Exposition on Calvinism

Ladies and gentlemen, this is officially a point-by-point exposition on why I believe Calvinism is completely biblical. 

Point One: Total Depravity

This point states that man, by nature, is completely evil, and has no good in him whatsoever. Any opinion other than this is pure pagan heresy. “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth.” (Genesis 8:20) “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” (Romans 7:18a) “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.” (Psalm 16:2) “We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:3) He cannot choose God, and therefore must be chosen by God. “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” (John 15:16) “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44a) “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” (Ephesians 1:4) “No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)

Point Two: Unconditional Election

This point states that God did not choose us because of any good He saw in us, because we have none apart from Him, as has been sufficiently proven in the last paragraph. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no man may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Point Three: Limited Atonement

This point seeks to prove that Jesus did not die for everyone, but only for the elect. “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28) Note that Jesus used the word “many”, rather than the word “all”. This idea is further reinforced by John 10:15. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” He states that He has come to lay down His life for the sheep, not the goats. “He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people” (Isaiah 53:8b)

Point Four: Irresistible Grace

This point states that when God calls someone, they cannot resist the call. “It is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy.” (Romans 9:16) This point is further backed by the fact that when Jesus called the apostles, they immediately left all that they had, and followed Him.

Point Five: Perseverance of the Saints

This point says that once someone has been saved, he cannot lose his salvation. This point is generally agreed upon by both Calvinists and Arminians. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:28) “Of those whom You gave me I have not lost one.” (John 18:9b)

I hope this brief exposition has been helpful to you, and if you want to debate the subject, I'd be more than happy to do so with you.

Patriarchy

In this paper, I'll be debunking the "Tenets of 'Biblical' Patriarchy", written by Vision Forum.

1. “God reveals Himself as masculine, not feminine.” This is true. God does reveal Himself as masculine. However, this absolutely does not mean that men are in some way superior to women. Aristotle taught that women are morally, physically, and intellectually inferior to men. Meanwhile, men are at the peak of perfection. But nothing could be further from the truth. To say that God created something less than perfect is nothing but blasphemy. God made men and women in His image. They are both equal.
   
2. “God ordained distinct gender roles for man and woman as part of the created order.” This also is true. However, patriarchy carries this much farther than it will openly admit. Patriarchy holds that women absolutely may not work outside the home, they hold no authority, and they have far less social privilege. I'll debunk these in order. Proverbs 31 praises women working outside the home. Are they never at home? Of course they are. But it's clearly not wrong for women to work outside the home. Proverbs 31 also speaks to women having authority. (Gotta' love this chapter.) “She opens (GASP) her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching (shocking) of kindness is on her tongue.” The belief on social privilege is truly laughable. I don't even really need to go into depth on this. “And they were devoting themselves to and the fellowship...” Guess what. “They” includes women. Bam. Case closed.
   
3. “A husband and father is the head of his household, a family leader, provider, and protector.” This too is correct. However, a wife is also a family leader. And while I would advocate that a man has more authority than her, she does have an incredible amount of it. She, too, can be a provider. And while it's the man's responsibility, there's clearly nothing wrong with her pitching in as long as it doesn't interfere with her other responsibilities. A wife is also a protector. And while it's in a smaller sense, she's still responsible for instructing or rebuking her children and even her husband if he's sinning.
   
4. “Male leadership in the home carries over into the church: only men are permitted to hold the ruling office in the church. A God-honoring society will likewise prefer male leadership in civil and other spheres.” This is pretty much completely correct. However, this doesn't mean what they think it means. It absolutely doesn't mean that women are worth less than men. It just means they're supposed to hold different offices. You don't see men being mothers or clothing designers (the manly ones of us, at least). Just as there are privileges God gives just to men, there are privileges He gives to just women.
   
