What the Early Christians Believed About Predestination and Free Will

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The theological battles between the Calvinists and Arminians - that is, between those who believe in predestination and those who believe in free will - is quite well known to students of theology. But in which camp, if any, did the early Christians fall? The historical witness on this matter is quite clear.

[@johnrae7994]

wow this blows calvinism to bits tks a million

[@p1xMU51c]

Appreciated this message (and many others). Now, if only I could find a church that holds to and teaches these things!

[@mitchelljenkins7441]

Gotta agree with others, this really hits calvinism in the gut. Thank you for such good enlightenment on this. BIBLE FIRST in all questions.

[@rohi2000]

So appreciate the website and your choice to post these messages....thank you!

[@ScrollPublishing]

Thanks so much for your kind comment. Scroll Publishing is a not for profit publisher. These messages were formerly sold on their website but are now available to the public through annual donations. Please consider sharing.

[@billylallen2662]

Scroll Publishing We are sharing it in a some Facebook discussion groups. thank you for making it available.

[@warrenmcgrew8129]

Great info presented here. Not sure I support the example of the football game as it would imply God is simply a viewer of events and thus a prisoner of time and unable to interject Himself into them. But absolutely appreciate the attempt and the info presented here. The fatalistic determinism of such philosophies as Calvinism is clearly shown to be a rather modern deviation from the truth.

[@granthollandvideos]

This is why you can represent your view point as TRADITIONALIST, not palagium or ArminiuN, or all the labels the cult view of Calvin would put on you. People who follow free will are rightly called traditionalists...

[@suzanneirwin8447]

I do agree with your position and I really appreciate the study and research you present. I have listened to your teachings more than once. I have also listened to other teachers debate predestination, election and eternal security etc. and I am giving it all a lot of thought. Many of my believing friends have a more Calvinistic bent although they are not forceful in it. Their position had challenged me to think...a Iot. I do have a question about something that does puzzle me. How do you explain Paul's conversion as it appears he did not have a chose? I do hope you see my post as I respect your thoughts? God bless

[@raymondgandee52]

Saul aka Paul had chosen to be very zealous in his worship and honoring of GOD but he was doing it with the traditions of the Pharisees. Paul sincerely thought he was honoring GOD by killing Christians. When Jesus appeared to Paul, his whole world was turned upside down! After his conversion, Paul began serving Jesus with that same determination and zeal that he had been serving those manmade traditions. Paul had chosen, that even, his last breath would glorify Jesus.

[@demcdoug]

What did they believe about those who fall away and then returned ...put their hand to the plow, and turned back, so to speak? Is it only those who live faithfully until the end that are welcome?

[@dorismahoney1440]

Football game- weather, health training, many yhings affect the game. Just because a player wants to win and does his best it doesn't mean he will. We must depend on God to help us.

[@urawesome4670]

There is a difference between foresee and foreknew. There is also a difference between believing the gospel based on the flesh which profits nothing vs believing as a result of the redemptive work of Christ. Luke and Paul definitely believed we are completely dependent upon God to believe (again flesh profits nothing like Jesus said).

[@ravissary79]

On it being Arbitrary. Does anyone have a source from the Reformers about election being arbitrary? I understand the terms well enough to know this is being taught, but in a debate with a Calvinist brother, he emphatically denied that Calvinism teaches election is arbitrary.

[@yllowbird]

Actually, Calvinists don't believe God chooses without reason but his reason for choosing has nothing to do with MAN. This means that his choosing is not based on any known REASON which we may know. I used to be a Calvinist.

[@granthollandvideos]

So it would then be right to say that from our side it would be arbitrary. In this way Calvinists again appeal to the gnostic god. An unknowable god, who is beyond knowing, except for his emanations, of which Jehovah, our creator was unfortunately a little skew, and contained evil inside him, again Calvin's contention,, that Evil comes from God. Not that he has control or allows it, but that it is willed and intended by him.. Truly a different god. But we can trace Calvin's beliefs historically to this Satanic belief, in that Augustine was a gnostic monk. As a gnostic he was infatuated with an elect without choice, a belief that god willed for us. He did not give these heresies up when he "converted". Yet the bible says that if we do not receive with the heat, IE, our desire, intention and motive by will, we are not saved. It is also according to Christian judgement, that if we have received freely, yet shut the door to others and teach that they may not receive , we will receive that judgment. Can there be a more horrific doctrine than Calvin's, as shown by the fruit of his life in Geneva