I grew up in a loving Christian home. My parents were both cradle Catholics who got born again in the early 70s, during the Jesus Movement – which started in the late 60s. My parents were Christian hippies. They grew out of that when we kids were born and they became regular Protestants. At a young age, I was aware of my own sin and need for a savior. I knew that Jesus loved me very much, and lived a perfect life, sacrificing Himself on the cross for my grievous sins and that He resurrected on the 3rd day. When I was 7 years old, in 1982, at Christmas time, I repented of my sins, believed the Gospel, and I placed my faith and trust wholly in Christ alone.
We attended a Charismatic church, the Community of the Crucified One. I had a relatively happy childhood, and even as a teen didn’t really rebel against my parents’ authority. But, by the time I went to university, I was a very prideful person. I placed a lot of confidence in my intellect. I was so wrapped up in myself I had little time for God. I felt miserable during that time. I felt so worthless and hopeless. During my college career, I became very sick with severe mental illness. My mother has a history of mental illness, and so does my eldest sister Violet. This was, I could see clearly in retrospect, God’s way of breaking me down, humbling me, and drawing me to Himself. I repented of my backsliding and recommitted myself to living entirely for Christ. Christ couldn’t just be my Savior, He also had to be my Lord whom I obeyed.
I then began listening to Dr. R.C. Sproul’s radio program – Renewing Your Mind. I also began watching Dr. John MacArthur’s sermons on YouTube, as well as reading his sermons in PDF format. Slowly, I was introduced to Reformed theology, something which had been totally alien to me my entire life. Yet, as I listened, read, and compared what they said with Scripture and meditated upon it, I eventually became convicted that Reformed theology was Biblical theology and that it was true. So I became Reformed. Even though I was baptized as an infant, I became convinced of believer’s baptism, not infant baptism. When I was 10 years old I was baptized again, and this time it meant something to me and was deeply meaningful.
Even though they differed on some points of theology (Sproul a pedobaptist and MacArthur a credobaptist), they were dear brothers in Christ who loved and respected each other. A model for how we Reformed (whether we be covenant theology and infant baptism proponents, or baptists who favor dispensationalism) should behave.
The main points of being Reformed are:
- Believing in the 5 Solas: Christ Alone, Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone, and for the Glory of God Alone.
- Being a Calvinist. A Calvinist is someone who has Reformed soteriology (how we are saved). The acronym TULIP describes the core of Calvinist beliefs, which are: Total Depravity – that we were born totally enslaved to sin and desperately wicked, Unconditional Election – that God chooses who is to be saved not based on any merits, qualities, beliefs, or characteristics of ourselves, Limited Atonement – that Christ died solely for His Elect, Irresistible Grace – that the Holy Spirit calling us by grace, and quickening faith in us is not something which man can resist or prevent. Contrary to what some claim, we are not robots. God transforms our hearts so we come willingly to Him. And finally Perseverance of the Saints – that those who Christ calls and redeems will be secure and ultimately persevere in their walk. Salvation cannot be lost once someone is truly regenerated.
- Adhering to a Reformed confession. In my case, I follow the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
When you get down to the nitty-gritty, being Reformed is living such that all areas of your life will glorify God. By the way, we Calvinists believe in limited free will, not libertarian free will with absolute autonomy. Our human nature is enslaved to sin. We make real choices, yet when it comes to salvation man is mired hopelessly in sin and would never choose God of his own volition.
Post Script:
As I’ve said, I’m now a Reformed Baptist, which means different things depending on who you talk to. But for me, it means that I follow the 5 Solas, the 5 points of Calvinism — aka TULIP, and hold to a Reformed confession, which in my case is the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. Here is a set of 12 videos by Dr. R.C. Sproul teaching the basics of Reformed Theology. I highly recommend this series, and his book “What Is Reformed Theology?” It’s probably the best modern book to introduce Reformed theology to someone who knows very little about it.
Zach Uram's Blog 
3 responses to “My Testimony: From Darkness to Light”
I liked hearing about your journey to faith and finding God through mental illness! It’s true that Gos shows us the right way to live!
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Amen!
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The Vulgate and Lutheran Bible translations so disgusting – eat shit and die – “translations”. What a pathetic joke. Werewolves, Vampires, and Frankenstein … follow with the cowardly lion, down the Yellow Brick Road – Oh my! Following Cults of Personality only produce Mao, Stalin, Hitler and Pol Pot like – dumbasses.
John Calvin and Martin Luther, pivotal figures in the Protestant Reformation, each contributing significantly to the movement in distinct ways. Martin Luther (1483-1546), best known for his “95 Theses,” which he famously nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church in 1517. This document criticized the Catholic Church’s practices, particularly the sale of indulgences, and called for reform.
His theology emphasized the doctrine of justification by faith alone, arguing that salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned through good works or church rituals. Asserting that salvation is a gift from God, this theology day and night different from Torah common law as expressed through T’NaCH prophetic mussar common law and Talmudic halachic judicial common law. This prioritization of faith as the pursuit of judicial justice – fair compensation of damages inflicted by Jews upon other Jews, radically different from the theologies spewed forth by the Protestant Reformation.
Luther made an utterly sophomoric translation the Bible into German, which utterly failed and even compounded the Vulgate perversion of the T’NaCH. Luther’s translation became “The Word” for the ignorant Lutheran laity. He promoted the idea that individuals could interpret scripture without knowledge of Hebrew or Aramaic and despised the Roman clergy who relied upon Latin and Greek. Luther’s ideas established Lutheranism, and challenged the authority of the Pope and the Catholic Church, leading to the formation of various Protestant denominations.
