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Introduction to Calvinism The purpose of this study is to expose the false gospel of Calvinism, which says salvation comes by way of 'unconditional predestination,' and help people get back to the true Biblical Gospel, which is God saves sinners that choose of their own free will to repent, believe, and have faith in Jesus Christ. Calvinists teach that before time began God held a "secret council" and willy-nilly and without any criteria whatsoever ordained some individuals for eternal life and the others for eternal damnation. Those elected for salvation are then supposedly forced to believe and the others are forced to sin and not believe. In fact, Calvinists add to this error by saying that everything in the universe is nothing more than a machine like and unchangeable response predetermined by this pre-creation kingdom lottery. If your name was not picked then you are out of luck and there is nothing you can do about it. Calvinism insists that God's foreknowledge of our faith played no part in His selection process because they contend that God gives faith to the elect and keeps faith from everyone else. A Calvinist would say that if you go to heaven it is because you were elected to eternal life and if you go to hell it is because you were not selected. What justice is this that some people are unconditionally elected to heaven while others are not? Calvinists defend their theology with the "sovereignty of God." Since we are all sinners to begin with God can randomly pull one person out of the fires of hell and passes over another if He wants because after all He is God. God never does anything without purpose. The idea that we play no part in our salvation because God forces us to comply with the outcome of a random selection made without rhyme or reason is one of the biggest lies every twisted out of Romans and Ephesians. That perverted theology shows how easy it is to be deceived with unsound doctrine, and how little Calvinists understand about the gospel, the nature of God, and true love. Key Point "That which is forced is not sincere and that which is not voluntary cannot please Christ." True love can not be forced. God was not forced to redeem us from sin. He gave us Jesus Christ out of love not obligation. And we are not forced to accept the gospel. We believe and put our faith in Christ of our own free will, and that pleases God. If all that Calvinistic talk about God indiscriminately deciding the fate of humanity sounds a bit like a story borrowed from Greek mythology then you are on the right track. Calvinism is little more than Manichaeism (a Mystery Religion from Babylon), Neo-Platonism (Plato's philosophy), and paganism loosely packaged with a Pauline wrapper for Christian consumption by Aurelius Augustinus, other wise known as Bishop Augustine of Hippo - the father of another Harlot from Babylon, Roman Catholicism. Trust God, But Test Calvinism There are two very simple and reliable tests for detecting counterfeit doctrine and false teachers: First, if the suspect dogma contradicts the King James then it is a forgery, throw it away and forget about it. Sound doctrine is always consistent with the total body of scripture and false doctrine is always accompanied by an attack upon the King James. Secondly, if the teacher or proponent of a doctrine lives a lie, knowingly and unrepentantly lives a life outside the boundaries of proper Christian conduct, then you can be sure their dogma is a lie also. Calvinism fails both tests. Like most cult doctrines Calvinism redefines, twists, lifts out of context, and otherwise misinterprets scripture to make it comply with their doctrine rather than change their doctrine to comply with scripture. And it is not for me to say how God will judge Augustine and Calvin. But this much I do know, Bishop Augustine openly practiced fornication and Calvin was a murderer, gleefully burning Christian women and children at the stake for simply disagreeing with him. The King James versus Calvinism When Christ says, "I am the door," Calvinists start looking for the handle. And that lack of sensibility makes it almost fruitless to present them with an argument from scripture. Reason is wasted on irrational people. But there are many verses that clearly refute Calvinism. In the seventeenth century the first letter of the five points of Calvinism were used to form the acronym TULIP, which stands for:
These points are pure unscriptural hooey. A clear cut refutation of the points of Calvinism follows. And it really doesn't take much effort to top this TULIP. Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace, (Effectual Calling)
Perseverance Of The Saints
