Do Something to Get Saved Eternally?
All of modern Christianity is infected with a "do something to get saved eternally" mentality. This mentality is what has driven the worlds various religions to concoct some means whereby man can save himself by performing some act that will appease an angry God. This inevitable result of man's corrupted imagination has infected Christianity. What this means is that every church you might come across today, with few exceptions, believes that the sinner must perform some form of meritorious work, or even make a simple decision, in order to get "eternal" salvation, on demand. Somehow, they believe that if they will only act according to some prescribed formula for redemption, whether it is the elaborate sacramental system of the various Catholic denominations [Coptic, Greek, Russian, English, Episcopal] ....or just the simple act of "accepting Jesus as their personal savior", that this act will be the first cause of redemption. They believe that the very act they perform will initiate or prompt [cause] God to save them eternally. Of course they will say that the blood of Christ is the real agent in salvation, but that salvation by this blood, is not a free gift, but an offer, and that it must be appropriated by their willful compliance to the afore mentioned formula. They say that no one can receive a free gift without accepting it - forgetting that if some anonymous benefactor left a million dollars on their door step, in the middle of the night, they would be the recipients without receiving or accepting it - unless they went to the pains of sending it back, which seems quite unlikely! This "eternal salvation" is variously referred to as: Regeneration, Quickening, or the New Birth. (being "Born-Again") This in turn, will eternally justify them with God because they were "willing" to repent and make this decision in sincerity. They discount the fact that faith is only an evidence of "the FINISHED work of Jesus" upon the heart. May I be so bold as to state to my readers that there has not been a single person on this planet that has ever been able to do what I just described: Psa 14:2-3 "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." If you need a second witness, click here: > Psa 53:3
I will prove that there is not a single verse in the Bible that would teach or even doctrinally allow such a belief. Yes, Jesus did deliver much of the truth of His "mystery religion" [Mar 4:11] in parables that were designed to hide the truth from those who were without, that He might reach His elect who were within ear shot, who had "ears to hear". The message was encrypted so that only those with prepared hearts could hear and receive it! What else could "Ears to hear" mean.... a simple willingness? Even then that willingness would have to be instilled in the believer. Are you a believer? If so, count it the greatest of priveleges! The great God of heaven, who called Himself YHWY, also called Himself Jealous with a capital "J". [Exd 34:14]. What is He Jealous for or about? He is Jealous about His truth and His sovereignty "For thou shalt worship no other god".... and He is: "a consuming fire, even a jealous God." [Deu 4:24] Every one of God's elect, who has been privileged to see and hear the truth of His Gospel should be principally passionate about one thing - the Sovereignty and Glory of His maker. What does all this have to do with a "do something to get saved eternally" mentality? I will show that there are two major but fundamental theological differences between Christians today and that both of them are wrong because they both subscribe to a "do something to get saved eternally" mentality.
A "DIRTY LITTLE SECRET" AND THEN "THE GREAT DECEPTION"
First there is the major branch called "Arminians" who believed, like their historical mentor 'Jacobus Arminius' [also: James Arminius - and his Dutch name Jacob Harmenszoon] 1560 A.D. to 1609 A.D. whose claim to fame is that he supposedly refuted the teachings of one John Calvin, a French theologian, Reformer or Protestant of some fame. [more on Calvin later] Because Calvin taught predestination, Arminius was supposed to have ably refuted those beliefs with a doctrine that is held principally by today's Fundamentalists. These beliefs are not only held by them, but by most of denominational Christianity today, including the various Catholic denominations, Protestant denominations and also the various non-denominational and worship center types, also hold to the Arminian belief described in paragraph two of this paper.
FIRST "THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET" OF THE ARMINIAN CAMP.
