Home
Articles
Media
Storefront
Copyright © 2008 apostate arminian ministries
Copyright © 2008 apostate arminian ministries
The golden calf of synergism is undoubtedly the autonomy, or free will, of man. Ol’
Jake taught us that it is through the will that a man comes to know Christ. Upon
hearing the Gospel, the depraved becomes ‘convinced’ of his need for grace, and responds
by going to the altar with much tears and blubbering (shocked as he is that the direness
of his condition has never dawned upon him before). He is not ‘dragged’ to the altar
by God, nor is he yet born-again when the conviction of the Spirit falls upon his
godless heart; rather, realizing that he is lost in sin, dead in trespass, and cut
off from God, he congers within himself a desire to be alive as opposed to dead,
as so many corpses do. We supposedly have, therefore, a wonderful motivation for
sharing the Gospel with the world: everyone is capable of coming to Christ! Almost
gives you that Hallmark kind of feeling, doesn’t it? Great, but don‘t call Oprah
just yet, because we‘d better answer a question first: why do some still reject Him,
while they’re perfectly capable of believing in Him?
So why do some receive Christ while others refuse Him? This is not a hard question
for monergists, but let’s pretend we’re living in a synergistic world for just a
moment. Better yet, let’s take a look at a case study: Bob and Joe are both beer
drinkin’, girl watchin’ heathens who sleep-in on Sundays and say grace with their
hats on; they have not a care in the world for the things of Christ. Somehow they’re
convinced to attend a tent-revival meeting where they hear the Gospel. The Spirit
moves upon the hearts of all heathen within earshot of the evangelist, convicting
them of sin and urging (not forcing - he‘s a gentleman) them toward repentance. Joe
wisely humbles himself and ‘synergizes’ with the Spirit - he goes to the altar to
receive Christ. Bob, however, being thick-headed, foolishly ignores the Spirit’s
promptings, hardening himself against the pangs of guilt. What’s the difference between
Joe and Bob? Before answering this, consider what they have in common (synergistically
speaking):
1.) Both possess a free will
2.) Therefore, both are equally capable of coming to Christ
4.) Therefore, both are in need of Christ
5.) Both were convicted by the Spirit via hearing the Word
6.) Therefore, both are aware of their need for Christ
Okay, now let’s look at what they don’t have in common (spiritually speaking):
1.) Joe trusted in Christ
3.) Therefore, Joe’s smarter than Bob (?)
Obviously number 3 poses us with a problem, because salvation isn’t based upon intelligence
(that’d be merit, silly), but grace. So what should number 3 be? Here are some other
options:
A.) Joe is more humble than Bob
B.) Joe had a better upbringing
C.) Joe paid more attention in Sunday School
D.) Joe had a more potent dosage of prevenient grace
E.) Joe’s grandma told him to go to church; Bob’s told him to go to “heck” F.) Joe
wears boxers; Bob wears briefs
G.) Joe saw “Left Behind: The Movie;” Bob skipped it for Matlock reruns
Contained within the synergist’s recipe for salvation is a secret ingredient that
must be ‘added’ for salvation to occur. Let’s look at it from an algebraic perspective:
hearing the Word + conviction of the Spirit + X = a response of faith in Christ.
Joe possessed this trait “X” while Bob did not. So what is this “X” variable? Humility?
Honesty? Intelligence? Forty stanzas of “Come As You Are?” Of course it cannot be
any of these things, for that would lead to a merit-based salvation; that is, a salvation
that is based upon some inherent trait within the individual. But what other options
are available within an Arminian understanding of salvation? We cannot say that X
is a trait endowed upon some by God and withheld from others, for this would smack
of unconditional election. Neither can we claim that X is faith, because faith does
not exist until X is added to the recipe - otherwise everyone would be saved upon
hearing the Gospel, which is apparently not the case. Clearly, within the framework
of Arminian theology, we must conclude that those who do trust in Christ possess
within themselves a trait (not endowed by God) that enables them to trust in Christ;
those who reject Christ, although they hear the Word and are convicted by the Spirit,
do not possess this trait and thus remain dead in sin. The first two parts of the
recipe are common to all men, while only those who are saved possess the third and
final ingredient.
While no self-respecting Arminian would agree with the above, the conclusion is unavoidable
nonetheless. The “X” variable - that unknown secret ingredient - is of equal importance
with the atonement of Christ. As I demonstrated above, X cannot be a trait endowed
by God, so it must be inherent within the individual. Yet, it is not inherent within
all individuals, for not all trust in Christ. So, only some people possess this special
trait. This is a problem. Why? Because it ultimately leads to merit-based salvation:
the work of Christ is rendered powerless to save until the individual adds to the
mix the mysterious, inherent trait X, completing the recipe for salvation; X is therefore
just as necessary for salvation as the atonement itself (remember, X is not a result
of God‘s grace, but is inherent within the individual). Thus, Arminianism teaches
us that man must add something (X) to the atonement of Christ in order for it to
be effective - there is no way around this. To suggest that man must add anything
to the finished work of Christ in order to be saved is to imply that salvation, at
least in part, is based upon merit (something other than the work of Christ); we
call that heresy where I come from.
Am I suggesting that all Arminians are heretics who teach merit-based salvation?
Not at all - I’m merely saying that Arminianism, at its core, is unavoidably heretical,
for it requires that man add something to the finished work of Christ in order to
be saved. There are plenty of truly regenerate Arminians and ‘Calminians’ (a rather
awkward position) running around out there, completely unaware of the heresy inherent
within their theology, simply because they’ve never given it much thought. It is
my hope that such people, who have been feasting upon a steady diet of Arminian Fried
Chicken, will realize that there is indeed (to reference an urban legend) a deep-fried
rat amongst the tasty wings and drumsticks. There is a solution to the dilemma discussed
above: if we say that the mysterious X is the unconditional election of God (based
upon His grace - not a trait inherent within the individual), then salvation remains
firmly based upon grace, and not merit:
1.) Joe trusted in Christ
3.) Therefore, Joe was chosen by God according to His grace
Here is salvation by grace alone defended and the atonement of Christ elevated to
its proper place, for its effectiveness is in no way dependent upon an inherent trait
(or merit) within man. In order for the Gospel, as presented within Scripture, to
be upheld, X must = unconditional election; anything else ultimately leads to heresy.
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his
Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined,
he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified”
Romans 8:29-30.
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless
in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ,
in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which
he has freely given us in the One he loves” Ephesians 1:4-6.
