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False Teachers

Three Common Errors of False Teachers

by Mike Gendron

November 9, 2015

  •  Since we are now living in the age of religious tolerance and ecumenical unity, there are some people who will immediately call this article unloving and divisive. Others will ask, “What right do you have to judge another religion?” The answer is given in Scripture. All God-fearing people are called to make right judgments, judgments that have already been established by the objective principles of God’s Word (John 7:24). There may be nothing more important than warning people who are being deceived about their eternal destiny. If we do not lovingly confront them with God’s Gospel, they may never know how to escape the eternal fire of God’s punishment. Clearly, the most unloving thing we can do is to ignore them and let them continue down the road to destruction. For this reason, I am always willing to offend people with the offense and exclusivity of the Gospel in the hopes that God may grant some of them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 2: 25). Let us look at three fatal errors of false prophets and how to handle them.

 

False Teachers Usurp the Authority of God

  •  The supreme authority of the Bible is established both by its divine origin and inspiration (2 Pet. 1:21). It is the infallible Word of God, and it will accomplish God’s purpose (Isaiah 55:11). It is the very foundation upon which all Christian truths rest. For followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible is the final court of appeal in all matters pertaining to faith and godliness. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). The divine authority of Scripture corrects and rebukes all false teaching because there is no higher authority or infallible source in which to appeal. It is the Word of God, and God cannot lie, cannot break His promise and cannot deceive.
  •  People fall into serious error and sin when they exalt their own authority over God’s authority or when they suppress the truth of God’s Word to promote their own self-serving agendas. The Roman Catholic religion has done this by establishing its traditions and teachings to be equal in authority with Scripture (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] par. 82). In doing so, it has usurped the supreme authority of our sovereign God who alone has the right to rule and determine the eternal destinies of men. This fatal error has opened the flood gates to numerous other deadly heresies including: the preaching of another gospel, the worship of a counterfeit Jesus, the buying and selling of God’s grace through indulgences, the creation of a fictitious place called purgatory, the establishment of other mediators and praying to and for the dead. These errors are fatal because anyone who is embracing them when they take their last breath will experience eternal death.
  •  Catholics who are being deceived by these fatal errors must be told that the world has known only one infallible teacher. He is the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the personification of truth and every word He spoke was truth (John 14:6, 17:17). Those who are seeking the truth need to look only to Christ and His Word. The Catholic religion has become corrupt the same way Judaism became corrupt – by following the traditions of men instead of the Word of God (Mark 7:13). The Pharisees taught much truth, but by mixing it with error, they “made the word of God of no effect.” We must never forget that the Bible is what God says and religion is what man says God says.

False Teachers Distort the Person of Christ

  •  Jesus Christ is God’s perfect man and man’s perfect God. He is the perfect High Priest who offered Himself – the perfect sacrifice – once for the sins of His people. This one sin offering has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Heb. 10:14). For this reason there are no more offerings for sin (Heb. 10:18). The believer’s eternal sin debt was paid in full and their redemption was secured when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Rom. 4:25). Would there be false teachers who would deny this and steal away the honor and glory of our Savior?
  •  Yes, Paul even warned us that some would come preaching another Jesus. They will offer a counterfeit Jesus “whom we [the apostles] have not preached” (2 Cor. 11:4). Many of these false teachers are Roman Catholics who preach a “Jesus” who does not save sinners completely and forever. They say Catholics must do their part by expiating and making satisfaction for their own sins through penance (CCC, 1459). In this way they attain their own salvation through good works (CCC, 1477). The Catholic Jesus offers conditional life, not eternal life (CCC, 1035). This counterfeit Christ is said to return physically to Catholic altars over 200,000 times each day to be a sin offering for the living and the dead (CCC, 1367).

 

  •  Catholics must be warned of the consequences for not knowing and believing the true Jesus. This was made clear by Jesus when He said: “unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). Whenever religion rejects God’s authority, it creates “another Jesus” which always leads to “another gospel.” Why? Because whenever the sufficiency of Christ is denied, another gospel must be concocted to instruct people what they must do to be saved.

