The Martyrdom Of Saint Polycarp, Bishop Of Smyrna

CHAPTER 0

1 The church of God which sojourneth in Smyrna, to the church of God that sojourneth in Philomelia, and to all the settlements of the Holy Church in every place, mercy, peace, and love from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied unto you.

CHAPTER 1

1:1 We have written unto you, brethren, the things respecting those who were martyred, and concerning the blessed Polycarp, who made the persecution to cease, having as it were set his seal to it by his testimony. For almost all the things that went before happened in order that the Lord might show us from above the testimony that is according to the gospel;

1:2 for he endured to be betrayed, even as did the Lord, that we might become imitators of him, not as considering the things that concern ourselves only, but also the things that concern our neighbours; for it belongeth to true and firm love not only to desire to be saved itself, but also that all the brethren should be saved.

CHAPTER 2

2:1 Blessed, therefore, and noble are all the testimonies that happened according to the will of God, for it is right that we should be the more careful, and should ascribe unto God the authority over all things.

2:2 For who would not admire their nobility and endurance and obedience? who, though they were torn with stripes so that the internal arrangement of their flesh became evident even as far as the veins and arteries within, endured it, so that even the bystanders compassionated them and bemoaned them; and that others even arrived at such a pitch of nobility that none of them would either sob or groan, showing all of us that in that hour the martyrs of Christ departed being tortured in the flesh, or rather that the Lord, standing by, associated himself with them.

2:3 And applying themselves to the grace of Christ, they despised the torture of this world, purchasing by the endurance of a single hour remission from eternal punishment; and the fire of their harsh tormentors was cold to them, for they had before their eyes to escape the eternal and never-quenched fire; and with the eyes of their heart they looked up to the good things that are reserved for those that endure, which neither hath ear heard, nor eye seen, nor hath it entered into the heart of man; but which were shown by the Lord unto them, who were no longer men, but already angels.

2:4 And in like manner they who had been condemned to the wild beasts endured dreadful punishments, lying upon beds of prickles, and punished with various other tortures, in order that, if it were possible, the tyrant might turn them by assiduous punishment to a denial of the faith.

CHAPTER 3

3:1 For the devil contrived many things against them, but thanks be unto God, for he prevailed not against all. For the most noble Germanicus strengthened their cowardice through the patience that was in him, who also in a notable way fought against wild beasts. For when the proconsul would have persuaded him, charging him to have compassion on his youth, he drew upon himself the wild beast by force, wishing to be the sooner freed from their unjust and lawless life.

3:2 From this, therefore, all the multitude, wondering at the nobleness of the God-loving and God-fearing race of Christians, called out, Away with the Atheists; let Polycarp be sought for.

CHAPTER 4

4:1 But a certain man named Quintus, a Phrygian, who had newly come from Phrygia, when he saw the wild beasts, became afraid. This was he who constrained himself and others to come in of their own accord. This man, the proconsul, with much importunity, persuaded to swear and to sacrifice. On this account, brethren, we praise not them that give themselves up, since the gospel doth not so teach.

CHAPTER 5

5:1 But the most admirable Polycarp at the first, when he heard these things, was not disturbed, but desired to remain in the city. But the majority persuaded him to withdraw secretly; and he departed secretly to a villa not far from the city, and remained there with a few men, doing no other thing either by night or day but pray concerning all men, and for the churches that are in the world, as was his custom;

5:2 and as he prayed he fell into a trance three days before he was taken, and saw his pillow burning with fire, and he turned and said prophetically to those who were with him, I must be burned alive.

CHAPTER 6

6:1 And when those who sought him continued in the pursuit, he departed unto another villa, and straightway they who sought him came up. And when they found him not, they apprehended two lads, of whom the one, when put to the torture, confessed.

6:2 For it was impossible for him to escape their notice, since they who betrayed him were of his own household. For the Eirenarchus, which is the same office as Cleronomus, Herodes by name, hasted to bring him into the arena, that he indeed might fulfil his proper lot, by becoming a partaker of Christ, and that they who betrayed him might undergo the same punishment as Judas.

