NT Framework - Summary of Armenianism

As humans we like to categorize things so we can understand them. Armenianism is one way we categorize the doctrines of people concerning faith and salvation. 

More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com 

This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).

Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner. 

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and
our series on the New Testamentframework.
Today, a smaller, bite-sizedpiece from the larger lesson.
We hope you enjoy it.

SPEAKER_01 (00:10):
So Arminianism, again, Jacobus Arminius, his
followers, there was a gatheringcalled the Remonstrance in 1610.
That's what, 414 years ago?
But understand, these things arestill with us.
So his followers gathered toprotest the strict Calvinism

(00:31):
that they found in the north ofEurope, what we call the
Netherlands, right?
And this view, these viewpointsare held today among Methodists.
If you have family members, Ihad family members that were
Methodists.
In my background, my greatgreat-grandfather was a circuit
preacher in northeast Texas formost of his uh cler life as a

(00:52):
clergy.
And he was a Methodist.
Uh Wesleans, which are closelyrelated to them, but named after
you know John and CharlesWesley, Wesleyan brothers.
Um but Methodism is close tothat.
They developed the method,actually.
Okay, that's why it's calledMethodism.
It was a specific method ofstudying the Bible.
Uh holiness movements, uh, manycharismatics, and free will,

(01:15):
free will Baptists are allArminian.
So what what is Arminianism?
Well, it let's just put it intofive points.
Now, I don't have a nice acronymlike tulip for you.
Calvinism is the tulip, right?
But there are still fivecounterpoints.
Now, this came first, okay.
Later is when Calvinism cameout, and the Calvinists were

(01:36):
upset about these five points,and so they were trying to, they
saw some dangers in these fivepoints, and they were basically
trying to put a lid on it andstop this, okay?
So the first point is naturalinability.
The followers of Armenius saidthat man is unable to save
himself.
Could we agree with that?
I think we could agree with that100%.
Man can't save himself becausehe inherited a corrupt human

(01:59):
nature.
Now, they didn't believe in theimputation of sin that we talk
about, like in Romans 5, butthey did believe that somehow
man had inherited a corrupthuman nature.
And therefore, of course,because of this, the Holy Spirit
has to effect a new birth.
He has to give new life, which,again, that's something we would
agree with.
Of course, the Holy Spirit's theonly one who can give us new

(02:20):
life, new birth, theregenerating word.
But there are some questions inthere about natural inability.
Um, second point was conditionalelection.
This was the idea that Godelects those whom he foreknew
would believe of their own freewill.
Now we'll get to free will morewhen you get to prevenient grace
down in verse 4 or point four.
But this is the idea that God,foreknowledge is the idea that

(02:42):
God looked down through thecorridors of time from eternity,
and he saw who would believe,and those are the ones he
elected.
So it's a conditional election,okay, because it is based on
him, or conditioned on himknowing who would believe and
who would not.
And so those whom he forekneware the quote-unquote elect, and

(03:05):
everyone else, okay, is not theelect, and they'll spend
eternity in the lake of fire,right?
So that's his division point.
Their division point was seeingor God's foreknowing who would
believe of their own free will.
Now you say, well, how do theyget free will at verse point
one?
You know, they're unable to saythemselves, okay, well, we'll
get they have an explanation forthat.

(03:26):
Uh the third point, which is themain one we would really want to
focus on in this series, is theyheld to unlimited atonement.
And their concept of this wasthat what happened on the cross
is that Christ provided anatonement for all people, but
it's applied only to those whobelieve and are thereby saved.
So that's also pretty common.

(03:47):
You probably have heard that.
You know, Christ died foreverybody without exception.
Um, he provided that for them,but only those who believe enjoy
the benefits, right?
Probably all heard that.
And that does have someproblems, okay?
Just so you know.
Did he just provide anatonement, or has all sin

(04:08):
actually been atoned for?
Okay.
Good.
We have to be careful when weuse the word Christ provide an
atonement.
That makes it sound like it'savailable, but he didn't really
accomplish it, see?
And that's a little bitdifferent, and this is important
in the whole discussion.
Because the Calvinists are goingto come back and say, well, if
he just provided it, then noneno sin is atoned for.

(04:30):
And those who don't believe,they have to pay for their own
sin debt, and that means the sinhas been paid for twice, and
that can't be.
So you see, there are someproblems with stating it that
way, at least biblically.
The Bible never says Christprovided an atonement for sin.
Um, it says he paid for the sinof the whole world, you know,

(04:54):
things like that.
Never that he just provided thispayment.
So we have to be careful.
Uh now, prevenient grace istheir fourth point, and this is
how they solve the naturalinability problem.
Okay, if man is naturally unableto save himself because we've
got this corrupt human nature,well, how do men get saved?
Well, they would say, well,prevenient grace.

(05:15):
So what the Spirit does is heaids all men by bestowing grace
upon them that removes thenatural ability.
So we can basically mark offpoint one now.
Okay, that's what point fourdoes.
It basically marks off pointone.
No longer are we in a situationwhere we can't cooperate with
God.
What's happened in point four,and this is a common grace

(05:37):
bestowed to the whole humanrace, is now man is restored to
a condition in which he has freewill and can cooperate with God
in his salvation.
Can cooperate with God insalvation.
Now, does that sound right toyou that we cooperate with God
in our salvation?

(05:58):
That God along with us resultsin salvation.
As long as the believer does hispart, God does his part, and
together the result issalvation.
Does that sound right?
Or is salvation of God alone?
So again, see, you're dealingwith people who are struggling

(06:19):
with the the Bible and trying tomake sense of many, many
hundreds and hundreds ofpassages, right?
Um the last one, of course,Arminianism is loss of
salvation.
I don't think that JacobusArminius actually believed this,
but his followers did.
And this was the idea that abeliever can turn from grace and
lose their salvation.

(06:40):
And of course, uh many peoplewho are not Arminian struggle
greatly with this one, as wellas some of the other points.
Um but you know, that would beuh an Arminian viewpoint.
Okay, that you could lose onceyou have truly been saved, you
could lose your salvation eitherdue to apostasy or uh prolonged

(07:04):
sin patterns or something likethat.
So you you actually would havehad salvation in as an Arminian,
but you would lose it, okay, atsome point, or you could lose
it.

SPEAKER_00 (07:13):
Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls
with Jeremy Thomas.
If you would like to see thevisuals that went along with
today's sermon, you can findthose on Rumble and on YouTube
under Spoke and Bible Church.
That is where Jeremy is thepastor and teacher.
We hope you found today's lessonproductive and useful in growing

(07:34):
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And until next time, we hope youhave a blessed and wonderful
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