ARMINIANISM
&
THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE
A Comparison
by
Rev. F.J.Serjeant. B.D. B.Ed.
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INTRODUCTION
Over a period of about 150 years, and especially in the past 75 years, evangelical Christianity has been seriously affected by a set of doctrines or teachings which the great Reformers and the Reformation Statements of Faith [e.g. The Westminster Confession, The Longer and Shorter Westminster Catechisms, The 39 Articles of the Church of England, The First London Baptist Confession of Faith 1646, The (Second) Baptist Confession of Faith 1689, The Heidelberg Catechism etc..] all firmly rejected as not being in accord with the teaching of the Bible. Belief in this set of false teachings is usually referred to as "Arminianism".
HOW DID THE ARMINIAN VIEW COME ABOUT?
At the beginning of the Reformation, the truths of God's Word were revealed afresh to Wycliffe and Tyndale, who were among the first to produce a version of the Scriptures in English. Martin Luther in Germany came to realise the truth of "justification by faith ALONE." Good works could not, of themselves save any man. All the great Reformers were united in the truths of the Gospel - that salvation was by GRACE ALONE, through FAITH ALONE in the finished work of CHRIST ALONE. It was the French reformer John Calvin who came to see that the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God was of the greatest importance in our understanding of all the other teaching of the Bible.
Jacob Hermann (known by his Latin name - Jacobus Arminius ) was a Dutch pastor who lived from 1560 to 1609. He taught a 'new' doctrine. According to Arminius, God's "predestination" of individuals is based upon His foreknowledge of whether each human being will freely chose to accept or reject Christ. This was not altogether a new doctrine. It was a form of "Pelagianism" - a heresy taught by a monk called Pelagius back in the 4th Century. (His teaching was opposed by the great Church leader and teacher - Augustine, known by some as Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.)
A few years after the death of Arminius, the Protestant Churches on the Continent and also here in England and Scotland, were so concerned about the spread of his teaching, that an international Conference of Ministers was called and met at Dort in the Netherlands in 1618 at what came to be known as the Synod of Dort. The result of their deliberations was that they identified the 5 POINTS OF ARMINIANISM. They found these 5 Points to be contrary to the teaching of the Bible. To correct this teaching they restated the 5 DOCTRINES OF GRACE, which because Calvin had so clearly taught them some 50 years before, came later also to be known as the Five Points of Calvinism. (Though John Calvin's teaching covered much more than this.)
These five points are also known as the TULIP doctrines - the initial letters of which stand for: Total depravity, Unmerited election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints.
These doctrines have been consistently held by the evangelical Church of every age. They were clearly taught by Augustine in the Fifth Century, by Luther, Calvin, Cranmer, George Whitfield, William Carey, Charles Spurgeon, Bishop Ryle etc. and by all the great Puritans and by those who today are referred to as "reformed".
A modified form of Arminianism was held by John Wesley, and through his (Methodist and perfectionist) teaching, and also through the influence of "theological liberalism", Arminianism has become so widespread that many of those who regard themselves as true "Bible-believing Christians" have come to assume that it is normal and biblical.
A careful and prayerful study all the texts quoted here, read in their contexts, will demonstrate the Truths of the Doctrines of Grace which point to the one true Gospel - the Gospel of Grace, that gives ALL the glory to God.
COMPARE EACH POINT OF ARMINIANISM
WITH EACH DOCTRINE OF GRACE.
Search the Scriptures studying all quoted verses in context.
A Copy of "Armininianism & the Doctrines of Grace" is available as a self opening program named "docgrace.exe" on the Download page.
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