Published using Google Docs
The Canonical Reformation: 96 Theses Calling the Church Back to Scriptural Sovereignty
Updated automatically every 5 minutes

Introduction: A Call to Return to Biblical Truth

Dear Reader,

Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses sparked a reformation by demanding the Church return to Scripture alone—Sola Scriptura. Today, we face a similar need. For 1,600 years, ideas from Augustine, then Calvin, like inherited guilt, total depravity, and predestination, have clouded the Bible’s clear teaching. These doctrines often make God seem unjust, human choice meaningless, and grace a force that overrides free will, creating contradictions Scripture doesn’t support. Yet where Luther started a great reformation, another call has come to complete the call to return to sound doctrine, a call to canonical fidelity.

The Canonical Reformation: 96 Theses Calling the Church Back to Scriptural Sovereignty opens this book to challenge these traditions and restore the Bible’s truth. Using the Restoration Theological Framework, it reads Scripture as a unified story of God’s plan, showing how His love, justice, and our freedom work together. It reveals Christ’s WAY—His victory over sin in human flesh (Romans 8:3)—as a model for us to overcome temptation through choice, not coercion (James 1:14-15; Revelation 3:21). God gave us moral knowledge like His own (Genesis 3:22), not guilt, empowering us to choose righteousness with His grace (Romans 2:14-15).

These 96 theses expose errors and offer a better way:

The added 96th thesis calls you to live out Christ’s victory. Test these claims against the Bible (Acts 17:11). This book will guide you deeper into Restoration Theology, equipping you to conquer sin and live boldly. The mind is your battlefield (2 Corinthians 10:5)—let God’s Word lead you to triumph.

“These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God… We have received the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.”

1 Corinthians 2:10–13

The Canonical Reformation: 96 Theses Calling the Church Back to Scriptural Sovereignty

A Systematic Dismantle of Sixteen Centuries of Theological Error

PART I: THE METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATION

Thesis 1-15: The Scripture Principle

  1. Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) means Scripture interprets Scripture, not Scripture plus Augustine, Calvin, or any human tradition. (2 Timothy 3:16; Acts 17:11)

  1. Any theological system requiring believers to accept "divine mysteries" that create logical contradictions has departed from biblical revelation. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

  1. The "antinomy" defense misapplies Isaiah 55:8-9, which addresses God's mercy versus human vindictiveness, not logical contradictions in doctrine. (Isaiah 55:8-9; 1 Corinthians 14:33)

  1. Traditional theological systems demonstrate biblical literacy in supporting individual doctrines, but canonical reformation requires systems that harmonize with the entire scriptural witness rather than systematically explaining away contradictory passages. (2 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 8:20)

  1. Scripture presents mysteries but never contradictions—when human theological systems create logical impossibilities, the error lies in the system. (1 Timothy 3:16; James 1:17)

  1. If theological systems require believers to embrace contradictory propositions, they have abandoned the "God of order" for philosophical confusion. (1 Corinthians 14:33; Romans 11:33)

  1. The 66-book canon provides sufficient revelation to resolve all genuine theological questions without external philosophical frameworks. (2 Peter 1:3; Jude 3)

  1. Hebrew and Greek texts must govern interpretation, not Latin translations filtered through medieval scholasticism. (Acts 26:14; John 1:1)

  1. The Holy Spirit guides believers into all truth, making academic credentials subordinate to Spirit-led biblical discernment. (John 16:13; 1 John 2:27

  1. Believers with sufficient faith can understand Scripture through prayer and the Spirit, eliminating dependence on human interpretation. (1 John 2:27; Matthew 11:30)

  1. When church fathers contradict Scripture, Scripture stands; when traditions conflict with biblical revelation, traditions fall. (Mark 7:8-9; Colossians 2:8)

  1. Augustinian-Calvinist systems can cite scriptural support for individual doctrines, but their systematic integration creates contradictions with equally clear passages about human responsibility and divine character. (Romans 2:6; Revelation 20:12)

