THE MYTH OF ORIGINAL SIN Original Sin and Total Hereditary Inherited Depravity The purpose of this study is to examine the doctrine of "original sin" and the related doctrine of "total hereditary (inherited) inherited depravity" according to the Bible. Does the gospel of Jesus Christ teach inherited guilt or free moral agency and individual accountability and responsibility? (A Good Overview) TULIP Theology.. Total Hereditary Depravity Is Calvinism's doctrine of "Total Hereditary Depravity" a valid teaching in light of God's Word? Let's ask several important questions and answer them from the inspired Scriptures Original Sin and The Psalms The passages commonly appealed to in an attempt to justify the concept of original sin are Psalms 51:5 and 58:3-6, both of which are Hebrew poetry, which abounds with bold and imaginative figures of speech often departing from customary forms of expression. It is, therefore, a mistake of great magnitude to extract statements from poetical literature and thus employ them as a foundation for doctrinal schemes. That’s Not What It Says Bible Texts Calvinists Misuse In The Attempt to Prove "Inherited Sin" Filthy Rags Isaiah 64:6 has long been used as a ‘proof-text’ for two totally distinct yet equally unfounded beliefs. Calvinism uses it to establish the idea that everything the natural man does is wicked... even good deeds. This helps to set up the dogma of "total inability," the engine which drives the entire Calvinist soteriology. The Evangelical uses it to show that good works, obedience, virtue are all useless. This sets the stage for the doctrine of "accepting Christ" through a once-for-all act of faith. But No One every quotes the verse in context. None That Seeketh? Romans 3:11-18 is often quoted to bolster the claims of universal depravity / that no one ever seeks after God. However if one examines the source of Paul’s quotes a very different picture emerges. The Psalms in question do not show that no righteous person has ever lived but often spoke of God’s protection and favor towards the virtuous people of that day. What then could Paul have possibly meant? How could he possibly say that it is of no profit for men to live righteously when innumerable verses spoke of God’s protection and favor regarding the righteous. Why did he present one side of the coin and ignore the verses that speak of God’s support and favor for those who feared Him? HOW MANY WILL BE SAVED? Pluralism, Relativism, Inclusivism, Exclusivism: In other words.. Will most of humanity be in Heaven or just those who ‘repent and believe’? How Will Those Who Never Learn the Gospel Be Judged? What will be the ultimate fate of those who never have the opportunity of hearing the gospel of Christ? This is a question with which every sensitive soul struggles. While Christians are not the “judges” of man’s final disposition, there are Bible principles that are worthy of serious consideration. (Includes Is “ignorance bliss” with regard to sin?.. Not according to the Scriptures) WHAT ABOUT THE JEWS? "Two Covenant" Theory of the Atonement: A Biblical Analysis. Many Christian and Jewish groups accept a teaching today, first taught by Franz Rosenzweig earlier this century, that there are two separate but equal covenants or ways to God. DID GOD DECIDE WHO WOULD BE SAVED?
(A Look At Calvinism.. The Doctrine Of Predestination) The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: (Act 17:30) The Early Church Fathers and Free Will. Unconditional predestination was not a doctrine for at least the first 400 years of the early church, that is until Augustine born in 354. In fact The Early Church Fathers believed that only heretics rejected free-will. Calvinism Critiqued Calvinism is one more illustration of the futility of systematic theology. God's truths are too lofty to be put into concise formulae. The Five Points of Calvinism oversimplify the profound truths of God. They derive their force from proof-texts rather than the general tenor of Scripture. Dave Hunt’s Powerful Refutation of Calvinism A Quote.. “Absolute assurance of salvation is impossible in Classical Calvinism. … Since works are an inevitable outcome of “true” salvation, one can only know he or she is saved by the presence of good works. But since no one is perfect … any assurance is at best imperfect as well. Therefore, you may think you believed in Jesus Christ, may think you had saving faith, but be sadly mistaken … and because unsaved, be totally blind to the fact you are unsaved…’” The Five Points Of Calvinism Considered In summary, the Calvinist makes God a lying, deceiving, bigoted, malicious, unjust, confused hypocrite who is responsible for the world’s evil and who creates people for the expressed purpose of torturing them forever. If any man did the things Calvinists say God does, every person on the earth would rightly consider that man worthy of immediate execution, and certainly not worthy to be worshiped. Calvinism’s Proof Texts Calvinists always have an answer for everything and they always, always, always complain that the non-Calvinist does not understand Calvinism. One can study Calvinism deeply, can even read Calvin’s Institutes of Religion and can quote directly from their own writings, but if such a one remains a non-Calvinist he will always be charged with misunderstanding and misrepresenting Calvinism. This article is for the many believers today who are being newly subjected to Calvinism. Calvin’s Camels John Calvin swallowed plenty of camels when he followed Augustine, the “Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church,” into the error of “sovereign election” and when he reasoned that God would not be sovereign if man could reject Him and if salvation could be accepted or rejected by the sinner. A staunch Calvinist has an answer for everything. He can flee immediately into his stronghold of making clever and intricate man-made distinctions between electing grace and common grace, between degrees of the love of God, between desiderative vs. decretive will and antecedent hypothetical will, you name it. I am not writing the article for such a person. I am writing it for the simple believer who loves God’s Word and who has not been overawed by intellectual brilliance and brainwashed by human theology. Not Willing That Any Should Perish A critical (and in-depth) examination of the doctrine of Determinism as taught by Augustine, Calvin, Luther et al., but particularly as set forth by Calvinism's Five Points: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints. What a Sovereign God Cannot Do It is a fallacy to imagine that for God to be in control of His universe He must therefore foreordain and initiate everything. Thus He causes