The Ultimate Heresy of Arminian Soteriology
The purpose of this article is not to castigate the person of Dr. Robert Jeffress. There are many in the visible church today who believe and teach as he does. The purpose of this article is to address the totally unbiblical “free will” teaching of Arminian soteriology. Dr. Jeffress’ so authoritatively made statements in the three paragraphs I’ve quoted below are so “absolute” in their tone that I was compelled to Biblically respond to them.
In his book “What Every Christian Should Know, 10 CORE BELIEFS FOR STANDING STRONG IN A SHIFTING WORLD”, Dr. Robert Jeffress poses the following hypothetically stated question – “If God wanted people to praise Him all the time, why didn’t He delete all other functions except the worship app?” Dr. Jeffress then proceeds to offer the following hypothetical scenario as to why God didn’t and wouldn’t have done as his hypothetical question suggests.
Dr. Jeffress proposed the idea of creating your own AI robot and then programming it to bow down to you, to sing songs of praise written especially for you, etc. He then poses the question “But what purpose would that serve?” There’s nothing genuine or heartfelt about a programmed response.”
Now, consider the very authoritatively stated following three paragraphs, on page 140, that he gives as the “Biblical” explanation and answer to his original “worship app” hypothetical question.
“For real, meaningful worship to take place, there must be a choice – an option not to worship. For real, meaningful obedience to occur, there must be an option not to obey.
Likewise, God desires a genuine personal relationship with us. But in order for a relationship to be genuine, there must be an option to walk away from it. Otherwise, the relationship would be a coerced arrangement.
In other words, there must be free will.”
These three paragraphs contain several points of Biblical error. But the one primary, eternally damning error that I want to address is the inherent, always boldly stated, lie of Arminian soteriology that declares lost, spiritually dead men to possess, as Dr. Jeffress states, a “free will” which enables them to accept or reject God’s gracious “offer” of eternal salvation in Christ Jesus. Dr. Jeffress, as does every humanly conceived false religious system, lays the foundation for his bold proclamation with his closing sentence in the second paragraph where he states “Otherwise the relationship would be a coerced arrangement.” Characteristically foundational to Arminianism (all false systems), this statement basically denies and rejects the Sovereign, Holy “differentness” of our God (Isaiah 55:8; Psalm 50:21; 135:6) by “authoritatively” stating that in any “meaningful” relationship “there must be an option to walk away from it.” In like manner, with his statement that “there must be free will”, Dr. Jeffress, and all those who embrace this belief, whether intentionally or not, first of all reject the truth of every passage that speaks of God giving each of His chosen ones a new heart of tender loving flesh for Him which Scripture defines as being “born again” (Ezekiel 36:25-27; 11:19-21; John 3:3; I Peter 1:3,4-5, 6a; II Corinthians 5:17) and secondly they willfully “humanize” God, the Creator, by making Him subservient to the creature. Any man that can reject the will of God as expressed in His “offer” of salvation, and thus negate that offer, is inherently sovereign over God. In the process of doing so, they inherently deify man and dethrone God. I’ve heard it said that Roman Catholicism deifies one man, the pope, while Arminianism, by arbitrarily granting all men a free will in spiritual matters, deifies all men. The Biblical truth is, having been originally created by God with the spiritual “free will” to choose to obey or disobey God as evidenced by God’s command to them to not eat of the tree of “the knowledge of good and evil”, man (Adam) willfully chose to disobey God and the instant he followed through on that decision he lost, for all of human history, the “free will” to obey God. From that moment on the only “free will” man has possessed is the “free will” to choose his own sin (Romans 8:6-8; 3:10-18; 1:18-19).
Biblically, the word “sect” appears six times, in Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5,14; 26:5; 28:22. The word used in all six passages is the Greek word “hairesis”, meaning “to choose in the sense of an individual or group of individuals following their own tenets as in a sect or party”. This is the Greek word for “heresy” which obviously gives us our English word “heresy”. Based on this Biblical definition of “heresy”, “free will” Arminianism is heretical. It is man today, just as the Sadducees and Pharisees in Luke’s day did, following his own preconceived “opinion” as though it is Biblical truth when, in reality, there is no such Biblical truth. No where in Scripture is “free will” ever addressed in relation to God’s grace gift of eternal life in Christ. In other words, primary to the Arminian heresy is the attributing to man the ability and power to overrule the Sovereign will of God by rejecting His “offer” of eternal salvation, thus deifying every man by granting him the power to overrule God’s “desire”. This is clearly declared by Dr. Jeffress statement that “Likewise, God desires a genuine relationship with us.” “Us” reveals yet another Arminian belief that erroneously teaches that Christ died for all the sin of all men, thus affording every human being the “option” of accepting or rejecting God’s gracious “offer”. Clearly the point is that even though God “desires” a genuine relationship with “us”, He is impotent to bring that desire to fruition apart from the individual exercising his “free will” to “choose” to accept the offer rather than reject it. This, with equal clarity, is a salvation achieved by human will, totally rejecting the truth of Ephesians 1:3-6 and 2:8-10.