  1. The test of any theological system is not proof-texting individual doctrines but achieving harmony across the entire canonical witness without contradicting clear passages. (Isaiah 8:20; Galatians 1:8)

  1. Clear passages interpret unclear ones; systematic doctrines built on difficult texts while contradicting clear ones reveal interpretive error. (2 Peter 3:16; Matthew 7:24-27)

  1. Hebrew poetry requires literary sensitivity; treating poetic lament as systematic doctrine violates genre boundaries. (Psalm 51:5 vs. Matthew 18:3)

  1. Greek and Hebrew terminology supports the temptation vs sin distinction that some theological systems obscure. (Luke 22:15; Genesis 4:7; James 1:14-15)

PART II: THE AUGUSTINIAN DECEPTION EXPOSED

Thesis 17-39: Original Sin and Human Nature

  1. Augustine's doctrine of inherited guilt directly contradicts Romans 5:12, which states death spread "because all sinned," not "because Adam sinned." (Romans 5:12; Ezekiel 18:20)

  1. Federal headship (Adam’s guilt is your guilt) theories impose covenant theology concepts foreign to Paul's argument in Romans 5. (Romans 5:14; Deuteronomy 24:16)

  1. Even if infants die, this proves mortality, not guilt—they lack moral agency for culpability. (Deuteronomy 1:39; Isaiah 7:15)

  1. Adam introduced the pathway to sin and death, but each person walks that path by choice. (Romans 5:12; Ezekiel 18:20)

  1. Psalm 51:5 is David's poetic anguish, not doctrinal assertion about universal guilt. (Psalm 51:5; 2 Samuel 12:13)

  1. Children are declared innocent in Scripture until they choose evil. (Deuteronomy 1:39; Matthew 18:3)

  1. Jesus' statement "unless you become like little children" becomes impossible if children bear inherited guilt. (Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:14)

  1. When humanity gained knowledge of good and evil, God declared "man has become like one of us," proving that moral knowledge itself is not sinful but godlike. (Genesis 3:22; Genesis 1:27)

  1. The ability to distinguish good from evil reflects divine image-bearing, not inherited corruption. (Genesis 3:22; 2 Peter 2:4)

  1. Angels possess this same knowledge—some choosing righteousness, others rebellion—proving sin results from choosing evil after gaining knowledge, not from possessing the knowledge itself. (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6)

  1. God's warning about causing children to sin makes no sense if children are already sinful. (Luke 17:2; Matthew 18:6)

  1. Scripture recognizes unwillful sin (covered by grace) distinct from willful sin (leading to death). (1 John 5:16-17; Hebrews 10:26-30)

  1. Augustine's conflation of temptation with sin contradicts James 1:14-15's clear sequence. (James 1:14-15; Hebrews 4:15)

  1. The Greek epithumia (longing) is morally neutral, as proven by Jesus' use in Luke 22:15. (Luke 22:15; Genesis 4:7)

  1. Paul's "sin in the flesh" (Romans 7:17-18) describes the flesh's natural opposition to God's law and reconized as a sinful nature, not inherited guilt requiring condemnation. (Romans 7:17-18, 23; Romans 8:1; Ezekiel 18:20)

  1. The flesh is naturally "not subject to the law of God" by design, creating bodily impulses that resist spiritual direction with sinful potential—this is temptation's source, not sin itself. (Romans 8:7; James 1:14-15)

  1. "No condemnation" exists for those who "do not walk according to the flesh" (Romans 8:1), proving condemnation only applies when we consent to fleshly desires, not for possessing them. (Romans 8:1-2; Genesis 4:7)

  1. Christ assumed weak but sinless flesh, bearing our infirmities and experiencing the same fleshly opposition to God's will without moral corruption. (Isaiah 53:4; Romans 8:3)

  1. Christ experienced genuine human vulnerability and fleshly desires while maintaining perfect righteousness through choosing God's will over flesh. (Hebrews 2:17-18; Luke 22:42-44)

  1. Christ's temptable nature is essential to the incarnation's purpose and Paul's teaching about victory "in the flesh"—denying this contradicts Scripture's clear testimony. (Hebrews 4:15; Romans 8:3; Hebrews 2:17)