 

False Teachers Pervert the Gospel of Christ

  •  The Gospel is the joyous proclamation of God’s redeeming work through Jesus Christ which saves His people from the punishment, power and ultimately, the presence of sin. It is the one and only message of redemption and the same message for every generation (Eph. 4:4-6, Rev. 14:6). Since the Gospel is about one Savior, it is exclusive and thus declares that all other faiths and religions are false (John 14:6; Mat. 7:13-14). This glorious Gospel declares that salvation is entirely of grace and those who add anything to it stand condemned (Gal. 1:6-9). It comes as no surprise that the most popular perversion of the Gospel is the fatal lie that good works or inherent righteousness are necessary to appease a holy God. Every religion in the world perpetrates this lie of the devil. However, Satan’s oldest and most deadly lie is “You surely shall not die” (Gen. 3:4). This lie is still spread in Catholicism (CCC, 1863).
  •  Why would any religious leader want to distort the glorious Gospel of grace? The primary reason is to control people by holding them captive in legalistic bondage. It is for this reason the Lord Jesus gave the mark of a true disciple. He said, “If you abide in My word…and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). People in religious bondage can only be set free when they come to a knowledge of the truth found in Scripture.

 

  •  Roman Catholicism is not alone in perverting the Gospel of God. There are many cults and Protestant sects which do the same. Catholicism, however, not only deceives its people with a false gospel, but foolishly condemns those who believe the true Gospel. Over 100 condemnations from the Council of Trent are pronounced on Christians who believe the Lord Jesus is sufficient to save sinners completely and forever. The Catholic “gospel” emphasizes what man must DO to be saved instead of what Christ has DONE. This would include the necessity of doing good works (CCC, 2016), receiving sacraments (1129), attending meritorious masses (1405), keeping the law (2068), buying indulgences (1498) and purgatory (1030).

 

False Teachers Must Be Confronted

  •  We must never let doctrinal error go unabated because it dishonors God and deceives the unsuspecting. It defiles the conscience, corrupts the heart and destroys the soul. According to Scripture, that which flows from the lips of false teachers includes: “strange doctrines,” “commandments of men,” “doctrines of devils,” “damnable heresies,” “traditions of men,” “lies,” “falsehood,” “vain deceit” and “deceptive philosophy.” Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord at all times and in all cases (Prov. 12:22). Knowing the fruit of false teachers, we must earnestly contend against them. Peter and Paul said false teachers cause believers to fall from their steadfastness and pure devotion to Christ (2 Pet. 3:17; 2 Cor. 11:3). They disagree with the words of Jesus and bring constant friction within the church (1 Tim. 6:4-5). They give rise to speculation and fruitless discussion which hinder the purposes of God (1 Tim. 1:4-6).

 

  •  Many who profess Christ are no longer embracing sound doctrine because they want their ears tickled and are seeking teachers who will do just that (2 Tim. 4:2). Using the Word of God, we must be ready to reprove, rebuke and exhort with great patience and instruction. Those who have been entrusted with the truth must take a stand against those who try to lead men astray. Even when Peter was not straightforward about the truth of the Gospel, Paul withstood him to his face, and rebuked him sharply (Gal. 2:11-14). Jude exhorted us to “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Those who refuse to defend God’s truth are demonstrating their lack of passion for the truth. We must love the truth and hate every false way (Ps. 119:104). Let us never be intimidated by false teachers because “the fear of man brings a snare” (Prov. 29:25).

 

The Battle for Truth

  •  Let us be mindful of the words of A.W. Tozer, who wrote: “So skilled is error at imitating truth that the two are constantly being mistaken for each other. It is therefore critically important that the Christian take full advantage of every provision God has made to save him from delusion – prayer, faith, constant meditation of the Scriptures, obedience, humility and the illumination of the Holy Spirit” (That Incredible Christian).
  •  We need to ask God for courage and boldness as we rely on the power of His Word. May we all become more like the apostles who were strong, bold, fearless, dogmatic, unaccommodating of error, courageous, intolerant of sin, inflexible concerning the Gospel, controversial, willing to die for the truth and fully devoted to Christ. We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming (Eph. 4:14). During these times of great deception, the Body of Christ must respond with a theological, biblical worldview that defends the glory and honor of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must protect the purity of His Gospel for the sake of His elect.

