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Calvinists and Catholics have a  common view on original sin but there  is a difference. Catholics believe  that the guilt of Adam is removed at  baptism and that man has a free will  whereas Calvinists believe that original  sin persists after baptism of infants  resulting in the loss of free will which  they then call the doctrine of Total  Depravity.  

Having come to this conclusion this  leaves the Calvinist with no alternative  but to believe the only way any person  can be saved is by a sovereign act of  God in eternity past. 

Calvinism is not found in the Scriptures. Calvinism is a logical outcome of their  erroneous view on total depravity. In  fact the entire five points of Calvinism  are nothing more than human reasoning  based on a wrong premise. The wrong  premise is their view on original sin  and total depravity. Once one accepts  the doctrine of total depravity there is  no alternative but to deny the Gospel  of the Grace of God that has made  salvation available to all mankind. 

Two verses used by Calvinists are:  

Ps.58:3 “The wicked are estranged  from the womb and go astray speaking  lies” and, 

Ps.51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in  iniquity; and in sin did my mother  conceive me.” 

Obviously newborn babies can’t speak  lies and Ps.58:3 means, as on Calvinist  commentary admits, they go astray at a  very young age. 

When David said that “in sin did his  mother conceive” him he was declaring  that he was born out of wedlock. He  

had seven brothers born to Jesse and  his wife but David wasn’t counted  among the sons of Jesse when Samuel  asked to see them and was despised  by his brothers. David’s mother was  taken to Moab for safety when Saul  was pursuing him but the rest of the  family was not. Saul persecuted non  Israelites and this may explain his many  attempts to destroy David. 

To build a doctrine of depravity on a  wrong understanding of these two  verses is gross error. Calvinists would  have us believe that the unborn baby  and little children who have not come to  the age of understanding, are depraved  sinful beings and unless elected by a  sovereign choice to salvation will burn  in hell. 

There are four Greek words for children  in the NT. 

1) A child in the womb – Babies can be  filled with the Holy Spirit while still in  the womb – John the Baptist was! (Luke  1:40). 

2) Paidon – Little children who have  not come to the age of understanding  – Jesus said these will NOT perish – Not  even one of them Matt 18:14 – These  have the same status as “converted”  people and are therefore safe. Jesus  said: 

“Except ye be converted, and  become as little children, ye shall not  enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.18:3).  

When Jeroboam’s young son died God  found “good” in him (1Kings 14:13). 

When David’s baby son died and he  said , “I shall go to him, but he shall not  return to me” (2Sam.12:23).

3) Teknon – Children who have come to  the age of understanding but not fully  mature – still learning (Gal.4:1).  

John 1:12 should read “children” so  also 1John 3:2. They can be saved or  lost depending on CHOICE 

4) Huios – Sons who have reached full  manhood – full sonship – – This is called  “the adoption” and takes place when  we are raptured and made perfect  bodily like Christ.  

“Ourselves also, which have the  firstfruits of the Spirit, even we  ourselves groan within ourselves,  waiting for the adoption, to wit, the  redemption of our body” (Rom 8:23). 

Our redemption is complete when  we are raptured and we receive our  resurrection body like the Lord Jesus.  Here we have the firstfruits of the Spirit.  God dwell in believers by His Spirit  and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit  unto the day of remption but though  justified fully, we await our translation  and glorification. 

The evil doctrine of Original sin  attributes guilt to babies because Adam  sinned. God NEVER judges anybody  for others sins. We are responsible for  our own sin. 

Every baby conceived is a creation of  God. Does God create an evil heart  in a child? If He does that means He  predestinates every person to a sinful  life and God is responsible for sin!  

God is a Holy God who cannot sin and  Calvinism blasphemes the holiness of  the God of heaven! 

It is clear from Scripture that little  children are not sinful. Jesus said:  “their angels do always behold the  

face of my Father which is in heaven”  (Matt.18:10). 

and, 

“it is not the will of your Father which  is in heaven, that one of these little  ones should perish” (Matt.18:14). 

and, 

Suffer the little children to come  unto me for of such is the kingdom of  heaven” ((Matt.19:14).  

Did Paul Teach Total Depravity 

Paul certainly taught that we all sin and  John states that  

“if we say that we have no sin we  deceive ourselves and the truth is not  in us” (1John 1:8). Paul states: 

“All have sinned and come short of  the glory of God” (Rom.3:23). 

But did Paul teach that we inherit a  sinful nature from Adam? The verse  used by Calvinists to support this error  is Rom.5:19: 

“For as by one man’s disobedience  many were made sinners, so by the  obedience of one shall many be  made righteous”. 

If we interpret this to mean that  because Adam sinned every person has a depraved nature and incapable  of choosig salvation then we must  interpret the rest of the verse to mean  that because of the obedience of Christ  every person shall be made righteous!  That is universalism! It is abundantly  clear that Scripture does not teach  universalism. 

And what about Rom.5:12? 

