once and all for His bride made of the chosen elect before the foundation of the world.



You either believe that God is wringing his hands wondering what people will do with His Son and that when He tries His hardest to reach someone that said someone has the ability to thwart His will and reject His grace,

or....

you believe along with the Bible that when God decides to save someone and accompanies the Gospel call by the power of the Holy Spirit, that person is entirely powerless to resist Him, for truly no one can thwart the will of God. Job 42:2



You either believe that when Christ regenerates unto eternal life all those whom the Father has given Him and makes them inheritors of all spiritual blessings, that they actually have eternal life which means it never ends and that no one , not even themselves, can remove them from the hand of almighty Christ,

or.....

you believe along with so many confused Christians that someone who has been saved by God can actually thwart His will, trump Christ's atoning work, and walk away from eternal life once given.



Now, there are only two camps my friend.

You are either synergistic (Arminian), believing your will and purpose is in function with those of God to effect your own salvation and essentially alter and direct the plan of God,

Or......

You are in the Biblical camp of Monergistic theology (Calvinism) which reveals a big God, a huge God, a God who is actually God. A God who is at perfect harmony and company with Himself and has never needed to create a single form of life but has done so in order to reveal His glory. This one true God of Scripture always accomplishes His will despite the will of man and in no way needs man's permission nor help to do so.


Friend, this black and white contrast between what is commonly said or not said about Christ, is the most powerful dilemma you will ever wrestle with. I challenge you to set aside some time, find a quiet place and seek God on the truth of this matter.






The issue of whether or not you are a Calvinist or an Arminian is not a play on words, but a very real thing.



Which one are you?