Cc-8. CALVINISM - PERSEVERANCE of the SAINTS! Part 8
“P” Is the DOCTRINE of PERSEVERANCE of the SAINTS the TRUTH of GOD'S WORD?
The “P” in the acronym T.U.L.I.P. stands for the PERSEVERANCE of the SAINTS which, according to Calvinism and Reformed Theology, basically states that once an ELECT person comes to the Lord Jesus Christ to RECEIVE their gift of SALVATION, then Almighty God Himself will KEEP them and they will NEVER be able to LOSE their salvation. In other words, according to Calvinism, the word “perseverance” means PRESERVATION by Almighty God Himself unto the end. But in truth, the word “perseverance” actually means to ENDURE unto the end. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word perseverance means the following.
Definition of perseverance : continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition: the action or condition or an instance of persevering: STEADFASTNESS So then, the term “perseverance of the saints” is what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 24:9-13 that only those of us who ENDURE unto the end shall be saved.
Matthew 24:9-13.
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. (Speaking of the disciples of Jesus or true born-again Christians being persecuted FOR the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ) 10. And then shall many (Of you) be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (Of you) 12. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many (Of you) shall wax cold. (Now, Christians can NOT grow cold until they are FIRST on fire for Jesus. Remember that, according to Calvinism and Reformed Theology, that all the NON-elect are so totally depraved that they cannot even seek after God let alone being on fire for God in order to grow cold because of SIN abounding all around them. So again, Jesus is definitely speaking to true born-again Christians growing cold because of sin) 13. But he (Of YOU faithful Christians) that shall ENDURE (Or shall PERSEVERE) unto the end, the SAME shall be saved.”
However, according to this doctrine of Calvinism called the PERSEVERANCE of the saints, once a person is BORN AGAIN or REGENERATED by the Holy Spirit, then they can NEVER LOSE their SALVATION NO MATTER WHAT they DO or do NOT DO. In other words, according to Calvinism, it is an error to teach that Christians MUST ENDURE unto the end of their lives to remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus to OBEY the commandments of God under the New Covenant written in the New Testament in order to receive eternal life in the world to come. They call OBEDIENCE to the commandments of Jesus WORKS-based salvation and they quote Ephesians 2:8,9 as their proof text that we are saved by grace through faith and NOT by WORKS. But the WORKS that Paul is referring to in Ephesians 2:9 are the works of the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES that Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross. Please read the CONTEXT of Ephesians 2:8,9 to include verse 15. Ephesians 2:8-15.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. (In other words, God created us to be new creatures created IN Jesus Christ for the very reason to DO GOOD WORKS of righteousness. And 1 John teaches us that the commandments of God under the New Covenant are NOT grievous. So the WORKS in verse 9 are the works of the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES which ARE grievous, according to Acts 15: And Paul clearly teaches this truth in verse 15 below and in Colossians 2:8-17. Paul is fighting against the false gospel of the Judaizing Christians that are preach ANOTHER gospel compelling the Gentile Christians that they MUST keep the Law of Moses under the Old Covenant written in the Old Testament) 11. Wherefore, remember, that you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; (Again, the WORKS in verse 9 is referring to the works of the Law of Moses contained in ordinances) 12. That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13. But now IN Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14. For he is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15. Having ABOLISHED in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; (And NOT the moral commandments of God to walk in love and do unto others as you would have other do unto to you and thus FULFILL ALL the law of God. But rather, Jesus abolished ONLY the law of commandments CONTAINED in ORDINANCES. In other words, we are NOT saved by the WORKS of being circumcised in the flesh, We are NOT saved by the WORKS of keeping the feast days and the new moon festivals. We are NOT saved by the WORKS of keeping the weekly Sabbath day. We are NOT saved by the WORKS of keeping all the dietary Law of Moses) for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;”
Now some Calvinistic and Reformed Theology Christians have called or changed this letter “P.” in the acronym T.U.L.I.P. to stand for the PRESERVATION of the saints BY Almighty God Himself KEEPING the ELECT from losing their salvation rather than the PERSEVERANCE of the saints keeping THEMSELVES in the faith. For you see, according to Calvinism and Reformed Theology, it is Almighty God Himself who is the one who is KEEPING the ELECT from LOSING their salvation and NOT the ELECT who are keeping their OWN selves from departing from God and losing their salvation. In other words, Calvinism and Reformed Theology teach that since the ELECT are UNCONDITIONALLY saved, then there is NOTHING the elect can DO or NOT DO in order to KEEP or MAINTAIN their salvation. We will take a look at all the verses of Scripture that are used by Calvinism and Reformed Theology to try and support their doctrines throughout this study. But for now, let us take a