Theologian Jacobus Arminius and the doctrines of Arminians.

1. Jacobus Arminius was a Pastor and Theologian.

Jacobus Arminius was a Dutch Pastor and a Reformed theologian, and he lived from 1560-1609. He also took part in the Protestant Reformation. Even now his name remains as a famous theologian because he was involved in a highly publicized debate with a rigid Calvinist, concerning the Calvinist interpretation of the divine decrees of election and reprobation. The debate was, how God elects and condemns people to eternal life. It is also called predestination doctrine. John Calvin got predestination from Saint Augustine and taught it with vigor and made it as his own doctrine. If you like to know Predestination in detail, please refer to this link: "Predestination."

Predestination seemed too harsh a position to Arminius because it did not make any sense. It says that God creates some people with the purpose to punish them in the lake of fire and creates some people with the purpose to reward them in heaven, for no reason at all. Those who advocate this doctrine even admit that by this principle, a rapist murderer may enjoy heaven with God while an obedient righteous person may suffer punishment in the lake of fire, and the reason they say is, it is because God is righteous. What kind of righteousness of God is this? It does not make any sense, and it is insanity. It is senseless, and it is nothing shorter than the devil mocking God and the children to the devil enjoy this insanity. Calvinism argues supporting the insanity of this predestination. In truth, Satan is the one behind this weird doctrine giving the meaning of predestination this way. But the bible uses the word predestination in an entirely different way. The word "predestination" appears in 4 places in the bible, and let us see all of them, and know ourselves the true meaning of predestination.

2. The Bible explanation of the Word Predestination.

We see the word predestination 2 times in Romans 8:28-30. "28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Here, God did not create some people to reward them for no reason, but some people loved God, and God calls them for his purpose. "29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." God predestinates these people to live like his Son Jesus Christ, as he lived while he was on earth. "30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." So, there are a sequence of events; they will be justified; that is, God will declare them as just people because of their righteous living. This is the predestination of the bible. Predestination is not that murderers are predestinated to go to heaven and righteous people are predestinated to go to hell, as demonic theologians teach. Those who preach that, are of the devil.

We see predestination the next 2 times in Ephesians. Here, by his foreknowledge, God sees those who will live according to "God's Will" and chose them for himself. It talks about God's Will; and so, let us see first what God's Will is. Jesus says in "John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." So, Jesus as a man lived according to God's Will. "1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;" So, God's Will is that his chosen people must live a holy perfect life. "Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will," So, those who live as "holy and without blame before him in love," God predestinated to adopt them as children, and it is "the good pleasure of his will." It is done by the Lord Jesus Christ. Then "11 says, In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:" So, if we are children of God, we will obtain an inheritance in God's kingdom in heaven, as predestinated according to the purpose of the Will of God. But Satan twists these and makes it a perversion by Calvinists. They say that God creates some people to inherit heaven and others to be punished, just because God decides to do so.

3. Arminius debated Calvin's Predestination doctrine.

Arminius has conducted a good debate; but his debate was based on common sense, reasoning, logic, and philosophy. They debated about the point whether, is there room provided to exercise human free will in the process of salvation or not, and such things. Arminius asserted a conditional election, according to which God gives eternal life to those who will respond in faith to the divine offer for salvation. Arminius rejected Calvin's theology that God unconditionally elects people for salvation. Even though his stand was correct and makes good sense, he did not explain and debate, what the word of God conveys in the word "predestinated." So, it was like a commonsense kind of thing to show who is right and who is wrong, rather than to ascertain what the word of God says. It is better than nothing, since it at least rectifies the insanity, and it benefit some people. Mostly, the debates were like competing matches for a show, but not as studies of God's truth.

4. When did Arminianism start, what is their doctrine?

Jacobus Arminius was born on October 10, 1560; and died on October 19, 1609. Arminius got fame in successfully debating predestination doctrine of Calvin. So, of course there were people who wanted to decorate themselves with the fame that was already acquired. It was the beginning of Arminianism, a theological movement in Protestant Christianity that arose after Arminius, in standing against the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. The movement began early in the 17th century after the death of Arminius. It asserted that God's sovereignty and human free will are compatible. Their purpose of ministry was, not to quench the false doctrine of Calvinism, but to compromise with them and to have dialogues, debates, and to kindle excitement among both Calvinists and Arminians. They washed each other's hands. But ordinary Christians are made to think that they are opposites. But in reality, they are partners pretending to be in real competition.

