"CALVINISM - AN INTRODUCTION"
Larry Yarber
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2nd Timothy 4:1-4).
Strong defines a fable as, "3454. muthos, moo-thos; perh. from the same as 3453 mueo (through the idea of tuition); a tale, i.e. fiction ("myth"): - fable" (STRONG, World Bible Pub. Inc., 1991, pgs. 439 and 65). Above, Paul told Timothy that the time would come when men would turn away from God's Word and be turned unto fables. In an earlier epistle, he told Timothy that they would depart from the faith to embrace the doctrines of devils, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth" (1st Timothy 4:1-3). He even told the elders of Ephesus, that these false teachers would arise from among themselves, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your ownselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:28-30). And, Paul told those of Thessalonica that these evil workers were already underway, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: ..." (2nd Thessalonians 2:7).
This great apostasy transpired shortly after the establishment of Christ's Kingdom, the church (Matthew 16:18 and Acts 2:47). With this apostasy came many false fables such as; inherited sin, predestination, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and once saved, always saved. While these doctrines were already existent and had been embraced by many in the religious world, they didn't really take root until John Calvin was able to put them in a logical order in the early 1500's. Calvin had been raised and schooled in Catholicism, but he rose up in protest against such and founded the Presbyterian Church. This was one of the many "Protestant" groups born during the Reformation Movement. From Calvin's systematic arrangement these fables found widespread acceptance and became prevalent throughout the Reformation Movement. To the extent that we still have to deal with these same falsehoods today. In the following weeks, we will address each one of the five tenants of "Calvinism", which we commit to remembrance by the acrostic, TULIP. Each letter representing one of these religious errors: T - Total Hereditary Depravity, U - Unconditional Election or (Predestination), L - Limited Atonement, I - Irresistible Grace, and P - Perseverance of the saints or (Once Saved, Always Saved). We invite you to study this heresy with us.
If you would like to submit a Biblical question for our consideration, please contact us at any of the following: Phone: 417-962-5229 (home) or 417-247-0017 (cell), email: , or normal mail: Larry Yarber - 2534 Oak Ridge Drive - Mountain Grove, Missouri - 65711. We look forward to studying God's Word with you.