CHAPTER 7

7:1 Having, therefore, with them the lad, on the day of the preparation, at the hour of dinner, there came out pursuers and horsemen, with their accustomed arms, as though going out against a thief. And having departed together late in the evening, they found him lying in a certain house, in an upper chamber. And he might have departed from thence unto another place, but was unwilling, saying, The will of the Lord be done.

7:2 And when he heard that they were present, he descended and talked with them. And they who were present wondered at the vigour of his age and his soundness of body, and that they had had to use so much trouble to capture so old a man. He straightway commanded that meat and drink should be set before them at that hour, as much as they wished, and asked them to grant him an hour to pray without molestation.

7:3 And when they suffered him, he stood and prayed, being full of the grace of God, so that he could not be silent for two hours, and they that heard him were astonished, and many repented that they had come against so divine an old man.

CHAPTER 8

8:1 And when he had finished his prayer, having made mention of all who had at any time come into contact with him, both small and great, noble and ignoble, and of the whole Church throughout the world, when the hour of his departure had come, having seated him on an ass, they led him into the city, it being the great Sabbath.

8:2 And the Eirenarch Herodes and his father Nicetes met him in a chariot, who, having transferred him into their car, seating themselves beside him, would have persuaded him, saying, What is the harm to say, Caesar, Caesar, and to sacrifice, and to do such like things, and thus to be saved? But he at the first did not answer them; but when they persisted, he said, I will not do that which ye advise me.

8:3 But they, when they had failed to persuade him, said unto him dreadful words, and thrust him with such haste from the chariot that in descending from the car he grazed his shin. And paying no attention to it, as though he had suffered nothing, he proceeded zealously and with eagerness, being led to the arena, there being such a noise in the arena that no one could even be heard.

CHAPTER 9

9:1 But to Polycarp, as he entered the arena, there came a voice from heaven, saying, Be strong, and play the man, O Polycarp. And the speaker no man saw; but the voice those of our people who were present heard. And when he was brought in there was a great tumult, when men heard that Polycarp was apprehended.

9:2 Then, when he had been brought in, the proconsul asked him if he was Polycarp. And when he confessed, he would have persuaded him to deny, saying, Have respect unto thine age, and other things like these, as is their custom to say: Swear by the fortunes of Caesar; Repent; Say, Away with the Atheists. But Polycarp, when he had looked with a grave face at all the multitude of lawless heathen in the arena, having beckoned unto them with his hand, sighed, and looking up unto heaven, said, Away with the Atheists!

9:3 And when the proconsul pressed him, and said, Swear, and I will release thee, revile Christ; Polycarp said, Eighty and six years have I served him, and in nothing hath he wronged me; and how, then, can I blaspheme my King, who saved me?

CHAPTER 10

10:1 But when he again persisted, and said, Swear by the fortune of Caesar, he answered, If thou art vainly confident that I shall swear by the fortune of Caesar, as thou suggestest, and pretendest to be ignorant of me who I am, hear distinctly, I am a Christian. But if thou desirest to learn the scheme of Christianity, give me a day to speak, and hearken unto me.

10:2 The proconsul said, Persuade the people. But Polycarp said, I have thought thee indeed worthy to receive explanation, for we have been taught to render such honour as is fitting, and as does not injure us, to the powers and authorities ordained by God; but those I consider not worthy that I should make my defence before them.

CHAPTER 11

11:1 But the proconsul said unto him, I have wild beasts; I will deliver thee unto them, unless thou repentest. But he said, Call them, for repentance from the better to the worse is impossible for us; but it is a good thing to change from evil deeds to just ones.

11:2 But he said again unto him, I will cause thee to be consumed by fire if thou despisest the wild beasts, unless thou repentest. But Polycarp said, Thou threatenest me with fire that burneth but for a season, and is soon quenched. For thou art ignorant of the fire of the judgment to come, and of the eternal punishment reserved for the wicked. But why delayest thou? Bring whatever thou wishest.