5. Doctrines of compromise for Calvinists and Arminians.

Calvinism is the organization that took the name of Calvin, and Arminianism is the organization that took the name of Arminius. Calvin's doctrine was predestination, which Arminius did not agree with its details. So, he very efficiently debated against the doctrine, and was able to make a dent in it. And their tug of war continued even after the time of Arminius. So, Arminians wrote a document, which is called the Remonstrance, which became the formal and clearest protest against predestination and Calvinism. Remonstrance is not a common word; it means criticism, condemnation, rebuke, reprimand, or reproof. The Remonstrance they wrote, contains five points of protest against the predestination doctrine of Calvinists. So, Calvinists convene the Synod of Dort, and articulated the five-point doctrine of Calvinism, which was a defense to the five-point arguments against predestination, which became Calvinist doctrine. At this time, both Calvin and Arminius were no more, and the present doctrine or theology were formulated by their organizations. Yet, they stand as their foundational doctrine. The argument of Remonstrance, which is the foundation of Arminians against predestination, are these five points: 1, Conditional election; 2, Unlimited atonement; 3, Total depravity; 4, Prevenient grace; and 5, Conditional preservation of the saints. The reply of Calvinists became the foundational doctrine of Calvinists, which came to know by the acronym "TULIP." T represents total depravity. U represents unconditional election. L represents limited atonement. I represents irresistibility of grace. And P represents perseverance of the saints. I just mention the names of them, but I do not want to teach these doctrines because they both are deceptions, not by scriptures, but by ignorance, twists of scriptures, and they depend on common sense and logic. But they both, Calvinists and Arminians, appear as enemies who attack each other; but in reality they do get along each other real well. We are not going to the details but let us touch the surface of it.

The concern of theologians is, can Calvinism and Arminianism coexist? Of course, they can. They try not to put each other out, but to get along with each other. So, they will do just fine, but true believers are deceived. Within a same church or denomination, though they preach two opposing beliefs from the same pulpit, people will not know the difference, and they say amen to both, and so, they coexist. Those two strands are Calvinism and Arminianism. We are surprised why these two opposite doctrines coexist with no schism within the same church and denomination; it is because they are of the same father the devil, the deceiver. And they name themselves as Reformed. Arminianism theology is taught in the Methodist churches, inclusive of those denominations aligned with the holiness movement such as the Evangelical Methodist Church, Church of the Nazarene, the Free Methodist Church, the Wesleyan Church, and many others. They seem to be as one.

6. Calvin and Calvinism; Arminius and Arminianism.

Calvinism was named after John Calvin (1509-1564). Calvin was a French/Swiss reformer, massively influential, and his reformation teachings against the Catholic Church spread quickly around Europe. His writings (Bible commentaries and The Institutes of the Christian Religion) are still widely influential in Christian churches of today, especially among Reformed churches. Much of what we call Calvinism was founded after Calvin’s death. Controversy over Calvin’s theology (and that of his followers) emerged because Jacob Arminius and his followers rejected Calvin’s teachings. Today, many modern pastors and theologians around the world are devoted to and vigorously defend Calvinism. But everyone is not comfortable with the term Calvinism, and so, they call it as Reformed Theology, or simply as Doctrine of Grace. It is deception and it is doctrine of the devil. Prominent recent pastors/teachers/theologians include Abraham Kuyper, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, John Piper, Philip Hughes, Kevin DeYoung, Michael Horton, Albert Mohler and many others belong to this group.

Arminianism is named after Jacob Arminius (1560-1609). He became a pastor and then a professor of theology. Arminius began as a Calvinist, and gradually rejected certain tenets of Calvin’s teachings. He successfully and very famously debated the doctrines of Calvinism. As a result, controversy spread around Europe. He died young, on 1609, and he lived only 49 years. In 1610, the followers of Arminius penned a document called the Remonstrance, which became the formal and clearest protest against Calvinism. So, what did Calvinists do? This led directly to the Synod of Dort, during which the doctrines of Calvinism were articulated. The five points of Calvinism were a direct response to the five objections of the Remonstrance. Many pastors/teachers/theologians of today, who considers themselves as Arminians or who otherwise reject Calvinism, include C.S. Lewis, Clark Pinnock, Billy Graham, Norman Geisler, Roger Olson, and many others.

7. Compare teachings of Calvinism and Arminianism.

If we see everything together, Arminians put forth 5 points of protest against the predestination doctrine of Calvinists. Calvinists defended them with five points, which became their foundational doctrine. Let us see the names of them side by side. 1) Arminian says partial depravity, Calvinist says total depravity. 2) Arminian says conditional election, Calvinist says unconditional election. 3) Arminian says unlimited atonement, Calvinist says limited atonement. 4) Arminian says resistible grace, Calvinist says irresistible grace. And 5) Arminian says conditional salvation, that is, Christians will/must persevere in their life of faith; Calvinist says that we persevere in faith, trusting God that God will fulfill his promises, that is, God will take care of it no matter what we do. In short Arminian says that we must live by faith, and Calvinist says the trust God that he will take care of it. In this Arminians are correct, and Calvinist are the mouthpiece of Satan. Yet, I do not want to teach either of these doctrines because both are not based on Scripture. Calvinist doctrine is worst, it is 100% filth, and it is straight from the mouth of the devil. But both are just the show of the theologians that came from Satan himself. Christians tend to take side, one or the other. But Arminians are at least good to the common sense and to reasonable thinking. Still, we must reject them both, and study the bible with prayer, with the intent to be godly. Then God will give us truth and his Spirit. I have a study with the topic "Holy Spirit leads us to Heaven; Religion gives us glory at present." If you like to look at it, the link is here: "Spiritual." Theologians and their bible study are for their glory and for their sumptuous living, and the devil uses them to deceive people of God. Instead of following their doctrine, be Spiritual and follow the word of God, and then you will reach God in his glory in heaven, and you will be with God forever.

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