John Calvin (1509-1564), Calvin built upon Luther’s ideas but introduced a more systematic theology. His work, “Institutes of the Christian Religion,” laid out his beliefs about predestination, the sovereignty of God, and the nature of the church. He established Geneva as a center of Protestantism, implementing a theocratic government that enforced moral discipline and promoted education and social welfare. Calvin’s teachings led to the development of Reformed theology, influencing various Protestant groups, including the Presbyterians and the Huguenots. He stressed the importance of a disciplined Christian community and the role of the church in guiding believers’ lives.
The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572; the Huguenots were French Protestants influenced by John Calvin’s teachings. Tensions between the Catholic majority and the Protestant minority led to a series of civil wars known as the French Wars of Religion. The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre was a turning point, where thousands of Huguenots were killed in Paris and across France, marking a significant moment of barbaric religious violence. This period was characterized by political intrigue, shifting alliances, and brutal conflicts, ultimately leading to the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which granted limited religious freedoms to the Huguenots. However, this tolerance was revoked in 1685, leading to further persecution and the exodus of many Huguenots from France.
The immediate trigger for the Thirty Years’ War came in 1618 with the Defenestration of Prague, where Protestant nobles in Bohemia revolted against the Catholic Habsburg rule. This event marked the beginning of the war, but the underlying tensions had been building since the formation of the Catholic League and Protestant Union. The events of 1609, particularly the formation of the Catholic League under Maximilian of Bavaria, were crucial in setting the stage for the Thirty Years’ War. The conflict would evolve into a complex struggle involving various European powers, driven by both religious and political motivations, leading to widespread devastation across the continent.
The Protestant Union, established in 1608, was indeed led by Frederick IV, the Elector Palatine, and aimed to protect the rights and interests of Protestant states against Catholic encroachments. This was a response to the increasing tensions and conflicts arising from the Reformation and the subsequent political landscape in Europe.
In reaction to the Protestant Union, the Catholic League was formed in 1609, primarily to counter the influence of Protestant states and to protect Catholic interests. This military alliance included several Catholic states and was a significant factor in the lead-up to the Thirty Years’ War, which began in 1618. These alliances were crucial in shaping the religious and political dynamics of the time, leading to significant conflicts and changes in power within the Holy Roman Empire and beyond.
The Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which ended the Thirty Years’ War, was primarily focused on resolving the conflicts arising from that war rather than directly addressing the earlier events of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. The Peace of Westphalia consisted of a series of treaties that concluded the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) and the Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648) between Spain and the Dutch Republic. It marked a significant turning point in European history, establishing a new order based on state sovereignty.
The Peace of Westphalia and the ensuing treaties recognized the coexistence of Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism within the Holy Roman Empire. This was a crucial step towards religious tolerance, as it aimed to stabilize the region by allowing various Christian denominations to coexist. The treaties recognized the coexistence of Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism within the Holy Roman Empire. France gained territories in Alsace and parts of Lorraine, while Sweden gained influence in northern Germany.
While the Peace of Westphalia did not directly address the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, it did contribute to a broader context of religious tolerance and the recognition of Protestant rights in Europe. The massacre had already highlighted the violent tensions between Catholics and Protestants in France, leading to a long period of civil strife. The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572) deepened the divide between Catholics and Protestants in France, leading to further civil wars and conflicts. It exemplified the extreme violence and intolerance that characterized the period.
In the same year as the ‘Peace of Westphalia’ (1648), witnessed the barbaric explosion of the Khmelnytsky Uprising, also known as the Cossack-Polish War. Bohdan Khmelnytsky was the leader (1648-57) of the Zaporozhian Cossacks who organized a rebellion against Polish rule in Ukraine that ultimately led to the transfer of the Ukrainian lands east of the Dnieper River from Polish to Russian control. His barbarian Cossack hordes slaughtered perhaps 1 million Jews living in the Ukraine and Poland.
Germany annexed Prussia from Poland during the partitions of Poland, which occurred in three stages. (1772) – Prussia gained the region of West Prussia, which included parts of Polish territory. (1793) – Prussia acquired additional territories, including parts of Greater Poland. (1795) – Prussia annexed the remaining parts of Poland, including areas that would later be known as Prussian Poland.
After World War II, the Allies did not restore Poland to its pre-partition borders; instead, they established new borders based on the outcomes of the war and the decisions made at conferences among the Allied powers. Poland lost significant territory in the east to the Soviet Union, including areas such as Lviv (Lwów) and parts of what is now western Ukraine and Belarus. In compensation, Poland was granted territory in the west, including parts of former German territories such as Silesia, Pomerania, and the southern part of East Prussia. Poland was re-established as a sovereign state after the war, but its borders were significantly different from those before the partitions in the late 18th century.
Goyim superficially read “their” bible abominations of Av tumah avoda zarah. But continuously, from generation to generation, and Age from Age, they fail to learn and apply the rebuke given to them by their own God! JeZeus said: “By their fruits, you shall know them”. Reactionary Xtians read their bible trash translations oblivious to this fundamental rebuke. Its not the Nicene Creed theologies etc or Luther or Calvin theologies that determine their faith, rather its their barbaric Yatzir Ha’Rah to pursue violence and judicial injustice which testifies to the bankrupsy of every Xtian theology starting with that of Paul and JeZeus. Xtian Av tuma avoda zara just as crude and utterly devoid of humanity as the ancient Babylonian, and Greek and Roman empires which this NT theology replace those cultures and customs practiced by peoples from earlier times.
Bottom line … no belief in JeZeus in any theology, creed, or dogma can atone for the Shoah and the generational crimes which led up to the Shoah. Belief in JeZeus, regardless of Xtian or Koran theologies decrees those believers an eternal fire in Hell. Xtian parents should cast their bible abominations to the flame of Hell before permitting this Av tuma avoda zarah to infect the souls of their children.
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