sin, then punishes the sinner. There is neither logical nor biblical reason why a sovereign God by His own sovereign design could not allow creatures made in His image the freedom of genuine moral choice. There are compelling reasons why He would do so. When The Gospel Becomes A Lie Every time the Calvinist preaches the Gospel presents salvation to his listeners he is doing so "tongue in cheek." and should have his fingers crossed behind his back. .He must admit he is offering something that some hearing him cannot receive because God will not permit them to. Four Implications of Calvinism Preachers preach it, authors write of it, seminary students discuss it, and theologians pass it on to others. By all appearances, Calvinism, or its more popular name, the "Doctrines of Grace," looks and sounds biblical to many. . .but is it? Three Men and Calvinism No greater confusion exists in Christianity than that concerning Calvinism. There are many people who call themselves Calvinists who have little idea of what Calvinism teaches, or of its history. Many who claim to be Calvinists are not. To rightly understand Calvinism we must start at the beginning. The purpose of this article is to do so by looking at the lives of three men, John Calvin, Aurelius Augustine and James Arminius. [Includes What John Calvin Said.] Calvinism’s Surprising Catholic Connection As for Calvin’s theology, there is no question that rather than deriving it from a diligent study of the Bible, he imposed upon the Bible certain preconceived ideas from his Roman Catholic background which locked him into an erroneous interpretation. Many leading Calvinists agree that the writings of Augustine were the actual source of most of what is known as Calvinism today. [Includes The Sins of Augustine] DOES A PERSON STAY SAVED IS THE WRONG QUESTION. THE RIGHT ONE IS ARE WE EVEN SAVED NOW?
The answer to which probably renders redundant the rest of the articles in this section The Two Phase Atonement The New Testament sometimes says that salvation is an accomplished reality, and at other times says it is still in the future, a seeming contradiction that is not limited to salvation alone. So what is the answer? Can we be assured we have salvation now, or is it something we have to strive and hope for. Have we already been adopted as sons, or are we eagerly waiting for this adoption? Are we righteous now, or is it yet a distant hope? For those who are actually interested in what the Bible says on the subject… as opposed to what parents, pastors, friends, or denomination may have taught, the answer to all of the above questions is .. BOTH. Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary was but the first half of the process, with the second phase still in the future. Complete deliverance will not be realized until Christ puts away sin at the end of the ages, when He (Jesus) will appear “before the face of God for us”. [Hebrews 9: 26]. But to properly understand that concept requires a more complete understanding of the atonement, for which we have to turn to the Old Testament. ****** Eternal Life: Personal Possession or Promise? When we are saved we receive eternal life. If that life could be lost, it wouldn't be eternal. Therefore, once saved, always saved... So the argument goes. The biggest flaws in this argument are the idea of tangible possession of eternal life and the assumption that eternal life is given as a commodity. Is The Believer Eternally Secure? This is a careful examination of the popular doctrine of unconditional eternal security (UES) with proofs of its falsity developed from many different approaches. Many who have reviewed this article have come to recognize the invidious evil associated with the doctrine. Proofs Of Conditional Salvation This is a comprehensive article that deals with many issues associated with the false doctrine of once saved, always saved. This article can give you many of the proofs you need to discuss this issue intelligently with others. The author, an attorney, proves beyond a reasonable doubt the falsity of the doctrine of unconditional eternal security. The Carnal Christian The church of Corinth is commonly cited as proof that even the most carnally-minded individuals are saved and on their way to heaven. This line of thinking comes from the fact that Paul called them "carnal" and yet still addresses them as saints and speaks of the resurrection and issues regarding spiritual gifts, etc.. I think some of the confusion comes from the fact that these teachers fail to make a distinction between the "carnal" and the "unrighteous." This might seem like a minute point to make, but it is well worth the effort to distinguish between the two. Can Sinning Cost Salvation? Though Scripture is replete with many descriptions of sins that will deny salvation to those committing them, men have concocted doctrines that attempt to circumvent and make worthless the warnings of Scripture. When Are Christians Finally Saved? This article deals with a watershed issue that pertains to the fundamental basis for the false doctrine of unconditional eternal security (UES). If UES were true, salvation would be obtained, never to be lost, at the time of conversion. This article shows that premise to be false. Over and over again, the theme of Scripture is to persevere in the faith, to test oneself to see if one is (still) in the faith, and to continue to be obedient to the will of God, as only those who do the will of God will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Can We Dare to Believe the Doctrine of Eternal Security? The truth or otherwise of the doctrine of eternal security has real consequences in the way we preach the gospel, the way we instruct new converts, and our attitude towards temptation and compromise in our own lives. It affects the way we read the Bible, the way we understand God’s character and a host of other issues. Eighteen Biblical Examples Of People Who Once Had Saving Faith. In disbelief to a conditional security, the author of a tract wrote: Show me one man in the Scriptures who was saved and then lost. (1) The following section will cite eighteen Scriptural examples of such—two from the Old Testament and sixteen from the New Testament. IS THE SINNER’S PRAYER ALL IT TAKES?
Our sense of safety can’t come from simply saying a prayer. Is The Sinner’s Prayer Effective? I fear we’ve inoculated a whole generation of people who got a partial injection of Christianity and are now resistant to the real thing. They prayed the sinner’s prayer, got their "fire insurance," and then disappeared, never to be seen again. When confronted with the Gospel anew they shrug, "Been there, done that. Now leave me alone. I have a life to live." | 
