Calvinists: An Evil Augustinian Legacy and Proud of It
Calvinist John Piper, and many other Calvinists as well, often quote St. Augustine and openly call him the father of Reformation doctrine. Augustine was a Catholic til the end, Luther’s doctrinal mentor, and was quoted by Calvin more than 400 times in his Institutes of the Christian Religion. It is not only common knowledge that Augustine was a neo-Platonist, we find the following in many church history books:
“Augustine, the Roman Catholic philosopher & apologist, declared prostitution as a necessary evil and soon thereafter the church had 100,000 prostitutes employed.”
Augustine was the Catholic “Doctor of Grace” and the undisputed father of the Reformation gospel. One of the many evils propagated with Church authority was safe-haven from civil prosecution when indulgences were paid to the church. In many cases, the indulgences could be paid in advance of committing a crime. The following describes the fees/pardon for each crime:
“The Catholic church under Pope John the 22nd,(1244-1334) established [the] practice of selling indulgences. Pope Leo X (1475-1521) published the list of indulgences.
Robbing a church —– $2.25
Burning a house ——- $2.75
Killing a layman ——- $1.75
Forgery and lying…….$2.00
Eating meat in Lent….$2.75
Ravishing a virgin…….$2.00
Striking a priest ……….$2.75
Robbery ………………….$3.00
Priest keeping a mistress…$2.25
Murder of parents or wife….$2.50
Absolution of all crimes…..$12.00”
Really, we should have a very easy ministry. We should only need, “By their fruits you will know them,” and “A little leaven leavens the whole lump,” and Wikipedia.
1. Judge them by what they say and do.
2. It doesn’t take much of what they teach to destroy a whole church.
3. Read Wikipedia, and then see number one and two.
As easy as one, two, three.
But oh well, it is what it is, so we carry on.
paul
Emerging From New Calvinism: We Must Persevere to Complete Our Salvation
I am presently reviewing an equitable, well written, well-argued position on the idea that our justification is connected with the “[foot] race” of the Christian life. The authors start by presenting four positions, but have not yet used them to clearly state their own position which well be articulated further along in the book. Is the reward of the race salvation? Or rewards for our work in the Christian life? The race involves perseverance and assurance. Does not the Bible speak of obtaining salvation by persevering to the end? Does it not speak of salvation as being the reward? This is a hefty issue. I highly recommend the book as an honest debate on the subject; the fact that I will probably end-up rejecting it in the end notwithstanding. Nevertheless, the book contributes valuable clarification to the issue.
The authors of this book correctly state that we all come to the Bible with presuppositions, and I am reading their book with a particular biblical presupposition in the background: nothing we do in sanctification can be connected in any way to justification. Salvation comes with justification, but salvation’s power is credited to our account in full when we are saved and receive the Spirit. Our race cannot be for an OBTAINING of final salvation which is intrinsically connected to our justification—only the EXPERIENCE of it. Through the Reformed already—no yet construct, an obtaining of final justification is the reward.
That’s a problem—even if Jesus obeys for us in the race via faith alone. One of the verses used to posit this idea is 2Timothy 2:5;
An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
The “crown” is seen as salvation. Justification (our righteous [righteousness] standing) cannot be separated from final salvation. BUT, justification cannot be united to our Christian life in any way as a road for obtaining a final salvation. Why? Because Paul plainly states in this verse that “rules” are involved. Final salvation cannot be obtained through “rules” because the justification that comes with it is “apart from the law” (Romans 3:21, 28, 4:15, 7:1,8). Also, righteousness came before the law (Galatians 3:17,18) and justification is obtained by promise only. A final salvation cannot be obtained via rules because justification is declared apart from any standard. There are simply no rules to guide the race. There are no rules to disqualify anyone.
Secondly, proponents of this view often fail to cite the very next verse that follows 2Timothy 2:5;
It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
Rewards CANNOT be attached to justification in any way, shape, or form (Romans 4:2). So, what about all of the verses in Scripture that seem to say that we will be rewarded with salvation if we persevere to the end? I am presently looking into that issue deeply, and to some extent with the help of the aforementioned book. But closer examination of some of those verses has yielded some interesting findings. Let’s take a look at Revelation 2:11;
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.
Clearly, the “second death” refers to the Great White Throne Judgment where those who were not part of the first resurrection will be judged by the law. This will be an eternally tragic epoch. This verse, in the English translation, has a flavor of finality, or past tense. According to my Interlinear that is based on the Received text, the verse is better rendered this way: The one who is presently persevering shouldn’t fear the second death. The obedience they see in their life should give them confidence, or assurance. This better fits with a recognized theme throughout Scripture.
Furthermore, there are many incentives given in Scripture to be diligent in sanctification; why would this be if the prize is salvation? It would seem that lesser incentives would be irrelevant when compared to an actual consummation of salvation that would involve us.
paul
Why Calvinists Have No Understanding
Think “colabor.” And by the way, that’s a biblical word. It should be understood that salvation is completely of the Lord. In our day, it’s just best to leave it at that though some finer points could be argued. Election is what it is, but I think it not a good idea to draw logical conclusions that lead to hardcore determinism. The apostle Paul evangelized like it depended on us to some point—that’s irrefutable. At any rate, if God didn’t make a way for reconciliation—there wouldn’t be any. So, should He get all the glory? Absolutely. Does that mean we have no role at all? I doubt it.
But one thing is clear: the Christian life is a colaboring with God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our role is learn and do. That’s what a “disciple” is. And one of the doings, perhaps the most important one, is….THINKING.
