• Robert R. Higby

    Who are the Least of Christ's Brethren? 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 09-06-2011 01:33 PM
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    Liberation Theology teachers and politicians of the ‘religious left’ quote Mt. 25:31-40 more than any other passage of scripture. It is also a major favorite of works-mongering Papists and cults. A life dedicated to caring for the poor by supporting government re-distribution of wealth--this is proudly cited as a sure and certain ticket of entry to the ‘pearly gates’. Those who do not support government redistribution from the wealthy to the poor are cited as those whom Christ will most assuredly reject. Prodigious giving to the poor in general and even taking vows of poverty—traditional Churchmen and statesmen have always promoted these as the greatest of human virtues. Politicians and reverends have always been united in their programs of implementing forced social redistribution. But it is not the honor of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ that motivates their contempt of personal financial liberty. Neither is it any real concern for the poor. It is the lust for personal power and control over the masses that lies behind it all. No one exemplified this power mongering more than Judas, who claimed respect for the poor as the motive in denying Mary the liberty to spend money according to her God-given wisdom. He actually wanted to siphon some of the money into his own account. Even so, the governors and spiritual sages of each generation scheme to gain money and power through guilt manipulation regarding the poor. This results in the gain of power to confiscate wealth for personal profit, while apportioning some to the poor to deceive those who cannot discern their real motives.
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    In Defense of SEA TULIP Gospel Predestination: Part 3: The Active Decree of God 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 01-22-2011 11:10 PM
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    Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Isaiah 46:9-11

    I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. Isaiah 45:7

    Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? Amos 3:6

    For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Col. 1:16,17
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    The 400 Year Reign of the Baptist Popes 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 11-07-2010 06:52 PM
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    The Protestant movement arose in the early 16th century as an attempt to overthrow centuries of corruption and false doctrine in the Roman Catholic church. The heart and soul of the Protestant Reformation focused on a revival of Pauline soteriology, in opposition to the Papal doctrine of justification before God achieved by means of inner transformation--communicated in the clergy-administered church sacraments. The leaders of Protestantism have never acknowledged that the entire system of Roman soteriology was invented and expounded by Augustine of Hippo. There is instead an insistence that Augustinian theology is the very basis of the Reformation. Gus is alleged by Reformed teachers to espouse justification exclusively by the free grace of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
    "His doctrine of the Church he had received whole from his predecessors, and he gave it merely the precision and vitality which insured its persistence . . . The problem which Augustine bequeathed to the Church for solution, the Church required a thousand years to solve. But even so, it is Augustine who gave us the Reformation. For the Reformation, inwardly considered, was just the ultimate triumph of Augustine's doctrine of grace over Augustine's doctrine of the church." Benjamin Warfield, Studies in Tertullian and Augustine (Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, 1991 reprint, p. 130).
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    In Defense of SEA TULIP Gospel Predestination : Part 2: Eternal Justification 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 09-13-2010 02:53 PM
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    In Defense of SEA TULIP Gospel Predestination : Part 2: Eternal Justification

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. Eph. 1:3-10, NKJV
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    In Defense of SEA TULIP Gospel Predestination : Introduction and Part 1: Supralapsarianism 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 08-16-2010 10:19 AM
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    An eight part series defending each point of SEA TULIP.

    Introduction and Part 1: Supralapsarianism

    Introduction


    This article will defend the necessity of a broader confessional basis for gospel predestination than what is commonly defined in the five points of Calvinism. TULIP Calvinism was formulated in response to the 1610 five articles of the Remonstrants, who were followers of Jacob Arminius. At the time of its assembly, when the Synod of Dort formulated TULIP, the issue of counteracting the five articles was paramount to continuing any semblance of a Reformation. Though the Synod of Dort resulted in a major advance in gospel truth at the time of its occurrence, the pertinence of those gains was later destroyed through the rise of evangelicalism under the immensely popular teaching of Andrew Fuller. A tongue-in-cheek confession of the 5 points still remains today. But for centuries Reformed Calvinists have shunned any doctrine of absolute, positive, double, and causative predestination. Arminians are embraced as full brethren in Christ and fellow evangelicals. ...
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    Why Reductionist Five-point TULIP Calvinism is Bankrupt 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 06-02-2010 11:06 AM
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    Five-point TULIP Calvinism was formulated in response to the 1610 five articles of the Remonstrants, who were followers of Jacob Arminius. At the time of its assembly, when the Synod of Dort formulated TULIP, the issue of counteracting the five articles was paramount to continuing ANY semblance of a Reformation. The soteriology of the 16th century Reformation in essence counteracted the great apostasy prophesied by Paul conceived by the late 1st and 2nd century Church Fathers. For 14 centuries men in popular religious institutions called ‘Christian’ had attempted to destroy the pristine apostolic gospel.

