Against Reformed Theology

UNLIMITED ATONEMENT

Does Christ’s payment for sin apply to all? It’s confusing. Because of our sin, we have been “alienated from God,” (Romans 3:22). This verse also says that the atonement is “limited” to all who believe: “even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ.” But if it is only limited to those who experience salvific faith, as true believers, does that mean Christ’s payment for sin is only effective for believers? Yes. Only those who believe will take advantage of the offer of salvation.

LIMITING SALVATION

But does that mean that salvation is limited only to believers? Yes. Only those who sincerely believe will be saved. The Blood of Jesus Christ only counts for those who take advantage of the offer of salvation. Since only believers receive Christ, only believers have the atonement effectively applied to their account as a full remedy for their lost sinful condition. As the rest of the verse says, only “unto all and upon all them that believe” (Romans 3:22).

OFFERING SALVATION

So does the offer of salvation through the Blood atonement of Christ count for unbelievers as well? Yes. Christ died for all, not just all believers. Isn’t that a contradiction? No. Christ died for all. He offers the atonement to all. He died for all but not all will believe. Not all chose to take advantage of that offer of full salvation. The truth is that Christ died for unbelievers, all. Weren’t all believers once unbelievers? Yes, we were all unbelievers at one time and in desperate need of forgiveness (Romans 6:23).

DENYING SALVATION

Forgiveness only comes through the substitutionary atonement. Only those who turn from their wicked ways and face the Cross will be relieved of their sin burden. We all have that weight of sin, so heavy, it pulls us down to hell at death. But Jesus took the burdens of all people around the world, throughout time onto Himself on that bloody cross. Colossians 2:13-14, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”

TRUE UNIVERSALISM

1 John 2:22: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ,” He died in our place and whosoever decides to believe that He is the Christ who paid for their sins, will be saved from the eternal burden of they themselves paying for their own sins in hell. The atonement was provided for all but only those who sincerely repent and believe will receive its eternal benefits. John 1:29 “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the WORLD.” That’s all people of all time, not just the “world of believers.”

UNDERSTANDING ROMANS 5:12

Romans 5:12; “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world (Adam), anddeath by sin; and so DEATH passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” This verse definitely assesses all sinners (who are able to sin) to be lost. But notice, accordibg to this verse, DEATH passed to all, not sin. Sin does not get passed on. We are not born sinful and guilty.

THE TRUE GOSPEL

Will all be saved? No. But, if Jesus died for all, aren’t all people saved? Potentially, yes. Yes, anyone can become saved, but most reject Christ. Since salvation is available to all, the atonement is universally available to all. The good news Gospel is a universal remedy for all sin of all people. As a matter of fact, Jesus not only paid for the sins of the whole world, of all people in all time, but also did something else that is very special and wonderful. John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”

THE SECOND ADAM

Jesus (the Second Adam) undid the curse cast upon all of mankind that was poured upon Earth in the Garden of Eden. Adam caused that curse but One more powerful than Adam, Jesus, undid that curse and ushers those who choose God to go up into heaven through the power of the resurrection. He replaced that horrific curse with heavenly blessings. He knew this would happen even before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4, “He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.”

OFFERING CHOICE

So will everyone be saved from hell because Jesus redeemed all of Creation? No. No, indeed. Salvation is offered to all but only a few will choose to believe. Can a person choose God? Yes, they can. Anyone can choose God because God is making salvation open to anyone. God created each person with the ability to reason. That ability allows folks to accept or reject Christ. Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

LOST INNOCENCE

In reality, we have all continually rejected Christ from the moment we committed our first sin. At that moment, the innocence we were born with was lost. The Bible says that “the soul that sins will die,” Ezekiel 18:20. When we committed our first sin, we fell under condemnation and were cursed with spiritual damnation. At that moment, we were lost to the enemy. We joined forces with satan and he became our wicked father. According to the Bible, we became “childern of the devil,” all of us (1 John 3:10).

DEFINING SIN

That means that those who are too cognitively challenged to process temptation, cannot sin. One must first follow a logical progression from lust before actual sin occurs. Sin is “missing the mark.” If you can’t aim, you can’t miss. That’s why fetuses, newly conceived, go to heaven. They aren’t guilty. They can’t sin. The same goes for babies. Most toddlers have no clue what sin is. They could never truly comprehend the Gospel. The same goes for the severely handicapped.

THE NEWBORN 

These folks, along with the rest of us, were innocent from birth. Yes, aborted babies from the womb go to heaven. As far as I know, they probably don’t come back to be born as someone else’s healthy baby. No, it’s “appointed only once to die and then the judgement.” Hebrews 9:27.

THE UNBORN

Calvinists think that some fetuses who are aborted weren’t elect. I wonder what happens to those souls when they face that awful judgment. Will God say, “I’m sorry, but you have total depravity? So blame Adam for an eternity in hell.”