  1. Genesis 4:7's instruction to Cain proves humanity was designed to master the flesh's desires, not be enslaved by them. (Genesis 4:7; Joshua 24:15)

  1. The gospel call "whoever will may come" becomes deceptive if human will is powerless against the flesh's impulses. (Revelation 22:17; John 3:16)

  1. Augustine's framework contradicts Scripture's teaching that God is not the author of evil and that temptation comes from our own desires, not divine creation of guilt. (James 1:13-14; 1 John 1:5)

PART III: THE CALVINIST SYSTEMATIC ERROR

Thesis 40-59: Predestination and Election

  1. Romans 8:29 explicitly states the order: "whom He foreknew, He also predestined"—foreknowledge precedes predestination. (Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 1:2)

  1. Calvin's reversal of this order contradicts the plain grammar of Scripture. (Romans 8:29; Acts 2:23)

  1. Romans 9 addresses God's sovereign use of nations in redemptive history, not individual eternal destinies. (Romans 9:1-5; Genesis 25:23)

  1. "Jacob I loved, Esau I hated" was written centuries after both men died, referring to nations, not personal salvation. (Malachi 1:2-3; Romans 9:13)

  1. Jesus' parable of wheat and tares provides the interpretive key: God endures evil vessels to protect the righteous. (Matthew 13:24-30; Romans 9:22)

  1. The phrase "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" uses passive voice—they prepare themselves through rebellion. Contextual patterns show God gives them up to these passions resulting in vessels of wrath. (Romans 9:22; Romans 1:24-28)

  1. While Calvinists cite passages supporting God's sovereignty, their system contradicts equally clear passages commanding universal gospel proclamation by making such commands deceptive if election is predetermined. (Mark 16:15; Acts 17:30; Isaiah 55:1; Revelation 22:17)

  1. Calvin's doctrine forces preachers to lie to the congregation by saying "Believe and be saved" rather than "I hope for your election." (Isaiah 55:1; Revelation 22:17)

  1. The judgment according to works becomes impossible if works are predetermined. (Romans 2:6; Revelation 20:12)

  1. God's desire that "all should come to repentance" contradicts limited atonement and unconditional election. (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4)

  1. The "many are called, few are chosen" proves calling precedes choosing, not predetermined selection. (Matthew 22:14; Romans 10:13)

  1. Warnings against apostasy are pointless if true believers cannot fall. (Hebrews 6:4-6; 2 Peter 2:20-22)

  1. The existence of this world as a testing ground proves even angels can choose rebellion. (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6)

  1. Deterministic election makes God respecter of persons, contradicting Scripture. (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11)

  1. The Calvinist distinction between "external" and "internal" calls is a theological construct not found in Scripture. (Acts 7:51; Acts 2:37-41)

  1. If the distinction were biblical, Stephen would have said "You resist the external call" rather than "You resist the Holy Spirit." (Acts 7:51)

  1. The attempt to preserve irresistible grace by creating categories Scripture doesn't recognize reveals philosophical rather than biblical foundation. (2 Corinthians 6:1; Galatians 5:4)

  1. Paul's warning about receiving grace "in vain" proves grace can be resisted and wasted. (2 Corinthians 6:1; Galatians 2:21)

  1. Christ's standing and knocking represents invitation, not invasion—contradicting irresistible grace. (Revelation 3:20)

  1. Perseverance requires continued choice—"hold fast what you have" assumes the possibility of letting go. (Revelation 3:11; 1 Timothy 6:12)

PART IV: THE CANONICAL ALTERNATIVE

Thesis 60-79: Restoration Theology's Framework

  1. God's triune nature provides the key: Father (foreknowledge), Son (limitation for relationship), Spirit (guidance without coercion). (Philippians 2:6-8; John 16:13)

  1. Divine self-limitation within God’s triune nature maintains that God knows all possible futures while choosing to experience time relationally. (Mark 13:32; Philippians 2:7)

