The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Arminians and Synergism

Sorry, Sis...

But, I've been at church for most of the day.

So, here are my comments on the quote I included in the Poll:

1. The source is the "Remonstrants" submitted by the Arminian "party" at the great Synod of Dordt in 1618, out of which evolved the "Five Points of Calvinism" in response to the "Five Points of Arminianism"; aka, the "Remonstrants".
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2. The article on its face is very much true and biblical. I'm sure that most may find that shocking due to the fact that Arminians wrote it. However, the whole point in having the poll and including the quote from the Remonstrants was a way to answer the original question concerning modern day Arminians who claim to be "monergistic" in their soteriology (doctrine of salvation) and not "synergistic".
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3. It is important to note that the vast majority of evangelical churches are NOT Arminian in their theology. They are much worse as they are actually semi-Pelagianism. They could never assent to what the Arminians at Dordt wrote in regard to man's fallen condition. But that's a subject for another discussion.
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4. Another important historical note is that the term "free will" used in the article could easily throw a Calvinist off the track IF one isn't privy to the fact that the term did not have its modern definition/meaning at that time. There were some Reformed men who also used the term "free will" in their theological treatises and sermons. But again, what they meant by the term was not what is commonly understood today. For them, it was a term which is synonymous with "free agency", i.e., that man's will is indeed free to make choices; nothing more, nothing less. The semi-Pelagians, e.g., Charles Finney coined the phrase to mean something far different. For the semi-Pelagian "free will" means that man is free to make choices of ANY kind, even choices which are contrary to man's nature. And since they do not believe that man is "dead" spiritually; only terminally ill so that man still retains some goodness, wholesome desires and moral ability, it is within man's ability to repent and believe upon Christ before regeneration. In fact, they hold that regeneration (being born again) is the result of one believing upon Christ.
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5. Thus, the article is in fact sound ON ITS FACE! However, what the Arminians wrote in the articles which preceded it and followed it revealed what they really meant in that article. Although they confessed to adhere to what the Belgic Confession taught about man's depravity, they denied that a sovereign and divine work of the Spirit in bringing a spiritually dead sinner to life is absolutely necessary before a sinner could believe. They held to a universal "prevenient grace", which being universal was given to all men. Secondly, this prevenient grace allegedly gave spiritually dead sinners the ability to "choose Christ", despite the fact that they were spiritually blind, deaf and dumb without a radical change of nature. This is subtly seen in their following article on "Resistible Grace".
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6. One of the important lessons to be learned here is two-fold: 1) CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT... even in non-inspired writings, it is so crucial to correctly understand what someone is saying to take things in context. And 2) Nothing is new under the sun. Heresy most always originates IN the Church, not from the world outside the Church. And the way it is most always presented is in familiar terms, BUT with new definitions which all too often aren't mentioned. This was the modus operandi at Dordt, that used by neo-Orthodoxy and now most recently by those promoting NPP (New Perspective on Paul), FV (Federal Vision), Shepherdism and all its morphs, and even the "New Calvinism".

Okay, so what do you all think now?

In His grace,