All these things Jesus spoke
to the multitude in parables;
and without a parable He did
not speak to them, that it
might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophet, saying:
"I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret
from the foundation of the world."
Matthew 13:34-35 (cf. Psalm 78:2)
After speaking to the multitude and in parables the disciples came to Him for explanation (vs. 36). There are things that are hard, at least at first, to understand and an explanation must be had, but for Jesus Christ who being God in the flesh, spoke truth: this may not be so with man. Therefore, I will give the proposals, those proposals that are claimed to be true and will give my notes on those proposals and will give Scriptures so that you can go to the source of truth, the Bible and determine for yourself whether a proposal is founded upon God's word or man's thinking. I welcome any comment, so feel free to present any objection or agreement. Here goes!
In Section #3 Arminius gives his reasons for his rejection
to the doctrine of Predestination. I will give what I have found in the Bible
that will either support his objection or refute his objection that I will give
as an answer and be clearly marked as that of what I have found or of my
opinion so that the reader will not be confused my opinion will be clearly
marked.
Jacobus Arminius:
Section #3:
“I Reject This Predestination For The Following Reasons:”
1. “Because it is not the foundation of Christianity, of
Salvation, or of its certainty.” (Italics mine).
- It is not the foundation of Christianity: (1.) For this Predestination is not that decree of God by which Christ is appointed by God to be the saviour, the Head, and the Foundation of those who will be made heirs of salvation. Yet that decree is the only foundation of Christianity. (2.) For the doctrine of this Predestination is not that doctrine by which, through faith, we as lively stones are built up into Christ, the only corner stone, and are inserted into him as the members of the body are joined to their head.
My Answer:
- As to Section #3; subsection 1.; point (1): Arminius gives no Scriptural reference to support this statement from his own opinion or presupposition, that which apparently he has predetermined. There are four uses of the word in Greek where the word is translated Predestinate: Romans 8:29,30: Ephesians 1:5,11: Romans 8:29: ὅτι οὓς προέγνω (foreknew: this word is in the aorist tense, third person, indicative which means a simple statement of fact: which indicates that an event actually happened) καὶ προώρισεν (To mark out beforehand, to foretell, translated in English as Predestined: This Greek word is in the aorist tense, third person, indicative) συμμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν πρωτότοκον ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς (Literal English translation: Because whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the firstborn among many brothers.) It is clear from this passage that God foreknew who would be saved, and action or event already completed as shown by the word being in the aorist tense. God conformed them to be in the image of His Son who would be the firstborn among many brothers. Thus, predestination came before man had sinned and before the incarnation of Jesus Christ and His death, and resurrection on the cross. Arminius may be of the opinion that God already knew who would sin and who would not, and knew before creation who would be saved. This is pushing the envelope, as a pilot might say, because Jesus Christ is infinite, and is God, He is the Wisdom of God: “To Him who by wisdom made the heavens…. Psalm 136:5a.” John the Apostle writes: “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” It is plain and clear, Wisdom and Jesus Christ is synonymous. Jesus Christ being eternal and as eternal there is no time except for the sequential time created for creation, then He was always the Savior, and as God He did not wait for man to sin or to know who would be saved or not. The actions of God are not determined by the actions of man, so that He must wait upon man to decide. Yet, by the decree of God who knows all possibilities, all probabilities, decreed or ordained all events for if He did not decree them, then those events would not have happened. Therefore, Predestination is not the only foundation of Christianity, it is a doctrine of Christianity, but the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave and that bodily, is the foundation of salvation. Without the resurrection, and that bodily, there would be no salvation, or all that Christianity would have become as other religions, and Christianity that is based upon a dead Messiah, is not Christianity at all, and disposes of the prophecies concerning Him, His life, His suffering, His death on a cross, His resurrection and His ascension into heaven. Arminius makes a point that God who appointed Jesus Christ to be the Savior for all, who would be made heirs of salvation, is not a decree of God. This fact must be restated and laid down at the onset for any apologetic against Arminius’ statement that Jesus Christ could not have been predestinated before all creation: God is eternal, there is no time with God other than time He created for His creation and time has only reference to man and man’s subsequent events. God being without time and being eternal would see all things in the present and not in subsequent events even though having all knowledge of things would know that for His creation and for time for them, He would see them in the element of time. Being eternal and having all knowledge would necessitate the Son of God, the Savior, and was already present with Him, as His Wisdom, and this along with the Holy Spirit that proceeds from Him and from Wisdom, and that Wisdom would have already been the Savior, The Son of God, and being so would then be present in creation and being the creator, would be sent in man’s time for their salvation, there would be no need of Predestination for Him as Savior, for He was always present with God being One Person of the Godhead. Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world: “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). The Greek is clear that the word translated as “from” denotes a separation from something as the Greek word for ‘from” follows a verb of motion “slain” which is in the perfect tense, passive, and is a participle. Jesus was departing from His place with the Father as His Wisdom and being entirely eternal in being, without form, to being in human form and in human time. Jesus was loved by the Father before the foundation of the world: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). God did not love an idea, a thought, a prescience, God loved a reality, and that reality was His Wisdom and that Wisdom was with God before the foundation of the world and God loved His Wisdom. It is further noted that God chose the saints before the foundation of the world, that the saints would be holy and without blame, and this God did in love: “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4). Who is the “us” spoken of in this verse? Verse one of this chapter makes it clear that it is “to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ” (Ephesians 1:1b). Point #2: That the faith of the saints is predicated upon the Doctrine of Predestination; No, it is not, yet it is true that God draws and enables those He has chosen and this by the giving of Grace and faith, it is a gift: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Therefore, it is faith on the Person of Jesus Christ who is the foundation for the faith of Christians and it is because of Him that man can have redemption from sin: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Faith being the gift of God then it is clear that He does not give that faith, or grace to everyone, and everyone is not drawn and enabled by God, and the Gospel. This being so, then some are elected to salvation and others are not. This fact must reign high in our minds, that if God had determined men to choose salvation and they didn’t, if it was God’s will and desire that men everywhere, all men, not just certain ones, to be saved and they did not become saved, then God failed, and the death of Jesus Christ was unnecessary. This Arminian theology denigrates God, and reduces Him to a being that is not in total control or is not omniscient. The Bible does not teach this!
- Arminius could not be using Scripture to support his claims. There is some measure of the Mystical Method or theology in his suppositions, that man can by some means outside of Scripture, outside of God’s enabling them, drawing them choose salvation. It is this theology that has led to liberalism, and for Churches to exercise various events, and use the application of emotional appeals to the person drawing them by that emotion so they can to evangelize people and this they do often by over emotionalism, selling of special item; i.e. prayer cloths, etc.
Let me add this: there is
great emotion when one takes the time to meditate on what God has done even
before we had the chance to do right or wrong. That God desired to save some,
and God being Good, all that He desires and decrees is good. This should be the
highest of emotion that God loves you and me that much, what other emotion can
match that emotion?
This was long but necessary to give as good an explanation as I can for a blog. Take time to read it more than once, think upon the supposition and answer to the supposition, then decide. The Gospel is simple, it is the death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven that is the foundation for salvation. Yet, men and women, even children are being taught that theology at times without aiding them and explaining to them the truth of God's word. We have the example of the disciples asking Jesus for an explanation, therefore use that example for yourselves.
O Lord, by these things
men live;
and in all these things
is the life of my spirit;
so You will restore me and
make me live.
Isaiah 38:16
Live today in the light of eternity
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