Why Arminians Refuse to Believe They are Arminians
Recently, I had the pleasure of debating an Arminian who refused to believe she was an Arminian. It was a pleasure because I love “doing theology” with anyone who is willing, and I especially respect those who are able participants. This woman was not the first Arminian I have encountered in my quest for sound doctrine. I expect she will not be the last, but the pursuit continues. The Apostle Paul wrote to his Greek disciple, Titus, “…be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it (Titus 1:9).”
Jacobus Arminius was judged at the Synod of Dordrecht (A.D. 1618–19) to be a heretical teacher. My debate partner acknowledged this historical event and the church’s judgment against Arminius. She assured me that this event did not include all churches everywhere. Although the Dutch church tried to bring the University of Leiden professor to trial as early as 1603, Arminius successfully eluded his many accusers up until his death in 1610.
It was Arminius’ followers, the Remonstrants, who went on the offensive and championed the heretic and his heretical theology after his death. They presented five objections to the church in support of their false teaching. The Synod aptly answered the Remonstrants and their five main points of protest. Today, the Synod’s able rebuttal is called, “The Five Points of Calvinism.” Others have tried to replace this nickname with the phrase/label “Doctrines of Grace.” The reason is that Swiss Reformer John Calvin was deceased and played no part in the gathering at Dordrecht.
Followers of Arminius’ heretical teaching, today, are legion. They easily comprise more than 80% of American Evangelical Christians. You will hear them and know them by their man-centered words when speaking on matters of theology. This is especially true in the doctrine of salvation.
Man-centered religion has a long history and global reach. Simply stated, man-centered religion is any scheme where people control their eternal destiny. Man-made religion is humanity’s preferred way of salvation. The crux of the matter is what sinful man must ”do” in order to achieve the desired end: “eternal life.”
To illustrate this works-based salvation scheme, we return to Christianity. First, there was the group that approached Jesus with the question, “What must we ‘do’ to do the works of God?” Jesus responded with a God-centered reply to their desire to secure favor with Yahweh, “This is the work of God (by implication not the work of men — Jn 1:12–13; Rom 4:5)…that you believe upon Him whom He has sent (Jn 6:29).”
Another illustration comes in the form of a question from the Philippian jailer to Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I ‘do’ to be saved?” Before we consider the missionary duo’s answer, let us entertain the diverse Arminian replies to the question. The first reply might sound familiar, “The only thing you have to do is use your free will to accept Jesus into your heart.” This may be accompanied by, “It’s your choice.” Another popular term is “decide,” as in, “Decide for Jesus, today, and He will receive you.”
The key arguments against the Arminian heresy and its free will determinism by sinners, revolves around who actually “activates” a successful salvation for each individual. It is the Arminian’s objective to make man’s faith — self-generated by his own “free” will and exercised in some decisive way — the agent of salvation.
The Bible is clear that man does not have the will nor the ability to manipulate God’s plan of salvation (Jn 1:13; Rom 8:7). The Apostle John clearly refutes the idea that receiving Christ unto salvation is by the will of man (Jn 1:13). Those who insist on the free will agency of man only need to read their Bibles to discover that salvation belongs to God’s will (Jn 1:13; Rom 9:15–16; Eph 1:11) and God’s choice (Rom 11:5; 1 Thess 1:4; 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Pet 2:9).
The spirit of Narcissus dwells in the flesh of the natural man. Satan lured Adam and Eve into thinking they could manipulate their future, too (Gen 3). It is the devil’s ploy to prey on those who want to control their eternal destinies. Replying to the question, “What did you do to be saved?” It is the boast of the Arminian, “I accepted Christ.” We must ask, “But has God accepted you into His family?” Redirecting the Arminian away from his self-focus and back to what the Bible says about God saving His chosen people is the best course.
Read and meditate on the Bible passages that accompany these questions:
1. Who wrote your name in the Lamb’s book of life before the foundation of the world? (Rev 13:8; 17:8; 21:27)
2. Who predestined you to adoption into God’s family, according to the good pleasure of His will? (Eph 1:4–5)
3. Who graciously chose you “in Christ” before the foundation of the world to be a member of His remnant people, the true Israel of God, His church? (Rom 11:5; 1 Thess 1:4; 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Pet 2:9)
4. Who laid down His life for His sheep? (Jn 10:11, 15)
5. When you were lost in sin, not seeking after God, who found you? (Mt 18:12–13; Lk 15:4, 7; 19:10; Rom 3:11)
6. Who has the prerogative in the relationship: the Potter or the clay? (Jer 18; Rom 9:19–24)
7. When you were born of your mother what decisions, choices, or declarations of acceptance did you make to validate your mother? (Jn 3:1–8; 1 Pet 1:3)
8. When Lazarus was dead in the tomb, who made Him alive? (Jn 11)
9. When you were dead in your trespasses and sins, who made you alive (resurrected your dead soul) in Christ? (Eph 2:1–5; Col 2:13)
10. Who granted you the grace to repent of your sin? (Acts 5:31; 11:18)
11. Who granted you the grace to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? (Phil 1:29; Gal 3:22; Eph 2:8–9)
Paul and Silas replied to the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31); but, my dear reader, it is imperative to understand that faith is not a work of man (Rom 4:5). The work of decision-making; the work of choosing; or the work of judging the merits of Christ by accepting Him or rejecting Him are meaningless in God’s purpose, plan, and in His working salvation in every elect, redeemed, and regenerated soul.
The Arminian is the only person on the planet who thinks a person deciding, choosing, accepting is not doing a work. Those actions are indeed works performed by the Arminian to secure salvation for himself or herself. Knowing that no one is justified before God, by works (Rom 3:20, 28; 4:2; Gal 2:16), leaves the Arminian in a quandary: either the Arminian joins the Judaizers by adding a work to faith; or he denies his work of obedience is a work.
To be an Arminian, one must rely on himself to activate salvation. This is not biblical and the Arminian knows it, but he will hold onto the error instead of forsaking his sacred free will. Rarely do Arminians identify themselves by Arminius’ name, but they hold his false doctrine with a fierce grip. This is what causes the Arminian to refuse to believe that he or she is an Arminian. At best, it is hypocrisy.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
August 7, 2023
