BIBLICAL SUPPORT

FOR

ARMINIANISM

The Full Biblical Evidence For Arminianism

"Sorry, no Biblical evidence found"

This preceding statement is the web result of a disingenuous Calvinist's stab at humor. I must applaud the author for their originality in their attempt to bring discredit to Arminian theology. Original and humorous as this attack may be, it is still dishonest, and therefore condemned by Almighty God.

"A false witness shall not be unpunished; and he that speaketh lies shall not escape."

Does the author really believe that Arminians have absolutely no Biblical support that they can appeal to for their evidence? Now, the author can be of the opinion that the Scriptures do not support any of the arguments for Arminianism; and in this, I defend his right to be wrong. He may wish to drape a veil of ignorance over the eyes of himself and others, but honest Christians will want to know if there is really any evidence to support the Arminian position.

What is the Biblical evidence? To this I must show what the position of Arminianism is in order to show what Scriptural evidence exists. Let's take a quick view of what are called "The Five Articles" of the Remonstrants.

Point 1: God had simply decreed to save all who would believe in Christ.

Point 2: Christ died for all men and for every man.

Point 3: Man has not saving grace of himself, nor of the energy of his free will, insomuch as he, in the state of apostasy and sin, can of and by himself neither think, will, nor do anything that is truly good; but it is needful that he be born again-and renewed in understanding, inclination, or will, and all his powers.

Point 4: Speaking of the absolute need of divine grace, adds: "But as respects the mode of the operation of this grace, it is not irresistible, insomuch as it is written concerning many, that they have resisted the Holy Ghost. "

Point 5: Perseverance, resistance in temptation are through the assistance of the Holy Spirit and by the help of Christ; they are not, however, the result of an absolute decree. Believers, therefore, can fall into grievous sins and persevere in these. They can only hope that they may persevere and be confident that divine grace will always be at hand and sufficient.

Point 1: God had simply decreed to save all who would believe in Christ.

This the author claims to be unbiblical? Where is it stated in the Scriptures that anyone was ever saved by fate? predestination? or even by decree? Wow! talk about holding a position without Biblical support! The Scriptures everywhere state that those that believe are saved through faith.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotton Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: (You would think that God was clear on His Calvinism and would have said, "He that is predestined is not condemned." I guess God missed that!) but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotton Son of God. "( So, according to Calvinism, God is confused about His Gospel, since they teach that those He is pleased to save are predestined from all eternity. But God says that they are condemned if they do not believe, (predestined or not!). So, salvation is clearly based upon faith and not some fictitious decree of Calvinism! )

The book of Ephesians, which is addressed to believers says, "He hath chosen us (believers) in him (in Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. " Who were "chosen"? Believers. When? Before the foundation of the world! The writer continues, "Having predestinated us (believers) unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself." The Calvinist chimes in and says, "There it is! Salvation is predestined!" Well, let's hold on and take a look at the passage! The only thing that is predestined here is the plan of God for salvation! The passage never says that anybody was ever predestined to salvation! It just says that God's plan is that people are chosen in Christ on the basis of belief before the foundation of the world, and this purpose is that they would be holy and blameless before Him in love. What is predestined is that believers be sanctified! God has predestined from all eternity that believers are to be adopted children through the work of Christ unto Himself. No passage concerning predestination in all of Scripture says that any individual has been predestined to salvation! (Once again, the Calvinists have their theories, but they do not have Scripture on their side.)

Paul writes, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." No Calvinistic "must call upon the name" or any salvation preceding belief. The Gospel is good news for all. It is available to "whosoever will," and not just an "elect few" of Calvinism.

Salvation by fate, and salvation through faith are two different Gospels.

Point 2: Christ died for all men and for every man.

While Calvinism emphasizes that Jesus died "for" the sheep, Arminianism does not deny that fact; it only asserts that He died for the whole world also.

The application of the atonement is in a way only good as long as someone is affected by it. The atonement is truly a provision for every single person that has ever lived. It can be equally true to say that the atonement is only for the sheep because it only affects the sheep. This statement does not deny that the atonement is available to all; it only asserts that only some believe and are affected by its results.

