A LOOK AT ARMINIANISM

1 - Free will: The first point of Arminianism was that man possesses "free will". They believed that the fall of man was not total, holding that there was enough good left in man for him to will to accept Christ unto salvation.

2- Conditional Election: Arminianism further teaches that election is based upon the foreknowledge of God as to who would believe. In other words man's act of faith is the "condition" for his being elected to eternal life. Since God foresaw him exercising his "free will" in accepting Christ as Lord and Savior God then elected him to salvation on that basis.

3- Universal atonement: Since it was their further conviction that God loves everybody, that Christ died for everyone, and that the Father is not willing that any should perish, Arminius and his followers held that redemption (used casually as a synonym for atonement) was general. In other words the death of Christ provided grounds for God to save all men. However, each individual must exercise his free will to accept Christ in order to be included under Christ's salvation.

4- Obstructable grace: Arminians also believed that since God wanted all men to be saved, He sent the Holy spirit to woo all men to Christ. However - since man has absolute "free will" he is able to resist God's will for his life. The Arminian order being that man exercises his own will first, then he is born again. Although the Arminian says he believes that God is omnipotent, he insists that God's will to save all men can be frustrated by the finite will of man on an individual bases.

5- Falling from Grace: Falling from grace is the logical outcome of the preceding portions of the system. If man cannot be saved by God unless it is man's will to be saved, then man cannot continue in salvation unless he continues to will to be saved.

You can see that these are just the complete opposite to the five points of Grace with the acrostic known as TULIP. It is apparent the five points of Calvinism was intended as a direct answer to the five points of Arminianism. We can see clearly the "lines of battle" - so to speak as drawn by both camps.

Let's compare the two forms of theology:

Point 1: The Arminians say that man's will is free to choose either the word of God or the word of Satan. Salvation then is dependent upon man's work of faith.

Calvinism - responds that unregenerate man is in absolute bondage to Satan, and wholly incapable of exercising his own will freely to trust in Christ. Salvation then is dependent on the work of God who must will to give man life before he can believe in Christ.

Point 2: Arminianism: held that election was conditional. They believed that God elected those whom He "foreknew" would believe unto salvation, so that foreknowledge was based upon a "condition" established by man.

Calvinism: Held that "foreknowledge" was based upon the purpose or plan of God, so that election had no basis in some fancied condition on the part of man, but was the result of the free will of the Creator apart from any foreseen "work of faith" in spiritually-dead man.

NOTE: that the second position of each side is the natural outcome of man. If man does have "Free will", and is not in bondage to Satan and sin, then he is able to provide the "condition" whereby God may elect to save him. However, if man does not have free will, but is actually in bondage to Satan and sin, then his only hope is that God has chosen of HIS FREE will to elect him to salvation.

Point 3: Arminianism: insist that atonement - or redemption as they also call it - is universal. They believe that - Christ died to save no one in particular, but only those who exercise their free will and accept His offer of eternal life. Hence His death was  to a large extent a failure since those who reject Christ will go to hell.

Calvinism: insists that Redemption is particular, which is to say a limited atonement was made by Christ at the cross. We believe that: Christ died to save particular persons who were given Him by the Father in eternity past. His death was therefore, a one hundred percent success, in that all for whom He died will be saved, and all for whom He did not die will receive "justice" from God when they are cast into hell. Just by this comparison - it is not hard to discern who is right.

Point 4: Arminians: continues by stating that although the Holy spirit seeks to woo all men to Christ (since God loves all mankind and wills to save all men), still, since the will of God is bound by the will of man, the spirit can be resisted by man if man so chooses. Since man alone can determine whether he will be saved or not, it stands to reason that God at least "permits man" to obstruct His Holy will. He is willing to be impotent in the face of man's will so that the creature may "be as God", just as Satan promised Eve in the garden. Can't you see how foolish this is - for God to give up His power, His authority to allow He the creator to be in subjection to those He created!! That is so foolish it is hard to believe anyone could believe that!!

Calvinism: replies that the grace of God cannot be obstructed, but the Lord's Grace is irresistible. This does not mean that God crushes man's obstinate will like a giant steam roller! He doesn't have to! He just puts a new (Holy) spirit in us, that is what responds to God.