33 thoughts on “False Teachers”

  3. Finnegan, regarding Matthew 18:23-35, one must bear in mind the distinctly Jewish mindset of the audience. As we see in the account of Job’s suffering and his “good friends” telling he must have sin that accounts for his misery, so the Jews were taught to see God’s punishment behind all “evil” and God’s blessing behind all “good.” So when we look this parable, we see in the introduction (verses 21 & 22) the meaning. We who have been bought by the blood of Christ are to forgive one another as He has forgiven us. Who among us has met that standard? Hence His direction that Peter forgive 70 times 7. Then we read the parable. The forgiveness of the loan in verse 27 is mercy, based on contrite servant. But we see quickly this servant was not truly contrite, but only selfish (verses 28 – 30). This aligns with the rocky soil that sprang up right away but withered at the first blush of the sun’s heat (Mark 4:5). A “true Christian” will forgive and not hold a grudge; this is a fruit of the Spirit that testifies we are in Christ. Those who do not forgive are not in Christ and will be punished and tortured. Note – the man in prison (Matt 18:34) cannot work and is unable to pay back the loan. He will not get out of prison. The Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory has no home in the Scriptures.

    As for the watchman passage in Ezekiel, yes, there is principle to grasp. We see a larger teaching on this in Ezekiel chapters 33 & 34. The New Covenant teaching is quite simple: those called by God to shepherd His flock will give an answer to Him (Hebrew 13:17) and must sober-minded about this serious task they have undertaken. As with all the works we do in God’s kingdom, we will be judged – not for our standing as sons of God but as for rewards (Matt 25:14-30). So Ezekiel 3:20 tells elders in the church that if they are faithful to proclaim the whole counsel of God’s Word to those He gathered at that fellowship, there is no blood on his hands. Paul teaches how this is applied within the New Covenant in Acts 20:14-31.

    Note – if the falling away you imagine has Christians losing their standing as children of God, your view of God is too low.

    I pray this is beneficial to you as it has been for me.

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  4. The falling away are those who are foolish virgins, wicked servants, goats, hirelings etc. The broad road crowd who have followed Him for what He might DO for them, like the 5,000 He fed, and the Hosannah on Monday but crucify Him, we have no god/king but Caesar crowd. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for they think they deserve their salvation due to their resumes.

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  5. Finnegan – I read the article, The Fruits of Calvinism, on Robert Congdon’s site. If you think that is a reasonable and accurate view of the doctrines of grace known as Calvinism, you are in serious error, just like Mr. Comfort who wrote it.

    The book I recommended is an excellent resource to give you an accurate view of this doctrine. Not slanted attacks as preached by Ron Comfort.

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  6. Finnegan – to be reformed (in truth, not merely words) means to be always reforming (the reformers taught this, had the slogan Semper Reformanda), based on Romans 12:2. Too many claiming to be reformed are Semper Torpor – always in the same place. Hence me not getting ordained by the 1689 church that trained me: they would not listen to my contention that the 1689 LBC has error in it that conflict with itself and with Scripture.

    As with the tendency of folks to jump on the label “hyper-Calvinism” when it does not apply, some are eager to throw every reformer into the same bucket. It ain’t that simple.

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  7. Finnegan – SOME reformers are as you said; TRUE reformers are in accordance with Romans 12:2 as I said.

    Any man who thinks he has ANYTHING to do with being born again unto being a new creature in Christ falls into that bucket of fish of seeing God too low and man too high.

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  8. Finnegan – did you read what you wrote? You are hung up the word reformed, based on meaning you pour into it. We are transformed (the ongoing work of sanctification) by the REnewing of our minds (another aspect of sanctification) so we would be conformed to the image of Christ. To be REformed to the Word of God for the glory of God is a way of expressing the same general idea. If you are allergic to the word reformed, that’s your problem.

    FYI – being reformed is not the same as being Calvinistic. Being Calvinistic is parts of being reformed.

    As for limited atonement, it’s one of those unfortunate phrases. People who hold to particular atonement (Christ died only for the elect) and people who hold to general atonement (Christ died for the whole race) limit the atonement, only in different aspects. Calvinistic folks mean the atonement was only meant and is only applied to the elect, insuring they will be saved. Hence the long-time term, particular atonement. General atonement folks mean the atonement applies to ALL people, but the people must do something to make it effective. One side limits the scope (only for the elect) the other side limits the effect (makes salvation possible, does not secure it). Jesus gave His life for the church and for HIs sheep; those passages that seem to say He gave His life for the world (a term that various meanings) must be understood with these two passages in mind.