CHAPTER 12

12:1 While he was saying these and more things, he was filled with courage and joy, and his face was filled with grace; so that he not only was not troubled and confused by the things said unto him, but, on the contrary, the proconsul was astonished, and sent his herald into the midst of the arena to proclaim a third time: Polycarp has confessed himself to be a Christian.

12:2 When this had been said by the herald, the whole multitude, both of Gentiles and Jews, that inhabit Smyrna, with irrestrainable anger and a loud voice, called out, This is the teacher of impiety, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of your gods, who teacheth many neither to sacrifice nor to worship the gods. Saying these things, they shouted out, and asked the Asiarch Philip to let loose a lion at Polycarp. But Philip replied that it was not lawful for him to do so, since he had finished the exhibition of wild beasts.

12:3 Then it seemed good unto them to shout with one voice that Polycarp should be burnt alive; for it was necessary that the vision that appeared unto him on his pillow should be fulfilled, when seeing it burning, he prayed, and said prophetically, turning to the faithful who were with him, I must be burnt alive.

CHAPTER 13

13:1 These things, therefore, happened with so great rapidity, that they took less time than the narration, the multitude quickly collecting logs and brushwood from the workshops and baths, the Jews especially lending their services zealously for this purpose, as is their custom.

13:2 But when the pyre was ready, having put off all his garments, and having loosed his girdle, he essayed to take off his shoes; not being in the habit of doing this previously, because each of the faithful used to strive which should be the first to touch his body, for, on account of his good conversation, he was, even before his martyrdom, adorned with every good gift.

13:3 Straightway, therefore, there were put around him the implements prepared for the pyre. And when they were about besides to nail him to it, he said, Suffer me thus, for he who gave me to abide the fire will also allow me, without the security of your nails, to remain on the pyre without moving.

CHAPTER 14

14:1 They, therefore, did not nail him, but bound him. But he, having placed his hands behind him, and being bound, like a notable ram appointed for offering out of a great flock, prepared as a whole burnt-offering acceptable unto God, having looked up unto heaven, said, O Lord God Almighty, Father of thy beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received our knowledge concerning thee, the God of angels and powers, and of the whole creation, and of all the race of the just who lived before thee,

14:2 I thank thee that thou hast deemed me worthy of this day and hour, that I should have my portion in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, unto the resurrection of eternal life, both of the soul and body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. Among these may I be received before thee this day as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, even as thou hast prepared and made manifest beforehand, and hast fulfilled, thou who art the unerring and true God.

14:3 On this account, and concerning all things, I praise thee, I bless thee, I glorify thee, together with the eternal and heavenly Jesus Christ thy beloved Son, with whom to thee and the Holy Spirit be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

CHAPTER 15

15:1 And when he had uttered the Amen, and had finished his prayer, the men who superintended the fire kindled it. And a great flame breaking out, we, to whom it was given to see, saw a great wonder; for to this end also were we preserved, that we might announce what happened to the rest of mankind.

15:2 For the fire, assuming the form of a vault, like the sail of a vessel filled with the wind, defended the body of the martyr roundabout; and it was in the midst of the flame not like flesh burning, but like bread being baked, or like gold and silver glowing in the furnace. And we perceived such a sweet-smelling savour, as though from the breath of incense, or some other precious perfume.

CHAPTER 16

16:1 At last these wicked men, perceiving that his body could not be consumed by the fire, commanded the slaughterer to come near and plunge in a sword. And when he had done this, there came out a dove and an abundance of blood, so that it quenched the fire, and all the multitude wondered that there was such a difference between the unbelievers and the elect.

16:2 Of whom this most admirable martyr Polycarp was one, having been in our time an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and bishop of the Church of God which is in Smyrna. For every word which he uttered from his mouth both hath been fulfilled, and shall be fulfilled.