Irresistible Grace is not grounded in the omnipotence of God, although it could be if the Lord so willed, but in the gift of life known as "regeneration" - being born again of God. All dead human spirits are drawn irresistibly to Satan, the god of the dead - all living human spirits (born again of God) are drawn irresistibly to God, the God of the living. Our Lord simply gives His chosen ones the spirit of life! (Himself - the rebirth) The moment He does so our spiritual polarity is changed. Where we were once "dead in trespasses and sins" our polarity was oriented to the devil, now we are made "alive in Christ Jesus" - our polarity has changed and oriented to God.

Another big difference between Arminianism and Calvinist become apparent here. Arminians say that the order of events is:

(1) Man's work of faith,

( 2) God's gift of life.

Calvinism: declares that the order of events is:

(1) God's gift of life - then

(2) saving Faith that comes from that gift of life.

Point 5: Arminianism: they conclude (quite logically) that since man is saved by his own act of free will in accepting Christ, he can be lost again, by changing his mind about Christ. Most add that he can lose his salvation by committing some sin, since Arminianism is a "works" theology - at least to the extent that man must exercise his own will in order to be saved. They call this - "falling from grace." They also go on to say that they can repent, return to Christ and be "saved again". He could do this over and over during his life right up until he dies.

Calvinism : replies - since salvation is entirely the work of the Lord, and man has absolutely nothing to do with "getting saved" in the first place, it is obvious that "keeping saved" is also the work of God, apart from any good or bad on the part of His elect. The saints will "persevere" for the simple reason that God promises this, assuring us that He will finish the work He has begun in us. Hence our belief in: the Perseverance of the saints.

You will note one outstanding point about the beliefsof the Arminians. That is that they totally leave out the work of the Holy spirit in us. Instead the changes brought about is a result of our own decisions. They know - nor understand nothing of the entering of the Holy spirit in a person or the influence the Holy spirit has on us that causes a person to come to Christ in obedience. This despite the fact they talk about being born again - or the Holy Spirit's work-in us - but their usage of these terms is completely alien to the Bible teaching. They believe that the Holy spirit comes into us AFTER we make a decision to allow God to save us. That the Holy spirit entrance is a special event after we are born again that causes super feats by the recipient. They look on the call of God as an OUTSIDE call like you or I would call a person - and then that person can either respond to the call or reject the call.

The Calvinist believes the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us - this is called being "born again" - also called 'regeneration" - and this Holy spirit that now resides in us acts as a new nature that influences us to respond to God in a positive way - accepting Jesus in Salvation and in obedience to His laws.

Another thing to note - who gets the credit - or glory when one does respond? Under Arminianism beliefs Of course the answer is - man. He does it all and God is rendered less than man because He can't do anything to man unless man lets Him, making man the god. Surely you can see what blasphemy that is!!

Who gets the credit - or glory - under Calvinism? The answer is not hard to see. God does. He is the instigator of salvation right from the start - out in eternity past, and follows through on it in each individual as he lives out his life. We have absolutely nothing to do with it!! Praise God!!

For awhile let's take a look into the the will of God in connection with the five points of Grace.

When we speak of God's will it is the expression of His omnipotent and omniscient being. In other words His all powerful, and unchangeable being.

If God is omnipotent, as the scriptures testifies, He will achieve all that He purposes, and if He is omniscient, He will make no mistakes in his original plan, nor will He ever find it necessary to alter His original purpose. When God finalized His plans and set them in motion at His determinate counsel He did so with no intentions of ever changing any part of that plan.(this is where God's permissive will believers go wrong) Even where there has been changes, that change was all part of that original plan. For instance - the change between the Old and New Testaments, did that change come about because God at some time or other realized the Old Testament was not working and came up with a new one? Not according to scripture. That change was as much planned as anything else. The change to a new plan was talked about many times in the Old Testament. Remember:

Acts 15:18 -- "known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the age."

Benjamin Warfield (a well known Bible teacher of bygone years) made this statement - and I agree 100% with it:

Quote: "In the infinite wisdom of the Lord of all the earth, each event falls with exact precision into its proper place in the unfolding of His divine plan. Nothing, however small, however strange, occurs without His ordering, or without its particular fitness for its place in the working out of His purpose; and the end of all shall be the manifestation of His glory, and the accumulation of His praise. This is the Old testament as well as the New Testament philosophy of the universe - a world-view which attains concrete unity in an absolute decree, or purpose, or plan, of which all that come to pass is but its development in time." Unquote.