5. “Since the woman was created as a helper to her husband, as the bearer of children, and as a 'keeper at home', the God-ordained and proper sphere of dominion for a wife is the household and that which is connected to the home.” Wow, that escalated quickly. Anyway, I'll jump right in. Let's get one thing straight. Women were not created to just be “helpers to their husbands”. Everything and everyone was created to honor God, not man. However, while it is true that women were created for this as the main sub-purpose, the relationship is mutual. Men need help from their wives and wives need help from their husbands. I don't think patriarchs realize that they're committing intellectual suicide by including this phrase, but they are. The very fact that women are supposed to be helpers to their husbands means that men are not as impressive and self-sustaining as they'd like to believe. Men need someone to help them. “Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.” (1 Cor. 11-12) Moving on to the keeper at home part... While a wife is called to keep the home, so is the husband, in a very real sense. He works for the purpose of keeping his home. And now we get to the fun part. “The proper sphere of dominion for a wife is the household and that which is connected to the home.” They actually have this mostly right, shockingly. But notice the words “for a wife”. If a woman isn't married, her proper sphere is obviously not caring for her children and husband.
   
6. “God's command to be fruitful and multiply still applies to married couples today.” I'm actually not sure where they're trying to go with this. I could speculate, but I'm just gonna' leave it at saying this statement is correct.
   
7. “Christian parents must provide their children with a thoroughly Christian education, one that teaches the Bible and a biblical view of God and the world.” I'm pretty sure what they're trying to do here is advertise homeschooling. In any case, they're correct. However, I wouldn't agree that Christian schools are sinful.
   
8. “Both sons and daughters are under the command of their fathers as long as they are under his roof or otherwise the recipients of his provision and protection.” What they're trying to say is that unmarried, adult women are subject to their father's authority. I honestly have mixed feelings about this and am studying it further. (Feel free to leave your thoughts.)
   

Well, I guess that concludes my arguments. (I may release a part 2 sometime.) In conclusion, patriarchy is the new racism. It's a legalistic, anti-biblical worldview that will ultimately lead, if followed, to the decay of the family. To teach daughters they have less worth than men is abominable in the sight of God. It's time that men who are patriarchs grew up, admitted they're not perfect, and that they're not better than women. Of course men and women are different, but to say that one is better than the other is absolutely unacceptable. So, to all my patriarch brothers: Grow up. And get the right version of the Bible, 'cause you're obviously not reading the right one. You've never even read the passages you use to defend your position. You're using this belief system as a cover-up for pride, which God absolutely despises. I think it's time we all humbled ourselves and resolved to live in accordance with what God says. To my patriarch sisters: You aren't worthless. You aren't some kind of second-rate person. Don't listen to the lies. You're just as precious in the sight of God as men are. To conclude my conclusion, it's time we stopped this heresy in its tracks and sent it back to the pits of Hell.

Legalism

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil."