CHAPTER 17

17:1 But the evil one, who is the opponent and envier, who is the enemy to the race of men, beholding both the greatness of his testimony and his conversation blameless from the beginning, how he was crowned with a crown of immortality, and how he carried off a prize that could not be spoken against, contrived that not even a relic of him should be taken by us, though many desired to do this, and to communicate with his holy flesh.

17:2 He suborned, therefore, Nicetes, the father of Herodes, and the brother of Alce, to make interest with the governor so as not to give his body to the tomb, Lest, said he, they abandon the crucified and begin to worship this man. And these things they said at the suggestion and instance of the Jews, who also kept watch when we were about to take the body from the fire, not knowing that we shall never be able to abandon Christ, who suffered for the salvation of the whole world of those who are saved, the blameless on behalf of sinners, nor to worship any one else.

17:3 Him we adore as the Son of God; but the martyrs, as the disciples and imitators of the Lord, we love according to their deserts, on account of their incomparable love for their King and Teacher, with whom may it be our lot to be partners and fellow-disciples.

CHAPTER 18

18:1 Therefore, the centurion, seeing the strife that had risen among the Jews, placed the body in the midst of the fire and burned it.

18:2 Thus we, having afterwards taken up his bones, more valuable than precious stones, laid them where it was suitable.

18:3 There, so far as is allowed us, when we are gathered together in exultation and joy, the Lord will enable us to celebrate the birthday of the martyrs, both for the memory of those who have contended, and for the exercise and preparation of those to come.

CHAPTER 19

19:1 Such were the things that happened to the blessed Polycarp, who together with those from Philadelphia was the twelfth who suffered martyrdom in Smyrna; but he alone is held in memory by all, so that he is spoken of in every place even by the Gentiles; not only being a distinguished teacher, but also an eminent martyr, whose testimony we desire to imitate, since it happened according to the Gospel of Christ.

19:2 For having overcome by patience the unjust governor, and so having received the crown of immortality, rejoicing together with the apostles and all the just, he glorifieth God and the Father, and blesseth our Lord Jesus Christ the Saviour of our souls, and the pilot of our bodies, and the shepherd of the Church of God throughout the world.

CHAPTER 20

20:1 Ye therefore desired that the things that had happened should be shown unto you more at length; but we for the present have related them unto you briefly by means of our brother Marcus. Now do ye, when ye have read these things, send on the letter to the brethren who are further off, that they also may glorify the Lord, who is making a selection from among his own servants.

20:2 To him who is able to bring us all in, by his grace and gift, into his eternal kingdom, through his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ; to him be the glory, honour, strength, majesty for ever. Amen. Salute all the saints. They who are with us salute you, and Evarestus who wrote these things, and all his house.

CHAPTER 21

21:1 Now the blessed Polycarp was martyred on the second day of the month Xanthicus, on the twenty-fifth of April, on the great Sabbath, at the eighth hour. But he was apprehended by Herodes, when Philip of Tralles was high priest, Statius Quadratus being proconsul, and Jesus Christ king for ever, to whom be glory, honour, majesty, and eternal throne, from generation to generation. Amen.

CHAPTER 22

22:1 We pray, brethren, that you may fare well, walking by the word of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to God and the Father, and the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of the holy elect, even as the blessed Polycarp hath born witness, in whose steps may we be found in the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

22:2 These things have been transcribed by Gaius, from the manuscripts of Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, who also was a fellow-citizen to Irenaeus. But I, Socrates, made a copy in Corinth from the copies of Gaius. Grace be with you all.

22:3 But I, Pionius, afterwards copied them from the above written, having sought them out, after that the blessed Polycarp had made them manifest to me by a revelation, as I will show in what follows; having gathered them together, when they had already become almost obliterated by time, in order that the Lord Jesus Christ may gather me also together with his elect, unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.