This is really absolute predestination that he is implying, that God ordains every minute thing that happens. And in fact for things to happen in a smooth orderly fashion as we would expect from God that's the way it must be. If the Permissive will of God were true, things would not run so smoothly because God would be forever thwarted by the refusal of rebellious man not doing as God bid them do, and He would be forever running about trying to find an alternative way to get His plans carried out. Many do believe in God's permissive will to answer how God lets certain terrible things happen and still claim God the good God that does not cause or in anyway have anything to do with sin that the intellectual mind likes to adhere to. This belief certainly does not show a sovereign God in a sovereign way. If God bows to man's will or failures in any way shape or form, or is controlled by the events of His own creation, then He is not sovereign. If God tells someone He would prefer him to not do this or that, or that He would prefer him to do this or that and that person not do it as God wanted, then God says in essence - "Well if you insist in rebelling and doing it your way I by my permissive will let you have your way " - then God is not being sovereign. He is bowing to man's will to let him go against God's will, what He had planned from eternity. Not only that He would have to go looking for another way of getting done what He wanted this person to do and refused to do, or God's will might even be thwarted completely.. That is totally unacceptable in understanding a sovereign God!

No - I believe God has everything planned - even man's rebellion, which might seemingly, on the surface, frustrate God's plan - but in fact doesn't because God has taken all this into consideration and has fit everything, even one's rebellious period into His eternal plans and purpose. Jonah is a good example. Did Jonah frustrate or hold up God's plan in his rebellion, or did God plan the rebellion and fit it into His schedule of events. I don't think the answer to that is hard to come by. Could one of the purposes of putting Jonah's rebellion in this part of his life be that He planned to include the story of Jonah in His writings we call the Bible as an example to us?

Therefore as we shall see - whatever comes to pass in the history of mankind does so because it was planned to do so by God as it suited His eternal plan or purpose.

If anything takes place contrary to God's will - or changed because in the opinion of some finite creature God's way is not right - then Satan or even man must be equal to or even superior to the creator who claims to be omnipotent and wholly irresistible. You know that cant' be right.

On the other hand - if the determinative will of God reflects His immutable nature, it can neither be obstructed nor cancelled.

Therefore whatever comes to pass in any part of creation, at any time of history, does so because the omniscient God at least knew it would be a possibility and wills it as a reality by His omnipotence, and established it, or fits it into His own divine plans and purpose, His own schedule of events. That is why nothing happens that surprises God. He has considered everything - and fit all that He wants to happen into his eternal plan. His plans are not thwarted or forced off schedule by man's rebellion forcing God to press on with other plans or argue with His first choice, begging him to do His bidding. We must decide in our own mind if God is sovereign. If He is we can expect God to do things His way and not even consider man's wants or opinions. If God is not sovereign then man may get his own way in the events of the earth. What a pitiful situation we would find ourselves in if this were so.

God is sovereign whether we want to admit it or not, and that is the way He operates, carrying out His will according to His purpose throughout His creation.

There is no conflict between these mighty works which manifest God's holiness, righteousness and His wrath, and those glorious works which display His grace, love and forgiveness.

If we study closely we'll find that In the light of the whole of scripture God will be seen as consistent as He damns some and forgives others as He displays His sovereign grace - freely forgiving all whom He chose "In Christ Jesus" before the foundation of the world.

As the only truly free agent in all eternity - who alone is not influenced by any creature or outside force - God can bluntly say:

Romans 9:15 -- I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassionon on whom I will I have compassion.

As the only being in time or eternity with absolute freedomto do as He sees fit - God has laid out a plan which includes both election & reprobation. Paul says in:

Romans 9:10-13 -- And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even our father, Isaac (for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the Purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him who calleth), it was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

In other words without taking into account either good or bad in these two men, God made Jacob an object of His love while Esau the object of His wrath.

Why? The answer is there - So that His purpose - or divine plan - in keeping with election might stand.