“Wherefore, as by one man sin  entered into the world, and death by  sin; and so death passed upon all 

men, for that all have sinned” 

The result of Adam’s sin was that  death passed upon all men” and the  reason for that is because “all have  sinned”- by choice. If we never sinned  we would never die but “all have  sinned and come short of the glory of  God” (Rom 3:23). 

“The wages of sin is DEATH but the  gift of God is eternal life” (Rom.6:23). 

It is death that resulted from the fall in  Eden and not a depraved nature that  cannot choose salvation. 

Responsibility Requires Free Will 

From beginning to end the Bible  teaches that we are responsible for our  choices and actions. 

“The fathers shall not be put to  death for the children, neither shall  the children be put to death for the  fathers: every man shall be put to  death for his own sin.” (Deut.24:16)  Also 2Kings 14:6; 2Chron.25:4. 

If the children shall not be punished for  the sins of parents then neither can we  be punished for what Adam did. God  has made it abundantly clear that he  desires the salvation of all the wicked  and hopes that the wicked will choose  to turn from his wickedness. 

“As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have  no pleasure in the death of the  wicked; but that the wicked turn from  his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from  your evil ways; for why will ye die, O  house of Israel?” (Ezek.33:11). 

God is a loving God who is longsuffering  not willing that any should perish but  that all should come to repentance.  Calvinism blasphemes the love of God! 

The result of Adam’s sin is that we all  die, not that we are made sinners..  Adam had a free will and was sinless  until he sinned. Little children created  by a holy God are sinless until they  exercise their free will and sin. Sadly  we all sin but though we inherit Adam’s  nature we are not sinners until we sin  by choice. 

After we become sinners by choice we  are separated from God and our nature  is prone to evil. Just as Adam tried to  justify himself when God challenged  him – he blamed Eve. God said  “Because thou hast hearkened unto  the voice of thy wife” so he was driven  out of Eden. 

Sin is a free-will action – not a character  trait. 

Ephraim the Syrian writing about  AD350 on the free will stated that  those who deny free will are placing  the blame on God for all the sin in the  world. That’s what Calvinism does!!!!!  

Angels are Also Responsible 

God didn’t create evil angels. They  became evil by CHOICE. Everything  God created is perfect and VERY  GOOD. So children in the womb are  VERY GOOD and NOT sinful. God said  to Satan: 

“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from  the day that thou wast created,  till iniquity was found in thee.” (Ezek.28:15) 

Why didn’t God provide salvation for  Satan and the Angels that sinned?  Because they sinned in the full  knowledge of God having dwelt in His  presence. Whereas Eve was deceived  and we sin often through ignorance. 

If a person repeatedly refuses the  entreaties of the Holy Spirit and is fully  enlightened then they “blaspheme the  Holy Spirit and for that sin Jesus said  there is no forgiveness, “neither in this  world neither in the world to come!” (Matt.12:32). 

God is longsuffering but His patience  does run out just as it did in days of  Noah when He said: 

“My spirit shall not always strive with  man, for that he also is flesh: yet his  days shall be an hundred and twenty  years” (Gen.6:3). 

Thus we read in Isa.55:6-7: 

Seek ye the LORD while he may  be found, call ye upon him while he  is near: Let the wicked forsake his  way, and the unrighteous man his  thoughts: and let him return unto  the LORD, and he will have mercy  upon him; and to our God, for he will  abundantly pardon.” 

God will not always be found. In the  coming great Tribulation there will  be “strong delusion” and intense  persecution of all who heed the Gospel  of the Kingdom preached by 144,000  Jews. When these are martyred, God  will send and angel to proclaim the  everlasting Gospel, warning men that  if they accept the mark of the Beast  (Antichrist) they will seal their doom  for eternity in the lake of fire. Why  would God bother to warn men if He  has already elected some to be saved  and some to be lost? 

The Process of Salvation 

When old enough we CHOOSE TO  SIN and the older we get the more we  choose to sin until we are saved by  Grace through Faith in Christ. Then  

God gives us a New Heart Eze.36:26.  But we as believers still have FREE  WILL. 

Therefore, though justified by the  merits of Christ we can still choose to  sin. The body is prone to temptation in  this world and we look forward to the  day when we will have the “redemption  of the body” ie resurrection. Rom.8:23 

We are tempted by our natural  inclinations and desires of the body  (the flesh), by the world and by the  Devil. But ALWAYS the CHOICE IS  OURS. 

Calvinists think that if we contradict  the Reformers we must be condemned.  But if I have to obey the Reformers  then I should hate the Jews and burn  heretics. The reformers were anti 

Semitic and their teaching was used to  justify the Holocaust! 

Our authority is the Word of God  ALONE and we must refuse to accept  commonly held errors just because so  called “great men” held those views.  

Sadly the Reformation only came part  way from Catholicism. The Reformers  released the Bible to the people and  preached grace instead of works but  got little else right. 

We thank God for what they did get right  but refuse to follow them in the things  they failed to get right – otherwise  we should still be sprinkling babies  and burning anyone who practiced  believer’s baptism.