Augustine and Calvin Lived A Lie Calvinism is nowhere in the Gospel and John Calvin and his mentor Augustine of Hippo did not live like Christians. This is not slander or an opinion but rather indisputable and well documented historical fact. Aurelius Augustinus was born in the small town of Thagaste in Numidia, North Africa, A.D. 354. He grew up in a household of mixed beliefs. His father Patricius was a pagan and his mother Monnica was a Christian. And this idea that Christianity can coexist with paganism found its way into Augustine's theology. Bishop Augustine refused to marry and he thought it perfectly justifiable for a Christian to openly and publicly keep a live-in concubine and father a child out of wedlock. And that is what he did. Augustine's example was quickly followed by the Roman Catholic Church to the point that nearly everyone in the clergy including Popes and priests openly lived in sin and fathered children out of wedlock. It wasn't until the Reformation came along that they were forced to do in secret what they once did openly. John Calvin was born at Noyon in Picardy in 1509. There is not much known about his childhood but Calvin was an exceptional student. He grew up at a time when academics had a renewed love of Greek and Latin antiquity within a religious context. This movement was known as Christian humanism. And it revolved around the study of the pagan classics, philosophy, law, Paul's letter to the Romans, and the work of Augustine. Christian humanism became the bridge between Calvin and Augustine. Calvin planned to enter the priesthood but his life took an about turn when his father was excommunicated. The harsh treatment of his father by the religious authorities had a serious impact on Calvin. This provided the impetus and motive for Calvin to turn against Popery, the religion of his homeland, France. He joined the Protestant Reformation and sought opportunity and safety in Geneva. You would think that after what happened to his father Calvin would be very compassionate towards others. But the reverse was true. Calvin was so harsh and excommunication crazy that the city council actually kicked him out of the city for over three years. But when Calvin returned he grabbed complete control of Geneva and then the lucky ones got off with excommunication. Those who openly challenged Calvin's theology paid with their lives. Calvin thought it his sovereignty to execute over fifty Christians at the stake for disagreeing with him. He once had a mother and her daughter burned at the stake because they refused to accept the doctrine of infant baptism. Yet Calvin's sister-in-law, living under Calvin's own roof with his brother, openly carried on with adulterous affairs with impunity, because she was "one of Calvin's elect." The Apostles and Disciples were changed when they were born again. They put off the old man and put on a new nature in Christ, and the change was clearly evident. Apostle Paul stopped stoning Christians after his conversion. Calvin started public executions of Christians as soon as he took control of Geneva. One execution in particular involving the Spanish physician Michael Servetus reveals volumes about John Calvin and Calvinism to me. Servetus was an outspoken adversary of Calvin's doctrines. Consequently, Calvin wanted him dead. Calvin is quoted as saying, "If he [Servetus] comes [to Geneva], I shall never let him go out alive if my authority has weight." Michael made the mistake of stopping by Geneva to hear Calvin preach. Calvin spotted him and had Michael arrested, tried and executed. His crime was recorded as "doctrinal heresies," meaning he publicly took issue with some of Calvin's theology. Up until his execution Michael was kept in a dungeon with no light, no heat, little food, and no sanitation. After a mock trial he was taken out and burned at the stake. It took over thirty minutes for him to slowly die in this horrible manner. As the tormented Spaniard cried out, "Jesus, Son of the eternal God, have mercy on me," Calvin gloated and rejoiced over the execution. Some try to justify Calvin's murders by saying, "didn't Apostle Paul put Stephen to death." Sure, but that was before Paul was born again. Calvin never repented from these wicked deeds. If I had lived in Geneva during Calvin's reign of terror I would have been burned at the stake for speaking the truth as I am doing in this study, my wife and kids also. John Calvin was an unremorseful cold hearted murderer and a false teacher, and that is a historical fact. Key Point "Authority becomes tyranny unless it is tempered by freedom." Calvin 'imposed' his religious beliefs upon others and that is a violation of our God given liberty and free will. Calvin ruled over Geneva with an iron fist much like Adolf Hitler ruled over Germany. Calvin's supporters bragged that under Calvin Geneva had become the safest city in Europe. Nazis also bragged about how safe Germany was with Hitler in power. But Germany was certainly not safe for Jews! Likewise Geneva became a place of terror for