Many reading this paper will know, right away, what I am talking about. The "Dirty Little Secret" is the way the Fundamentalists, whether they be Independent Baptists, Charismatic, or non-denominationalists..... have a technique for scooping people onto the roles of heaven. What the minister does is, at the end of his service, stand in front and say: "OK, let's give everyone that wants to be saved an opportunity to do so, by coming down to the front, to stand in front of the church and the whole world, as a profession of your faith, and accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Everyone, please turn in your hymnal to #321, 'Just as I Am'". As the choir [not biblical] starts to sing in softer tones, the pastor says: "I want everyone who knows if he died tonight, that he would go to heaven, to raise your hand - now I want every eye closed and every head bowed". [the choir and the congregation notch up the volume slightly] Now, why do you think that he wants every eye closed and every head bowed [besides this being the standard accepted method of evangelism]? I will tell you, and it is a very deceptive practice. The preacher wants to see, NOT the hands that go up, but the HANDS THAT STAYED DOWN. He wants to be able to note, by saying again, emphatically: "keep them up now, every one who knows he is going to heaven, keep your hands raised toward heaven". [more volume by the singers] What he is looking for, and is taking special note of, is the individuals, whether members or visitors, who is not on heavens rolls. This will give him reason to start the crafty process of 'cajoling' [if you do not know what this word means click here (X)] a reluctant person to make a decision to get saved. This wheedling can go on for several minutes and through many additional verses of the hymn, as the pastor says: [the singing now turns to humming the tune - very dramatic production] "C'mon now, Jesus is waiting. There are loved ones here tonight that have been praying for you, don't disappoint them - don't disappoint Jesus - make that decision now - come down and stand right here in the front with these others who have already come forward!". Listen dear reader, as a past Fundamentalist, [ www.HowSaved.com ] I have seen this very process go on for fifteen or twenty minutes, trying to intimidate a person into the kingdom of God. Finally the poor sucker, who has no spiritual inclination whatsoever, while his Mama is softly weeping beside him, will finally waddle down to the front as if he is really sincere, to keep her heart from breaking. The pastor will then say: "Follow me in this simple sinner's prayer.... Jesus, I know I am a sinner and that I need to be saved, come into my heart and save me now." After that the subject will be told that he is heaven bound and needs to be baptized and join the church. Now, stop and think about what just happened. The person was lied to about why the pastor wanted the hands raised, and then he was brow beat and intimidated by his Mother's crying and the hushed tones of the dramatic humming, into submission with half hearted intentions, to come forward. Right here I am going to give you a verse in bold Red letters.... don't ever forget it when thinking of the process just described: Eze 13:22 "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:" Now look at the following parable by Jesus: Matt 13:24-30 "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." I hope that after reading this paragraph you will understand what the "Dirty Little Secret" is. It is the 5th Avenue telephone marketing strategies, that are being used, in the name of Christ, by the Fundamentalists, to populate the so-called churches. Do we wonder why we have people by the millions who do not know their bibles and couldn't give you a word of testimony about their hope of eternal salvation other than: "Well, several years ago I went forward in a service and prayed the sinner's prayer". Mat 7:22 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." How many will be in this number - no one knows but God!
NOW "THE GREAT DECEPTION" OF THE CALVINIST CAMP
The second or other major [actually minor, by numbers] branch of Christianity today, are called Calvinists for obvious reasons mentioned above. They are identified by denominational names like: Presbyterians, Reformed Baptists, and various iterations that imply a belief in predestination or unconditional election as taught by their historical mentor, John Calvin. For the record, I believe in unconditional election, like the Calvinists say they do - but I actually believe it. The works of John Calvin, concerning his teaching about predestination, in his "Institutes of the Christian Religion" is mostly a parroting of the teachings of an early Catholic father known as St Augustine [Augustine of Hippo Regius, or today's Annaba, Algeria (354-430 AD)]. Many of the Reformers were Augustinian Catholic monks, like Martin Luther was, before they all jumped ship and started calling the Popes the anti-Christ. Nearly all of the Reformers were predestinarians.
Now I come to an explanation of "The Great Deception" of the Calvinists, that has helped lead Christianity to the brink of that which Jesus Himself described:Luk 18:8 "I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" [This is obviously a rhetorical question that needs no answer because of it's implications.] There has been a great revival of Calvinism around the world, under various labels, in the past forty or so years. [see: www.HowSaved.com] The great, and to some, stunning truth is that there is little actual difference in the conclusions about the mechanism of eternal salvation, between these two major players in modern Christianity. The Arminian Fundamentalists say that we get saved by accepting Jesus as our personal savior - an act of the will. The Calvinists try to be very lofty and scholarly about the election of the saints, and usually make a great show of reading the Reformers and the Puritans, [often having a large collection of books, as proof that they are experts - been there, done that], but arrive at the same conclusion, that conversion to the truth of the Gospel [an act of the will] is still necessary in order to be saved to eternal life! Now, it is not my intention to be nasty or to use ad-hominem sounding terms and phrases. Remember, it was said of the apostle Paul, that his speech was "contemptible" [2Cr 10:10]. One can take that word in several ways, but Paul said he spoke: "not with enticing words of man's wisdom". So, neither will I. Here is the first shot across the bow! Arminianism is patently false. The sovereign election of God's predestined children, was accomplished before the world began. If the reader does not know or believe this then he needs to take the first chapter of Paul's epistle to the Ephesian church and cut it out of his bible and burn it right away! Having said that and dismissed the Fundamentalist Arminian fantasy out-of-hand, let's go on to the more perilous deception, Calvinism.
