If you flip a quarter and it lands on the floor, and if if lands flat (as is generally the case) it will either be heads up, or tails up…. but one thing is for sure, it can’t be both.
We have a devision in America, two sides of a coin, two major devisions, and they are completely different.
One is derived from men’s doctrine
The other is from God’s word; namely the bible.
As in the tossed coin, they can’t both be true.
One leads to eternal life in Heaven, the other eternal life in the outer darkness.
Mark 7:7 (NKJV) And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
Matthew 24:24 (NKJV)For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Mark 13:22 (NKJV) For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
In the End there will be false prophets teaching a doctrine designed by mankind. You will find through this study the Calvist Doctrines are manmade, they are derived from the old gnostic teachings and are not bibically grounded.
On the other hand you will find Arminianism is the other side of the coin, the rebuttal of Calvinism, grounded in scripture with only scripture used as doctrine.
If you truly desire to seek God in Truth and Spirit: Then you must be willing to follow the truth no matter where it leads….
One member of The Society of Evangelical Arminians explains: “If a man builds his house in a tree, he will defend that tree with his life, even when it is discovered that the tree is diseased, simply because his life’s investment (the house) is in that tree. I am convinced this is what happened to both Augustine and Calvin. Better to build one’s house on solid rock.” (SEA)
I find this true with both Calvinists, and Evolutionists
By analogy, Augustine’s tree house suffers from the disease of Gnosticism. Ultimately, then, Gnosticism never left the Church. It survived and endured under a different form.
Another member of The Society of Evangelical Arminians explains: “Augustine brought the Trojan horse into the church. Prior to him, everyone in the early church affirmed free will, denied fatalism, viewed all versions of fatalism as non-Christian and pagan thought.” (SEA)
I would like to present three points to consider as the church.
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There is to be no division in the church (1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 12:25)
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We are to rightly divide the truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
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Test all doctrines by the word of God: This tells me we must study and learn the truth only from the bible, and test biblically any position preached by man (Acts 17:11)
There cannot be two correct gospels, only one. Anything other than the true gospel, supported fully by scripture without interjection by man (do not add or take away) is a false doctrine. You will only find salvation through the correct understanding of scripture… rightly dividing the word. There are two major doctrines being taught, which by default splits the church, one is Calvinism, the other is Arminianism
I have done the work, the studies and have found Calvinism in complete opposition to scripture. If you have a true heart for Christ, and for the truth I would suggest you should do the studies for yourself, if you don’t have a true heart for Christ and the truth… quite frankly… you won’t.
Remember:
YOU MUST BE WILLING TO FOLLOW THE TRUTH NO MATTER WHERE IT LEADS.
Arminius Was a Calvinist: What is an Arminian? People who believe in the teachings of the Bible from the historic perspective is an Arminian. To further answer this question, we must start with the doctrine of John Calvin since Arminianism is first, a reaction to Calvinism. Calvin’s Systematic Theological Teachings are summarized in the “Five Points of Calvinism”. They can be formed into an acrostic called TULIP.
Arminianism arose when a Dutchman named Koornheerts infuriated the Dutch clergy by attacking Calvinism in his writings.” Such an attack was not allowed to go unchallenged. A brilliant and well trained young Calvinist, Jacobus Arminius, was asked to answer Koornheerts. This he set about to do, but his study of the subject only convinced him that Calvinism was indefensible. From his thorough search of the Scriptures was born a view out of harmony with austere Calvinism.
The 5 principles of Calvinism
- Total Depravity: If man is totally depraved, he is not guilty of sin, he knows no better
- Unconditional Election: God decides before you are born whether you will spend eternity in heaven or hell; eliminates the ability to choose to follow Christ or not…
- Limited Atonement/ Particular Redemption: Christ’s redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and secured salvation for them. So, God did not so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever should believe on Him should not perish but have ever lasting life…. According to this doctrine God was just teasing us or lying….