Ephesians 1:3-6: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 2:8-10: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
This entire system is so blatantly contrary to Scripture it can have only one author – Satan, the father of lies – John 8:43-45.
What actually, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, does Scripture teach related to God’s Sovereignty in the dispensing of His redeeming grace?
Christ, in John 3 in verse 3 said to Nicodemus “unless one is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Then in verse 7 Christ said “…..you must be born again.” Our Lord’s “must”Sovereignly established the eternal fact that there is no other way to know Him in His redeeming love. There are no options. This then raises the inherent question of, how does one come to be “born again”?
The remainder of this article will be the presentation of Biblical truth related to how one comes to be “born again”.
Titus 1:1-2; Ephesians 1:3-6 (Genesis 3:15); 2:8-10; I Peter 1:3; II Peter 1:1-2; John 3:1-8,16, 17-18 (v18 of John 3 exposes the error of “double predestination” that some believe and teach. This verse states very clearly that “he who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”. In other words, as sons of the first Adam, every human being ever conceived is already condemned and bound for hell apart from God’s elective grace – Job 21:30; Psalm 92:7; Romans 9:22; Proverbs 16:4); John 6:44, 65; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Colossians 2:9-10 (Romans 4:3,7-8,22 reveal the grace of God declaring His individual, elect children not guilty, by and in the imputed righteousness of Christ, thus being complete in Christ); 1:22-23; II Corinthians 5:21; 5:17; Roman’s 9:22-24.
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Titus 1:1-3: 1 Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God (Ephesians 1:3-6) and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie (Numbers 23:19), promised long ages ago (“before time began”), 3 but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior
Ephesians 1:3-6: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons (Ephesians 2:8-10) through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
I Peter 1:3,4-5,6a: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith (Hebrews 11:1,6,39-40) for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice,
II Peter 1:1-2: 1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith (To “receive” anything, it had to come from outside of yourself. Be careful not to forget the “caused” in I Peter 1:3) of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
John 3:1-8,16,17-18: 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (Remember the “caused” in I Peter 1:3) he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (This is not the Greek word for “baptize/baptized”, but is a reference to the authority of God’s word. Scripture frequently refers to God’s holy word as “water”) and the Spirit (meaning the Holy Spirit – Acts 2:1-4; I Corinthians 2:15-16) he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (According to Scripture this reference to “whoever” is a reference to those referred to in John 6:44,65 – those chosen by God “before the foundation of the world” as gloriously stated in Ephesians 1:4; forgiven and made complete in Christ as stated in Colossians 2:9-10; enabled by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4); the eternal result being revealed in II Corinthians 5:17). 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already (Genesis 3:1-6) because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (This “has been judged already” establishes two eternal facts – 1) every human life conceived since Adam’s rebellion has been inherently on a path to hell as a “son” of Adam. 2) This fact also exposes the error of those who would teach “double predestination”, that God condemned some to hell and some to heaven. Concerning salvation, God “predestined” one thing – the demonstration of His Holy grace in the salvation of His elect, chosen children whose names He recorded in His Lambs Book of Life “before the foundation of the world” – Revelation 13:8; 20:15).
No where in this John 3 discourse does Jesus, in any way, even suggest that fallen sinful men have the “free will” ability to accept or reject God’s gift of eternal life in Christ – not here or in any other passage pertaining to salvation is any such thing ever introduced into the process of being born again.
John 6:44,65: 44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.….65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
Matthew 4:17: 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Mark 1:14-15: 14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Colossians 2:9-10: 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Colossians 1:22-23: 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach (see II Corinthians 5:21) — 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
II Corinthians 5:21: 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf (justification), so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (imputation).
In this one verse, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to reveal the truth of the doctrine of justification by imputation – the true believer is indeed made eternally complete in Christ as Paul declared in Colossians 2:9-10(9–15).
II Corinthians 5:17: 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Romans 9:22-24: 22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
Psalm 19:7-11; Isaiah 44:6; 40:8; 66:2; Proverbs 30:5-6; II Peter 1:19-21
Revelation 22:18-19: 18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.