  1. The Father retains complete foreknowledge while the Son voluntarily experiences temporal limitation. (Mark 13:32; Hebrews 4:15)

  1. This differs from open theism by maintaining divine omniscience while enabling genuine relationship. (Isaiah 46:10; Philippians 2:7)

  1. Faith functions as the fundamental law of spiritual reality, not mere intellectual assent. (Hebrews 11:1-3; Romans 1:17)

  1. Strong faith aligns the mind with spiritual reality, making resistance to fleshly temptation natural rather than forced. (1 John 2:27; Romans 8:6; 1 Corinthians 10:13)

  1. Grace is love's expression requiring reverence, not entitlement—"those who claim it as guaranteed often lose it." (Hebrews 10:29; James 4:6)

  1. During temptation, turning thoughts toward God provides the escape route promised in Scripture. (1 Corinthians 10:13; Genesis 39:9)

  1. Spiritual mindedness follows Joseph's pattern: "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9; Romans 8:6)

  1. To be spiritually minded is life and peace, but to be carnally minded is death. (Romans 8:6)

  1. The Spirit provides the "way of escape" through empowerment, not override of the flesh's desires. (1 Corinthians 10:13; Galatians 5:16)

  1. Salvation begins with faith but continues through obedience—endurance to the end is required. (Matthew 24:13; Hebrews 3:14)

  1. Security comes from abiding, not from presumed unconditional election. (John 15:4-6; Colossians 1:23)

  1. Works are the fruit of genuine faith—fruit must appear or the root is questioned. (James 2:17; Matthew 7:16)

  1. God judges heart agreement with evil, not involuntary fleshly desires or thoughts. (1 John 5:16-17; Matthew 5:28)

  1. Jesus taught that the issue is looking "to lust," indicating willful consent to fleshly desire, not involuntary attraction. (Matthew 5:28)

  1. Progressive sanctification occurs through choices aligned with the Spirit against the flesh's impulses, not through inevitable divine decree. (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:12)

  1. Assurance rests on present faithfulness and Spirit witness, not past decision or theological formula. (Romans 8:16; 2 Peter 1:10)

  1. Christ's path—baptism, Spirit-empowerment, and obedience unto death—models victory over the flesh for believers. (Matthew 3:13-17; Philippians 2:8)

  1. Christ proved human nature can overcome the flesh's opposition through the Spirit—Revelation 21:8's condemnation of "cowards" assumes a battle against the flesh that can be won. (Hebrews 5:8; Revelation 3:21)

PART V: THE HISTORICAL VERDICT

Thesis 80-89: Sixteen Centuries of Error

  1. Augustine's Neo-Platonic background predisposed him to dualistic thinking that corrupted biblical anthropology. (Colossians 2:8; 1 Timothy 6:20)

  1. Medieval scholasticism imposed Aristotelian categories onto biblical revelation that Scripture never intended. (1 Corinthians 1:20; Colossians 2:8)

  1. Calvin's legal training created systematic theology that prioritized logical consistency over biblical fidelity. (1 Corinthians 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:14)

  1. Augustine and Calvin were sincere biblical scholars, but their systematic conclusions forced them to explain away clear scriptural passages rather than revise their frameworks to accommodate all biblical data. (Mark 7:8-9; Acts 17:11)

  1. The Reformation correctly recovered biblical authority but incompletely applied it—reforming soteriology from Scripture while retaining Augustinian anthropology that contradicts other biblical texts about human nature. (2 Timothy 3:16; Titus 1:9)

  1. Protestant orthodoxy became a new scholasticism, defending traditional formulations rather than continuing biblical reformation. (Matthew 15:6; Mark 7:13)

  1. Denominational divisions largely stem from trying to reconcile irreconcilable elements within Augustinian-Calvinist systems. (1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:13)

  1. The modern crisis of faith often results from young people recognizing logical contradictions in traditional theology. (1 Corinthians 14:33; Romans 12:2)

  1. Pastoral counseling struggles stem from trying to offer assurance within systems that create uncertainty about election. (1 John 5:13; 2 Peter 1:10)