Jesus died for all, not just some small sliver of Calvinian "elect." "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 Jn. 2:2. This passage is so clear on its own that it must take a pretty good theologian to get you to disbelieve it! To say that Christ did not die for each and every person in the entire world throughout history is to deny that God, "is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9. Does God love the world, or just the elect "few"? Why would God insist that we "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." ? According to the Calvinistic "gospel," salvation comes by God's decree and not by any preaching or assent to Calvinistic fatalism. A person would be equally saved with or without any Gospel according to this logic. It would make the "Good News" to be "Horrible News" if they weren't elect, which makes the Gospel not "Good News" at all for the majority of mankind. To limit the availability of the Gospel to a lucky few is to paint a picture of a God who dangles the promise of eternal bliss before all mankind, and leads them to believe the promise can be theirs, while He knows that He never intended to give it to them in the first place! In essence, it makes the "Good News" a horrendous and cruel lie. He bids us to preach to all, while He has no intent on saving all.

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1 Tim. 2:3-6.

This truly denies the accusations of many Calvinists that say that Arminians teach that we can "will" our own way into salvation. The real issue is whether all grace is "saving grace. " Or whether there is grace that precedes the offer of salvation that enables men to respond to the gracious offer of the Gospel. If regeneration must come before belief as Calvinism teaches, then we must ask what sense it makes for the words of Jesus to Nicodemus. "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Now, what hope is there in an answer like that if one cannot believe unto salvation, and must wait for some mysterious zap that regenerates them so they can receive the new-birth? Nicodemus' misconception that one must somehow get back into their mother's womb makes just as much sense as the Calvinistic interpretation. Neither offer any hope of possibility. Both would be taunts of impossibilities, especially when Jesus clarified that the Gospel was for "whosoever will" and "he that believeth" just a few moments later.

The Philippian jailor was moved by the praying and singing of Paul and Silas. When the earthquake came and found all of the prisoners safe in their cells, he knelt at the feet of Paul and Silas and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Acts 16:30. According to Calvinistic imagination, Paul and Silas should have said "Glory to God! Another elect brother has been regenerated!" But no, they did not see him as regenerated and saved. There was something that he must do in response to the gracious offer of grace, he must, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Calvinism asserts that the grace of God cannot be resisted. What God wills, He decrees. What He decrees, will come to pass. Thus, all actions of all individuals were predestined before the beginning of time. This supposed inability to go against, or resist the will of God is clearly not so. If we are not free in our actions, then we are not responsible. If God wills the action, then He becomes the Author of all sin. If He damns us for doing that which He for-ordained, then He is a hypocrite, and an unfair Ruler. Arminianism does not impugn the Creator with such unjust charges. To say that man is free means that he is responsible for his actions, and therefore responsible for his own damnation. While God may foreknow future actions of free moral agents, that does not mean that He causes the action in any way.

Can God's will be resisted? Stephen's charge to his persecutors was, "You always resist the Holy Spirit!" (Acts 7:51). How can this be true if Calvinism is correct? Paul said, "I do not frustrate the grace of God" (Gal. 2:21), which would be a theological impossibility if Paul were a Calvinist! Hebrews 10:29, warns us about, "doing despite the Spirit of grace." Jesus said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chicks under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matt. 23:37.)

Isaiah reveals the message from God, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord." If all were set in stone from eternity, how could mans response to God in reasoning effect a single thing? God must desire to reason with us for a purpose, for if Calvinistic predestination, foreordination, and fatalism were true, God would be speaking nonsense. Grace is resistible, and no one's fate is set but by that individual themselves who rejects the grace of God.

This statement was in response to the fifth point of the Calvinistic charge at the kangaroo court of Dort. Arminians answer that there is no such thing as a decree to final perseverance and salvation. God no more perseveres and remains faithful for us than He believes for us. We as believers are warned, encouraged and exhorted to stay in the faith, continue, remain, endure, and etc. These are all things addressed to believers, and not to God! To the charge that Arminians do not have any Biblical Evidence for their belief, I respectfully disagree with that position and consider it partisan folly. For the Arminian Biblical basis for Point 5, I refer you to the article HOLD ON!

My friend, you may disagree with Arminianism if you WILL. You do not have to respond to this with a defense of Calvinism, I just cannot help but to think this way........ God must have been predestined it to be so! But seriously, if your doctrine be true, it would make no difference to the salvation of a single soul. Right belief and genuine faith have nothing to do with salvation if the fatalism of Calvinism is true. If Calvinism is true, leave me in my Arminian belief. I would rather die with a hope of heaven instead of the torture of never really knowing if I were one of the lucky ones that Jesus died for!

Calvinism and Arminianism Compared Election and Reprobation

Predestination Arminian Conundrum

BIBLICAL THEOLOGY ETERNAL SECURITY