Okay, well here we are. We'd like to welcome you to our Bible discussion. It's February 9, 2008, and I'm sitting here with my son, Mark Phillips, who has an unusual gift God has given him to come up with some very unusual titles for discussions. He came up with a discussion the other day and I kind of was got. What was that discussion title you wanted to do? What does it mean to be an Arminian? What does it mean to be an Arminian? Now that's pretty good because we could say well now wait a minute. What does it mean to be a Nazarene? What does it mean to be a United Methodist? What does it mean to be a Southern Baptist? What does it mean to be a Pentecostal? Or an Assembly of God? Or a Roman Catholic? Or an Episcopal? Or you could go on and on and on. A Presbyterian? A Lutheran? But his discussion was what does it mean to be an Arminian. Now I want to make sure, I think everybody here listening tonight knows the difference between an Arminian and Arminian. Where do Arminians live, Mark? Arminians live in Armenia. So does that mean that Arminians live in Armenia? No. No. I'm having way too much fun tonight. You know, I think I'm kind of tired. So people, if you wonder why I'm a little giddy, it's just because I'm a little tired here tonight. But anyway, the question is, what does it mean to be an Arminian? Well, back in the 1600s there was a big debate between those who held to the absolute soft cube God and those from followers of Jacob Arminius. They were called the people that were upholding the five points of Calvinism. Now Calvin did not come up with the five points of Calvinism. I don't even like that term five points of Calvinism. I would rather call it the five points of the Bible. God is the one that came up with the five points. Forget Calvin. But Jacob Arminius and particularly his followers were taking opposition to these five points found in the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dort. Why don't you just tell me, Mark, go over with people, what the five points of biblical doctrine are. T stands for? Total depravity. U stands for? Unconditional election. There you go. And L? Limited atonement. I? Irresistible grace. and P. Perseverance of the saint. Very good. Now what Jacob, Arminius and his followers were purporting were just the opposite. They were saying that man was not totally what? Brave. That he still had a spark of good in him and he could still come to Christ even though he had a bent towards sin. Does that sound a little like John Wesley? Yeah. Even though he had a bent towards sin, even though he was sick, he wasn't spiritually dead. He of his own moral ability could come to Christ. Charles Finney had this moral ability theory as well. But anyway, when they started down that path, the next thing was they denied unconditional election. They started to put conditions upon a person. A person's election depended on his works. Whether it was repentance or faith or belief, they got it opposite. They didn't realize that faith and repentance and belief sprung out of election. They tried to make faith and repentance and belief the cause of election. and then they got into this thing about foreknowledge saying that God looked down through the portals of time and he saw that you were going to choose him rather than affirming the true biblical doctrine of predestination which says that we were chosen in him before the foundation of the world you know and so Then the next thing was this problem with the denial of irresistible grace. They said no, no, no, no, no. Man can resist God's grace even if he is one of God's elect. He can still resist God's grace to the point of losing his salvation and that is not what the Bible teaches us. Let's just reference the 6th chapter of John, the 10th chapter of John, the 9th chapter of Romans, the 8th chapter of Romans, the 1st chapter of Ephesians, the 1st chapter of 1st Peter, and on and on and on and on and on, Colossians, 1st chapter of Colossians. Well, so now they've denied total depravity, they've denied unconditional election, they've denied irresistible grace, so the next point is well limited atonement they said well God made it possible for all men to be saved but he didn't die just for a particular group of people he loves everybody well the problem with that is what does it say in the ninth chapter of Romans Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated Oh man, Mark, that's going to make a lot of people very upset. You know what they'll say to that? They'll say, well, wait a minute, what that really means is that that means that God loved Esau less than he loved Jacob. But that's not what it says, is it? No. It says before the children being born that the purpose of what? God according to election might stand. Right. It had nothing to do They hadn't done any good or evil. Right. And this was before they were born in the womb of who? Who was their mother? Remember? Rebecca. Very good. Very good. Mark, I think you know some more of this than some of the theologians out there. Maybe you need to talk to Brother Sproul. I mean, I guess I should call him brother. I don't know. R.C. Sproul and D. James... Kennedy. and Lorraine Gettner, and let's see, Burkoff, some of these folks who say you have a spark of good in you. You're born and created in the image of God. Now are we born and created in the image of God today? No. No, because we're born and conceived what? In sin. Yeah. As a result of the fall in the Garden of Eden. That's exactly right. So, what does it take to be an Arminian? First of all, if you're a really good Arminian, now Arminians, let me explain to you who they are. Arminians are Nazarenes, United Methodists, Church of God Holiness, Roman Catholics, Southern Baptists, Episcopals, they're assemblies of gods. I mean 99% of the so-called Christian community uphold the doctrine of Arminianism. They're Arminians. And so they would uphold the doctrine that would say that you're not totally depraved. You have the natural ability within yourself to choose or accept Jesus Christ. But Mark, what does the scripture say? It says that you're dead in what? Trespasses and sin. Okay. And then the Arminian will also tell you that your election is conditioned on God's foreknowledge. Now foreknowledge means to, it would be similar to... Know beforehand. Know beforehand, but to know you intimately. Like Adam knew Eve. Okay? God knew us intimately before he created us. Okay? Now, one of the biggest hang-ups that Armenians have is they don't understand the