An Arminian Compromise
I have come to a day that I thought would never come and never wished would come but in being a little Luther I must say that ‘my conscience is held captive by the Word of God’ and these verses must be reckoned with. There are three verses that we must not gloss over. Actually it puts a few holes in the typical Calvinistic. This is not a light subject for I assume we all know people who used to profess Christ who now disavow him unapologetically or whose lives reek of unrepentant sin and prove they are no follower of Christ.
Perhaps Arminians are right with the thought that one may lose their salvation. But if that is true then according to Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31; and John 15:6 there is absolutely no hope for those that were Christians then somehow lose their salvation. Ignoring all other scripture except these I will concede to the sovereignty of man over his soul if others will concede that believers who have turned from the faith are a waste to offer the gospel to for the biblical fact that ‘there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins’ and ‘it is impossible to restore again to repentance who have once been enlightened.’ All of the above verses make some sort of claim that the person who apostatizes was connected to the vine (Jesus), ‘once been enlightened’, ‘tasted the Holy Spirit’, and had received ‘knowledge of the truth.’
Of course if one may lose their salvation the next obvious question is, ‘what exactly is ‘falling away’ and ’sinning deliberately’?’ Is it one day, or a month, or a year in a particular sin? It would even be logical that one sin that is done deliberately/consciously would separate us from God, for sin in the slightest degree would be falling away from God and the standards he demands. If apostasy is easy then it would be best to wait to accept Christ on one’s ‘death bed’, in hope that one will have the consciousness and time to do so.
God is letting us feel how close the fire of hell is to burning our bottom if we even think that we are allowed to sin because we have grace. He quite literally is putting the fear of God in us by letting us know that; ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’ (Heb 10:31) This is a warning that all true Christians will take seriously knowing that if they continue in sin they will not make it to heaven so they better not chance it. Perhaps this is what the Puritan Thomas Watson was talking about when he said, “Because of mercy men presume and think they may go on in sin, but should a king’s clemency make his subjects rebel?…God will hardly show those mercy who sin because mercy abounds.”
Correct me if I am wrong in interpreting these verses for we all know of people who have left their snot and tears at the alter during a youth summer camp or revival only a few months later to return to there old habits without growth of any fruits of the Spirit. Either those people were genuinely saved at that time and are not now and never can be again or their decision for Christ was never real and even now their salvation may be secured by nothing more than their imagination. Is there no hope for these people who have left the faith who once professed it? Or was their faith not genuine in the first place and there is still hope for them now? According to these verses one may slip out of grace and walk out of God’s gracious hand but may never again walk back into it. What would be tougher, either saying that an apostate person never had saving faith in the first place but can still be rescued from God’s wrath or telling them that their faith was real but now they have no hope to escape from God’s wrath.
Verses:
Hebrews 10:26-31 (English Standard Version)
26For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 6:4-8 (English Standard Version)
4For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
John 15:1-6 (English Standard Version)
1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
Hey Michael, hope things are going well for you this semester. Hope things are working out at the house. Good blog man, tough subject. I’ve heard it explained simply but still reformed: there are some folks that hear the Gospel and for awhile they are a Christian and do Christian things, like pray, go to church, even talk about Christ to others and say Christian things (maybe even respond to an altar call and get baptized). But after awhile they kind of grow out of it, it’s more of like a fad to them, and they return to their old way of living and forget about the gospel. One could say they became a Christian and lost their salvation. But those of us who are reformed know that were probably never saved to begin with.
Michael Horton has a lot of good things to say about Arminianism, since that’s the background he grew up in. A subject of contention for him was the issue of sin and falling away and that he was taught in church and Sunday school that if you were living in some type of sin and died you wouldn’t be saved because at that moment you had unconfessed sin. This made him respond that people know that we are Christians by our fruit, but God knows us by our faith “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested APART from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it–the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” Romans 3:21,22. For all sin is a transgression of God’s law, right? And all sin will be forgiven except the unforgivable sin, rejection of the Holy Spirit. So when talking about sin, if one is a true believer, has been regenerated and brought to new life, no amount of sin is his/her life can cause them to lose their salvation because it would mean that Christ’s death on the cross was not enough to atone for their sin. But then one might ask, well does that mean I can continue to sin and do whatever I want and still go to heaven? That’s what Paul was dealing with in his letter to the Galatians. If you are truly saved and truly know God and love God and know that God loves you, why would you want to sin against him? Wouldn’t you want to follow him? Wouldn’t you, who has been saved from the pit of hell and given new life, want to love and follow the one who has saved you?
Comment by BSW — March 11, 2006 @ 9:26 am