anyone that broke one of Calvin's laws or dared to express any religious view other than Calvinism. How would you feel about an annual visit by the clergy to examine if your home is in keeping with Calvin's rules? How about mandatory church attendance? What if you were told only Biblical names could be used to name your child? Would you like to be told what to wear, what to eat, what to sing, how to dance, and who to marry? How would you feel if a foreigner took over your city and outlawed Christmas and other holidays? What would you say about a so called "Christian church leader" that forced people to accept his every word or face humiliation, imprisonment, dismemberment, torture, excommunication or execution? Regardless of the sentence, freedom of speech was silenced. And the personal property of the accused was typically transferred into the city coffers. Christ said, "Ye shall know them by their fruits." Would you call a man that burns a mother and her child at the stake, for simply refusing infant baptism, a great Christian theologian and a wonderful Christian reformer? Calvinists do. Clearly I have a different opinion. The Great Whore and Her Daughter The Devil is a master of stealth and he knows our weaknesses. Satan used the serpent to deceive Eve because it was the most cunning beast in the Garden. Likewise, Satan knows that false doctrine is most likely to be accepted if it comes from the pulpit and a well respected clergy. In fact, most of the big lies in theology have come from those in a position of power and authority in the Church. Such is the case with Calvinism. The word Calvinism first appeared in 1552 in reference to the strange gospel of "unconditional predestination" which the Frenchman John Calvin imposed upon the people of Geneva, Switzerland, in the sixteenth-century. But Calvin is not the original source for the doctrine that bears his name. Calvin (1509-1564) patterned everything in his life including his theology after Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD). Augustine is the true author of unconditional predestination. Augustine was also the primary architect of Popery. Calvin merely repackaged and popularized Augustinian doctrines for the Reformed Protestant movement with the publication of his two major works, "Institutes of the Christian Religion," and "Concerning The Eternal Predestination of God." Where did Augustine get the doctrine of unconditional predestination? He drew much from his past wonderings and experimentation with Neo-Platonism, the Greek classics, Babylonian Mystery religions such as Manichaeism, and pagan mythology. Augustine passed through all of these before finally giving Christianity a try. So it didn't take much effort for Augustine to wrap elements of these various pagan systems with a twisted interpretation of Paul's writings, specifically Romans, to create a framework for Roman Catholicism and later Calvinism. The Epistles of Paul to the Romans and Ephesians are given special attention by Augustine and Calvin because when interpreted in isolation from the rest of scripture, with an omission here, addition there, a little exaggeration, redefinition, and some lifting out of context, Paul's words can me made to support another gospel. The ancient city of Babylon is where false gospels first came into existence after the flood. They were called Mystery Religions because they hid their satanic messages in secret temple rituals and pagan mythology. From Babylon the mysteries spread all over the world. Each country added to the pantheon of gods and goddess and slightly changed the fables, but they all shared common bond with the original Babylonian mysteries. It didn't take long for the doctrines of Mystery Babylon to find their way into the early church. And I am sad to say that Augustine bares much of the responsibility for introducing the mysteries to Roman Catholicism and through Calvin to Protestantism. Both Augustine and Calvin were very influential men in their day. Augustine shaped Popery and by this means Satan successfully perverted the gospel with Roman Catholicism for over twelve centuries. And just as the printing press was freeing humanity from Popery the Frenchman John Calvin immigrated to Geneva and reintroduced Augustine's lies into Protestantism, subverting the reformation. It wasn't until the new world opened up that Christians found a place to worship without persecution. So Calvinism is a set of false theological doctrines originally developed in Babylon after the flood and then introduced into the church by Bishop Augustine of Hippo. Augustine arrived at this heresy by interpreting scripture without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And it is worth repeating, Augustine used his experimentation with Manichaeism, Neo-Platonism and Greek mythology to repackage Mystery Babylon in a Pauline wrapper for Christian