 |
| Appendices -> Critique of Calvinism -> John 10:28-29; 3:17; Acts 13:48 |
John 10:28-29. The Calvinist does this same type of typical deductive rapid read in John 10:28-29, saying that Christ knows this sheep and they shall never perish. Now read the verse as to who His sheep are to whom He is referring: "My sheep are hearing (present active indicative) My voice, and I am knowing (present active indicative) them, and they are following (present active indicative) Me: And I am giving (present active indicative) unto them Eternal Life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand " (John 10:27-28). Again, these verses only speak of perseverance, not limited atonement, particular election, or eternal security before death as the Calvinists claim. Only the continuously hearing and following ones shall never perish and not be plucked out of His hand.
Almost every scripture that is quoted to support unconditional security of the believer is mistaken today to convey a past tense, a linguistic liberty (say incomplete, not concise, inaccurate, not clear) of the Greek verb tenses by usually KJV (Calvinist) translators. Think on that. There are a "few" other definite evidences of non-textual words in the KJV translation to surmise such leanings. But I really doubt there would be such misunderstandings today if the verb tenses had been explicitly translated. Most all the translators of early English Bibles have been of Calvinist background.
Also, notice that these as well as numerous places in scripture state that Christ is "giving" (not past tense) Eternal Life. No one possesses Eternal Life intrinsically as his own this side of Heaven. The scriptures are very plain about this. "And this is the record (so there can be no mistake about it), that God hath given (aorist active indicative) to us Eternal Life, and this Life is in (ev) his Son. He that hath (is having) the Son hath (is having) Life; and he that hath (is having) not the Son of God hath (is having) not Life" ( I Jn 5:11-12). The Calvinist KJV translators didn't make the continuous tense very explicit did they? I wonder why? It probably sounded better to them to imply a past action, a done deal by elective... zapping.
Occasionally, one hears a question, "How can you lose Eternal Life after you possess it? It wouldn't be Eternal then." The answer is, "Read the scriptures." Eternal Life is always stated to be in Christ, not in you, yourself. The Father in His Wisdom has safe guarded Eternal Life in His Son this time.
Adam and Eve were turned out of the Garden so that they could not eat the tree of Eternal Life, for then we'd have potential devils with Eternal Life just as we would today (not just eternal existence as the lost have). But God has safeguarded this in His Son by accomplishing our salvation through His indwelling Son, referred to as "FAITH." But you must know what the scriptures teach that FAITH is, in order to understand this last statement. See the article, Faith and New Age Definition.
No, this time Eternal Life is safe-guarded in His Son, this side of Heaven. "It is Christ in (ev) you (still with a flesh nature of Adam), the hope of Glory" (Col. 1:27). "And this is the record, that God hath given (aorist active indicative) to us eternal Life, and this Life is (present active indicative) in his Son He that hath (is having, present active ) the Son is having (present active) Life; and he that hath (is having, present active) not the Son of God hath (is having, present active) not Life" (1 John 5:11-12). "Who by God's power are being guarded (present passive participle) through faith (of Christ) for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" ( 1 Peter 1:5 RSV). "In Him you also.....were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee (earnest, not guarantee) of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory" ( Eph 1:13-14 RSV).
Calvinists just don't understand many details "of the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God" (Rom. 11:33). Their inductive thinking stopped when they learned "God was Sovereign." Of course He is, but come on, read the details of His Word where He plainly tells us about Himself and His works in clear concise detail for a little child to understand.
John 3:17 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." This is a very clear and straightforward statement: "that the world through Him might be saved." The Calvinist to justify his assertions says , "No, it doesn't say that...." He must then take the little child aside and explain that "world" doesn't mean "world" like it does in other scriptures, it means....... And incidentally, the verse before says, "that whosoever believes.....that doesn't mean 'whosoever"......it means.........." This is why the little child must go to Synagogue school to learn the interpretations and wisdom of the Scribes, Pharisees, and Dispensational Synchophants of our day. This is just like in Jesus day. And they crucified Christ. Redefinitions of plain words of scripture is the "tall tail sign" of deductive (darkness) thinking.