    There is no slam-dunk exegesis that satisfies 2 Peter 2:1, but if we take the volume of Scripture that tells us not one sheep will be lost, this verse (its context is key) cannot mean that those who it describes as being lost were sheep. That book I recommended has a very good examination of this verse. The bottom line: Christ Jesus is faithful and will not lose a single soul that He paid for with His blood. There are false Christians described in Scripture, getting as close to the saving truth of Christ as is possible, yet not being effectively called by YHWH to eternal life. As John said, they went out from us because they were not of us.

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  9. Answer me this, Fennigan: Do you think, considering the testimony of Scripture you’ve been shown here, that one person saved by the blood of Christ will be lost? Answer me that and I may provide more explanation of how I see that verse.

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  10. Considering your position on the security of believers (or the lack thereof), I can see that no matter my explanation of 2 Peter 2:1 would fail to satisfy.

    Your view of the meaning of Hebrew 10:26-31 is in line with those think man can overthrow God (John 6 and 10, etc.)

    With which men in Acts 4 do you claim alignment – the rulers, the elders, or the scribes?

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  11. Still straining at gnats while deceiving wolves are slaughtering the sheep. Wolves deceiving the sheep with a false Jesus and or a false gospel and or false understanding of the scriptures are blind guides leading the blind into the very pit of perdition.
    All you seem to have passion for is to stir up strife among the brethren over the perseverance of the saints doctrine.
    I beg of you before you pen one more word why not try correcting Jesus as Peter tried to do. Please correct every, “Calvinistic” word Jesus spoke in John 6:28-29; 35-40; 43-59.
    Were waiting
    Please explain what Jesus really meant to say in 44 “NO ONE CAN” That sounds like a universal negative without exceptions but I’m certain that you can explain to us all why Jesus was wrong or actually was meaning to say the complete opposite.
    Step away from you grade school straw man attacks on the person Calvin. Gird you loins and take on God the Son, Jesus.

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  13. Is God at the mercy of man’s ‘free will’ or is man at the mercy of God’s sovereign grace? Who chooses who?
    ‘But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth’ – 2 Thess. 2:13
    ‘According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love’ – Eph. 1:4
    ‘For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth’ – Romans 9:11

    God elects those He saves, based on His good pleasure and NOT on man’s ‘free will’, which is not free at all. The will of man is tainted and polluted by sin, as Jeremiah 17:9 teaches. It is unable to rightly discern or choose anything but sin, for all of mankind is in bondage to sin. This is why the sinner cannot exercise free will, for no part of man is free from sin and its power over us.

    ‘But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned’. – 1 Cor. 2:14
    This describes all of mankind in its unregenerate state, sinners are not able to discern their sins or need for Christ unless God opens the understanding {Luke 24:45}, regenerates the sinner {John 1:13}, gifts them with faith to believe { Eph. 2:8-9} and repentance {2 Timothy 2:25}, and gifts them with eternal life. No man can overpower God and refuse to be saved IF God has regenerated them. This foolishness of free will can be traced back to Pelagius and was continued with Charles Finney, a heretic {see this article by Bob DeWaay on the false teachings of Finney – http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue53.htm}

    Lyn

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  14. Censorship is when your government controls what you can say or print. Until you answer the question about reconciling your Finney views with the Scripture passages I referred to you, you are in time-out.

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  15. You’ve been given many opportunities to reconcile your Charles Finney views with those passages of Scripture given you. You have made no attempt to so. Unless you do so, I will keep you in time-out.

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  16. Your theology appears to be related to that of Charles Finney. Here’s the question, again: How do you reconcile your interpretation of Hebrews 10 and 2 Peter 2 with John 6 and John 10? Secondly, what is your definition of “reformed election” and how does it differ with your view of election?

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  17. Regurgitating various passages of Scripture does not answer the question put to you. I am going to delete that response and wait on you to explain to me your understanding of those 2 short questions I put to you.

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  18. I’ve asked you to tell me YOUR view on those two things. You have merely cut and paste some Scripture and your comments have not communicated your answers to the two questions.

    This is the last opportunity I will extend on this topic.

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  19. Just like his father, Finney again refuses to submit to the full and clear council and counsel of scripture, and twists pet slogan half scriptures out of context…Just like his father!

