The Bane of Neo-Gnostic Calvinism
by Greg Fields
Who among us who have been illuminated by the Spirit of God to heartily embrace that exalted system of Pauline Theology commonly called "Calvinism" can forget the sublime joy experienced when these verities became manifest in our believing heart? For many of us grasping these truths or better, being gripped by these truths, was the real "second blessing" in our Christian pilgrimage. For me personally, sovereign grace teaching revivified my entire demeanor as a saint and delivered me from the morbid introspection engendered by Arminian, fundamentalist pietism. I have a passionate commitment to Calvinistic soteriology and am quite emphatic in my apologia for these truths that so exalt and glorify the grandeur of the Sovereign Triune Lord. Thus, it is with both sadness and reticence that I issue this urgent caveat regarding an extreme chimerical form of Calvinism that is spreading great mischief among the elect of God and dear souls seeking spiritual solace.
I have subsumed this subtle heresy under the rubric neo-gnostic Calvinism because the main tenets of this aberration of Calvinism involve primarily a comprehensive cognitive system of knowledge (gnosis) that must be firmly grasped and indoctrinated into before the professing Calvinist or seeking Arminian is truly considered "saved" by these ersatz-Calvinist "teachers". The subtlety involved in this neo-gnostic Calvinistic soteriology is that they vigorously promote truths that any committed believer would commend. For example, they incessantly exhort all to focus on Christ's imputation of Righteousness as being indispensable to one's salvation. Of course this is true and this needs to be emphatically declared in our presentation of the gospel. Particular Redemption is stressed with great vigor. Again, a hearty amen to the vital importance of this great doctrine is in order. They clearly enumerate the "five
points" with undiminished zeal. Again, I concur and wish we all would stress these great doctrines with the zeal demonstrated by these men.
If this was the focus and crux of what these men taught, I would be promoting their writings and encouraging all interested Calvinists to bookmark their websites and to participate in their e-group discussions. But, alas, these glorious doctrines are merely the frosting on the cake of their real agenda. After elucidating these verities they then go on to add to these truths a dogmatic unsubstantiated requirement for salvation that in effect nullifies all the peace and joy that should attend sovereign grace. They assert with bellicose intensity that unequivocally, all Arminians are lost because "Arminianism is a false gospel" and under the anathema of Gal. 1:8-9. They set the stage for this "leap of logic", by describing the five points of Arminianism and showing how incompatible Arminianism is with the gospel of grace. Again, any thoroughgoing evaluation of Arminianism would demonstrate this to be true but they then use this evaluation to assert that all who have never yet grasped the doctrines of grace to be by default, Arminians, thereby validating their "lostness". The insidious nature of their neo-gnosticism becomes manifestly transparent here. The major tenet of gnosticism was the acquisition of knowledge to achieve, N. B., salvation. Similarly they make the precise apprehension of soteriological doctrine the sine qua non of salvation. By utilizing a patina of superspirituality, they create a psychological ambiance that can easily intimidate a young believer who may be new to Calvinism or a seeking Arminian (although most folk, if we are honest are utterly oblivious to this historical-theological debacle) to capitulate to this cold, unrelenting dogmatism, creating a vituperative unloving demeanor and ironically robbing them of the comfort and joy these glorious
doctrines should inculcate in their hearts. This, to my mind, is the most utterly insidious forms of "works-righteousness" that I have ever encountered. By cleverly demanding that for one to truly be saved they must achieve a solid understanding of Calvinistic soteriology is to "make the cross of Christ of none effect". "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling" as Toplady's exquisitely penned words succinctly state is the essence of the gospel offer. To make mere cognition the predicate of entrance into the kingdom of God's dear son is to despise God's sovereignty, Christ's finished work on the cross, and the blessed Holy Spirit's sovereign application of the redemption accomplished to "the apple of his eye", his beloved elect. It is vital beloved to discern the subtlety of their enticing words of wisdom. It is Christ who saves through faith, not our soteriological knowledge.
To further exacerbate their dissimulation, they dare to go even further. They dogmatically and shockingly assert that any professing Calvinist that does not concur with their Calvinistic neo-gnostic pretensions and believes that Arminians can be saved has "spoke peace to Arminians" thereby abrogating their own salvation. As one gleans their writings on this matter, one amazingly discovers that according to this chimerical premise, the most eminent saints in church history are apparently "lost"! A. A. Hodge, Spurgeon, D. Martyn-Lloyd Jones, Gordon Clark, Van Till ad infinitum, ad nauseum, are consigned to God's wrath by the unmitigated temerity of these neo-gnostics. These men simply did not "measure up" to their conceptualization of what constitutes "the doctrines of grace" and furthermore, they had the audacity to be gentle and forbearing and tenderhearted (they even dared to offer them Christian equanimity) to those of non-reformed persuasion. The tragic, belligerent absurdity promoted by these neo-gnostics should be evident to the discerning saint. Again, this is why it is vital to "study to show thyself approved, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" to counter this ancient heresy in new garb. The emperor still has no clothes as gnosticism, Satan’s grand masquerade, nefariously continues to attempt to vex and thwart God's saints in their earthly pilgrimage. It is admittedly difficult and requires God-given wisdom to sound forth these wonderfully God-centered, Christ-exalting truths in a bold yet loving manner that will in God's providence engender interest in Calvinism while giving glory to our Sovereignly Majestic Thrice-Holy Lord. Worshipping our Majestic Lord in spirit and in truth is true Calvinism. May our Lord illuminate our hearts to this glorious truth thereby granting us the Spirit-wrought discernment to live righteously, soberly and godly in this present evil age and to keep us from the evil one's subtleties, such as neo-gnosticist "Calvinism".
Essays on Neo-Gnostic Calvinism by Greg Fields