I thought it was time I addressed perhaps the topic that I am most passionate about. That topic is legalism. Legalism has haunted the church since perhaps its earliest days, and now it is almost stronger than ever. Legalists, as Jesus would define them, are not content with obeying only what God has taught and put in place their own rules, claiming that they are from the mouth of God. Perhaps the best example of legalism in the Bible comes in the form of the Pharisees. As you most likely already know, Jesus despised the Pharisees, going so far as to even call them “sons of Hell”. Yet, for some reason we seem to tolerate legalism today, waving it off. Legalism is a view that at first may seem enticing, even more godly. Here we have a godly group of people, striving to honor God in all they do. But all is not as it seems. If you have ever dabbled in legalism, you know that at first, though it seems hard, you somehow feel more right with God. However, over time, more and more rules will be loaded onto you until they're unbearable. Now, I'm going to jump right in to this subject, so hang on. Legalists will have you believe that every law they invent comes straight from the mouth of God Himself. But no, not at all. Legalistic teachers blind people for years, and some people come out of legalistic churches wondering how they were deceived for so many years. For some people, legalism is all they've never known. And I truly pity those individuals. For so long they were lied to by power-hungry tyrants. If you think that's a bit harsh of a condemnation, let me quote Jesus on this subject. “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.” That's just one passage. Here's another one. “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” Sounds pretty harsh, don't you think? A child of Hell... And all this for wonderful people who just wanted to use their traditions to please God, and ensure salvation. He called them pagans. Because they “load people with burdens hard to bear and you yourselves do not the burdens with one of your fingers.” (Luke 11:46) It sounds to me like it's hard to be too harsh with these people. It's time we stopped tolerating this sin that is so abominable in God's sight. If you're wondering why I'm so passionate about this issue or get so angered by it, I'll tell you. I used to be legalistic. And that is why I so despise it. I hate it because it haunts you. It comes back. It comes back to enslave you in the middle of the night, taunting you. “Are you sure you're not sinning? Are you sure this is okay with God?” It comes back to haunt you, and it makes you doubt yourself. Once the seeds are planted, it's so hard to rip them out. In most cases, they will haunt you for the rest of your life. If Satan can't convince you that evil is good, he'll convince you good is evil. If he can't successfully disguise himself as an angel of light, he just might be successful disguising himself as the Holy Spirit, convicting you of things that aren't wrong. He doesn't care how he enslaves you, as long as you're bound. And so it all comes down to this for legalistic teachers, ultimately: Who are you to tell me what is right and wrong? Who are you to tell me Christmas is evil? Who are you to tell me movies are evil? Who are you to tell me modern music is evil? Just who do you think you are? You mean to tell me that I have to keep a commandment or tradition that you invented to be right with God? How DARE you? How dare you blaspheme the holy name of God by claiming that you speak His words? How dare you try to enslave me? There are no traditions, no man-made rules binding me. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” How dare you lie to me for all this time about the true standards of God? How dare you try to control me? I am free. I'm free. So to conclude, run wild and never look back. Live in accordance with God's word, yes, but never let a mere man control you. Live in the way you were made to. You were born to honor God, to enjoy life, to bring glory to Him simply by enjoying the gifts He's given you. So go watch a movie, go play football, go blast contemporary music. Give a legalist a heart attack, since hugs are evil. That's what I have to say to people recovering from legalism. To all legalist teachers and those who promote legalism: Shut up. Just shut up. Don't even say another word. Don't you DARE speak your own words and claim they're from God. So before you condemn football, movies, music, theater, youth groups, women who wear pants, non-patriarchs, Christmas, Easter, Disney, entertainment, video games, C.S. Lewis, dancing, modern music, people who don't use the King James Bible, the Olympics, public-schoolers, dating, superheros, electronics, people who don't use head coverings, or anything else, just shut your vile, blasphemous, self-righteous, hypocritical mouth. Just shut it. For too long now, you have oppressed the people of God with laws that came from your own dark heart. And He will not stand for it. In the name of God, you shake your fist in His face and say: “I know better than You. I have power to decide right from wrong.” Go ahead, persist in your paths leading to death. Christ would not tolerate the Pharisees, and He will not tolerate you. In your quest for truth, you create lies. In seeking to open peoples' eyes, you blind them. You are the blind leading the blind. I'm gonna' call out specific denominations. Fundamentalist Baptists. You guys are the big players, those who crush the people of God. You weigh them down with burdens that God, whose burden is light, never put in place. And I'm speaking to Fundamentalist teachers mainly here. Just stop. Shut your ignorant mouth. Begin to know the God you preach so much about. Then and only then will there be the peace you long for in your congregation. Before you condemn one more group of people, one more individual, why don't you take an honest look at yourself? Before you call someone else a child of Satan, why don't you consider who you live for? If you do truly live for God, why not represent him better? Before you level your ultimate insult of telling someone they've compromised, consider the fact that you regularly compromise with Satan. It's time fundamentalists either get on the train or get hit by it. Another very legalistic group is Messianic Christians. Don't get me wrong, I love these people. However, it is absolutely not acceptable that they forbid so many things that God approves of, and command so many things He doesn't require. “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8) “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17) Another group I'm going to call out is many Charismatic and Pentecostal churches. Don't get me wrong, I love these people too. But as someone else put it, many of these pastors are “control freaks and pulpit bullies”. This describes very well pretty much all legalistic leaders. Yet another group I see legalism in is reformed Baptists. These people are probably second on my list of most legalistic. I have personally watched some of these dear people go from being some of the most awesome, unique, fun-loving, God-honoring individuals I've ever known, to being cold, heartless, calloused, hateful, overly analytical, God-obsessed (and by this I mean forsaking even life itself, which He absolutely does not approve of; we have all of eternity for this) freaks. And it hurts for me to watch transformations like this. I myself know two specific individuals that have gone from being some of my closest friends to legalists. They think joking is evil. They think being too happy is evil. They never smile. They analyze movies, books, and everything else until they can't even live anymore. This is why I so despise legalism. I've felt its cold chains wrapped around me, its hands around my neck until I could hardly breathe. And so I ask you, no, beg you... Do not fall to legalism. It is perhaps one of Satan's greatest weapons. It's a pit that is so difficult to climb out of you might lose all hope. To legalistic teachers, I think you should repent. Even Pharisees were born again. To those of you already involved in legalism, it's not too late. God's light can penetrate even the darkest prison, destroying the walls of hopelessness. I'm a witness to it. I'm just now learning to embrace this world, this life, as broken as it is. Though it's far from perfect, it's all we have. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”