God does not make any apologies for the fact He determined to let most men spend eternity under His wrath, giving them exactly what they deserved while He has also determined to ordain others who are equally deserving of wrath display His nature of grace and mercy in the presence of the elect angels. Like Paul says in:

Thessalonians. 5:9  -- For God hath not APPOINTED us to wrath, but He hath APPOINTED us to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ

Who is the US God has not appointed to wrath, but to obtain salvation instead. I don't think it hard to see he is talking about Christians, those born again of God's Holy spirit. He includes himself, as well as those he is talking to, and any believer in the future who would read what he wrote here. We see clearly that some are not appointed to wrath but are appointed to obtain salvation. By saying this he clearly implies that there are others that are appointed to wrath, and are not appointed to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. We will confirm that in another scripture below.

Christ is indeed a scandal to the unregenerate, and would be to all men if God had not chosen to regenerate some - which causes repentance and faith in His word. Peter says this about the Savior in:

1 Peter 2:8 -- A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them who stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Yes, Jesus, God and even the Bible is an offense, a stumbling block to an unsaved person. There is the instructions from God on how God wants us to live and conduct ourselves. But we by nature do not want to live that way - in fact can't. And there is the scripture I mentioned a moment ago - that they who find Jesus a rock of offense, stumble at the word, disobedient, were appointed to that walk of life. Notice the change of person - from us - to they.

When Paul wishes to show how God ordained some men to salvation, wholly apart from any good qualities on our part - whereas He appointed others to condemnation - he says in:

Romans 9:17 -- The scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

In other words, for His plan - God needed someone to carry out this plan He had for Moses and the people of Israel. For His plan He needed a Pharaoh - so he ordained his conception and birth - making sure it was not someone else conceived instead of this particular person.

When did God come up with His idea of raising up Pharaoh for this plan - as it was carried out? Or did He just twinkle His nose or snap His finger and created Pharaoh on the spur of the moment to fulfill a need that suddenly arose? I agree, that is foolish. His plan for this event had to start long before the actual happening. Long before his birth even. In fact it had to take place back in eternity. Why? For this reason. For Pharaoh to be who he was - that individual, he would have had to have the exact parents he had, the seed joining that this particular man was conceived from had to take place at the exact time it did and out of all the millions of sperm cells that could have caused conception God made sure it was the one that conceived this particular person. That is a fact of life. You can see what I mean that God plans the most minute detail of our life?

And not only this, Pharaoh's parents had to be the very couples that caused his conception, and their parents in return had to be the exact people they were to create the parents for Pharaoh - and that goes all the way back to Adam and Eve. So it is very clear that the "raising up of Pharaoh" was planned at the determinate counsel just like everything else was. This is also very true of each and every one of us. Our own birth had to be planned back in eternity past - just like Pharaoh's.

Despite the fact poor Pharaoh was ordained to his roll in those affairs, God did not force Pharaoh to act as he did - He just set up the circumstances and gave Pharaoh the appropriate character for the occasion - and along with his human nature he just naturally fell into the path God had prepared for him, and at the same time fulfilled God's eternal decree.

Before God laid out the heavens and earth, He determined that every creature and every act of history should be to His glory & honor and to no other. He also determined that: at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things in the underworld, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord - to the glory of God the father.

Philippians 2:10 -- that at the name of Jesus every knee every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father

To those who find fault with God's eternal decree, Paul warns them in this manner:

Romans 9:20-23 -- Who art thou, O man, who repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why has thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted (ordained) to destruction; and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared(ordained) unto glory, even us whom he hath called.

In short, God is the potter mentioned here that has ordained that and created some of His creatures to be fitted - ordained - to be vessels of dishonor whose end would be eternal damnation. Others - would be ordained to be vessels suited to bring glory to God and ordained to spend eternity in heaven. Ordained to that purpose and created for that purpose.

Boy - If Paul preached like that in most churches of our day - and this includes all too many Baptist churches - he would not last long - or if a visiting pastor he would not be asked back to preach for them again. This kind of preaching is not tolerated in all too many so called Baptist churches of our day. Just ask our own Pastor - he left the ABA because he could not agree on doctrines held by the ABA and he knew if he stayed he would be not too gently asked to leave.