Throughout the Bible, the colaboring of God and the Christian is seen. Unlike salvation and justification, the Christian life (sanctification) is full of conditions, promises, commands, encouragement, warnings, and instruction. If you take note in your daily Bible reading, you will see this colaboring concept throughout. Perhaps the most profound is 2Timothy 2:7. Here is what the apostle Paul said to Timothy:
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
The Lord will give us understanding, BUT, we have to THINK. No thinking—no understanding. To say that Christians in our day believe that God will give us understanding without thinking is quite the understatement.
Clearly, in Reformed circles, the elders think for the parishioners, and the elders get their information from a bunch of Calvinistic dead people, also known as “orthodoxy.” Even when Calvinists do pick-up their own Bibles to read they are anticipating that God will show them “pictures of Jesus” in every verse. Look, those are John Piper’s very words, not mine. Bible reading in Reformed circles has become always been like watching TV; you just watch and let your brain chemicals to the rest. As you read, Jesus will show Himself and whatever Jesus shows you will be imputed to your life because Jesus came to live for our sanctification and die for our justification. The death and resurrection was for our justification, but His life prior to the cross was for our sanctification.
Also implicit in Paul’s charge to Timothy is the fact that Paul expected people to verify for themselves what he taught. Let me show you a picture since we like them so much: When Susan and I are discussing Reformed issues with people while enjoying the perplexity on their faces as we accuse the big names of heresy, this question often follows: “So, who do you follow?” Initially, Susan and I were too shocked at the response to even answer. The question is, at times, also followed by, “You can’t say that about him—he has a lot of followers.”
Not sure I can add to that point. Have a wonderful colaboring day in Christ.
paul
Revised: Seven Points of Protestantism’s Anti-Gospel
1. Progressive Justification
John Calvin’s fourteenth chapter of book three in the Calvin Institutes is entitled, “The Beginning of Justification. In What Sense Progressive.” He then proceeds in sections 9, 10, and 11 to explain how Christians are still under the law, and helpless to obey it for any merit before God; i.e., any attempt at works in sanctification is works salvation (his Sabbath Rest Sanctification CICR 2.8.29,30). He then propagates sanctification by faith alone for the remedy.
2. Redemptive Historical Hermeneutics
This interpretive method reduces the Bible to a gospel narrative only. It’s not about anything that God wants us to do, but rather “what He has done.” “It’s not about our doing, but His doing and dying.” “Jesus isn’t a precept, He’s a person,” ad nauseam. This circumvents learning and doing (the very definition of a disciple), and replaces it with gospel contemplationism. It also circumvents love on the part of believers because anything short of perfect love according to the law is worthy of God’s condemnation according to orthodoxy. This is because the law is the justification standard rather than the new birth. Hence, one does not read the Bible to learn how to love God and others more, but to search for salvific truth in every verse that adds to one’s progression in salvation. In no uncertain terms, Protestant orthodoxy propagates “beginning justification,” “progressive sanctification” (really, progressive salvation/justification), and “final justification.” In Protestantism, the Bible is a tool for the progression of salvation, at least according to authentic orthodoxy.
3. Double Imputation
This is the idea that Christ not only died for our justification, but lived a perfect life on earth for the purpose of imputing that obedience to our sanctification. This view of double imputation goes hand in hand with progressive justification. Not to be confused with the correct view that God’s righteousness is INFUSED within us via the new birth while our sins were imputed to Christ. However, more accurately, all sin is imputed to the Old Covenant law of sin and death and Christ died to end that law. Double imputation is a staple Protestant doctrine, and obviously, if it was necessary for Christ to live a perfect law-keeping life so it can be imputed to our lives, we are still yet under law and thereby unsaved.
4. Gospel Sanctification
This propagates the idea that regeneration is powered by justification, and regeneration is a “process” or “progressive” instead of a one time act through Spirit baptism. Supposedly, Christians “reflect” godliness by continually “revisiting the gospel afresh.” This is a gospel contemplationism that focuses on the same things that originally saved us: Christ’s death for our sins and our own sinfulness. We supposedly “preach the gospel to ourselves every day” to keep ourselves saved. In this “process,” we obtain a greater and greater gratitude for our original salvation which glorifies God and not us. A greater view of the cross is the goal, not an increase of godly character among God’s people.
5. Mortification and Vivification
This is another undeniable staple doctrine of Protestant orthodoxy. By returning to the same gospel that saved us to receive forgiveness of “present sin,” (mortification), we also experience “vivification” which is a “reliving of our original baptism.” Hence, the baptism of the Spirit, or new birth, occurs over and over gain instead of just once. Again, this is stated Protestant orthodoxy. And of course, this is a process that can only be obtained through formal church membership. This is what qualifies Protestantism as one of the most unimpressive religions of the world because most Protestants don’t even know what a true Protestant believes. At least Catholics know they are saved by church membership and most other religions possess participants that are educated according to their religion’s true tenets.
6. The Total Depravity of the Saints
Obviously, if we need the gospel every day, it is for good reason; we remain in need of the same gospel that originally reconciled us because our status as “sinners” does not change. For all practical purposes this denies the new birth regardless of the fact that Christ stated, “You must be born again.”
7. Law Determines Justification
In Protestantism, Justification is not apart from the law; law is still the standard and therefore must be kept by Christ for us in sanctification. A perfect keeping of the law is required for us to be declared righteous; otherwise, it would supposedly be “legal fiction.” However, the apostle Paul made it clear that the “righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law” (Romans 3:21). Justification does not have to be maintained via a perfect keeping of the law by anyone; we are justified by the infusion of righteousness within us via the new birth. We still fail to love perfectly because our weak humanity has not yet been redeemed.
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
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