- Irresistible Grace: the call, heard only by the Election, is irresistible and always results in total conversion; It means God created puppets who are not really making a choice for Him, again no choice being made to follow God or not…. The choice is made for you.
- Perseverance of the Saints: All who are chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given faith by the Spirit are eternally saved. They are kept in faith by the power of Almighty God and thus persevere to the end.
Arminianism’s Five Points
A struggle followed but Arminius did not live to see it resolved. The “five points of Arminianism,” however, are based on his writings. (Marston, n.d., n.p.) “The Five Arminian Articles (Arminians were then called “Remonstrants” were framed in 1610 and first published in 1612. In abridged form they are: (Failing, 1978, pp.2-3)
- CONDITIONAL ELECTION. God wants to save all men. Those who respond to the call of His Spirit are the elect or the predestinated.
- UNLIMITED ATONEMENT. Christ died for all men. The atonement is adequate for the whole race generally and every man individually.
- PREVENIENT GRACE. Mankind, it’s true, is corrupted by sin or totally depraved, but God extends to every man a grace which enables him to turn to Christ for forgiveness. This is called Prevenient Grace — the grace that goes before.
- RESISTIBLE GRACE. Because man is truly a free moral agent, he may, if he chooses, resist the grace of God. This is termed Resistible Grace.
- IT’S POSSIBLE TO FALL AWAY. (Once saved not always saved) Because man does not surrender this freedom when he is saved, he is able (though less likely than many preachers imply) to renounce his faith and be lost.
Let’s examine the individual steps for salvation:
- CONFESS SINS
- REPENT SINS
- CONFESS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR
- BAPTISM
- ADDED TO THE CHURCH
- RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
- FOLLOW THE COMMANDS OF CHRIST
Other Faith Topics:
This will be completed as time goes on and as time allows
New CovenantNew Life
A
|
| Abortion |
Absolutes |
Abuse |
Acceptance |
| Adultery & the Bible |
AIDS |
Alcohol |
Angels |
| Anger |
Antichrist |
Anxiety |
Appearance |
| Arguments |
Ashamed |
Assurance |
Astrology |
B
|
| Bad Language |
Baptism |
Beauty |
Belief/Believe |
| Bestiality |
Bible |
Bible Prophecy |
Bible Teachings |
| Bitterness |
Body |
Business |
C
|
| Caring |
Celibate Clergy |
Change |
Channeling |
| Child Training |
Children |
Christianity |
Christs, False |
| Church |
Church Attendance |
Citizenship |
Clothes |
| Comfort |
Commitment |
Complacency |
Compromise |
| Confession |
Confusion |
Consequences |
Contentment |
| Conversation |
Correction |
Courage |
Creation/Where Did I Come From? |
| Criticism |
Crystals |
D
|
| Dating |
Dating and Sex |
Death |
Debts |
| Decisions |
Decisiveness |
Demons |
Depression |
| Details |
Devotion |
Diet |
Discernment |
| Discipline |
Discouragement |
Dishonesty |
Disobedience |
| Divorce |
Doctrine/Bible Teachings |
Drinking (see also Alcohol) |
E
|
| Employment |
Encouragement |
Enemies |
Entertainment |
| Environment, Protection of |
Eternal Life |
Evangelism |
Excuses |
| Expectations |
F
|
| Failure |
Fairness |
Faith: What is it? |
Faithfulness |