The doctrines of Calvin are well documented and well stated - ALMOST! Here is the rub. Calvinism is actually a "fifth column" working to unwittingly undermine the Glory of God by way of subtle robbery and is part of Satan's "shill game". Take some "T.U.L.I.P.S." (sic) [Total depravity of man, Unconditional Election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints, then Salvation] ....and mix them with a few popish sacraments and what do you get? The old switcheroo! That's right, God's true Gospel is based upon the cardinal principle of the sovereignty of God as seen and realized through His election of the saints, predestinating them unto eternal life before the foundation of the world, to be conformed to His incarnate Son's image. [Eph 1:3-9]
All of this is discoverable by God's elect when and if they are providentially exposed to the Gospel. So what does Satan do? He spawns some daughters of his bride, Roman Catholicism [Mystery Babylon] - a Baal ridden Judaized form of Christianity [also the afore mentioned: Coptic Catholic (Egyptian), Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Church of England, Episcopal] The following list are the daughters and comprise the major denominational founders of the so-called Reformation of the 12th through the 16th centuries. These leaders' names' are: Jerome Zanchius - Martin Bucer - Heinrich Bullinger - John Calvin - Andreas von Carlstadt - Wolfgang Fabricius Capito - Martin Chemnitz - Thomas Cranmer - William Farel - Matthias Flacius - Caspar Hedio - Justus Jonas - John Knox - Jan Łaski - Martin Luther - Philipp Melanchthon - Johannes Oecolampadius - Peter Martyr - Joachim Vadian - Laurentius Petri - Olaus Petri - Pierre Viret - Huldrych Zwingli - Aonio Paleario.... and many others not listed.
What do all of these have in common with their Mama's? It's called sacramental religion. Ungodly and anti-Christ Sacramental Religion is like it's great grandma, the corrupted imbedded Baal religion of the Jews of Jesus' day! A sacrament is defined as an outward sign of inward grace, performed by the subject trying to save himself from sin's penalty, hence the "seven" sacraments of the popish devils of Rome. [Baptism, Confirmation (Chrismation), Eucharist, (the Mass or Communion) Penance, [Confessional) Extreme Unction, (Anointing of the sick) Holy Orders, (Ordination) and Matrimony (Marriage in the church only)]. It is a system of "do something to get saved eternally" through the observance or performance of some ritual or practice that mediates grace to the practitioner and earns that person entitlement to some spiritual benefit and eventually heaven. If you don't believe this, just ask any Roman Catholic. Jesus did not personally fashion a scourge for nothing! [Jhn 2:15] Jesus saw the men in the temple doing the same thing that Luther saw in that flea market on the Vatican steps 1,500 years later - the selling of various forms of salvation. [indulgences]. Now guess what? All of these "Reformation" daughters of "Judaized/ Baal/ Catholic/ Hierarchical/ Christendom" [sic] had daughters themselves, called the Puritans. The Puritans were also predestinarians like their mothers were. Some of the names of these notables are: William Ames - William Bates - Richard Baxter - Paul Baynes - Thomas Brooks - John Bunyan - Stephen Charnock - Jonathan Edwards - John Flavel - Thomas Goodwin - Andrew Gray - William Guthrie - Matthew Henry - John Howe - Thomas Manton - Cotton Mather - John Owen - Matthew Poole - Richard Sibbes - Thomas Watson.
Now we are down to the third and forth ecclesiastical generation over 1,800 years removed from the resurrection of Jesus.... but wait, then they come to America to avoid religious and political persecution. What do they bring with them? Of course, they bring not only sacramental religion, but every foul pagan holy-day [holiday] observance, from their ecclesiastical progenitors. And each of these was infected with the same theological and seminal sacramentalism of their mothers', requiring homage to the dictum of their earliest matriarchal leader of "Judaized/ Baal/ Catholic/ Hierarchical/ Christendom" ....a leader named Cyprian who coined the classic dictum: "Extra ecclesiam nulla salus" ["no salvation outside the church"] or more accurately "Quia salus extra ecclesiam non est." <>Outside the Church there is no salvation,"]. The great whore that was formed very early, by the Baal ridden Judaizers within the first 20 years after the resurrection, were complained about bitterly by the apostle Paul when he felt compelled to confront the "somewhats" [sarcasm mentioned twice] of Gal. 2 in Jerusalem, namely Peter [Simon], James and John, who concede by letter that they allowed Judaizers that: "...certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls,..." in the Gentile churches that were planted by Paul in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. [Acs15:22-24] Paul was the same approximate age as Jesus and was probably still in college in Jerusalem studying "...according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers .." [Act 22:3] under the great Rabbi Gamaliel I, grandson of the great Hillel the Elder, while Jesus was frequenting the temple and possibly schools preparing for His rabbinical ministry to start at age 30. [a Jewish restriction] The significance of this paragraph is that they were already teaching that man's will was connected to eternal salvation by virtue of the fact they taught that there was "no salvation outside the organized church", and that they had to do something [Circumcision - Law of Moses] to be saved eternally. Do you know that most Christians still believe this today? They are called Catholics, Puritans, Calvinists and Fundamentalists - or roughly 99% of all Christendom today.... believes that eternal salvation hinges upon something that man does, or has to do, or continue performing.
