Holiness - Calvinism
The Holiness Movement and Calvinism Contrasted
Why Holiness and Calvinism for the most part are mutually exclusive
- The Holiness Movement is a system of consideration and cooperation both with God and among one another.
- Calvinism is a system that inserts human Legalistic and Contractual obligations between God and one another.
- Calvinism has wrongly reduced the goodness of God into a Legalistic framework as though we humans who suffer death simply need a good lawyer that can get us off of our death sentence based on a cosmic legal technicality when in fact all along it is God that is giving us biological Life where death exists. Our human condition is more biological than legal. We don't need the great lawyer of Calvinism - we need the Great Physician of Holiness who is for compatibility conforming us into His image of righteousness - we need Jesus Christ!
- Holiness is Kingdom Millennial in vision, encompassing the desires, compatibility and ability in assisting the individual to assimilate into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
- Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed [Holy] be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come [the coming Global Kingdom on earth after the 7th kingdom of Antichrist - the coming 8th Global Kingdom]. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts [sins], as we forgive our debtors [sinners]. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever. Amen.
The passage to Christianity isn't from Law to Grace (not even for the Jews) as Christians are still under law – it is just a different law – the passage to Christianity is from death to life
- Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Theological Issues of the Original Reformation
The theology of the Reformers departed from the Roman Catholic Church primarily on the basis of three great principles:
• Sole authority of Scripture
• Justification by faith alone
• Priesthood of the believer
by Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) rejection of the Codex Vaticanus -- acceptance of the Textus Receptus
Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone) was one of the watchwords of the Reformation. This doctrine maintains that Scripture, as contained in the Bible, is the only authority for the Christian in matters of faith, life and conduct. The teachings and traditions of the church are to be completely subordinate to the Scriptures. Roman Catholicism, on the other hand, holds Scripture and Tradition to be of the same inspired Deposit of Faith.
by faith alone (Sola Fide)
Sola Fide (by faith alone) was the other watchword of the Reformation. This doctrine maintains that we are justified before God (and thus saved) by faith alone, not by anything we do, not by anything the church does for us, and not by faith plus anything else. It was also recognized by the early Reformers that Sola Fide is not rightly understood until it is seen as anchored in the broader principle of Sola Gratia, by grace alone. Hence the Reformers were calling the church back to the basic teaching of Scripture where the apostle Paul states that we are "saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God," Eph. 2:8.
Priesthood of all believers - 'one priesthood of believers' (Sola Sacerdos)
The third great principle of the Reformation was the priesthood of all believers. The Scriptures teach that believers are a "holy priesthood," 1 Pet. 2:5. All believers are priests before God through our great high priest Jesus Christ. "There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus," 1 Tim. 2:5. As believers, we all have direct access to God through Christ, there is no necessity for an earthly mediator. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox concept of the priesthood was seen as having no warrant in Scripture, viewed as a perversion and mis-application of the Old Testament Aaronic or Levitical priesthood [the O.T. having been successfully accomplished, completed and fulfilled in the bringing in and establishing of the Messiah, Jesus Christ and His N.T.] which was clearly fulfilled in Christ and done away with by the New Testament.
Source: Theopedia.com
Issues of the Modern Reformation - New Calvinism
• Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone *rejection of the Textus Receptus -- acceptance of the Codex Vaticanus
• Solus Christus - Christ Alone
• Sola Gratia - Grace Alone
• Sola Fide - Faith Alone
• Soli Deo Gloria - The Glory of God Alone
Source: monergism.com
Note: The three original Sola Positions of the Reformed Era have been edited and reworked into a new version of five repetitive Sola positions.
Also Note: The Sola Sacerdos 'Priesthood of all believers' has been edited out of the modern version of Reformed theology.
Grace is the Virgin Mary Idol of Calvinism
Grace does not remove Sin only the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross does that.
Grace goes not give eternal Salvation life only the Spirit of God does that.
Grace does not provide comfort only God’s mercy does that.
Grace is not Wisdom, God is Wisdom.
Grace is not Strength, God is Strength.
Grace is not Peace, God is Peace.
Turn from the Virgin Mary Idol of Grace and boldly seek the actual presence, the real forgiveness and the eternal salvation of the living loving God Jesus Christ.
Resources
Excellent!! Dr. D. James Kennedy Explains the difference between Justification and Sanctification YouTube
Justification does not encompasses Sanctification … Justification [the outcome/result of our Redemption] and Sanctification [our continuing individual Christian growth] must always be distinguished (differentiated) but they can never be separated.
It's All About the "O": Mohler, DeYoung, Lucas; We Own You
In our recent TANC 2012 conference, author John Immel nailed it—it boils down to who owns man: in the Christian realm; does Christ own you or Reformed elders? In the secular realm, does man own man or does government own man? Recently, our President stated that government owns man. Recently, in a trilogy of articles by three Reformed pastors published by Ligonier Ministries, it was stated that the church owns Christians, and I will give you three wild guesses as to who represents the authority of the church. That would be the elders.
So it's all about the "O." It's all about "ownership."
True, elders have authority, but not beyond the Scriptures that call Christians to interpret them according to their own biblically trained consciences. As we shall see, these articles plainly state the Reformed tradition that came from Catholic tyranny. The Reformers never repented of the same underlying presuppositions concerning man’s need to be owned by enlightened philosopher kings. The Reformation was merely a fight for control over the mutton with the Reformers seeing themselves as the moral philosopher kings as opposed to the Romish ones. Their doctrine was just a different take on how the totally depraved are saved from themselves. But both doctrines reflect the inability of man to participate in sanctification.
The three articles posted were: Should I Stay or Should I Go? by Albert Mohler; Where and How Do We Draw the Line? by Kevin DeYoung; and, Who Draws the Line? by Sean Michael Lucas. All linked together for your indoctrination convenience. ...
New Calvinists have serious authority issues, and you don’t have to necessarily join in official membership to be considered under their authority. A contributor to Mark Dever’s 9 Marks blog stated that anyone who comes in the front door of a church proclaiming Christ as Lord is under the authority of that church.
It’s time for Christians to nail down the “O.” Who owns you? Are you aware of who owns you (or at least thinks so)? And are you ok with that?
paul ~ Paul's Passing Thoughts blog
David Anson Brown 04:16, 17 September 2012 (MST)