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  20. Finny. All you need to do is answer his question. By the way, did you read the links I put above? The Cardinal rule of understanding scripture is that the more clear verses will explain the less clear. You have been given the better part of 150 verses that clearly show the Lord’s position in this. Not my position, not your position, not theologians” positions but The Lord’s!
    And as of yet you choose to follow your anointed ones and their teachings regarding what scripture is saying. Now, I have been where you are. That is until I myself, with the help of nobody but the Holy Spirit, did the study I presented above and my mind was changed. This you have, up until now, refused to do. Will you? NO! Why? Because of free will. The reality is that the Lord caused me to do this study. You won’t because your free will denies His Sovereignty and are then prevented from doing it! Lest you would turn from your way and see Truth! My prayer is that He would cause you to turn to His Word and His Spirit and do the study!
    Till He moves, you not only won’t…you CAN”T!

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  21. Do the study Finnegan…Do the study! But first cry out to Him and commit to conforming to His Will regardless of the cost to you!

    “An honest man, when confronted with The Truth, conforms to The Truth, or ceases to be…an honest man.”

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  23. “The truth does/would set ALL MEN FREE …. “IF” they would accept the truth.” So says finnegan, who seeks to uphold error and attempt to rob God of glory.

    This sermon expounds the truth of man’s inability and God’s grace – http://www.the-highway.com/drawing_Kennedy.html

    Here is a sample ….

    “It is inability to come to Christ as He is revealed and offered in the gospel. And this spiritual impotence is universal, for Jesus saith — “No man can come to me.” And He very plainly declares every man’s inability to come to Him, for the words “can come” can have only one meaning assigned to them, and might be rendered “is able to come.” Such is the plain import of Christ’s teaching in the first part of this verse, whatever view may be taken of man’s impotence, and in whatever way it may be attempted to reconcile this statement with those which insist on his responsibility. Let us take the explicit teaching of Christ so far as it goes, and let not our reception of it as true depend on our being able to reconcile it with all other parts of His teaching. To refuse to receive His teaching as true simply because it is His, is to lapse into rationalism, and to allow our own conceptions of the fitness of things, and not the revelation of His will by God, to determine the form and measure of our faith.
    Such a doctrine as this is not pleasing to “the natural man,” and he either openly rejects it; or, while professing to receive it, wickedly abuses it. The old heart’s pride, with its strong dislike of being indebted to the grace of God, rises against it. And one’s love of ease combines with his pride in securing its rejection; for if one realised that his salvation was dependent on the will of God, he could not be at ease; but when he thinks of it as a matter that is in his own hand, then, he can sleep on imagining that when a convenient season” comes he can secure his salvation. Not such is the feeling of the poor captive, who in his madness barred and bolted the door of his cell thinking it was a palace, but who has been awakened to find himself in bondage, with no power to remove the bars and bolts wherewith he himself shut the door, because he has no strength to reach them, and finds sentinels posted to keep him in his prison. He now feels assured that he cannot escape unless an order for his release is issued by him at whose instance he is confined, and that the only key by which the door can be opened is in his hands. He cannot now sleep quietly in his cell, dreaming of finding escape whenever he inclines to go out. His sleep is broken and his vain dreamings are at an end.

    And there are others who, while professing to receive the doctrine of man’s spiritual impotence, at the same time abuse it, and do so also from the desire to be at ease. “No efforts of ours,” they say, “are of any avail, therefore we will do nothing, and enjoy our case till the Lord does His work — the only work that can avail for good to us.” It is as if one who was declared to be dying, and was told that there was only one physician who could cure him, continued quite unmoved, made no effort to secure the attendance of the only one who could treat with success his case, and continued to take the kind of diet by which his sickness was induced. The man who could act so must have been insane; but still more insane is the sinner, who makes his utter dependence, on the sovereign grace of God, a reason for continuing at his ease in sin. But let men reject or abuse this doctrine as they may, it is plainly stated in the text, and let us now proceed to consider the grounds on which, besides the statement before us, it may be based”……

    To claim man has the ability to choose salvation is heresy, may God put an end to this decades long lie that was birthed from the pit of hell.

    Lyn

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  24. First of all, no one here quoted Calvin or Augustine.

    Now, as for the doctrine of election, what does the word of God say? “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” 2 thess. 2:13. Now, is that the teaching of Calvin or God? Why do you credit Calvin with what God has said from the beginning? You deny the doctrine of election because it does not fit with your doctrine of demons – free will.