| False Christs |
Fasting |
Faults |
Favoritism |
| Fear |
Fear of the Lord |
Financial Advice |
Follow |
| Foolishness |
Forgiveness |
Forsaken |
Fortune Tellers |
| Foundation |
Friendship |
Fruit/Results |
G
|
| Gentleness |
Ghosts: Are they Real? |
Giving |
Giving Up |
| Goal Setting |
God |
God’s Bible Promises |
God’s Children |
| God’s Word |
Good News |
Good/Goodness |
Gospel |
| Gossip |
Government |
Grace |
Gratitude |
| Greatness |
Greed |
Grief |
Growth |
| Guilt |
H
|
| Habits |
Handicapped |
Healing |
Health |
| Heart |
Heaven |
Hell |
Help |
| Help – Bible Promises |
Heresy |
Heritage |
History |
| Holiness |
Holy Spirit |
Homosexuality |
Honesty |
| Honor |
Hope |
Hospitality |
Humanity |
| Humility |
Husbands |
Hypocrisy |
I
|
| Idolatry |
Impatience |
Impossible |
Impressions |
| Incarnation |
Incest |
Indifference |
Injustice |
| Inspiration |
Insults |
Integrity |
Intimidation |
| Investment Strategy |
Islam |
J
|
| Jesus Christ |
Jewelry |
Jobs |
Joy |
| Judging |
Judgment |
Justice |
K
|
| Kindness |
L
|
| Last Days |
Law of God |
Laziness |
Leadership |
| Legalism |
Life |
Life-Style |
Light |
| Listening |
Loans |
Loneliness |
Lord’s Supper |
| Lost |
Love |
Loyalty |
Lust |
| Lying |
M
|
| Magic |
Management |
Marriage |
Maturity |
| Mediator |
Meditation |
Mercy |
Millennium |
| Mind |
Miracles |
Money and the Bible |
Motives |
| Murder |
Music |
N
|
| Names |
Nature |
Needs |
Neglect |
| Neighbor |
O
|
| Obedience |
Occult |
Offerings |
Opportunities |
| Ordinance of Footwashing |
Ordinary |
Outreach |
P
|
| Parenting |
Past |
Pastors |
Patience |
| Peace |
Peer Pressure |
Perfect |
Persecution |
| Perseverance |
Philosophy |
Plans |
Poor |
| Popularity |
Possessions |
Power |
Praise |
| Prayer |
Presence |
Pride |
Priorities |
| Problem-Solving |
Progress |
Promises |
Prophets |
| Prostitution |
Protection |
Purity |
Q
|
| Quarrels |
Quiet |
R
|
| Racism |
Reconciliation |
Rejection |
Relationships |
| Reliability |
Religion |
Remembering |
Remnant |
| Repentance |
Representatives |
Reputation |
Respect |
| Rest |
Restitution |
Resurrection |
Revenge |
| Rewards |
Righteousness |
Risk |
Running |
S
|
| Sabbath |
Sabbath Observance |
Sacrifice |
Salvation |
| Satan: Who is he? |
Scolding |
Scripture |
Second Coming of Jesus Christ |
| Security |
Self-Esteem |
Selfishness |
Senior Citizens |
| Sex |
Shame |
Shyness |
Sickness |
| Signs of Jesus’ Second Coming |
Signs of the Times |
Silence |
Simplicity |
| Sin |
Singleness |
Sleep |
Society |
| Solitude |
Soul |
Sovereignty |
Spanking |
| Spiritual Discipline |
Spiritual Gifts |
Spiritual Growth |
Spiritual Rebirth |
| Status |
Strength |
Stress |
Submission |
| Success |
Suffering |
Suicide |
T
|
| Taxes |
Teaching |
Teens/Children |
Temptation |
| Ten Commandments List |
Testing |
Thankfulness |
The Future |
| The Thousand Years (Millennium) |
Thinking |
Timing |
Tithe: What the Bible says |
| Toleration |
Trinity |
True Israel of God |
Trust |
| Truth |
U
|
| Unclean Meats |
Unity |
V
|
| Value |
Victory |
Violence |
Vows |
W
|
| Waiting |
Weakness |
Wealth |
Where did I come from? |
| Widows |
Wine |
Wisdom |
Witchcraft |
| Witnessing |
Wives |
Words |
Work |
| World |
Worldliness |
Worry |
Y
|
| Youth |
Z
|
| Zeal |