  1. Academic theology has grown increasingly complex not from deeper biblical insight but from attempting to harmonize traditional systems with contradictory scriptural evidence they cannot accommodate. (1 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Timothy 2:23)

  1. The solution requires return to apostolic simplicity: let Scripture interpret Scripture through Spirit-led exegesis. (Acts 17:11; 1 John 2:27)

PART VI: THE CALL TO REFORMATION

Thesis 91-96: The Church's Future

  1. The Church needs a new reformation—not of Scripture's authority, but of interpretive methodology. (2 Timothy 2:15; Nehemiah 8:8)

  1. Academic theology must submit to canonical authority rather than perpetuating traditional errors through scholarly consensus. (1 Corinthians 3:19; Isaiah 55:8)

  1. Seminary education should prioritize Spirit-led biblical exegesis over systematic theology preservation. (2 Timothy 2:2; 1 Corinthians 2:13)

  1. Teachers who accommodate sin by redefining grace to cover willful transgression lead believers away from the true WAY of Christ. (2 Timothy 4:3-4; Acts 20:27)

  1. The Christian life is not about managing the flesh's desires but mastering them through the same spiritual mechanisms Christ employed. (Romans 8:3; Revelation 3:21)

  1. The Restoration Theological Framework offers not new revelation but recovered biblical truth—calling the Church back to apostolic foundations through rigorous canonical exegesis. (Jude 3; 2 Timothy 1:13)

FINAL CHALLENGE

Let any defender of Augustinian-Calvinist doctrine refute these theses using Scripture alone. If they resort to "antinomies," "mysteries," or philosophical explanations for biblical contradictions within their system, they have abandoned sola scriptura for human wisdom.

Let them explain how their systems account for:

The evidence is overwhelming: Restoration Theology demonstrates superior canonical fidelity by resolving paradoxes that traditional systems declare unsolvable, harmonizing Scripture without contradiction, and restoring the biblical balance of divine sovereignty and human responsibility through the WAY of Christ—His demonstrable victory over the flesh's opposition in genuinely temptable human nature.

The Restoration Theological Framework stands ready for rigorous academic evaluation precisely because it emerges from biblical exegesis rather than philosophical tradition. Truth is not determined by scholarly endorsement but by scriptural accuracy. We invite systematic evaluation of each thesis against the 66-book canon, confident that Scripture will vindicate its own interpretation over human traditions.

The choice before the Church is clear: continue defending inherited traditions that contradict Scripture, or embrace the reformation that Scripture itself demands. The mind is the battlefield (2 Corinthians 10:5). Believers must cultivate spiritual mindedness, maintaining constant awareness of God's presence to resist the flesh's natural opposition to His will.

The 66-book canon stands ready to judge all theological systems—including this one. Let it speak.

Scriptural Index of Doctrinal Refutation Scriptures

Core Augustinian Errors

Core Calvinist Errors

Restoration Theology Foundational Scriptural Alignment

The WAY of Victory

Hermeneutical Principles

"Take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5)

"To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame" (Revelation 3:21)

My beloved brothers and sisters in the Faith. I beg you to call on the Spirit who teaches all who ask with faith to show the truth on this subject. Sin and temptation are not the same; free will does exist, children are not born as sinful creatures, and you can live a holy and righteous day as a Christian. If we will take up our cross, deny our fleshly desires, and follow the WAY of Christ, we will overcome. Augustine and Calvin have misused the scriptures. They have depicted God as having respect for persons, not just knowledge. They have twisted the words of Paul to make peace with the flesh, which is at war with God. A treaty with the flesh is a declaration of war against God. All scripture should have a clear understanding, and those that are difficult should be explained through the clearer side of doctrine, not complex explanations that conflict with clear truths. We are called to war with our flesh and walk without sin, not in defeatism, and are subject to inevitable sin. Fight your flesh to the end as your master. May God help you see the truth, and blessed is Jesus Christ, the author of our Faith. Amen

2 Peter 3:14-16

 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.