    Another verse, ” According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” Ephesians 1:4. Who chooses? God. When did He choose? ‘before the foundation of the world’. God chooses based on what? “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” Eph. 1:5 Did you catch that finnegan? He chooses His elect ‘according to the pleasure of His good will’ and NOT based on a ‘work’ by man, such as ‘free will’.
    There are more verses that prove God elects those He saves, but these two will suffice for now. Let’s address man’s inability to ‘call on the Lord’ apart from God intervening. John 6:44 has already been given, no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws them. Draw, meaning ‘to drag’. Sinners must be dragged out of the bondage of sin and its power over us, its darkness, by a power greater than sin. That power is supernatural and is of God. You cannot come to Christ on your own because you are in darkness, and you love it – John 3:19 ‘And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.’ That speaks clearly of man’s love of sin, which stems from the sin nature inherited from Adam. You will not come and you cannot come, sin overpowers ALL of mankind. ‘ For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.’ Acts 8:23. Peter points to Simon’s problem, he is in bondage to sin. ‘His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.’ Proverbs 5:22 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” John 8:34 These verses prove man is overpowered by sin and a slave to it. This is where the inability lies. This is a teaching of God and NOT of Calvin, Augustine, or whoever else you want to throw out there as a reason to deny the clear teachings of holy writ.

    Concerning Genesis 5:26, the text does not imply that men called on God to save them, or that they chose such a thing. Various commentaries help with the meaning, from John Gill, “for so the words may be rendered: “then began men to call themselves”, or “to be called by the name of the Lord” (p); the sons of God, as distinct from the sons of men; which distinction may be observed in Gen_6:2 and has been retained more or less ever since.”
    From Matthew Henry, “The worshippers of God began to stir up themselves to do more in religion than they had done; perhaps not more than had been done at first, but more than had been done of late, since the defection of Cain. The worshippers of God began to distinguish themselves. The margin reads it, Then began men to be called by the name of the Lord, or to call themselves by it. Now that Cain and those that had deserted religion had built a city, and begun to declare for impiety and irreligion, and called themselves the sons of men, those that adhered to God began to declare for him and his worship, and called themselves the sons of God. ”

    It was a way for God’s people to distinguish themselves, to set themselves apart from the ‘sons of men’. It has not ONE THING to do with any ability, for these men ALREADY believed. It helps to read verses in context as opposed to cherry picking them to fit your erroneous theology finnegan.

    Lyn

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  25. You don’t see what you don’t want to see, Finn.

    Jesus said (John 6:44) that No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. The Greek word behind “draws” conveys the notion of dragging. The gracious act of the Holy Spirit giving life to that which was dead is overwhelming; it’s irresistible, just as when Jesus commanded Lazarus, by name, to come out of the tomb. The man, who had been dead four days, responded to the call of Christ, and rose up and came out of the grave; alive again. No one can come to the Father of his personal volition; all are useless and dead in sin. No one can refuse the call of the Father; though he may seek refuge in the belly of a big fish. God’s will shall be accomplished in this grand redemptive plan of His; Christ Jesus will have His full reward for the suffering He faced on their account.

    If you think every time “all” is used it means every person without exception, you have a very rigid and inaccurate way of reading ANY text, not just the Bible.

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  27. Are the bikes broken and beyond repair by the current owner(s)? Were they broken by the direct willful miss-use of current owner(s) against the clear instruction of Him Who made them? Is the current owner/dealer the one who also miss-used and taught to miss-use the bikes and will they be attempted to be returned to the manufacture under warrantee even though the miss-use was against the true intent the warrantee covered?
    Where is this going Finney?

    Just go read the scriptures I gave you!

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  29. First, Finn, explain your understanding of John 12:32, which you quoted earlier. Reconcile your view with John 6:44 and Matt 22:14.

    Secondly – what’s the point of your admittedly daft question?

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  32. Finn – when you reply with Scripture, you tend to be VERY verbose and don’t answer the question. I am not and have not asked you to dredge up numerous passages that you claim support your view. I have and am asking you to reconcile a couple of passages. This requires some thought.

    I have NEVER said or implied that belief in the doctrines of grace are required elements of salvation. Not grasping them is merely a sign of immaturity or willful ignorance.

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  33. Finnegan – willful ignorance is exactly what the phrase declares. When we do something willfully, it is intentional; it’s what we mean to do. Ignorance is lack of understanding of a given topic. One who is willfully ignorant of the doctrines of grace is one who wants to avoid studying or thinking of it.

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