distinction between the uses of the word world in the Bible. They don't realize that there is the world of God's elect, there's the world, meaning the geographical world, there's the world of the Jews and the Gentiles, And there's the world of the reprobate. When he says in Peter there, God is not willing that any should perish, is he talking there about the whole world, every man and girl and woman and boy without exception? Who's he talking about? The elect. Because he says to who? Usward. So he's speaking very specifically. When he says in John 3.16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. Is he talking about every man and woman and boy and girl without exception? No. No? He's speaking of the world of who? The elect. The elect. The elect only to. That's correct because he goes on in that passage in John 3. And he says, certain ones of them were condemned already, didn't he? Because they believed not on the only Son of God. And he goes on down to John 3 there and says, why don't you flip back to the third chapter of John there, and read for us in the third chapter of John, He says in the 21st verse, what does he say? If we have any good deeds, if we have any truth in us at all, those good deeds are wrought in whom? God. God is the one that wrought to bring so to pass in our life. It's not something we do of our own moral ability. So the Arminians believe also that God sent his son Jesus Christ to die for every single girl, woman, boy, and man without exception. Now why is that a lie? Because if he died for every single girl, boy, woman, and man, every single girl, boy, and man would be what? Saved. Saved. No one would go to hell would they? Okay now, what about this falling from grace thing? The Arminians believe that you can lose your salvation. Some Arminians I know have been saved probably 25 times. They get saved, then they backslide. Then they get saved and sanctified and petrified. And then they backslide again and get saved again. Is that biblical? No. He says, I will give unto you what? Eternal life. Eternal life. Not temporary life. Eternal life. And no man can want. Like you had my father's hand. I and my father. Exactly. Very good. Now, what about this perseverance of the saints? Do the Armenians believe that a person will persevere in their faith? No. No, they believe that it's conditioned upon your free will. Well, that's pretty sad, isn't it? I had an elder in a primitive Baptist church tell me one time that your salvation was contingent upon a person keeping something in remembrance. Can you believe that? No. You know what I said to him? What? What about all these people with Alzheimer's? They can't keep all these things in their remembrance. You're telling me whenever they get Alzheimer's they're going to lose their salvation? Does that make sense? No. No. And God gives us great assurance. So the Arminians believe you can lose your salvation. So that's the thing that it means to be an Arminian. You deny the total depravity of man. You say that you have the moral ability to choose Christ without any regeneration power from the Holy Spirit. You just have that innate ability and that they don't they deny unconditional election they deny limited atonement they say that Jesus Christ died for everybody made it possible for all men to be saved and we know that that's not true because the ninth chapter of Romans totally dispels that notion okay and they say that you can if you're one of God's sheep you can still resist his grace ultimately and be damned and the Bible says In John the sixth chapter, all that the Father has given me will come to me. And all that come to me I will know why it is cast out. Now there is great assurance that for the final perseverance of the saints they deny. Well, no. If you do this and you do that you will lose your salvation. Read for me The 8th chapter of Romans, I want you to read the 35th through the 39th verses. Now, Armenians don't believe this, by the way. 35th through the 39th verses. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long. We were accounted as sheep for their slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Well, that's pretty comforting, isn't it? Yeah. I mean, is there anything in there he didn't cover? No. I think he covered it all, man. Now, I want you to go to the twelfth chapter. We're talking here tonight about what it means to be an Arminian. And we've already covered this several times. Arminians believe that you can, of your own free will, determine one, how much faith you have, One, by your own choice and decision accept or reject Jesus Christ. They believe that by your own free will you can lose your salvation. They believe by misinterpreting scripture that Jesus Christ died for the whole world. And they also believe that man can be saved and fall from grace. And I've even had people tell me, well, the reason people aren't healed is they just don't have enough what? Faith. And you know what I asked them? No. I said, well, where does faith come from? God. He's the author of what? Fish for faith. Exactly. And so they're trying to say that faith comes from us rather than comes from God. Give me a break. Okay. Look in the twelfth chapter of Corinthians. This is really enlightening if you look at this passage. Now a lot of the Armenians will not like this. We will talk about this tonight. Let's just look about where the spiritual gifts come from. People will say, well I have a special spiritual gift I have this spiritual gift, I have the gift of speaking in tongues, or I have the gift of discernment, or I have the gift of knowledge, or I have this gift or that gift. Well, in the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians, he says beginning with verse 1, Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. You knew that you were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols, even as you were led. Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed, and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversity of gifts, but the same Spirit. Now so who's given the gifts? The who? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, not man. