Am I an Arminian?

 

Many professing Christians who consider themselves to be “bible-believing” and “evangelical” often have no idea what Arminianism is and that it is the name for the brand of salvation that most churches preach in place of the true Gospel. Arminianism is a doctrine promoted by Jacobus Arminius hundreds of years ago.  This doctrine has crept into the Christian church and has pushed out the true Gospel in most mainline Christian denominations and non-denominational churches of our day.  In order for people to accept this doctrine, its teachers ignore many verses throughout the bible that contradict the various false premises that Arminianism is based upon.

 
Some of the false premises that you probably have been taught:

 

1. God loves everyone.  

  • The bible does not teach this.  Just read Psalm 5:5, Psalm 11:5, and Romans 9 for example.

 

2. God wants to save everybody but He is a gentleman who would never force His will on anyone.

  • The bible says God does the choosing and changes the will that is in bondage to sin into a will that is a slave to righteousnes.

 

3. God votes for you, the devil votes against you and its up to you to break the tie.

  • The truth is an unsaved sinner is in total rebellion to God and will never vote for God without first receiving a changed heart from God.

 

4. Salvation is like a drowning man and a life preserver.  YOU are the drowning man, Jesus is the life preserver and it’s up to you grab the life preserver to save yourself.

  • The bible declares that people are spiritually dead and therefore incabable and uninterested in reaching out to God for salvation.  God must make the sinner willing to come to Christ which He does when He saves a sinner.

 

5. God is knocking at the door of your heart waiting for you to open it so He can save you.

  • It’s God’s world and He does as He pleases as stated throughout the Bible.  For example:
     

    “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” [Daniel 4:35]

     

    “… who hath resisted his will?” [Romans 9:19]