A Question For My Beloved Calvinists

By David Servant

Those who have been reading with me through the New Testament chronologically—by means of our daily emailed devotional that we call HeavenWord Daily—know that I am not a Calvinist. In fact, practically every time we happen upon one of the many passages of Scripture that contradict the doctrines of Calvinism, I point it out. Consequently, I’ve pointed out scores of scriptures that illustrate where Calvinism deviates from biblical truth.

For readers who may not know what Calvinism is, let me briefly explain. Calvinists believe that, in eternity past, God sovereignly selected some people to be saved, and thus He also sovereignly selected everyone else to be damned. At a pre-determined point during the lifetimes of those who are allegedly pre-selected for salvation, God draws them irresistibly, and they are born again. Calvinists also believe, and understandably so, that Jesus did not die for the sins of everyone. Rather, He only died for those whom He allegedly predestined for salvation. Finally, because Calvinists believe that salvation does not depend on any person’s free will and only upon the sovereign decree and action of God, they also believe that no genuinely-saved person could possibly ever become unsaved. Once genuinely saved, people are guaranteed to be saved in the end, which is probably the most attractive element of Calvinism, and which may explain why some people readily embrace it. Once a person is convinced that he has been sovereignly pre-selected for salvation, he knows he has salvation “in the bag.”

I would like to offer some food for thought for Calvinists, ending with a challenge, and at the same time fortify non-Calvinists from being persuaded by some common Calvinist arguments. First, however, let me express my love for Calvinists who are following Christ. I know some very, very fine Christians who are Calvinists. In fact, I’ve lately found myself debating, via email, some Christian friends of the highest caliber who have recently embraced Calvinism. I believe that it is love that is motivating me, otherwise, I wouldn’t spend my time debating them, as I do have plenty of other things to do. It really doesn’t make any difference to me personally what they (or you) believe. I’m just hoping to persuade them to abandon part of their theology.

The God Who Draws
Calvinists believe that unregenerate people are so depraved that, left to themselves, they would never repent, believe and follow Jesus. And they are absolutely correct on that point. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). Contrary to what some Calvinist theologians try to tell us, however, the word “draw” doesn’t actually mean “drag” in the Greek language, and a Greek lexicon will reveal that. And if God “draws” people, that clearly indicates that people have a say in the matter of whether or not they will yield to His drawing. Thus, Christ not only affirmed that our salvation requires the work of God’s grace from the very start—due to our depravity and our consequent need for God’s drawing—but He also affirmed that each person will use his or her God-given ability to either resist or not resist God’s gracious drawing.

Of course, as I’ve already stated, Calvinists believe that God draws only those whom He has allegedly predestined, and that He draws them so strongly that they can’t resist. He supposedly draws them “irresistibly.” Non-Calvinists, on the other hand, believe that God could draw people irresistibly, but that He doesn’t. If He did, those who are irresistibly drawn, having no choice in the matter, would be virtual robots, and it could hardly be said that they love God, as love is predicated on free choice. One wonders what God would desire or gain with a group of robots. Try recording your own voice on your answering machine saying, “I love you, I love you, I love you!” Then call your phone number and see how much your recorded message warms your heart. That is surely how God would feel with a group of irresistibly-drawn robots. It could hardly be said that they have a relationship with Him.

Non-Calvinists see the Bible as a book about people who resist God’s drawing. The Old Testament, in particular, is a story of people who resisted Him, and most of them, as descendants of Israel, were specially chosen by Him. They were chosen by Him yet they resisted Him. And when God sent His Son into the world “that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17, as so declared the Son) the majority whom He came to save rejected Him. And regarding the specially-chosen ones, the descendants of Israel, Scripture laments, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Even the spiritual leaders and Bible students among those specially-chosen people, for the most part, resisted Him. Luke writes that “the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John” (Luke 7:30). So people whom God draws, whom He wants to save, resist Him, and forfeit what could have been theirs.