It is my feeling that Jesus had not only trouble getting through to the religious leaders of his day, because of their Perso/Babylonian corruptions of Old Testament interpretations of the law, but He also had trouble on many occasions getting through to His own apostles! Think of how many times He had to dress them down for being spiritually ignorant. [Mat 16:23; Mar 4:13; Jhn 6:66; Mat 26:56 ] They were also infected with the nationalism of the Maccabees and the national fervor to be legalistic about the law to the point of not understanding the Grace that Jesus was teaching. In John 6:66 we see many of His disciples turning away from Him and walking with Him no more, just because of what He had said on verses 37, 44, 63 and 65. The Jewish mind could just not understand election and grace as Jesus was preaching it! This Judaizing influence was Satan's "ace in the hole" that he would use against Jesus' kingdom. The evidence of it can be seen in the trappings of some of the very earliest churches - that wanted authoritarian leaders who would form a hieratical priestly class, as with the doctrines of the Nicolaitans which are condemned in Revelation 2:6 in the message to the Ephesians Church, a thing Jesus hated! This corrupted Judaising was the creeping malaise of their former captivity and it's Babylonian influence on them. This corrupted legalism caused early Jewish Christian converts amongst the Diaspora to an addiction that they carried into Christianity. Again, this influence is readily seen in some of the first church's formal organizing and building projects that included many of the Old Testament trappings of worship, such as Temples of worship; [completely absent in the New Testament epistles] altars; liturgical vestments; formal liturgical services; sensors; candles [Menorahs]; Sacred nichos; Relics, Golden Tabernacle Enclosures for relics; musical instruments in worship [non-existent in the New Testament and forbidden by many of the Early Church Fathers]; Scapulars, Phylacteries, elevated Priestly class; Ritual; Public Processions and later capital punishment for heresy! Very soon, in the first two hundred years after the resurrection, we see a priestly class developing a hierarchy by deliberate abuse of the term "bishop" which was used to discriminate between the synonimous terms: Pastor, Elder, Bishop, Minister. A priestly class eventually developed, within the early churches, that created the terms: [from top to bottom] Pope, Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop, Monsignor and Priest. This type of Hierarchy was expressly forbidden by Jesus Himself: Luk 22:23 ".......... And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve."
There is one last thing I must lay to rest right away. Because I am a generic primitive baptist, or as some use the term, "Old School Baptist" [I am not a member or subscriber to the Primitive Baptist denomination], I will be accused of many things and called many things, from a hyper-Calvinist [there is no such thing], to an "Antinomian". I am not an Antinomian, nor am I the opposite - a "legalist". The reason I say that there is no such thing as a hyper-Calvinist is that logically, anything that is not Calvinist in doctrine - is simply something else. It's the Arminians and Calvinists that use that crafted term as a weapon against arguments they cannot refute with an open bible, just like the Ashkenazis and Zionists use the cunningly crafted word: "anti-Semitist" as a weapon.You cannot intelligently be called that if you are opposing a system that is promoted by people who simply are not Semites at all. I am just a Christian. One that actually believes the Bible. Every Christian, who has been acted upon by the Holy Spirit in a saving way, should obey every bit of light that he is given from the scriptures, and that he has been taught by Godly ministers of the Gospel.
So then, our faith is not the operating principle in our eternal salvation - rather, "our faith" is the light that God gives us to see the righteousness of Christ that was worked in us by the operation of His own faith, when he obeyed God unto death.... for even Jesus learned obedience through those things which he suffered. Yes, Jesus Christ had a faith of His own that was His gift to us at the time of our quickening unto eternal life - a faith that justified us eternally and was able to allow God to reckon us righteous in Him. Jesus believed God for us when we were powerless, as dead men, to believe anything towards God at all. As the Author and Finisher of our faith, His righteousness was imputed to us so that God could no longer see anything in us but the righteousness of Him who stood in our place of eternal judgment and condemnation to hell. All of this He did accomplish without man's co-operation or belief at all. Salvation is all of God through His Son alone. A wonderful sermon from the year 1647, by Samuel Richardson, is available at this link: “Justification by Christ Alone”. If you go here to this link and read the entire sermon, the LORD may open your eyes to better see this sadly neglected truth. Richardson was a signer of the London Confession and the Baptist confession of 1689. This saving faith then, of unmerited favor, reaches every one of God's elect in some time and place, throughout the ages, in inaudible tones, that causes them, of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, [Rev 5:9] to fear God and do righteousness, [Act 10:35], by means of His sovereign grace, [Rev 14:6] and through divine agency alone.
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Jonah 2:9 "....Salvation is of the LORD."