consumption. That is not to say that individual Catholics and Calvinists can not be saved. But it is important to understand that these belief systems are corrupt and you must become astute at recognizing Mystery Babylon lurking underneath all that 'church talk.' The Nature Of Calvinism Augustine left us two works, an autobiography titled Confessions, and The City of God, a philosophy of history. These two books reveal the true pagan roots of Bishop Augustine which would later influence his doctrine, and through his doctrine Roman Catholicism and Calvinism. We are all influenced by our past experiences. But when someone is truly born again the change in their life is noticeable. And mature Christians typically look back on the mistakes of their youth with shame and embarrassment. But that is not true of everyone that professes to be born again. If people are shocked when they find out you are a Christian then something is not right. Some immature, weak, and spiritually lazy Christians find it easier to change the gospel to fit their old lifestyle rather than change their conduct to fit a new life in Christ. And frequently the book of Romans is used for just that purpose. Augustine was a university educated intellectual that sought enlightenment through contemplation and experimentation with fleshly appetites much like modern liberals of today. He fathered a child out of wedlock, kept a mistress, and drank to excess. Paganism offered Augustine a way to morally, spiritually, and intellectually justify his lust. The world did not consider these things sins but rather irresistible urges of the flesh that lead to knowledge and enlightenment. Augustine's decision to convert to Christianity supposedly came after reading a copy of Paul's letter to the Romans. If true, this is understandable because Romans is one of the most powerful witnessing tools we have. But Romans can be twisted out of context and used to excuse sin. The doctrine of 'totally depravity' is a good example. If man is 'totally depraved' then sin becomes something we have no free will to control. I am not surprised that Augustine thought it okay for a Bishop to openly live in fornication with a mistress and refused to marry. Liberal Christians today think it is okay for the church to elect homosexual Bishops. Augustine never really parted with his past. His quest through Manichaeism, Neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, and Greek Mythology strongly influenced how he interpreted scripture. It would be wrong to say that Augustine converted to the simple gospel in scripture. Augustine converted the gospel into something that fit with his education and experience in philosophy and pagan mythology. For instance, the term 'elect' in Romans would have struck an instant cord with Augustine because the 'elect' are one of two orders in Manichaeism. Augustine served the 'elect' of Manichaeism for over nine years. Augustine clearly arrived at the doctrine of 'Unconditional Predestination of the Elect' through the influence of Manichaeism. In fact, elements of Augustine's pagan past suspiciously have much in common with all five points of Calvinism: Neo-Platonism Neo-Platonism is considered the last great pagan philosophy and was a viable force from the middle of the 3rd century to 529 when Justinian closed their Academy at Athens. Its exact origin is unclear but a man named Plotinus popularized Neo-Platonism when he left Egypt and founded a school in Rome in 244. Neo-Platonism is an interpretation of the idealistic philosophy of Plato with the humanistic traditions of Greece. It rejects the dualism of two disparate realms of being (good and evil, material and transcendent, universal and particular) and set forth one vast hierarchal order containing all the various levels and kinds of existence. At the center of order is a supposed One, an incomprehensible, all-sufficient unity. The One gives rise through emanation to the Divine Mind or Logos [word] and below the Divine Mind to the World Soul. Neo-Platonism says the individual soul could rise through contemplation to the level of intelligence (the Divine Mind) and then through mystic union could be absorbed in the One itself. Conversely, a lack of desire toward the One or nonparticipation in the perfection of the One was held to be the cause of sin and a negative quality. Basically Neo-Platonism preaches salvation through contemplation. The Greeks were famous for sitting around doing nothing all day but philosophizing. Neo-Platonism offered the educated class a gospel of salvation through worldly knowledge. Both Augustine and Calvin were university educated intellectuals that studied and at one time or another embraced humanism and philosophy. Manichaeism Manichaeism is a dualism religion offering salvation by knowledge (gnosis). It originated in Babylonia in the 3d century AD. Its founder was a