Calvinists sometimes point out special people in the Bible, like the apostle Paul, who certainly had a strong drawing from God the day he came to Christ. But because Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus by a blinding light, does that prove his own will had no part to play in his salvation? Could he have ignored his experience and continued with his plan to persecute Christians? Of course he could have. And was there no possibility that Paul, who certainly believed (and perhaps wrote) that everyone who hopes to see the Lord must “pursue the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 13:5), might not have pursued that holiness and thus not seen the Lord? Or was he a holy robot, guaranteed salvation no matter what he did? Do his words, “But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27), indicate that Paul believed he had salvation “in the bag” since he was “irresistibly” drawn? Obviously not.

May I also point out that God’s very strong drawing of Paul is not typical, and so it can’t rightly serve as a typical example of how God generally deals with people. Moreover, God’s strong drawing of Paul was a manifestation of God’s drawing of you, me, and everyone else who ever heard Paul’s words quoted in the gospel. God didn’t strongly draw Paul just for Paul’s sake, but to draw you as well! Moreover, Paul believed he was specially singled out by God because he was the foremost sinner, so that “Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Tim. 1:16). That is, God wanted every sinner to have hope because of His great mercy towards Paul. Thus Paul’s special drawing does not buttress the idea of God’s alleged pre-selection of a few; rather, it affirms God’s universal love and mercy offered to every sinner.

“But how can a impotent man resist the omnipotent God?” Calvinists ask. Obviously little people can resist a big God if He permits them to resist Him. I was once pinned to the floor by my four-year-old son as we “wrestled.” And are we to think that God has no control over His drawing power, and that He only has one power setting—”full power”? A God who can’t control His power is not all-powerful.

Grace Redefined

One of the most common arguments that Calvinists use revolves around a unique definition of grace. “If people are saved ‘by grace alone,’” they say, “then people cannot play any part in their salvation. Salvation must be 100% the work of God if it is truly salvation by grace.” Calvinists have even labeled their distinctive doctrines as “the doctrines of grace,” as if no one else holds to a theology of grace. That label is somewhat insulting to those of us who believe that salvation is by grace alone yet who do not subscribe to the doctrines of Calvinism. Calvinism’s distinctive doctrines could be better called “the doctrines of damnation,” because they promise damnation to the majority of people. God offers no grace and no hope of salvation for them, as they are doomed from before they were born to an eternal hell.

Calvinists believe that God could have saved everyone just as easily as He saved those whom He allegedly predestined for salvation, but He was pleased to save only a small minority of those whom He created in His image. The rest He was pleased to foreordain to hell. We cannot help but ask, “If God is love, what kind of love is that?” John Wesley, founder of the Methodists, answered, “That is the kind of ‘love’ that makes one’s blood run cold.”

Does salvation by grace require that human beings play no part in their salvation? Imagine if I were bankrupt, but someone paid my debts and gave me a fresh start by means of a million-dollar check and some great business advice. Would you say that my financial recovery was not “by grace alone” because I had to deposit the million-dollar check into my bank account in order to enjoy the benefit of my benefactor’s kindness? Of course not. So if such logic would be considered absurd by anyone and everyone, why is the same logic, when applied to salvation, swallowed by Calvinists? Why do Calvinists accuse non-Calvinists of not having a gospel of grace simply because we maintain that those who are saved are those who, as the Bible teaches, don’t resist God’s gracious drawing? If you accept a birthday gift, is that a “work” that lessens the grace of the giver?

Calvinist logic that sets grace against human response is not a logic that can be supported by any scripture. There are no verses in the Bible that tell us that if salvation is of grace, then human free will plays no part in the salvation process. Rather, the Bible affirms that salvation is all of grace and also affirms that those who are saved are those who, by their own wills, do not resist God’s gracious drawing. Calvinists elevate human reasoning above Scripture’s revelation, making God’s grace and human responsibility mutually exclusive concepts, while the Bible makes them mutually inclusive.

Applying the same kind of human logic, we could claim that, because salvation is by grace alone and human responsibility plays no part, Christians can sin all they want without eternal consequences. Yet the same Bible that affirms salvation is by grace also affirms that the unrighteous, including fornicators, adulterers, idolaters, homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards and swindlers “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10). Does your will have anything to do with your not committing adultery or stealing? If your answer is “yes,” then you have just admitted that your will plays a part in whether or not you will inherit eternal life.

