education of author for Calvinism series

Is Calvinism taught in the Bible? Does man have free-will? Can a Christian apostatize? Discuss all related questions here.

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education of author for Calvinism series

Post by email » Sat Mar 28, 2009 12:01 pm

I enjoy your articles, but someone asked me what degrees of education did the writer of Calvin error articles have. I didn't know what to say. Can you tell me the education background of the calvin article writer?
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m273p15c
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my education

Post by m273p15c » Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:31 pm

Thanks for the good question! I am glad you asked it.

I must confess that I have been puzzled by the original question. I ask myself, "Why would my level of education matter?" Please consider this verse:
Paul, an inspired apostle of Jesus Christ, wrote:For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God -- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption -- that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." (I Corinthians 1:26-31)
It is a carnal curiosity that elevates men who have been trained by men (II Corinthians 10:12).

Correct interpretation of the Bible need not require a PhD from a human institution; otherwise, God's calling would give preference to the intellectual. Instead, we see quite the contrary: Jesus was born the son of a carpenter - not a scribe, not a Pharisee. He was not raised at the feet of a well known Rabbi. Instead, He feasted on God's Word, and proscribed the same (Matthew 4:4)! Furthermore, His apostles, which He hand selected, were common men. They were noted as not being accepted scholars (Acts 4:13). Instead, they were Galileans, fishermen, tax collectors, etc. Only Paul received an "advanced, religious education", and he counted it as "garbage" or "refuse" for Christ (Philippians 3:4-8)! Finally, Jesus never chastised people for being untrained. They were only reprimanded for not reading the Scriptures and not believing what they read (Luke 24:25-27; Matthew 22:29-33). In answering questions, He never quoted "scholars" - not once. He only quoted the Scriptures, and He answered questions by directing people's attention to God's Word ("It is written", "Have you not read", "How do you read?", "What saith the Scripture", etc. - Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; 12:3, 5; 19:4, 21:16, 42; 22:29-33; 24:15; etc.).

Simply, the Bible can be understood through diligent reading of it:
Paul again wrote:... how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets ... (Ephesians 3:3-5)
Many controversial doctrines, such as baptism, are labeled as "elementary" by Scriptures (Hebrews 6:1-2). Therefore, any doctrine that requires an advanced degree or mountain of extra-Scriptural reading (Augustine, Calvin, Beza, Luther, etc.), should be rejected out of hand! ... Furthermore, God intended to demonstrate and teach us His just nature, by our justification through the cross (Romans 3:25-26). Consequently, if some doctrine, like Calvinism, leaves us with a "mystery" or "paradox" concerning God's fairness or justification, then either the doctrine is false or else God failed to adequately demonstrate what He intended! Strangely, many people cling to Calvinism, even though it is blasphemous at its very foundation.

Humility, diligence, and honesty are the virtues to understanding truth (II Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17; II Thessalonians 2:9-12) - not advanced degrees. Questions should be answered with a, "Thus saith the Lord". Only by quoting Scripture, can we then truly "glory in the LORD"! If people are not convinced by God's Word, then nothing else should be leveraged, no matter what is at our disposal (I Corinthians 2:1-5), because any faith produced thereby would be misplaced and vain. Therefore, I respectfully withhold my level of education - for the sake of all involved.

I cannot know your friend's heart. Hopefully, he sought neither to corroborate nor dismiss the articles based on the author's education. If he did, I pray he will have a change of heart. :-)

I pray you find this helpful.
May God help us to love truth sincerely and supremely (II Thessalonians 2:11-12)

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