A DUTIFUL "JEREMAID" AGAINST APOSTATE CHRISTIANITY
A DUTIFUL "JEREMAID" AGAINST APOSTATE CHRISTIANITY
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May God grant mercy and liberty to this writer as he endeavors to expose, with a degree of passion, the subject before us. Eternal salvation is the primary subject of this paper. Deception, is the underlying complaint. Since the beginning of time, man has sought a way to alleviate the pangs of conscience that might threaten ones position with God in the hereafter - if there is a God, and if there is a hereafter, by their reckoning. Ever since man has known about the hand-me-down story of Adam and Eve, which is quite universal around the globe, many estranged cultures had still been affected by the Garden of Eden story. Even followers of the many pagan religions were universally aware of the totality of man's condemnation. Their beliefs were often driven by this knowledge. As Christians, we look around us today and see many anomalous practices.... that is, people doing and following teachings and practices that are completely different, not only from each other, but different from what seems to be the teachings of the early churches and even the Bible itself. One of those teaching or doctrinal beliefs, that has been corrupted, is central to what Jesus, the Christ [savior-anointed] came for. This belief is the doctrine of soteriology [Eternal Salvation]. What we believe about this doctrine is naturally going to color every other facet of our beliefs. The obvious reason for this it that what you believe about "How people are Saved Eternally" will impact other deduced or formulated doctrinal beliefs all through the scriptures. It is a fact that until one gets this doctrinal belief straight - all the rest of scripture will not make much sense, from an orthodox or biblical perspective. Jesus promised that His church would always survive until His coming [Mat 16:18] ....but He also said that just prior to His return, those churches would be hard to identify or find. [Luk 18:8] Now on to our subject: Modern Christianity Against the Bible > www.SavedHow.com <>associate reference: > www.HowSaved.com]
All of modern Christianity is infected with a "do something to get saved eternally" mentality. This mentality is what has driven the worlds various religions to concoct some means whereby man can save himself by performing some act that will appease an angry God. This inevitable result of man's corrupted imagination has infected Christianity. What this means is that every church you might come across today, with few exceptions, believes that the sinner must perform some form of meritorious work, or even make a simple decision, in order to get "eternal" salvation, on demand. Somehow, they believe that if they will only act according to some prescribed formula for redemption, whether it is the elaborate sacramental system of the various Catholic denominations [Coptic, Greek, Russian, English, Episcopal] ....or just the simple act of "accepting Jesus as their personal savior", that this act will be the first cause of redemption. They believe that the very act they perform will initiate or prompt [cause] God to save them eternally. Of course they will say that the blood of Christ is the real agent in salvation, but that salvation by this blood, is not a free gift, but an offer, and that it must be appropriated by their willful compliance to the afore mentioned formula. They say that no one can receive a free gift without accepting it - forgetting that if some anonymous benefactor left a million dollars on their door step, in the middle of the night, they would be the recipients without receiving or accepting it - unless they went to the pains of sending it back, which seems quite unlikely! This "eternal salvation" is variously referred to as: Regeneration, Quickening, or the New Birth. (being "Born-Again") This in turn, will eternally justify them with God because they were "willing" to repent and make this decision in sincerity. They discount the fact that faith is only an evidence of "the FINISHED work of Jesus" upon the heart. May I be so bold as to state to my readers that there has not been a single person on this planet that has ever been able to do what I just described: Psa 14:2-3 "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." If you need a second witness, click here: > Psa 53:3
I will prove that there is not a single verse in the Bible that would teach or even doctrinally allow such a belief. Yes, Jesus did deliver much of the truth of His "mystery religion" [Mar 4:11] in parables that were designed to hide the truth from those who were without, that He might reach His elect who were within ear shot, who had "ears to hear". The message was encrypted so that only those with prepared hearts could hear and receive it! What else could "Ears to hear" mean.... a simple willingness? Even then that willingness would have to be instilled in the believer. Are you a believer? If so, count it the greatest of priveleges! The great God of heaven, who called Himself YHWY, also called Himself Jealous with a capital "J". [Exd 34:14]. What is He Jealous for or about? He is Jealous about His truth and His sovereignty "For thou shalt worship no other god".... and He is: "a consuming fire, even a jealous God." [Deu 4:24] Every one of God's elect, who has been privileged to see and hear the truth of His Gospel should be principally passionate about one thing - the Sovereignty and Glory of His maker. What does all this have to do with a "do something to get saved eternally" mentality? I will show that there are two major but fundamental theological differences between Christians today and that both of them are wrong because they both subscribe to a "do something to get saved eternally" mentality.
A "DIRTY LITTLE SECRET" AND THEN "THE GREAT DECEPTION"
First there is the major branch called "Arminians" who believed, like their historical mentor 'Jacobus Arminius' [also: James Arminius - and his Dutch name Jacob Harmenszoon] 1560 A.D. to 1609 A.D. whose claim to fame is that he supposedly refuted the teachings of one John Calvin, a French theologian, Reformer or Protestant of some fame. [more on Calvin later] Because Calvin taught predestination, Arminius was supposed to have ably refuted those beliefs with a doctrine that is held principally by today's Fundamentalists. These beliefs are not only held by them, but by most of denominational Christianity today, including the various Catholic denominations, Protestant denominations and also the various non-denominational and worship center types, also hold to the Arminian belief described in paragraph two of this paper.