Salvation is by grace from beginning to end. God graciously draws everyone in the world by means of His creation and their God-given consciences. He awes them and convicts them. He expects every person whom He so draws to seek Him (Acts 7:26-27). Those who do seek Him do so only because of His gracious initiative. And Jesus promised that those who seek will find (Matt. 7:7-8). Scripture affirms that God “is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). If people are incapable of seeking God, as some claim, then we would have to wonder why the Bible says otherwise.

God also draws most people on planet earth by means of calamities, as they suffer His temporal wrath, which is a loving warning of His eternal wrath. Some God draws through dreams and visions, and He draws everyone who hears the gospel through the gospel. You can be certain that the God who so loved the world that He gave His only Son will do whatever it takes to get the gospel to anyone who responds to His drawing through creation, conscience or calamities. He is not limited.

A Question and a Challenge

There is much more that can be said on this subject, and I have written much more here. But let me close with a question and a challenge to any Calvinist or those considering Calvinism.

God has revealed Himself in Scripture through Jesus Christ as a God of love who offers salvation to “whosoever will” (John 3:16). Yet Calvinism has created a God who could very easily save all, but who is pleased to save only a few, and He is thus pleased to eternally damn billions of people whom He could have easily saved. Dear Calvinist, are you pleased, as God supposedly is, that the majority of people are divinely foreordained to go to hell forever, having been given no opportunity for saving mercy from Him? If you are not pleased about that, then you are not pleased about something that pleases your God, and that makes you a rebel against Him. It also makes you His judge.

On the other hand, if you are pleased that God is pleased to eternally damn hundreds of millions of people whom He could have easily saved, then you are a very sick person, and everyone would agree with that, including yourself. So why are you not repulsed by something allegedly within God’s character that would repulse you if it characterized yourself, or anyone else? That is my question.

If people are “unconditonally elected,” that means God has not chosen your children or your grandchildren for salvation by virtue of the fact that He has chosen you for salvation, otherwise their election would be conditional, not unconditional. If you are a Calvinist, you must face up to the fact that there is a very good possibility that God has chosen your children and/or grandchildren for eternal damnation. Your God may be pleased to offer your children no opportunity for mercy or salvation. They may be unchangeably predestined for hell regardless of anything that you do.

So here is my challenge: When your children or grandchildren are old enough to be taught about God, I challenge you and your spouse to tell them the terrible truths of Calvinism and then watch their spiritual progress over the ensuing years. Tell them what you believe about God:

Little Johnny, God has predestined the minority of people to be saved and go to heaven forever, and He has predestined the majority of people to be eternally damned and burn in the fires of hell. We have no idea, little Johnny, if God has predestined you to be forever damned or forever saved. We love you, little Johnny, but we accept the fact that God might not love you, and that He may have plans to send you to hell for your future sins. If you do find yourself one day burning in hell because He hasn’t elected to save you, just remember that we will always love you, even if God hates you. Take comfort knowing that we are not like God.

We will be in heaven forever only because we were unconditionally chosen for salvation before we were born. That would be the only reason that we won’t be in hell with you if you find yourself there. It won’t be because of anything we did. So also take comfort in knowing that. It may not seem fair, but who are we to judge God? So again, if you find yourself in hell, remember that we will always love you as we forever worship the God who loved us but who hated you, the God who sent His Son to die for us but not for you. Please, we ask, don’t let it bother you—if you find yourself in hell—that we love the God who hated you and showed you no mercy. We must accept the fact that God is sovereign, and He does what He pleases.

My dear beloved Calvinist, will you teach that to your children or grandchildren? I suspect that your answer will be “never.” But why not? Why would you ever hide the wonderful “doctrines of grace,” the “Bible truth,” from your own children or grandchildren?