    Though the Synod of Dort scored a huge victory for gospel truth at the time of its occurrence, the pertinence of what was achieved is mostly ignored today. The rise of evangelicalism under the immensely popular teaching of Andrew Fuller mostly destroyed the practical impact of the synod of Dort. Though a tongue-in-cheek confession of the correctness of the 5 points still remains, for centuries Reformed Calvinists have shunned any doctrine of absolute, positive, double, and causative predestination of all events. In reality the Reformed churches hate such teachings. ...
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    Dispelling the Stink About Submersion 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 09-16-2007 07:07 AM
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    I can't believe how much preachers continue to lie to us in spite of abundant evidence of the truth! "Ritual immersion among the Essenes" is parroted as evidence that the New Testament commands a believer to have the entire body submerged in a 'watery grave' Well,

    1. As all who read here know by now, none of the Dead Sea Scroll community documents were written by Essenes (in spite of the bad theology in some)!

    2. The baptisms described in the community rule document were CLEARLY administered by aspersion and not submersion:
    And when his flesh is sprinkled with purifying water and sanctified by cleansing water, it shall be made clean by the humble submission of his soul to all the precepts of God. 1QSIII9 (Geza Vermes translation)
    It is true that many (though not all) baptisms occurred with a portion of the body IMMERSED in 'cleansing' water, however, even in such instances the water applied to the remainder of the body was administered by aspersion (the 'sprinkling' with purifying water). This practice continued until at least the second century A.D. The Didache describes a similar administration: ...
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    The Tragedy of Early Dispensationalism 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 09-15-2007 01:52 AM
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    The original teaching of 'christianese' dispensationalism is not to be found in 19th century prophetic speculation regarding two separate peoples of God. Instead, it is clearly rooted in the Way of the first century that professed belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. The original eleven apostles did not at first interpret the words of Christ regarding the destruction of Jerusalem to mean that prophecies of future glory for physical Israel were ended. They did not perceive OT prophecies of latter-day salvation as strictly fulfilled in the gospel bringing experiential salvation to the nations. They were fully aware that their ministry was to extend beyond the borders of Judea and Samaria (Mt. 28:19), however, at the same time they fully expected a literal fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy regarding Jerusalem as the centerpiece of the renewed kingdom.
    John 16:12-14 (KJV):
    12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
    13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
    14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
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    The Ideal Christian Forum and the EKKLESIA 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 03-22-2007 04:37 AM
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    Most online forums that profess Christian belief are controlled by some established system of traditional dogma: either a ‘conservative’ confessional tradition with the doctrines of men added to the gospel or else devotion to liberal skepticism. The Predestinarian Network is committed to avoiding either of these extremes damned by God. We aspire to defending the pristine apostolic gospel and all of its implications, throwing out all the garbage of traditional conservative and liberal dogma as the Lord enables us. But how does an online community faithful to the apostolic gospel approximate the New Testament teaching on the EKKLESIA or New Covenant community of Jesus Christ?

    The book of Ephesians is the New Testament guide to what the EKKLESIA is as approved and created by our sovereign God. It is the community of elect saints only. The current Federal Vision heresy would have us turn to snippets of 1 Corinthians, Galatians, or Hebrews to define the EKKLESIA, since there are scriptures in those books which can be misused to define the Christian community as a mixture of elect and non-elect. But there can be no question as to what the true congregation of Christ is according to Paul’s definition of it in the entire book of Ephesians: the EKKLESIA consists of the elect of God only (1:22,23 is the culmination of the whole argument based on predestination).
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    A Comparison of Sovereign Grace and Federal Vision Teaching 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 11-04-2006 09:01 AM
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    Since so many have expressed confusion about what the teachings of FV really are, I have prepared this comparison summary which should be relatively simple to understand.

    A Comparison of the Historic Sovereign Grace Teaching of Protestantism with Federal Vision Doctrine:

    NOTE: The history of Protestant dogma is full of paradoxical notions, many of which when taken in isolation can be used to justify FV teaching. When HP teaching is referred to here it means Sovereign Grace Calvinism in its mature, best, and consistent expression over time.

    The Covenant of Grace and Salvation

    HP: The spheres of the covenant of grace and the elect body of Christ are one and the same.