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If you have discovered by now that
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CLICK HERE FOR THREE FREE BOOKS > [X]
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FIRST "THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET" OF THE ARMINIAN CAMP.
Many reading this paper will know, right away, what I am talking about. The "Dirty Little Secret" is the way the Fundamentalists, whether they be Independent Baptists, Charismatic, or non-denominationalists..... have a technique for scooping people onto the roles of heaven. What the minister does is, at the end of his service, stand in front and say: "OK, let's give everyone that wants to be saved an opportunity to do so, by coming down to the front, to stand in front of the church and the whole world, as a profession of your faith, and accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Everyone, please turn in your hymnal to #321, 'Just as I Am'". As the choir [not biblical] starts to sing in softer tones, the pastor says: "I want everyone who knows if he died tonight, that he would go to heaven, to raise your hand - now I want every eye closed and every head bowed". [the choir and the congregation notch up the volume slightly] Now, why do you think that he wants every eye closed and every head bowed [besides this being the standard accepted method of evangelism]? I will tell you, and it is a very deceptive practice. The preacher wants to see, NOT the hands that go up, but the HANDS THAT STAYED DOWN. He wants to be able to note, by saying again, emphatically: "keep them up now, every one who knows he is going to heaven, keep your hands raised toward heaven". [more volume by the singers] What he is looking for, and is taking special note of, is the individuals, whether members or visitors, who is not on heavens rolls. This will give him reason to start the crafty process of 'cajoling' [if you do not know what this word means click here (X)] a reluctant person to make a decision to get saved. This wheedling can go on for several minutes and through many additional verses of the hymn, as the pastor says: [the singing now turns to humming the tune - very dramatic production] "C'mon now, Jesus is waiting. There are loved ones here tonight that have been praying for you, don't disappoint them - don't disappoint Jesus - make that decision now - come down and stand right here in the front with these others who have already come forward!". Listen dear reader, as a past Fundamentalist, [ www.HowSaved.com ] I have seen this very process go on for fifteen or twenty minutes, trying to intimidate a person into the kingdom of God. Finally the poor sucker, who has no spiritual inclination whatsoever, while his Mama is softly weeping beside him, will finally waddle down to the front as if he is really sincere, to keep her heart from breaking. The pastor will then say: "Follow me in this simple sinner's prayer.... Jesus, I know I am a sinner and that I need to be saved, come into my heart and save me now." After that the subject will be told that he is heaven bound and needs to be baptized and join the church. Now, stop and think about what just happened. The person was lied to about why the pastor wanted the hands raised, and then he was brow beat and intimidated by his Mother's crying and the hushed tones of the dramatic humming, into submission with half hearted intentions, to come forward. Right here I am going to give you a verse in bold Red letters.... don't ever forget it when thinking of the process just described: Eze 13:22 "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:" Now look at the following parable by Jesus: Matt 13:24-30 "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." I hope that after reading this paragraph you will understand what the "Dirty Little Secret" is. It is the 5th Avenue telephone marketing strategies, that are being used, in the name of Christ, by the Fundamentalists, to populate the so-called churches. Do we wonder why we have people by the millions who do not know their bibles and couldn't give you a word of testimony about their hope of eternal salvation other than: "Well, several years ago I went forward in a service and prayed the sinner's prayer". Mat 7:22 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." How many will be in this number - no one knows but God!
NOW "THE GREAT DECEPTION" OF THE CALVINIST CAMP
The second or other major [actually minor, by numbers] branch of Christianity today, are called Calvinists for obvious reasons mentioned above. They are identified by denominational names like: Presbyterians, Reformed Baptists, and various iterations that imply a belief in predestination or unconditional election as taught by their historical mentor, John Calvin. For the record, I believe in unconditional election, like the Calvinists say they do - but I actually believe it. The works of John Calvin, concerning his teaching about predestination, in his "Institutes of the Christian Religion" is mostly a parroting of the teachings of an early Catholic father known as St Augustine [Augustine of Hippo Regius, or today's Annaba, Algeria (354-430 AD)]. Many of the Reformers were Augustinian Catholic monks, like Martin Luther was, before they all jumped ship and started calling the Popes the anti-Christ. Nearly all of the Reformers were predestinarians.