young Persian noble called Mani (or Manes, 216-276). Babylon was still the center of the pagan priesthood when Mani became thoroughly infused with the ancient mysteries. Mani mixed elements of Christianity with Zoroastrianism and Buddhism to create his own gospel which he proclaimed in the royal residence in Gundesapor on the coronation day of Sapor I, when vast crowds from all parts of parts of the Persian Empire were gathered together. Manichaeism rapidly spread west into the Roman Empire. From Egypt it moved across northern Africa where it found a convert in Augustine. It reached Rome in the early 4th century which marked the height of Manichaean expansion. The essence of Manichaeism was the principle of absolute Dualism: the primal conflict between God and Satan. Human beings, created by God, were divine in spirit but they carried within them seeds of darkness, sown by Satan, because of their material bodies. Mani taught that good and evil are equal powers, and both have always existed. Each has a kingdom, good Light and evil Darkness. Darkness invaded Light and fragments of light are still entrapped in the darkness; this world was created in order to free them. In Manichaen mythology man is lost and fallen in existence, but in essence he is a particle of Light and thus one in substance with God. Individual salvation consists of grasping this truth by illumination from God's Spirit. Mani claimed Christ was merely a prophet and not God incarnate. He also said the Apostles falsified Jesus' true teaching, which Mani was simply restoring. Mani documented his teachings in writing and then gave those writings canonical status during his lifetime. The Manichaen community was a hierarchy of two classes: the Elect (clergy), who consisted of Mani's successor, 12 apostles, 72 bishops, and 360 presbyters; and the Hearers (laity). The Elect were committed to a missionary life of poverty and celibacy. They renounced physical labor, earthly property, and sexual activity. They were strict vegetarians, and were forbidden even to harvest or prepare food, because Mani had a revelation that it's murder to damage plants by harvesting (fruitarians). The Hearers incurred the sin of preparing food, and were released from sin by the prayers of the Elect who ate it: Mani taught that fragments of the divined were trapped in plants and could be released when ingested by the pure body of the Elect. The Hearers were allowed a wife or concubine, but were taught to avoid procreation or have only one child because it entraps more divine spirits in matter. The Elect believed they went to Paradise upon death. The lower class Hearers were considered imperfect and destined to continual rebirth until they could be reincarnated as an Elect. Everyone else goes to hell in Manichaeism. Women were considered forces of darkness, binding men to the flesh. Evil was regarded as a physical rather than a moral entity. Manichaeism rejects the notion of free will. Manichaean cells operated like Christian churches, keeping in touch with one another by a hierarchy analogous to the Christian clergy. When Augustine left Carthage for Rome he was able to stay with another Hearer and meet some of the Elect. Manichaeism offered Augustine a way to accommodate his conflicts: he could pursue his career, retain his concubine, while purging his sins through his service to the pure Elect and blame those sins on his alien nature. Manichaeism also responded to his need for the name of Christ and his initial distaste for the Christian scriptures. He regarded scripture as crude and a contaminated attempt at the truth, whereas the Manichaean scriptures offered both the name of Christ and a pagan intellectuals understanding of the universe and of human life. To his credit Augustine left Manichaeism and eventually found Christ. But an examination of Neo-Platonism and Manichaeism reveals that bits and pieces of each of these false doctrines ended up finding their way into Augustine's theology, Roman Catholicism and Calvinism. Witnessing To Calvinists It is very important in these last days for Christians to be bold and not shy away from our responsibility as servants of Christ to speak the truth without compromise. If the truth offends people, let them be offended. That doesn't mean that Christians should argue or dispute over small issues of no consequence. The false gospel of Calvinism is no small issue. What we are talking about in this study is defending the core pillars of the gospel entrusted to us by God from false doctrines such as Calvinism. The gospel is under constant attacks that come in the form of mixing, diluting and polluting the pure gospel with the pagan doctrines of Mystery Babylon. And Augustine and Calvin are without a doubt guilty of perverting the gospel. Everything we do and say should be done with love. But it is not love to let a person remain in ignorance