Contradictions of Mainstream Arminianism - Pt. 1

I'm back with you all with a new post. I am beginning a series of posts on the internal contradictions of "mainstream Arminianism". First, I need to clarify my definitions. Although true Arminianism has some definite conflicts with Scripture, it doesn't have any contradictions against itself. What I am referring too is "mainstream", or the "common man's" Arminianism. This is a rather interesting trait of this theology that I have seen. There seems to be two branches of the theology. There's the more logically consistent form, which is held mostly by the more academic type (i.e. some professors and the theologically inclined), then there's the more common form, which is less logically consistent, held by your average-joe churchgoers who are inclined to Arminianism. The contradictions of the latter will be discussed in the next series of posts.

Here's the first contradiction, displayed by two commonly heard statements. The first is, "I am not saved by works, I am saved by grace". The other is, "I got saved when I chose to accept Jesus into my life". Now, even though the spectrum of Protestant Christianity in America is wide, we all, for the most part, still fervently hold on to the anti-Catholic doctrine of salvation by grace put forth by the Reformation Fathers all those years ago. In fact, one could say without much fear of falsity, that no American Evangelical would admit that he/she was saved by works. However, many people after saying that they were saved by grace and not works, will in the next breath say that they were saved by a choice of their free will, as if their choosing is not a work.

In this post, I will attempt to show how, according to the Bible, a free will choice of salvation would be considered a work causing salvation. Let us first look at a very well known verse, Ephesians 2:8-9, which states:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Most Christians know this verse; it has a permanent residence in the group of verses most often quoted to put Christianity in a nut shell. Yet, many misunderstand that last phrase "not by works, so that no one can boast". Most will say something like, "See, right there it says it, we aren't saved by giving to the poor and going to confession and the like". Of course, that statement is absolutely true, but there is much more to that little phrase than initially meets the eye. The "works" that are referred too here are not merely outward expressions of piety, but any action that would give a person room to boast. A free will choice of salvation would fall in this category. If a person believes that a choice of himself brought about his salvation, even if it is a response to prior prevenient grace, he has room to say, "I owe this part of my salvation, how little it may be, to myself". This, course is boasting in the context of the previously listed verse. Ephesians 2:8-9 totally excludes any responsibility on the part of ourselves for our salvation. A free will choice of salvation is nothing less than a work to salvation, for it is from ourselves, so that we would boast.

Taking into consideration our total depravity, and verses such as Eph. 2:8-9, God's predestination and effectual calling is an absolute necessity if the human race is to have any hope of salvation. After all, that is the whole dilemma of humanity; that we are all born wicked sinners, abhorrent to a Holy God, deserving of His Wrath, and incapable of saving ourselves (Romans 3). The solution is also as clear as the problem. God, in His infinite mercy before the foundation of the earth, chose to save some to be brought into His Kingdom as His adopted children (Eph. 1:4-7). Consider Romans 8:29-30, which states:

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Note that the verse does not say, "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he waited for their acceptance, those who accepted, he also justified...". No, it is all God's work from the beginning to the end. From our predestination to our glorification, it is the power and grace of God working in us through the whole thing as the keystone verse of this post blatantly proclaims; it is a gift of God, not by us, so that we can't boast.