Deductive thinking as explained in article, Hermeneutics, is the nearest to demonic thinking that, perhaps, can be described. It makes an assertion (usually a lie or half-truth) and through your flesh nature you yield your mind to follow that line of thought in ever more delusional self-justifying assertions. Delusional deductive thinking of the devil is like imaginative day-dreaming, only the person is adult enough to think their thoughts are of great Truth. A little child knows better.
But an "interesting," revealing, and glaring light upon this error is the absolute necessity for this deductive thinking to redefine the single specific pure words of Truth (scripture). Always synonyms and redefinitions will result and be defended. This is axiomatic. All false doctrine must do this to the pure Word of God. Today's "grace" regardless Scribes, Pharisees, and Dispensational Synchophants do this as easily as breathing.
We say this is "interesting" because if every Word of God is pure and relatively pure in translation, then any teachings contrary to what the scriptures plainly say must necessarily by fate of their falseness necessitate redefining the plain simple words as to their meaning. This is a revealing and glaring light for all to behold.
The Calvinists are not as bad at this as the "grace" regardless cult. The Calvinists just haven't matured from the primitive pagan Catholic "writings of Augustine, who in spite of being the father of modern Roman Catholicism (highly honored recently by the Pope), was the source of most of Calvin's false ideas. Calvin quotes him more then 400 times in his Institutes, repeatedly stating, 'By the authority of Augustine.' I believe that any Christian has the right (indeed the responsibility) to check Calvin and everyone else against the Bible as the Bereans checked out Paul,and we ought to be able to do it frankly without being denounced and disfellowshiped." 1
May I enquire as to who have the Catholics, following Augustine's teachings, notably martyred,about 50 million Christians from 300 AD to 1880 AD. And their anathemas have not changed one iota. Today's Protestant theologians (should be "apologists") say that Augustine took theology to its peak by his "grace" teachings around 400 AD. What is the speed of darkness? It takes no more than a child's intelligence to understand Truth. But it takes, it seems, all the powers of Heaven to get an adult to understand Truth written for a child.
The typical godless person whom we are trying to reach with the Good News of Jesus Christ says, "Billions of people will spend eternity in Hell and God knows this. Therefore, how can you say He is good? Could a good, merciful, and loving God deliberately design a history for this to occur?" The answer is "Yes! And even more, He must!" And the answer is in these simple verses understood only by a little child, John 3:16-17. Let me explain.
The answer to this excellent question is in understanding two facts: (1) what sin is, and (2) Who God is. These two understandings give the answer as to why God who possesses Love has to allow people to go to a Hell He has created, and even more, why He must.
- From reading the article, First Principles, we get an understanding of Who God is and also how the world is organized and the principles overlying the world. By God's very nature of Holiness and Love, He cannot refuse choice to any beings created as eternal spirits as Himself. Animals, plants, and rocks do not have eternal spirits (despite what tree hugging occult spiritualists may think). Animals have souls, not eternal spirits. Since Love is (ek, out from within) God [[not "God is love," making them identical, bad translation of the plain Greek]], and God is Holy (identical), all spirit beings (only God, mankind, and angels), to be acceptable to God, must likewise be Loving and be Holy.
- Sin is simply a voluntary violation of, or failure to comply with, the divine nature of Love and Holiness of our Almighty Creator God (Rom 3:20; 4:15; 7:7; James 4:17). Whether such an understanding of God's Holiness and Love is by His Law, or knowledge of His nature, or be revealed in the Holy scriptures, or in the constitution of our nature, or by faith, the violation of this understanding constitutes the transgressor a sinner (Rom 1:19-32; 2:11-15).
The proper and original idea of sin appears to be that it is a coming short of our intended destiny, a "missing" the mark (the nature of God). The end of man's being as a spirit creature is (1) to be like unto God, conformed to the image of His Son, and (2) to serve with God throughout eternity, by having his will in thorough harmony with the Divine Will, and so to reveal the Spiritual Perfection (Glory) of God and enjoy Him forever. This cannot be if man has no choice. Christ told his disciples, "As My Father has sent Me, even so send I you" (Jn 20:21). Is Christ a robot?