Life

Life. The journey of ups and downs. The hills and valleys. Or, more honestly, the cliffs and palaces. For some a joy ride, and for others complete misery. Having hopefully learned much this year on this subject, and being encouraged by one of my good friends to resume writing, I decided to share a few of my thoughts. The storms will come, but the sun never leaves. So many times we look at the bad in life, and choose to ignore the good. Many hard times will come, but there is always hope. No matter what you do, never despair. Never forget who you serve. Paul, even though he was beaten and imprisoned time after time wrote to Timothy: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,”. We shouldn't despair as unbelievers do. We have been called, and saved by the Creator of everything. I'm not asking you to deny hard times. I'm asking you to look past them, to the hope that awaits you. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” No matter how hard it gets, keep running. Never give up. Never give in. Never back down. I guess I'll close here, with another verse. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Letters to People of Influence

Letters. Those nice little slips of paper neatly tucked inside envelopes that we get in the mail. The pen is mightier than the sword. (The Bible was written, as a good example.) Anyway, letters can influence people. People of influence. There is always the possibility that your letter will influence someone. Perhaps even someone of great influence. My point? We should write letters. To people of influence. To actors. To politicians. To people of influence. What about? Sharing the gospel with them. If you like the idea, but you're not sure where to start, I've included a letter below I wrote to Georgie Henley (Lucy Pevensie) from the Disney Narnia films. This one is a bit different from the others, as she is a professing Christian. So, I wrote it a bit differently. If you need help, please comment, and I'd be glad to help you. Thanks for reading!

Miss Henley,

I recently discovered that your professed religion is Christianity. This somewhat surprised me. In a good way, though. You see, the reason I am writing this letter is to encourage you to stand for Jesus in a world that hates Him. And, to encourage you not to compromise with the world, as He is the only Savior. He said in John 6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

I'm sure the pressure of the media is nearly crushing, so that makes it even harder to stand for Him. The world presents so many false religions, it's impossible to keep up with them all. The evolutionists keep changing their minds and the atheists still fail to see the utter foolishness of believing there is no God. Psalms 53:1 says: “The fool has said in his heart 'there is no God.'”

I urge you to never deny Him, even if you are made fun of or scorned. In Matthew 5:11-12, Jesus says: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Suffering for Jesus is one of the greatest honors a person could have, as He died for His people.

Also, there is much apathy over Christianity. Many people go to church, but do not truly love Jesus. “Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.” This is called being lukewarm, and Jesus says in Revelation 3:16-19: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.” We should all watch for becoming apathetic.

Lastly, thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter. If you have any questions whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our address is below. We will be praying for you to have the strength to stand for Jesus in a world that hates Him. Trusting that you are standing for Jesus, we stand with you.

In Him,

Matthew Presley, on behalf of the Presley family

T-Shirts

It may or may not be of any interest to you, but I've got a t-shirt designing store up now, and I would appreciate it if you would give it a look. I only have one for on the store right now, but others should be up soon. Thanks! http://www.etsy.com/shop/KingdomImages?ref=seller_info

Where There is Vision

I've started a parallel of this blog on Wordpress. Here's the link. http://wherethereisvision.wordpress.com/

Thanks!!!