brief moment to review what we just covered. Now there are some who have been taught these FIVE points of Calvinism and Reformed Theology and who have believed them for many years but now they are taking a closer look for themselves and finding that they have NOT been taught the TRUTH of the whole word of God. So now there are many branches of Calvinism. What I mean by this is that some Christians who professed to be Calvinist Christians for many years, now say that they REJECT certain teachings of Calvinism. And, therefore, they call themselves either a FOUR point Calvinist, a THREE point Calvinist, a TWO point Calvinist, or a ONE point Calvinist. In other words, there are many FORMER FIVE point Calvinist Christians who no longer believe in all FIVE points of the doctrine of Calvinism which is also known as Reformed Theology. And some “Grace Alone” Christians also believe and teach many of the same doctrines found in Calvinism and Reformed Theology. But to me, and also even to the strict five-point Calvinist Christians, for any Calvinist or Reformed Theology Christian to deny just one single point of the doctrines of five-point Calvinism causes the WHOLE theology of Calvinism to crumble and be proven to be false teaching. For you see, each and every doctrine in the acronym T.U.L.I.P in Calvinism is based upon all the other points as being true. Therefore, to ME, there really cannot be a so-called FOUR-point Calvinist, a THREE-point Calvinist, and so on because you either believe it all or you must REJECT it all. In other words, if even one single point in Calvinism is proven to be false then ALL the other four points of Calvinism are proven to be false as well. With that being said, I myself was almost persuaded by this fifth and final point of Calvinism called the “PERSEVERANCE of the saints” UNTIL I truly understood what this point was actually teaching. Let me explain what I mean by this. At first, just reading the name of this doctrine, I thought to myself, YES, the Bible definitely teaches us that Christians must PERSEVERE or ENDURE unto the end in order to obtain the reward of ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come. But then I began to see that this is not at all what Calvinism teaches. You see Calvinism and Reformed Theology teach that Almighty God ALONE KEEPS His ELECT in the faith and there is absolutely NOTHING that a believer does to keep HIMSELF saved. And they go on to falsely teach that NO MATTER WHAT a true born-again Christian can NEVER LOSE their salvation. Again, I implore you to read the study called “IS ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL?” But for now, let us focus on the verses that Calvinism uses to try and prove that it is God ALONE who KEEPS the believer saved, and therefore they incorrectly conclude that the believer has absolutely NO PART to play either in their being saved or in their remaining saved.
Please read 1 Peter 1:2-5, which says.
“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again (Or we are born-again) unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5. Who are KEPT BY the POWER of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Now, Calvinism INTERPRETS this passage of Scripture to mean that it is the POWER of Almighty God ALONE the KEEPS the believer from ever LOSING their salvation. And, therefore, according to Calvinism, the believer has absolutely NO PART in either earning their salvation or maintaining their salvation. In other words, a believer has NOTHING to do with keeping themselves saved because it is the POWER of Almighty God ALONE that KEEPS a believer from losing their salvation. And since God is ALL powerful, then not one true born-again believer will ever LOSE his or her salvation. But is this what the WHOLE word of God teaches. First, I want you to notice in verse 5 that believers are kept by the power of God THROUGH FAITH. In other words, WE as believers are kept by the power of God so long as WE BELIEVE. This is WHY we are WARNED so many times in God's word NOT to be DECEIVED. Also, I want you to notice that the POWER of God is the very gospel of Jesus Christ. Please read Romans 1:16,17, which clearly and plainly teaches us that the POWER of God IS the GOSPEL.
Romans 1:16,17.
“For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL of Christ: for IT (Speaking of the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ, for IT) IS the POWER of God unto salvation to EVERYone that BELIEVES; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17. For therein (Or within the GOSPEL) is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by FAITH.”
In other words, those who have been justified by the blood of Jesus shall live RIGHTEOUSLY by FAITH in the PROMISES of God and FAITH in the anointing of the Holy Spirit who now dwells IN us to EMPOWER us to overcome the temptations of the ENEMY. So then, we are KEPT by the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ which is the POWER of God so long as we BELIEVE and obey the GOSPEL. This is what the word of TRUTH teaches us. Therefore, the RESPONSIBILITY of our obtaining eternal life in the world to come is our OWN. In other words, all of mankind is without EXCUSE on the Day of Judgment, if so be, he or she finds his or herself standing before God at the white throne judgment with Jesus saying DEPART from me you worker of INIQUITY. Please read Luke 13:23-28 which clearly teaches us that true born-again Christians will be thrust OUT of the kingdom of God because their last work upon the earth was living in SIN. This passage of Scripture also teaches us that those being cast out THOUGHT that since they were Christians that they could NOT be cast out for living in sin and LOSE their salvation.