THE FIRST ADAM

In actuality, Adam was just a simple man. He wasn’t God. He can’t make anyone a sinner. Come on now, do you think it’s possible for Adam to infect every person who ever lived, or ever will live, with condemnation? No, it absolutely isn’t. If Calvinists are right, only God has the power to do that. Think about it logically, wouldn’t that make God Himself a sinner? No, even the most evil villain of history. Even worse than satan.

SPIRITUAL DEATH

But doesn’t Reformed theology teach some go to heaven and most to hell? Yes. But the say that you are spiritually dead from birth. Think about it. Can a dead person hear or see? They cannot do anything hood becayse, compared to our holy God, everything they do comes from a deceitful heart. They can’t hear God. They can’t see God. They canpray in a way that God hears. They are like a dead horse, and you can’t ride a dead horse.

TOTAL DEPRAVITY

Reformed churches and some other churches believe that “man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.” What they mean is that Adam sinned and passed sin, guilt and shame along to us. Apparently, according to them, we are indeed born spiritually dead. We are so totally depraved that we can’t believe unless God firtst regeenerates us. Apparently, God decided before the earth was formed, whom He would choose to go to heaven.

REFORMED CHURCHES

Are denominations like Reformed or Calvinists think they are doing correct theology. They say the word “sovereign” means God is in control. But what about His sovereign will? He doesn’t need people. He decides everything alone. He owes us nothing. He independently dictates agreements with mankind called covenants: If you do this, then you get this. But everyone fails to keep that agreement. So God decided to choose a specific group of souls that eventually must believe. He personally picked them and excluded everyone else. He only redeemed that group. The rest were not redeemed.

REFORMED THEOLOGY

They think that this theology has been consistent throughout history. Israel is just as chosen as the modern believer. These are the “Elect” who end up in heaven. So none deserve salvation but God picks a few to be saved and sent Jesus to only die for those. This is called Limited Atonement (LA).

ELECTION AND PREDESTINATION 

Those chosen by God had no input into God’s choice. They were unable to resist God when He decided to make them believe through “Irresistible Grace” (IG), and God will make sure they persist as Christians to their last days because of the doctrine of the “Perseverance” (P) of the Saints. In other words, God picks you and forces you to be transformed and there’s nothing you can do about it.

REPROBATE REPUDIATION

The ones who are not elected (the reprobate) for heaven were created by God. So did He actually create most people for hell (repudiation) with no way out (supralapsarianism)? Or is that just inferred (infralapsarianism)? Since only God knows who is elect, these folks will never really know until they die. Even if they go to church daily, they have no guarantee of heaven. They just hope they were predestinated to heaven.

NO ASSURANCE

They hope that water baptism will be an indicator that they are born-again. Communion, also called the Lord’s Supper is another indicator. But those are works. They believe these “sacraments” symbolize holiness. In order to join the church they must be baptized. But they can’t tell if you are part of the Body of Christ, the elect, just because you go to church. They just hope so.

THE CONFESSIONS

Presbyterians, Dutch Reformed, Swiss Reformed, and Congregationalists are different that the Lutherans and Anglicans. They all protested against the established Catholics. That’s why they are called “Protestants.”

REFORMED BAPTISTS 

Some Baptists are Reformed. They genderally confess to a subscribing to the ideas presented in the “1689 London Confession of Faith,” a pamphlet of doctrines. Some Reformed Baptists may adhere to confessions such as the “New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1853),” or the Southern Baptist Convention’s “Baptist Faith and Message,” as alternative creeds.

INDEPENDENT BAPTISTS

Independent Fundamental Baptists, however, are opposed to such “confessions” of faith but rather directly obtain theology from scripture. Theu usually reject most or all ponts of the Calvinist T.U.L.I.P. (research the 5 points of Calvinism). They believe that personal repentance (turning to Christ) at a moment of individual decision, if couched in scriptural promises of God, will result in a testimony of true conversion. However, as with any good tree, over time, you can tell itvby its fruit. A true, born-again evagelical experience will provide life evidences of the indwelling Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17; “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

IN CONCLUSION

Did true Biblical Christianity need reforming? No! If the pendulum swings too far the other way, what happens to the foundational Biblical middle ground? Would someone coming out from Catholic theology be qualified to develop correct theology? I don’t think so. In actuality, their theology was reactionary. It overreacted. It went too far.

DEFORMED THEOLOGY

These guys were entrenched in Catholic theology from birth. They were trained in Catholic seminaries. They wholeheartedly practiced Catholic dogmas (teachings). It was through their “Pius” dogma that they saw the light. But a glimpse of the light doesn’t show the panoramic view. Therefore, their theology is unbiblical for the most part.

REFORMED THEOLOGY
IS THEREFORE DEFORMED THEOLOGY.