Now I come to an explanation of "The Great Deception" of the Calvinists, that has helped lead Christianity to the brink of that which Jesus Himself described:
The doctrines of Calvin are well documented and well stated - ALMOST! Here is the rub. Calvinism is actually a "fifth column" working to unwittingly undermine the Glory of God by way of subtle robbery and is part of Satan's "shill game". Take some "T.U.L.I.P.S." (sic) [Total depravity of man, Unconditional Election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints, then Salvation] ....and mix them with a few popish sacraments and what do you get? The old switcheroo! That's right, God's true Gospel is based upon the cardinal principle of the sovereignty of God as seen and realized through His election of the saints, predestinating them unto eternal life before the foundation of the world, to be conformed to His incarnate Son's image. [Eph 1:3-9]
All of this is discoverable by God's elect when and if they are providentially exposed to the Gospel. So what does Satan do? He spawns some daughters of his bride, Roman Catholicism [Mystery Babylon] - a Baal ridden Judaized form of Christianity [also the afore mentioned: Coptic Catholic (Egyptian), Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Church of England, Episcopal] The following list are the daughters and comprise the major denominational founders of the so-called Reformation of the 12th through the 16th centuries. These leaders' names' are: Jerome Zanchius - Martin Bucer - Heinrich Bullinger - John Calvin - Andreas von Carlstadt - Wolfgang Fabricius Capito - Martin Chemnitz - Thomas Cranmer - William Farel - Matthias Flacius - Caspar Hedio - Justus Jonas - John Knox - Jan Łaski - Martin Luther - Philipp Melanchthon - Johannes Oecolampadius - Peter Martyr - Joachim Vadian - Laurentius Petri - Olaus Petri - Pierre Viret - Huldrych Zwingli - Aonio Paleario.... and many others not listed.
What do all of these have in common with their Mama's? It's called sacramental religion. Ungodly and anti-Christ Sacramental Religion is like it's great grandma, the corrupted imbedded Baal religion of the Jews of Jesus' day! A sacrament is defined as an outward sign of inward grace, performed by the subject trying to save himself from sin's penalty, hence the "seven" sacraments of the popish devils of Rome. [Baptism, Confirmation (Chrismation), Eucharist, (the Mass or Communion) Penance, [Confessional) Extreme Unction, (Anointing of the sick) Holy Orders, (Ordination) and Matrimony (Marriage in the church only)]. It is a system of "do something to get saved eternally" through the observance or performance of some ritual or practice that mediates grace to the practitioner and earns that person entitlement to some spiritual benefit and eventually heaven. If you don't believe this, just ask any Roman Catholic. Jesus did not personally fashion a scourge for nothing! [Jhn 2:15] Jesus saw the men in the temple doing the same thing that Luther saw in that flea market on the Vatican steps 1,500 years later - the selling of various forms of salvation. [indulgences]. Now guess what? All of these "Reformation" daughters of "Judaized/ Baal/ Catholic/ Hierarchical/ Christendom" [sic] had daughters themselves, called the Puritans. The Puritans were also predestinarians like their mothers were. Some of the names of these notables are: William Ames - William Bates - Richard Baxter - Paul Baynes - Thomas Brooks - John Bunyan - Stephen Charnock - Jonathan Edwards - John Flavel - Thomas Goodwin - Andrew Gray - William Guthrie - Matthew Henry - John Howe - Thomas Manton - Cotton Mather - John Owen - Matthew Poole - Richard Sibbes - Thomas Watson.
Now we are down to the third and forth ecclesiastical generation over 1,800 years removed from the resurrection of Jesus.... but wait, then they come to America to avoid religious and political persecution. What do they bring with them? Of course, they bring not only sacramental religion, but every foul pagan holy-day [holiday] observance, from their ecclesiastical progenitors. And each of these was infected with the same theological and seminal sacramentalism of their mothers', requiring homage to the dictum of their earliest matriarchal leader of "Judaized/ Baal/ Catholic/ Hierarchical/ Christendom" ....a leader named Cyprian who coined the classic dictum: "Extra ecclesiam nulla salus" ["no salvation outside the church"] or more accurately "Quia salus extra ecclesiam non est." <>Outside the Church there is no salvation,"]. The great whore that was formed very early, by the Baal ridden Judaizers within the first 20 years after the resurrection, were complained about bitterly by the apostle Paul when he felt compelled to confront the "somewhats" [sarcasm mentioned twice] of Gal. 2 in Jerusalem, namely Peter [Simon], James and John, who concede by letter that they allowed Judaizers that: "...certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls,..." in the Gentile churches that were planted by Paul in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. [Acs15:22-24] Paul was the same approximate age as Jesus and was probably still in college in Jerusalem studying "...according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers .." [Act 22:3] under the great Rabbi Gamaliel I, grandson of the great Hillel the Elder, while Jesus was frequenting the temple and possibly schools preparing for His rabbinical ministry to start at age 30. [a Jewish restriction] The significance of this paragraph is that they were already teaching that man's will was connected to eternal salvation by virtue of the fact they taught that there was "no salvation outside the organized church", and that they had to do something [Circumcision - Law of Moses] to be saved eternally. Do you know that most Christians still believe this today? They are called Catholics, Puritans, Calvinists and Fundamentalists - or roughly 99% of all Christendom today.... believes that eternal salvation hinges upon something that man does, or has to do, or continue performing.