Luke 13:23-28.
“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25. When once the master of the house is risen up and has shut to the door, and you begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence you are: 26. Then shall you begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in your presence, and you have taught in our streets. 27. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence you are; DEPART from me, all you workers of INIQUITY. (Or DEPART from me all you who are living in SIN) 28. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust OUT.”
Please notice in verse 24 that NOT ALL who shall SEEK to enter into the kingdom of God shall be able to enter in and remember that Calvinism falsely teaches that ONLY the ELECT can SEEK after God. For you see, according to Calvinism, all of mankind is SO TOTALLY DEPRAVED that they are rendered totally unable to seek God. Remember that ONLY the ELECT are supposedly DRAWN by God with an IRRESISTIBLE grace that guarantees that they will, without fail, ENTER into the kingdom of God and NEVER LOSE their salvation. And yet the clear, plain, and simple word of TRUTH teaches us that there will be those that SEEK who shall NOT be able to enter. This verse alone destroys that teaching of Calvinism and Reformed Theology for those who are truly seeking the TRUTH of the whole word of Almighty God. Now, I want you to read this same account from Matthew 7:13-27 where we see that those who are told to DEPART from Jesus are true believers because they cast out devils and did many wonderful works of healing in the name of Jesus.
Matthew 7:13-17.
“Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. 15. BEWARE of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (BEWARE of those FALSE teachers who tell you that you can NEVER LOSE your salvation NO MATTER WHAT you do or do not do) 16. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? 17. Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. 18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19. Every tree that brings NOT forth good fruit is HEWN down, and CAST into the fire. 20. Wherefore, by their fruits you shall know them. 21. NOT EVERYONE that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall ENTER into the kingdom of heaven; BUT he that DOES the WILL of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have WE not prophesied in your name? And in your name have cast out devils? And in your name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto THEM, I never knew you: DEPART from me, you that WORK INIQUITY. (or DEPART from me you the COMMIT SIN or you that are living in sin) 24. Therefore, whosoever hears these sayings of mine AND DOES THEM, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell NOT: for it was founded upon a rock. 26. And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them NOT, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell: and great was the FALL of it.”
Now those who teach Calvinism and Reformed Theology will TRY and argue that these people Jesus will command to DEPART from him in the Day of Judgment were NOT true born-again believers who will be cast out and LOSE their salvation because, according to Calvinism, a true believer can NEVER LOSE their salvation. Can you not see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ that ONLY believers are given the authority to cast out devils. Think this THROUGH for YOURSELF! First of all, according to Calvinism in the doctrine of total depravity, ALL of mankind including the so-called elect are so totally depraved that they cannot seek God until they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit FIRST and only the elect will be regenerated and NONE of the elect will ever LOSE their salvation. That means that these people here in Matthew 7:13-27 had to be the ELECT because they were following Jesus and casting out devils and doing many wonderful works in his name. So then, Jesus is talking to the ELECT warning them that if the ELECT lives in sin then Jesus will say to the ELECT living in sin to DEPART from him. Remember that, according to Calvinism, a REPROBATE or a person who has NOT been regenerated could NOT do these things in the name of Jesus. For you see, the Bible proves to us that ONLY a true born-again believer can cast out devils in the NAME of Jesus.
Please read Acts 19:11-17, which says.
“And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: 12. So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. 13. THEN certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. 14. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 15. And the evil spirit answered and said Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but WHO are YOU? 16. And the man in whom the evil spirit leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded .”
