Hi William,
The notion that man is capable of choosing to save himself from within a sinful nature
You definition of free will within Arminianism is wrong, and your previous "hmmm" posts shows me that you really do not understand what Arminians believe.
Arminians believe that man has a free will in the sense that there are true contingencies - we really can choose otherwise (whether we have a choice btw eating a ham or jam sandwich, or whether we have a moral choice to steal or not). God foreknew all of our free choices, as Arminius said, "God foreknows future things through the infinity of his essence, and through the pre-eminent perfection of his understanding and prescience..." (II:480) (Your accusation that I am espousing Open Theism is ridiculous.)
So, whilst man has free will to choose what he will do, where he will go, etc., he is not free to accept the offer of salvation and put faith in Christ (Picirilli, Grace, Faith, Free Will, p. 42). His will is bound in sin (Rom. 3:9ff). Only by the enabling grace of God, can man choose to accept the gift of salvation. Arminius wrote:
"The will is, indeed, free, but not in respect to that act which can not be performed or omitted without supernatural grace." (III:196)
Yours in Christ,
Michael
