My name is Jordan and I am very blessed to have found this forum. I signed up as a member some time ago, but never have made a post until now. Now into the meat of the my introduction, discovery, and registration here.
It was about a year ago that I stumbled upon The Path of Truth through a series google searches. At the time, I had a friend who's denomination is Reformed Baptist. Now I have had many different experiences with Baptists but by this point and age in my life I had arrogantly assumed I was in a position to argue against the validity of her denomination. God has a funny way of humbling us when we are seeking to humble others.
I knew that the primary teacher they looked to for the purist form of Biblical interpretation is John Calvin. Though some have beliefs that stem away from his initial teachings, they hold most of his tenets as true. So I determined to do some research on John Calvin the man to see if I could find things that he taught that are in contradiction to Jesus' teachings.
My mind was blown when I found and red your PDF on John Calvin and all the things revealed that proved him to be not a Christian. I was smugly pleased when I used some of the things you wrote to argue in opposition to her Denomination. However, my heart was in the wrong place.. I did not seek to tell her these things to try and help her onto the right path (As if I was even on the right path in the first place to be leading and teaching) but I told her for my foolish pride as a man to try to be perceived more intelligent, enlightened, pious, etc.
Oh how stupid I was! How could ever assume that what I said (regardless of it being true or not) could ever be said from a sincere heart of wanting to guide her to the truth than for me own ego? It ended with a loss of a friendship and an unsatisfied emptiness in my heart. For I seeked not for the praise of God, but of men.
After that I did not come back to The Path of Truth for some time. But something inside of me urged me to come back and read more here for I knew there was truth to be found, as I knew I did not abide in the truth. And truth I found, but you know what The Bible say, "...The Truth shall set you free." Truth has a funny way of being liberating, but also pissing you off first. And I was no exception.
As I read more of the articles here I had many different emotional and visceral reactions. Some things aligned with my mode of thinking and other things did not. I was raised Non-Denominational (Which is a Denomination in itself, it's just a boastful way of saying we're not enslaved by the same Doctrinal positions of other denominations). I was brought up with most of the standard beliefs in an Organized Protestant religion. Jesus is The Son of God, born a virgin birth, died on the cross for our sins, water baptism is important, just accept Jesus into your heart and you will be saved from an eternity of excruciating fiery pain, the trinity, the Scripture has been kept and maintained as inerrant over millennia (as if man does not defile everything he touches, regardless of good intentions) and myriad of other beliefs, many that are true, many that are exaggerated, and many that are blatantly false.
As I continued reading articles on this site I found it striking that so many things that I had just accepted as a child growing up in the church and an adult were contradictory to what was being stated here. The two biggest difficulties I found in accepting as true was the teaching of the falsehood of the trinity and the reconciliation of all things. It has been so ingrained into organized religion today that virtually nobody questions it. But you proved time and time again with Scripture that the trinity was just a machination of men who either maliciously altered the meaning of Scripture, or simply weren't aware (Not that either are excusable). Also, your use of Scripture and just common sense to prove that no Loving Creator would create any sentient being with just the sole purpose of eternal torment.
At first, my indoctrinated mind just brushed off what you were saying as nonsense. I mean, after all, "how could these two men (Paul and Victor) know better than all these other who have collegiate "Degrees in Divinity' and have spent their life studying Scripture?" I thought to myself.
But something else tugged at my heart, something else told me that you two are not just crazy heretical teachers pushing a false agenda. Even though I didn't initial agree with everything you wrote (and I still have questions about somethings on here) I knew there was something to it. I searched and searched for some sort of sinister agenda that I believed you held, "If I find anything that appears to be else serving on this website, I know that they are false teachers". I couldn't find anything, nothing at all. No asking for donations, no seeking of praise fore oneself could I find in any of your writings. Even in the writings that seemed like vicious attacks against critics, false teachers, and anything else I could see that you were speaking the truth. Not in the "delicate way" that most pastors would deem as "proper conduct" for a Christian, but in a way that spared nothing but truth. You did not seek to convert them through the words you would hear a televangelist through smooth "feel-good" speak so they will line their pockets... No, you told them what they needed to hear not what they wanted to hear.
I have so much more that I want to say and ask in this thread but I feel it would become overbearing and lost in its purpose. The final thing that I'll say as it relates to the revelation to the truth of this site is this... This is going to sound very strange and bare with me here but this alone told me that Victor is not a false teacher... I have read most of his Theo-Autobiography "What the Lord has Done with Me" and this part was the most telling of all... I believe it was in either Part 1 or Part 2 and he was retelling of his time as a child. He said that he almost committed an act of beastiality.
Now, I didn't know how to feel about that when I red it at first... But I as I thought about it I realized once and for all that this is a man who has nothing to hide. He put everything he had done, for better or worse, on the table. Even admitting to this, knowing that the faint-of-heart might. I knew he was being led by God, I know that he almost certainly did not want to put that in there but God told him it is best to leave so that everything will be put on the table. I believe he put it there to show that no sin is unforgivable and God can make use out of anyone he pleases.
Thank you for taking the time to read my introduction and I look forward to being in the community here. If you have any questions for me please don't hesitate to ask, I am an open book