    FV: The spheres of the covenant of grace and the elect body of Christ overlap but are not one and the same.

    HP: The covenant of grace is entered when the Holy Spirit dispenses the gift of faith in an elect person. Water baptism is a sign of entering the covenant.

    FV: The covenant of grace is entered when Christian water baptism is applied to a person, whether the individual is elect or not. Participation in the covenant is confirmed and renewed by the exercise of faith.
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    The Westminster Confession of Faith: A Compartmentalized Theology 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 10-22-2006 05:18 AM
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    Introduction: Four False Hermeneutics in Protestantism

    In the years following the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, men of various sectarian persuasions rushed quickly to settle on a comprehensive statement of doctrine. This was deemed necessary in order to clearly define a system of beliefs that stood in contrast to the Roman Papacy and other denominations within Protestantism itself. The question that must be asked is this: Did men of the 16th and 17th centuries act too quickly to define a comprehensive paradigm which would be exalted as the rule for all future biblical interpretation? The position of this study series will be that assemblies of men in that era attempted to settle many matters which they were unequipped to resolve. In spite of the learning, integrity, and thorough debate of the Westminster Assembly, the process of unlearning the traditions of men that resulted in the Dark Ages could only take place by the increased wisdom of many centuries. A rush to dogma on many of the issues was motivated by the political pressures of that era and the urgent need to contrast one sect from another.
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    Progressive Revelation in the book of Acts 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 06-24-2006 09:41 AM
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    "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." John 16:12-15 NKJV

    Both the traditional Reformed covenant and mid-Acts dispensational theologies deny progressive revelation of the truth after the resurrection of Christ and first coming of the Holy Spirit in Pentecostal power. Covenant theology would propose that the gospel in its fullness was known by the apostles from the very beginning of Acts, therefore, the revelation to Paul had nothing to add to it. We are told that any other position is a denial of the authority of the God-breathed sayings quoted from the infant era of the Christian community. Dispensational theology would propose that all the quotations in early Acts were for the Jewish and not Gentile economy of redemption, therefore, they portray no misunderstanding of the gospel. So anyone challenging both ‘poles’ of teaching will have to endure a white-hot hellfire from both sides as opposed to icy blue rhetorical fire that either pole has to endure from the other.
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    Dead Sea Scrolls : The Theology of the Teacher of Righteousnes 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 02-07-2006 04:20 AM
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    The Identity of the Teacher

    Who was the Teacher of Righteousness? The question of his identity has plagued scholars since the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls over 50 years ago. Because of an inability to date many of the scroll writings with precision, a myriad of notions on the identity of the Teacher have been advanced. Notable leaders such as John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and James the brother of Jesus have been proposed. Some have even suggested that the Teacher was not a real historical individual but rather the personification of truth and wisdom. However, based on historical and internal evidence from the scrolls, it is abundantly clear that the Teacher was a real person who lived and ministered sometime in the 2nd or early 1st century prior to the birth of Jesus Christ. None of the theories surrounding other identities fit the historical situation described in various writings. We can ascertain from the Commentary on Nahum that the Teacher lived and ministered significantly earlier than when the Seleucid king Demetrius III Eukairos temporarily invaded Judea around 88 B.C.E.
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    The Trinity Foundation: My Joyful Tribute and Bitter Dissent 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 11-19-2005 12:09 PM
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    "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, "Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth." And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, "Give me the little book." And he said unto me, "Take it , and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey." And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, "Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." Rev. 10:7-11

    This passage is the perfect introduction to the matter that I am about to deal with. Like John WE ALSO must prophesy again. Hallelujah! No matter how bitter a trial that the Lord has sent our way in the past, we must continue to stand for the gospel in our witness before the world to the end of our days!
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    The Two Seeds 

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    Robert R. Higby
    Published on 07-12-2005 10:01 AM
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    Part I: Are the wicked a second ransom insuring the eternal security of the saints?
    And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. (Gen. 3:15, NKJV)
    No expositor has ever questioned that this passage in scripture is the first mention in linear time of the doctrine of redemption in Christ. But how many have really examined its implications? Very few. Most brush over it with astonishingly brief exposition and go straight to other ‘more important’ considerations. But the first redemptive promise of God in linear time contains vital and eternal truths rewarding only those spirits who truly and passionately seek the One God as the author of scripture! Others will miss out. Most in previous generations have missed the implications of this passage. Most will continue to miss it for many generations to come!
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