To say man is given this desire to choose God by God electively zapping him with this desire, so that he cannot help himself, is just pragmatic pagan sophistry. If this were the case then why the Bible, why the cross, why anything? Just let God zap whatever He wishes. Obviously, this whole history of mankind with God is to demonstrate just what we have been saying, His Attributes, much more than being like a pagan god, zapping whomever, whenever.
Love is out from God; and to Love (not human love) Him and be beloved by Him is true blessedness. The whole law is summed up in Love (total selflessness), whence sin (total selfishness, lawlessness), which is contrary to Love, is a failure in the purpose of our existence. 2 To repeat: sin = failure in the purpose of our existence (being self-serving). God's purpose for us is to be like Him, to be conformed to the image of His Son, for obedient service. This is above the station of Angels who have choice as spirit beings but not the right of choice as man does.
God MUST of necessity give man choice from the beginning or a "Spirit" possessing Man could not in eternity be one with God in Spirit. Further, God MUST of necessity give man the right of choice from the beginning or else He through man could not demonstrate His Attributes of Love, Holiness, and Justice for His own Glorification (Spiritual Perfection) for all eternity, nor could redeemed men be one with God in governance.
Now if the purpose of our existence is to be like God, how can God not allow right of choice to us. This spirit creation (even above Angels) must have all the characteristics of spirit, of God, and how can this be if God denies this creation an ability of any choice at all? The very nature of God's Love, of God Himself, is choice. Without choice Love cannot exist as Love. Love gives choice, and Love is out from God, so the apostle says he that is in Christ is free indeed. (Understood to mean free in the Kingdom rule, subsets, of God' Principles, and not imprisoned under the compulsive and justly damned subsets of the satan, "rebeller," as clearly described in Rom 7:14-24) At this point our intelligent unbeliever may say, "BUT since "this God" MUST allow choice wouldn't He know who would accept the gospel and those who won't. Why wouldn't He just only create those whom He knows would-- and not create those who wouldn't be conformed to the image of His Son, Who chose only to do the Father's Will. In other words just do a trial run in his foreknowledge and create only those beings that from His trial run in His mind would be those who by choice persevered in His Love through "obedience of faith" (Rom 1:5; 16:26), "faith which worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6).
This is another very good question, one seldom heard. But the answer is self evident. If He did it in His mind, it wouldn't be foreknowledge it would just be the imagination of God. Then there was in fact no choice given to his creature, there was in fact no Love, there was in fact no Holiness, there was in fact nothing of Himself manifest to His spiritual creatures of Himself, and certainly nothing of our purpose understood by His creatures, and above all nothing really done, except........only more angel-like beings, but really creatures less than angels, being without choice except to serve, as the Calvinist robot again. But by a right of choice (given only to man and exercised following prevenient illumination), and his subsequent continuous free choice obedience of Faith provided by indwelling Christ, man is thereby a creation manifest to be above the angels in these experiences, having been proven worthy to govern with Christ, by their obedience to Christ's indwelling faith.
Before the foundations of the earth in His Wisdom and Foreknowledge, God HAD TO design the creation of His new anticipated creature, man, by giving all men free choice, right-of-choice (NOT free Will which only God has), otherwise He could not demonstrate His Love and Holy nature; and He had to do this by taking the already existing spiritual death for the sins of all men (the existing spiritual death of all mankind due to their sin and sins) upon Himself in His Death to demonstrate His Holiness and this Love, and He had to do this to destroy the existing death (spiritual separation) of mankind as well as act in Justice toward all rebellious created spirit beings, namely man, satan, his demons, and his angels. Thereby, only such a God could exist "To declare , I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just (righteous), and the Justifier (present active participle. One Who is making righteous) him out from (ek) faith of Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith." Rom 3:26-27 How plainly yet eloquently stated.