to avoid an argument. I once read a church position on 'Predestination' by a senior pastor in Costa Mesa, California. He said, "I would rather act right than be right." That would be good advice if we were discussing how to comment on your wife's first home cooked meal. But when it comes to the critical theological debates like this one, 'salvation through faith' verses 'salvation by unconditional election,' it is imperative to stick to the truth and never compromise for harmony's sake. That is not to say that you should burn people at the stake because they disagree with you. Calvin established a forum where people could come and openly debate religious issues. He would stand in the back of the room and if he heard anyone disagreeing with his theology he would have them arrested. That is not 'acting right nor being right' but it certainly is a Bolshevik way to squash freedom of speech. Be forewarned that Calvinists are like Mormons in that they have created their own vernacular based on a cut up and redacted version of scripture, Romans and Ephesians in particular. So the proper way to witness to Calvinists is to create an environment where you can present and discussed the gospel in light of the whole body of scripture in the King James. Calvinists will link bits and pieces of scripture together like a chain to try and support the five points of TULIP. And they will make every effort to keep the discussion within the limitations of this so called chain. By redefining key terms and inappropriately associating verses that have nothing to do with each other the Calvinists will manipulate scripture to say what they want it to say. For that reason it is important to learn the context and complete wording of the following verses in order to correct Calvinists:
Summary Calvinism and the gospel of 'unconditional election' can be traced back through Calvin directly to Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo. And it doesn't take a genius to see that Augustine allowed his pagan past to corrupt his interpretation of scripture and thereby pollute his theology with the false doctrines of Mystery Babylon. Augustine was one of the prime architects of Roman Catholicism and as such he is responsible for many of the heresies of Popery. As the prime source for Calvin's theology Augustine is also indirectly responsible for the heresies of Calvinism. The bottom line is Calvinism is a set of false theological doctrines that combine humanism, philosophy, Manichaeism, Neo-Platonism and pagan mythology into a Pauline wrapper for Christian consumption. And that is why Calvinism is not supported by scripture. It is sad but true, Bishop Augustine kept a concubine and refused to marry and the Frenchman John Calvin was a cold-hearted murderer that burned dozens of innocent Christians (men, women and children) at the stake. They were executed because they refused to let Calvin force his doctrines upon them. It would be inappropriate to excuse Roman Catholicism for the inquisitions and Calvin for his murders by merely saying, "These things are a black mark upon the church." Because that assumes these two abominations with their false doctrines and wicked deeds are in the body of Christ. |
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Matthew 7:15-20
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. |
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Calvinism's exegesis of a gospel based on an unconditional soul lottery is a lie and a story borrowed from pagan mythology. Augustine got the term 'Divine Mind' from Neo-Platonism. And his strange interpretation of the term "elect" was influenced by the nine years he spent as a "hearer" serving the "elect" of the Babylonian mystery religion Manichaeism. 'TULIP' was derived by interpreting bits and pieces of scripture lifted out of context with a combination of philosophy, humanism, and paganism. Calvinism's Errors:
Salvation is a gift of God. But not everyone is saved because eternal life is conditional. You must accept the gift on faith. It is God's will that everyone repent. But God will not force you. So while you are yet an unsaved sinner, you must of your own free will choose to repent, believe, and have faith in Jesus Christ in order to obtain eternal life. That is not a cause of boasting or an infringement on the sovereignty of God. That is what God demands of us! Faith is the condition for election into the body of Christ. And there is also a condition for sound doctrine. It must be supported within the context of the whole body of scripture. Calvinism is not. God foreknew who would believe, and He predestined the Church, but God never unconditionally elected individual souls to heaven and dammed the rest to hell. There is no polite way to say this without compromising the truth, Calvinism is blasphemy.
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