It is my feeling that Jesus had not only trouble getting through to the religious leaders of his day, because of their Perso/Babylonian corruptions of Old Testament interpretations of the law, but He also had trouble on many occasions getting through to His own apostles! Think of how many times He had to dress them down for being spiritually ignorant. [Mat 16:23; Mar 4:13; Jhn 6:66; Mat 26:56 ] They were also infected with the nationalism of the Maccabees and the national fervor to be legalistic about the law to the point of not understanding the Grace that Jesus was teaching. In John 6:66 we see many of His disciples turning away from Him and walking with Him no more, just because of what He had said on verses 37, 44, 63 and 65. The Jewish mind could just not understand election and grace as Jesus was preaching it! This Judaizing influence was Satan's "ace in the hole" that he would use against Jesus' kingdom. The evidence of it can be seen in the trappings of some of the very earliest churches - that wanted authoritarian leaders who would form a hieratical priestly class, as with the doctrines of the Nicolaitans which are condemned in Revelation 2:6 in the message to the Ephesians Church, a thing Jesus hated! This corrupted Judaising was the creeping malaise of their former captivity and it's Babylonian influence on them. This corrupted legalism caused early Jewish Christian converts amongst the Diaspora to an addiction that they carried into Christianity. Again, this influence is readily seen in some of the first church's formal organizing and building projects that included many of the Old Testament trappings of worship, such as Temples of worship; [completely absent in the New Testament epistles] altars; liturgical vestments; formal liturgical services; sensors; candles [Menorahs]; Sacred nichos; Relics, Golden Tabernacle Enclosures for relics; musical instruments in worship [non-existent in the New Testament and forbidden by many of the Early Church Fathers]; Scapulars, Phylacteries, elevated Priestly class; Ritual; Public Processions and later capital punishment for heresy! Very soon, in the first two hundred years after the resurrection, we see a priestly class developing a hierarchy by deliberate abuse of the term "bishop" which was used to discriminate between the synonimous terms: Pastor, Elder, Bishop, Minister. A priestly class eventually developed, within the early churches, that created the terms: [from top to bottom] Pope, Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop, Monsignor and Priest. This type of Hierarchy was expressly forbidden by Jesus Himself: Luk 22:23 ".......... And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve."
There is one last thing I must lay to rest right away. Because I am a generic primitive baptist, or as some use the term, "Old School Baptist" [I am not a member or subscriber to the Primitive Baptist denomination], I will be accused of many things and called many things, from a hyper-Calvinist [there is no such thing], to an "Antinomian". I am not an Antinomian, nor am I the opposite - a "legalist". The reason I say that there is no such thing as a hyper-Calvinist is that logically, anything that is not Calvinist in doctrine - is simply something else. It's the Arminians and Calvinists that use that crafted term as a weapon against arguments they cannot refute with an open bible, just like the Ashkenazis and Zionists use the cunningly crafted word: "anti-Semitist" as a weapon.You cannot intelligently be called that if you are opposing a system that is promoted by people who simply are not Semites at all. I am just a Christian. One that actually believes the Bible. Every Christian, who has been acted upon by the Holy Spirit in a saving way, should obey every bit of light that he is given from the scriptures, and that he has been taught by Godly ministers of the Gospel.
So then, our faith is not the operating principle in our eternal salvation - rather, "our faith" is the light that God gives us to see the righteousness of Christ that was worked in us by the operation of His own faith, when he obeyed God unto death.... for even Jesus learned obedience through those things which he suffered. Yes, Jesus Christ had a faith of His own that was His gift to us at the time of our quickening unto eternal life - a faith that justified us eternally and was able to allow God to reckon us righteous in Him. Jesus believed God for us when we were powerless, as dead men, to believe anything towards God at all. As the Author and Finisher of our faith, His righteousness was imputed to us so that God could no longer see anything in us but the righteousness of Him who stood in our place of eternal judgment and condemnation to hell. All of this He did accomplish without man's co-operation or belief at all. Salvation is all of God through His Son alone. A wonderful sermon from the year 1647, by Samuel Richardson, is available at this link: “Justification by Christ Alone”. If you go here to this link and read the entire sermon, the LORD may open your eyes to better see this sadly neglected truth. Richardson was a signer of the London Confession and the Baptist confession of 1689. This saving faith then, of unmerited favor, reaches every one of God's elect in some time and place, throughout the ages, in inaudible tones, that causes them, of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, [Rev 5:9] to fear God and do righteousness, [Act 10:35], by means of His sovereign grace, [Rev 14:6] and through divine agency alone.
"How One is Born Again" by Tom Hagler.
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*[The writer of the above material is T.K. Krueger, P.O. Box 100, Fountain Inn, SC 29644]
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