Therefore, the answer to your question is "Because God so Loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (risen Christ, Acts 13:33), that whosoever is believing (is committing) in Him should not perish, but is having everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:16-17
In contrast, the truthful Calvinist's answer to this young man's question is, ""You can not really read those verses in the plain sense that they sound, concerning "loved the world" or "whosoever" or "is believing" or "should not" or "is having" or "world through Him" or even "might be saved." We have a better understanding of all those parts of the scripture. But in all honesty, we don't know why God would allow billions to go to Hell, or even why He chooses anyone over another. But we can assure you that He is a Great God and since we all break His Laws we are all justly going to Hell, unless in His Sovereign Grace He saves some of us.""
My question to the Calvinist is, "What grace?" "What kind of a creature does the Calvinist think gives Him Glory.....a robot, with no right-of-choice (a dog or cat or a tree or a stone would serve)....even lower than the angels who have choice?"
Calvinism is simplistic and pagan, and obviously a false doctrine by its necessary and pervasive redefining of scripture. The God that said "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." Isa 1:18-19 The Calvinist says, "It doesn't really say that.....what you must understand is that God zaps only certain people to make them willing and obedient..... you have to understand this secret doctrine of "particular election" of only certain people. But the Israelites exercised their choice and all died in the desert didn't they? Yes, says the Calvinist, because God wanted those He called His chosen people to die in sin and unbelief as the scriptures state.
The writer of Hebrews concerning them said, "While it is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. The Calvinist can only say, No, For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?" Heb 3:15-17 Now the Calvinist again says, "But you must understand that it really does not say that. God is grieved with sinners and sin every day, not just forty years, but people have no choice in whether their hearts are hardened against God into sin. God hardens their hearts and at the same time is greatly grieved." God is not masochistic, they insist. It is God that thereby hardens them to cause them to sin. God makes sinners sin and creates sin and greatly grieves all the while. The Calvinists say that they cannot understand the Sovereign works of their God. I should hope not.
In Acts 13:48, where eesan tetagmenoi is "were assigned" (not ordained) as a periphrastic pluperfect tense, the pluperfect construction resulting from the imperfect eimi and the perfect participle of tasso, means the tasso is a past completed action, continuously present into the future.
We are taking this verse because we believe this verse alone, is the strongest verse that the Calvinists can use. All other verses in the new testament completely make Calvinistic arguments purely fraudulent, when seen in Greek scriptures and even in KJV English scriptures.
This form tetagmenoi represents
(1) can indicate either a middle or passive voice perfect participle, so, first (1), any position regarding a "predestined" assignment, as asserted by Calvinists, can have no determinative credibility or application, since Pluperfect forms have no distinctive passive or middle voice forms. There are five more reasons.
(2) Jerome (340-420 AD) started this false assertion by wickedly inserting "pre" in his Latin translation of the old Latin scripture rendering of ordinati to preordinati.
(3) The Greek word itself, 5021 tasso--to assign, in its 8 occurences in the NT gives no Latin rendering justification for a definite eternal "ordination" by God for anything;
(4) so even ordinati is not a good Latin translation for this Greek word.
[[ Jerome was brought up with a dislike of the common (popular) Koine Greek text, and with a preference for the invented Greek Text of Origen and Eusebius. He, therefore, used the Greek Alexandrian Egypt texts composed by Origen and Eusebius (Aleph and B Vaticanus type) as his Greek manuscripts.42 43 44 He also rejected the old Latin scripture texts which differed from Eusebius. It is enlightening to learn that Jerome set the church on the awful predestinarian course with his corrupted Latin Vulgate (completed between 383 and 405 AD). Also, he was Roman Catholic, a contemporary of Augustine, and commissioned by Damascus, the Bishop of Rome, who was already exalting himself as "the pope". Jerome advocated predestination to Heaven of the "sinning Christian" along with Augustine. It is little wonder that the Roman Catholic Church has esteemed the Latin Vulgate and Augustine so highly. And the Dispensationalists today, teach that Augustine is the original teacher of modern day "grace" regrdless of there being a carnal sinning so-called Christian. ]]
(5) In actuality, we believe the understanding of Acts 13:48 is clearly given by the use of the preposition eis, in eesan tetagmenoi eis zooeen aioonion. Eis, used 1793 times in NT, clearly means "for the purpose or result of," and is never used in a causative sense, only telic (already existing substantive being addressed) in its meaning, not as a causal result of action. So to say were assigned "for the purpose or result of" eternal life does not imply a past completed action of any type (passive or middle) as causing or effecting eternal Life to people. If this causal meaning were intended the preposition pros may have been used, or simply the dative of "eternal life" used. This is the same sense in which eis is used in Acts 2:38, "be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the (actually, eis, "for the purpose or result of"--already existing) remission (859, aphesis = removal) of sins. It does not imply that the removal of sins is caused by the baptism, just as is does not mean the "had been assigned" means that their future Eternal Life was caused by their commmitting or being appointed.