You see, these Jews were NOT TRUE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS and the devils themselves knew that they were NOT true believers in Jesus. Therefore, the devils did not have to obey the commands of these nonbelievers so they possessed them. The Bible clearly teaches us that ONLY those who truly know Jesus can cast out devils. For you see, it is the Holy Spirit DWELLING IN us who is doing the works of healing and casting out devils in the name of Jesus as we stand in our authority and command the devils to come out. And the Holy Spirit will not dwell in an unclean vessel. So then, the TRUTH of the matter is that these were true born-again believers who Jesus will command for them to DEPART from him and be cast out into outer darkness on the day of judgment. In other words, these true born-again believers LOST their salvation because they died while living in SIN. You see, they were truly born-again believers, who at one time in their life did in fact serve the Lord faithfully and did cast out devils and did do many wonderful works, but THEN they were DECEIVED by the deceitfulness of SIN and fell back into SIN and DIED while living in SIN. This is WHY the word of TRUTH teaches us to STRIVE to enter into the kingdom of God. We must FIGHT the good fight of faith and ENDURE unto the END in order to be granted the RIGHT to eat of the tree of LIFE in the world to come. I cannot implore you enough my dear brothers and sister in our Lord Jesus Christ to read the study “IS ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL?” which exposes the ERRORS in interpretation and taking verses out of context by those teaching eternal security and once saved always saved. Getting back on track let us take a look at some verses in the Bible that clearly teach us that WE KEEP OURSELVES in the faith.
Jude 1:17-25.
“But, BELOVED, (Speaking to true born-again Christians) remember you the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18. How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19. These are they who SEPARATE THEMSELVES, (In other words, they themselves SEPARATED themselves from God by their OWN FREE WILL to mock other Christians) sensual, having not the Spirit. 20. But you, BELOVED (Those who remained faithful) building up YOURSELVES on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21. KEEP YOURSELVES in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22. And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23. And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 24. Now unto him that is ABLE to KEEP you from FALLING, and to present (You) faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25. To the only wise God our Savior, (Is) glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
This passage of Scripture clearly, and plainly teaches us that WE as true faithful born-again believers BUILD UP our own faith BY praying in the Holy Spirit and thereby WE KEEP OURSELVES in the love of God. In other words, the RESPONSIBILITY is upon us to remain faithful to God. Now as we stir up the gift that is within us to pray in the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit of Almighty God GIVES to us the utterance of the words that He desires for us to speak, which in turn builds us up and keeps us. So then, it is a JOINT effort between Almighty God and the believer that KEEPS a believer from FALLING AWAY. Please notice that verse 24 says that God is ABLE to keep us from falling, but this does NOT demand that God will, without fail, keep every single believer from falling. God is ABLE to HEAL every sick person in the entire world, but this does not demand that every sick person will without fail be healed. God is ABLE to SAVE every person in the world, but this does not mean that EVERY sinner will be saved. And the REASON is that God has chosen that salvation is a JOINT effort. In other words, God FIRST did His PART and is now waiting for us to do OUR part so that he can finish his part to bring about the end of our salvation. God FIRST loved us, as in, ALL of mankind by sending his Son Jesus to die on the cross for not ONLY our sins but ALSO for the sins of the WHOLE world. Now God is waiting for us to respond to the preaching of the gospel by which we are called to repent of our sins and be baptized in water. Then WHOSOEVER BELIEVES the gospel and repents of their sins, then God can put his Holy Spirit IN the believer to empower him or her to overcome the temptations of the enemy. God then leads and guides the believer into all truth AS the believer CONTINUES to respond to the DRAWING of God. However, IF the believer does NOT respond to the drawing and the leading of the Holy Spirit, then God cannot do anything but wait and continue to nudge and draw the believer. Can you not see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, the YOU are RESPONSIBLE for your OWN spiritual GROWTH. If you fall back into sin, it is of your OWN doing, because YOU have not done YOUR part in KEEPING YOURSELF in the LOVE of God. Yes, God LOVES you and he DESIRES that NONE should perish. But unless you do your part, then there is nothing God can do except continue to draw and nudge you to pray, read His word, and obey the leading of His Holy Spirit. Let us continue reading the verses of Scripture that clearly teach us that we must keep ourselves. Please read 1 John 5:13-18 which teaches us that IF we keep ourselves, then that wicked one, called Satan, and the Devil, cannot TOUCH us.