I know of two missionaries in the Philippines - and also at least one American missionary I believe he was in Mexico - the ABA ceased to support these missionaries because they taught these very doctrines we are studying - Calvinism. The missionaries had come to see these truths after being sent to the mission field and endorsed them. The ABA informed them to get back in line with their own teaching which did not include Calvinism - or they would cease their support. These good - Godly men felt that it was more important to teach the truth so kept on with their teaching. The ABA true to their word just pulled the rug out from under them so to speak - leaving them high and dry with no support. The two in the Philippines were able to continue on with their work because they already had a fairly large congregation able to support them, with difficulty, but they stuck it out. The American in Mexico was forced to return to the USA. The last I heard he was still trying to drum up support so he could go back. This was the latter part of 2001 and into 2002.

I know of at least one other that knows better - but because he is afraid of having support withdrawn - he refuses to teach these precious doctrines of grace - or leave the ABA voluntarily. This kind of person will have their own kind of award waiting them when they meet Jesus - only it's a reward I personally would not be looking forward to.

No wonder the scriptures say things like this recorded in:

ISAIAH 55:8-9 -- My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

There is no doubt the way of God is not the way that seems right unto man. Instead - the way that seems right to man is actually the way of Satan - and ends in eternal death. Read that in:

Proverbs 14:12  -- There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Man may connive and scheme trying to counter the plans of God using the plans of their own god - Satan. But they cannot change the plan of God one iota, those plans that God has already foreordained, that is, all history from the largest event to the smallest detail.

As a result we can rest assured that the plan God laid out guarantees that the "all things" of history will work out together for the good of the elect of God. We - the elect - can face our enemies who have tried to destroy us - as well as distressing and painful events. We can say with Joseph:

GENESIS 50:20 -- Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good.

Or - like Nebuchadnezzar who said this:

DANIEL 4:35  -- All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing! Jehovah doeth according to HIS WILL in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, nor say to Him, what doest Thou?

It would do us good if we would come to that conclusion too. It would save us heartache because if we don't see and acknowledge this fact we will inevitably rebel against God - to our sorrow. Just like Nebuchadnezer had to suffer for his unbelief .

Loraine Boettner summed it up this way: "Everything was infallibly determined and immutably fixed by God from the beginning, and all that happens in time is but the accomplishment of what was ordained in eternity."

This is a person who knows God's word!! For listen to what GOD says in - virtually the same thing:

Isaiah 46:9-11  --  I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done. My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure! I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass. I have purposed it and I will also do it.

How ego withering!! How the natural mind hates such teachings - the doctrines of sovereign grace and retribution! How man's heart rebels against the decrees of Almighty God who rules without His immutable will ever being seriously questioned. How man hates to be told things like what's found in:

Proverbs 16:9  --  A mans's heart devises his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

Man sure hates the idea that he doesn't have his way - but God does even when seemingly man is getting his own way. Man hates this idea so he creates his own God that he can tell what to do. A God that loves everybody and puts up with their shenanigans as perfectly ok or forgivable - a god that just winks at his worst actions and passes it off as some harmless prank. A God that gives in to all powerful man. Sinful man just cannot tolerate a God who says things like in:

Isaiah 6:9-10  --  Go, and tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not! See ye, indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy; and shut their eyes: lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and be healed.

Yet this is our God - the God of both the Old and New Testament.

Like Luther said: "This mightily offends our human nature, that God should, of His own mere unbiased will, leave some men to themselves, harden them, and then condemn them; but He has given abundant demonstration - and does continually - that this is really the case, namely, that the sole cause why some are saved and others perish proceeds from His will the salvation of the former and the perdition of the others.

That is clear as found recorded in:

Romans 9:18 -- He hath mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.

Can't get much plainer than that!!

God's word is His power unto salvation to all who believe. God determines who will believe and who will not. That is clearly stated in:

Isaiah 55:11 --  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but is shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper whereto I sent it.

Note that: The will of God is accomplished by the word of God whenever it is sent forth. That is why one person will be saved - and another just as equally intelligent is not saved when God's word is proclaimed. God's word worked out God's will to salvation in the one - while in the other God's word worked out God's will to his condemnation. All determined by God before the foundation of the world at God's determinate counsel who would benefit and who would be condemned.