Likewise, in all the 17 scriptures saying , "be believing on (eis, for the purpose or result of) Him." This does not mean to effect or cause "Him." Likewise, it does not mean to effect "eternal Life" in these people. It means, "Be committing to Lord Jesus Christ eis, for purpose or result of, eternal Life; or in this case, "as many as believed (committed) were assigned (pluperfect) for the purpose or result of (eis) eternal Life." No causal relationship between the "assign" and the "eternal life" because of the specific preposition used by the Holy Spirit. No guaranteed eternal life at all is stated in this regard. Child simple.
Finally, (6) the verse, actually may be more accurately and better translated as, QUOTE Acts 13:48 "When the Gentiles heard (present active participle) they were rejoicing (Imperfect acitive indicative) and were attributing Spiritual Perfection (Imperfect active indicative) by their choice to the Word of the Lord, and they have by their choice committed (aorist active indicative), as many as [[ were (imperfect --indicative, of eimi), assigned (perfect passive participle) = prephrastic pluperfect tense ]] had been assigned, for the result or purpose of (eis, not causal) Life Eternal. UNQUOTE
Even if the pluperfect construction could better posssibly be designating a past completed action occuring to the time of when they "committed" (aorist active indicative, past volitional action of the Gentiles). As explained by the preposition, eis, this then does not lend itself to a predestination decree (not found in scripture) before the foundation of the world, as these Calvinist translators would like to make it. Nor would it give license to the contrived translation of "ordained," implying a "pre-ordination." Nor does the aorist active indicative of "committed" imply a passive voice effect upon the Gentiles as the Calvinists insist. The active voice says, "BY the subjects (his, her, it, etc) choice and volitioin." Middle voice, means, FOR subject choosing the action on behalf of self (himself, herself, etc)," and passive voice means, "MADE subject by another, regardles of subjects choice."
In substance. the Calvinists have based their whole Theology, not by any means upon the Greek scriptures throughout for all their TULIP doctrines. There can be no other explanation. Unfortunately, their contrived terms, such as believe (for committed, in our day), redeemed, justified, remission, ordained, bishops, pastors, rule, believe instead of obey, and so forth, in the only first English translations we have, having instigated many false understandings of scripture persisting in all translations today. And this false carry-down (by more modern idiomatics in languages) from earliest translations as mandated by King James in translating the KJV in order to preserve the Anglican (Calvinist) Ecclesiology in England.
The present and imperfect and perfect tenses (time of action) and aspects (kind of action) and the subjunctive and imperative moods and the active and middle voice and prepositions are the plain innocent child's grammar book answer to all the Calvinist TULIP lies. Indeed, all syntax of Greek grammar totally makes a lie of all Tulip doctrines. Concerning Greek grammar and syntax, whenever one sees Calvinists' lips moving, you know they MUST lie.
Calvinists as the Dispensationalists must insist that the Perfect tense means a one-time past perfected event and lasting forever in the future, to which, of course, no Greek grammarian can agree or support. What is the speed of darkness? Remember, redefinitions are the tall tail of the devil appearing in the high grass of false doctrines.
Continue to Next Article -»
| |
|
|
Free eBook!
Our Creator God
Chapters
| 1. |
|
| 2. |
|
| 3. |
|
| 4. |
|
| 5. |
|
| 6. |
|
| 7. |
|
| 8. |
|
| 9. |
|
| 10. |
|
| 11. |
|
| 12. |
|
Appendices
|
|
|
Current Visitors
|