1 John 5:13-18.
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, AND that (or so that) you may believe (Or more precisely, so that you may CONTINUE to BELIEVE) on the name of the Son of God. 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us: 15. And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 16. If any man sees his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin NOT unto death. There IS a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 17. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin NOT unto death. 18. We know that whosoever is born of God sins NOT; (In other words, our NATURE is NOT to sin. No spirit of a true born-again believer desires to sin. There is a FIGHT within us that hates sin and is at war with the flesh that wants us to fulfill the desire of our OLD man) BUT he that is begotten of God KEEPS HIMSELF, and that wicked one touches him NOT.” First of all, please notice that the New Testament was written to us so that we can KNOW that we are saved by faith AND so that after knowing we are now accepted of God and placed back in a right relationship with him we may CONTINUE to BELIEVE on the NAME Jesus the Son of God. Some Christians have not been properly taught about the power that they have been given through the NAME of Jesus. Please read the studies called “JESUS THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES!” and “THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER!”. The next thing that is written that helps us to CONTINUE to believe in the NAME of Jesus is that no matter what we ask of God, that is according to His will, God will not only hear our prayer, but God will answer our prayer if we do not waiver in our faith. So again, we that PRAYING according to God's word helps KEEP us in the love of God. Then we see in this passage of Scripture that there IS a SIN that IS unto death. There is much controversy among believers as to what this sin might be, but the point is that John is speaking to true born-again believers about CONTINUING in their faith and that when we see a BROTHER sin that our prayers can sometimes bring them out of their state of sinning and restore them to the Lord. However, sometimes a brother or a sister in our Lord Jesus Christ is given over to a reprobate mind, because of their OWN choices of continually rejecting the leading of the Holy Spirit and refusing to repent of their living in sin. And John says that there IS a sin unto death. And to me, this suggests that perhaps in some cases our time is better spent on praying for another believer who has a better chance of repenting of their sins. For example, when a Christians become deceived to wrongly believe that he or she was BORN as a homosexual and they quit fighting against the sin of homosexuality to say that homosexuality is NOT a sin then PERHAPS your time is better spent on ministering to and praying for others to be saved. Another example is that some seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians have gone even further to the extreme to leave Christianity and convert to Judaism. And to ME, they are living in a sin unto DEATH which John is saying not to pray for, as in, to continue to pray for. Finally, we come to verse 18 where we can clearly and plainly see that it is the believers themselves who KEEP THEMSELVES from sin. And by doing so, then there is a hedge of protection that God is now allowed to put around those Christians who keep themselves from sin so that the enemy cannot touch them. This is a whole other study that I covered in bits and pieces throughout the many studies that I have written, but at this time, I have not yet combined all those pieces into one study. So just know for now that there is a place of PROTECTION that a true believer can attain in which the enemy will not come nigh your dwelling place. Getting back on track, my point in this study is this, the doctrine of PERSEVERANCE of the SAINTS, as defined in Calvinism, is NOT SOUND BIBLICAL teaching and therefore should be REJECTED as doctrines of devils. However, the title of this doctrine is Biblical. What I mean by this is that the Bible does, in fact, teach us that every believer must PERSEVERE unto the end in order to obtain our reward of ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come. But please keep in mind that God does NOT expect us to endure unto the end all ALONE in our own strength. Please read Galatians 2:20, which clearly and plainly teaches us that we do not keep ourselves in our OWN strength, but rather, we obey God's word and keep His commandment THROUGH the power of the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit of Almighty God that empowered Jesus to live his life without sin.
Galatians 2:20.
“I am (Or WE as true born again believers are) crucified with Christ: nevertheless I (Or WE) live; yet NOT I, (Or NOT WE alone) but Christ (Meaning that ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit, the SAME Holy Spirit with which Jesus was anointed to do the will of God) lives in me: (Or lives is us as true born again believers) and the life which I (or WE) NOW live in the flesh I (Or WE) live BY the FAITH of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
So then, it is Christ or the anointing dwelling in us who empowers us to walk in OBEDIENT to His leading and guiding us into all truth. However, we must OBEY the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. The Holy Spirit is our HELPER who HELPS us do the WORKS of righteousness. When a person asks you to HELP them lift a piano then that means that THEY will ALSO do the WORK of lift that piano along WITH you as their HELPER. Please read the study called “HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE FREE FROM SIN!”, and !”“JESUS THE SON OF MAN!” which teaches us that we are called by the word of God to overcome the enemy who tempts us to sin just as Jesus was tempted but overcame sin in his life THROUGH the Holy Spirit. In closing, I want to remind those of you who may have been taught these doctrines of Calvinism and Reformed Theology that if even ONE point of the acronym T.U.L.I.P is shown to be false and not sound Biblical teaching, then ALL the other four points would also be shown to be false as well because each doctrine of Calvinism is based or is dependent upon the other points being true. And here in this study The word of Almighty God has shown not only one to be false, but ALL five points of Calvinism and Reformed Theology to NOT be SOUND BIBLICAL teachings. So I implore you to come out from under these FALSE teachings of Calvinism and Reformed Theology and let your testimony lead others to be set free from these doctrines of devils. May God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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