I have, on occasion, been able to discuss the idea of free will with those of an Arminian persuasion. Each and every time I have had a discussion of this nature, it has more or less ended with the Arminian saying something similar to the following: “It doesn't really matter how we come to Christ, as long as a relationship with Christ is where we end up.”* On first hearing, this certainly sounds like an accurate statement. Should I really care how people are brought to Christ?
Although it may seem inconsequential at first glance, the idea of free will has certain consequences which are undesirable to say the least. In the first place, the idea of free will, of making a decision for Christ causes one to put their faith not in Jesus as their savior, but first and foremost their faith is in the decision they have made. Some may say that this is untrue, but when an Arminian doubts his salvation, does he look to Christ for comfort? No! he does not look to Christ, he looks to himself and makes another decision to re-commit himself to Christ. When in doubt, they look towards their decision. For comfort they make another decision. Their own action is their own comfort.
Obviously, this is not Biblical. Our faith is not to be in ourselves or our works or our decisions. Our faith is to be in Christ alone. The law, the ministry of death, tells us to look toward our works and decisions. When directed to ourselves, as we are by the law, we can only see one thing. The only thing we get by looking to ourselves is what we had to begin with, death. By ourselves we are dead in trespasses and sins, and no decision we make or work that we do can change that. It is only an act of God that can make this change. It is only a miracle of the Holy Spirit that can grant us faith in Christ. To put our faith in anything but God is to put something else in place of God, breaking the first and most fundamental commandment. To put your faith in yourself is to make yourself out to be God, to be your own savior.
Does this sound inconsequential to you? Does it really matter how people are brought to Faith? Yes it matters! By making conversion dependent on one's own actions, one sets a strong precedent for making Christianity into a “self-help” religion. Christianity is the only religion in the work that is in no way a “self-help” religion. Biblical Christianity is the only religion in which one's works are not the source of salvation (or favorable reincarnation or nirvana or 70 virgins or whatever delusion the followers of false religions are trying to obtain).
Yet, by teaching that we can even do this one work, or co-operate with God in this one work, the Arminians teach that a person can help himself to salvation by doing this one work. This one work seems to lead to a whole religion of self-help and self-improvement. By beginning the Christian life with a work, they are inclined to go through it and finish it in the same way. Their preaching continues this mind set, and nothing but law-based sermons get preached. The Gospel does not tell you how to lead a “Christian Life” so it is largely ignored.
Does this sound inconsequential to you? I certainly hope not. Arminianism poisons the Gospel, it makes the most blessed news ever proclaimed nothing but another law. It silences those who proclaim the Gospel because it is not relevant. It takes credit from God and gives it to man. It makes man out to be God, and as such is fundamentally anti-Christian. It is no trivial matter, it threatens the Gospel itself and must be taken seriously.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
* This first thing to note is that even the statement “It doesn't really matter how we come to Christ, as long as a relationship with Christ is where we end up” presupposes an Arminian viewpoint. If you notice, they are still stating that “we come to Christ.” Even when they basically say “lets agree to disagree” they still make sure that they are using their own terms and their own theology. If I would make a similar statement saying “It doesn't really matter how the Holy Spirit calls us, as long as we are called to be children of God through Christ.” the Arminian would not find that to be a “lets agree to disagree” statement at all. Why they expect us to accept their statement I don't know.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
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2 comments:
Yes, it hinges on the very definition of faith itself. In a sense, the position of the Arminian is circular. Because we as human beings cannot intellectually remember a time when we trusted without being able to consciously think about whatever was happening in some sense, it can follow that faith must contain the willful, intellectual component for it to be real faith. We simply have no mental experience with anything otherwise.
It's funny how becoming a parent sometimes changes a person's view, for here they see the little one who trusts implicitly and receives good and beneficial gifts often without even knowing it. Then it becomes obvious that faith is not a work, for we were all physically in that position once. I just wrote about this on my blog, looking at a passage from Ezekiel...
I must disagree. No one puts faith in their decision. That's preposterous. But those who are weak in the faith have not grown as Christians. They should be studying the Word and being obedient to the Lord. Those who accept Christ then think that's good enough remain baby Christians, always wondering if they are truly saved because their lives do not manifest the fruits of the Spirt and Glorify God.
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