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. So who's giving the difference of administration? The who? The Lord. And there are diversities of operations but it is the same God who worketh all in all. God's the one that does this Mr. Arminian. Not you. It's from God. Now let's go on. And he says, read verse 7. Manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom. Who gives him the word of wisdom? The Holy Spirit. OK. Another the word of knowledge by the same who? Spirit. Right. To another faith by the same? Spirit. To another the gifts of healing by the same? Spirit. To another the working of miracles. To another prophecy. To another discerning of spirits. To another diverse kinds of tongues. To another the interpretation of tongues. But all these works Get that one and the self same spirit. And then what does it end up by saying there? Dividing to every man separately as he will. As who will? The Holy Spirit. Yeah, God. Not man. God is over everything. God is over the administration of gifts to us. He's over our salvation. But the Armenians want to say That it comes from some kind of innate moral ability from somebody. So the Armenians really have a problem with giving God the glory in all these things. Now go to the 2nd Corinthians the 4th chapter. And I want you to read for me the third verse. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. Now isn't that something? So the gospel is not revealed to those who are lost. It's revealed to who? The elect. That's correct. And the elect are who? God's little sheep. Yes. Now read verse six for me. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Now who's hearts did it shine into? The elect's hearts. The sinner's hearts. Into our hearts. Did it shine into those up there that it was talking about in verse 3? No. The one that was, the gospel was hid. Did it shine into their hearts? No. No. So, verse 13 says, We having the same spirit of faith, according as written, I believe and therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore speak. Okay. So, God is the one, Mr. Arminian, Mrs. Arminian, that works in the heart of man to give him the knowledge of Jesus Christ who has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ so if you've been upholding an Arminian doctrine if you've denied that you're totally depraved and born and conceived in sin and that you just haven't bent towards sin. If you have been denying unconditional election and promoting that it's based upon something you do for your salvation, if you believe that it's your repentance, if you believe it's your own faith apart from Jesus Christ, if you believe that it is restitution you made, confession to a priest, anything. Praying the rosary, praying, you know, fasting. If you believe your salvation has to do with any of those things, you are an Arminian and you're denying the Bible. And also Mr. Arminian, Mrs. Arminian, if you say that Jesus Christ died for everybody, for the sins of the whole world, You're denying the words of Jesus Christ himself that said, all that the Father has given you will come to me. And if you're saying that man can finally fall from grace, you're denying the 8th chapter of Romans that says that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So you really need to examine what you're teaching. because one of these days you will be held accountable because you've heard this message tonight from me. You may not have heard it spiritually. Your eyes may be blinded to it. Your ears may be blocked from hearing the truth of it. But I'm preaching to you tonight if you are an Arminian and you, if God's Holy Spirit gives you the ears to hear and the eyes to see, and convicts you of your false doctrine, then that's a pretty good evidence that you're one of his little sheep. But if you reject what I have shown you from the Bible tonight, then it's pretty good evidence that you're an Arminian. Not an Arminian, an Arminian. Now in Revelation it says worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive glory and honor and power. Did it say worthy was man? No. Worthy is the lamb. Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive glory and honor and power and majesty. Not man. It says we're not supposed to exalt man. It's not a works lest any man should boast. So we'll end our discussion about what it means to be an Arminian tonight. We would encourage all of our listeners, we have another website where Mark and Rosette and myself, we like to sing some of the old, old traditional hymns. Some of them are from the old school hymnal. We would encourage you to go to that website. There's also some other sermons on there on that website that you're welcome to go and listen to. And we also have some reputations from some charges that have been made against me on that website. And so you're welcome to go and visit that. We have a daily sermon on there and that's changed each day. And we have a daily song on there that you could go and listen to and worship with our little house church. The Bible says where two or three are gathered together, there I am in the midst of them. That website is www.whatthebiblesays.net www.whatthebiblesays.net You know it doesn't matter what we say. It doesn't matter what we say. What matters is what God says. What the Bible says. So go to www.whatthebiblesays.net www.whatthebiblesays.net and sing along with us some of the old songs and listen to some of the sermons. Sometimes we have excellent ministers on there. Alfred Chomp is a good minister on some real good teaching. There's Laseer Bradley's on there sometimes. Sometimes we have other sermons that we've listened to. There's a sermon on there called All Things. by a gentleman named Leroy Rhodes. Excellent message. There's also some past messages on there. I used to be a social worker with the state of Missouri and I was fired for licensing homosexual foster parents. So my testimony is on there as well if you want to hear that. But God has brought us together this far Mark. I'm anxious to see what your next little catchy title for our discussion will be. Is Jesus Your Savior? That's the title of my next sermon. That's an interesting question, isn't it? One of the things I want to end this with is that a lot of people think you have to let Jesus into your heart. Can you imagine letting I told some people one time, you know, if Jesus wants to get into my heart, he will get into my heart. He's the one that will give us a resurrection. If we're dead, we need a resurrection like Lazarus, right? He said, Lazarus, come forth in a what? A very loud voice. Father, we thank you for this discussion. We pray that you would take it and use it. We pray that you would continue to Give us clarity of thought. Give us your Holy Spirit to enlighten us to the truth of your word. And we know that your word will not return to you void. We ask these things in your name for your glory alone. Amen.