And would you be angry with me if I told your children or grandchildren what you believe to be false? Would you be upset with me if I told them that Jesus undoubtably died for them, undoubtably loves them, is undoubtably drawing them, and will undoubtably forgive and cleanse them if they yield to His drawing, at which time He would grant them the gifts of repentance and faith? If not, then why are you a Calvinist?

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).

For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all (Rom. 11:32).

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:3-4).

We have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers (1 Tim. 4:10).

He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world (1 John 2:2).

WH Spokeswoman Anita Dunn: ‘Mao Tse Tung is My Favorite Political Philosopher’

Over the past 10 months of Barack Obama’s presidency we have seen many new people added to the members of the White House. The vast majority of these new people, put into place by President Obama, have Marxist or Communist ties of some sort. A number of them are open about it, being members of revolutionary groups and citing known Communists or Marxists in speeches in the recent past. And others are a little more hidden, being uncovered by past remarks, friends, associates, and writings that were never made well known. Is this purely a coincidence? I honestly do not think that is the case. It is proven time and again through history that you are who your friends are, and you usually hold many of the same views as the company you keep. Why would President Obama put into power so many people with one common factor? I’m sure you already know the answer.

Here is the latest reveal of yet another White House authority, Anita Dunn, the communication’s director. She stated that Mao Tse Tung (a mass murderer responsible for more deaths than Hitler) was one of her favorite political philosophers, one that she turns to the most. And she directly quoted him while giving a speech to an audience of high school students. (video below)

Is it any surprise now that, with Ms. Dunn being the communication’s director, of the White House communication’s staff is now plotting a more aggressive way to deal with news stories that they find unflattering? Not at all, she is not the first in the Obama administration to attack free speech. But she is on the rampage. She told Time Magazine this week, “that she and her team were no longer going to “just sit back and defend ourselves, because [conservative media] will say anything. They will take any small thing and distort it.” She also said in a telephone interview as reported by NYTimes, “We’re going to treat them the way we would treat an opponent.”

We can clearly see, that Anita Dunn is like a child who has been caught steeling. She is kicking and screaming, trying to point the finger at anyone but herself. In this case, she is pointing at the one’s who have called her out, the conservative media. This is a normal liberal tactic to divert attention from their agenda. But the video of Ms. Dunn, like the many videos of other White House authorities, shows that there is no distortion, only the facts. And the facts are, the people being put into power in the Obama administration are heavily relying on and favoring Marxist and Communist tactics and policy.

Media Duped by Nobel Prize Prank

The Patriot Post: Wait, it’s not a hoax? Are they serious? Early Friday morning, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Barack Obama would receive a consolation prize for losing out on the 2016 Olympics — namely the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

Here in our humble editorial shop, our first reaction was, naturally, to spew coffee on our keyboards. Our second reaction was to wonder, For what? There’s been no signing of peace treaties, no ending of wars, no stopping of nuclear proliferation. Obama hasn’t stood up for human rights in China, hasn’t denounced the oppression of women in the Muslim world, hasn’t stared down brutal dictators such as Castro, Chavez, Kim and Ahmadinejad. Again, we ask: For what?

The Nobel Committee explains that it was “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” and the fact that he has “created a new climate in international politics.” Didn’t Al Gore get the award two years ago for seeking to stop climate change?

Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Committee, gushed, “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future.” In other words, it was the Nobel Prize for Narcissism. Unfortunately, the committee did not pass out barf bags prior to the announcement.

Apparently, the fact that the community organizer took up residence in the White House less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline was not as important to the committee as being able to give a slap in the face to his resolute predecessor, George W. Bush. It certainly sends a message against actually winning in Afghanistan.

The president joins other you’ve-got-to-be-kidding winners Jimmy Carter, who is largely responsible for present-day Iran, Gore, who does nothing but scare people about global warming, and Palestinian terrorist Yasser Arafat, who assumed room temperature in 2004. Obama’s win is one more sign that the award has long since jumped the shark.