Avoiding Evil

Firstly, Spurgeon held that Arminianism does not merely affect a few doctrines which can be separated from the gospel, rather it involves the whole unity of Biblical revelation and it affects our view of the whole plan of redemption at almost every point. He regarded ignorance of the full content of the gospel as a major cause of Arminianism, and the errors of that system then prevent men from grasping the whole divine unity of Scriptural truths and from perceiving them in their true relationships and in their right order. - Iain Murray - The Forgotton Spurgeon pg. 70

The order of salvation? Now here is something you don’t talk about in Sunday School. We are led to believe that this salvation is an instantaneous act that occurs when someone prays to ask Jesus into their hearts. I don’t think this is an intentional deception, but simply an effort to make the gospel more understandable to those who find it difficult to grasp (I will get into the error of this type of thinking later.) We don’t make mention of a persons election, calling, regeneration, redemption, and sanctification which are all valid and Biblical pieces of the puzzle we call salvation. While it may seem to happen instantaneously, could it be that there is an order to this process? Might these things be found in Scripture, say Romans 8:28-30. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 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.”

I think Spurgeon’s argument against Arminianism in this case is that instead of looking at the whole picture it takes only bits and pieces of Scripture to make a case for Salvation, thus causing a believers view of salvation to fall short of the fullness of the text. Instead of explaining the scripture and the process by which we have been chosen, called, justified, and will be glorified, we simply say **poof** you are saved. While I believe that is how Salvation occurs, **poof** you are saved, what most mean by it is that as long as you accept Christ and say the prayer you will certainly be saved… no need to explain the rest. In doing so, it creates a faulty view of Salvation that cannot be backed up with the fullness of the text. This is why Spurgeon would call this a serious matter. We reduced these things down to being a simple silly argument between two sides of the fence, one in which people relate to more because it makes them feel better and one in which makes people uncomfortable but has a stronger Biblical base. Many would give up on trying to understand these things and simply call it a draw. Believers will say that maybe the answer lies somewhere in between these two positions and they will pass it off as not being worth the struggle and argument. To Spurgeon this would be considered ludicrous! He believed that Arminianism at its core was a faulty view of Scripture created by people who were ignorant of the Bible and to defend the whole truth of the Word of God meant we must come to grips with the real teaching of these issues.

Where I think the church has failed, is by ignoring them. I don’t claim to have all the answers, nor do I claim to know what on earth I am talking about, but it seems to me that the church today tends to ignore many of the deep, Biblical, doctrinal truths of scripture for a more user-friendly church experience. It seems we skip over or pass off things that may cause conflict or may actually force people to think. It’s much like spoon feeding. We simply shove what little scripture we can into the mouth of babes in order to keep them alive, but we don’t feed them enough to get them thinking on their own or strong enough to feed themselves. Instead we have to baby them along with milk, and the sad thing is we are not only content with it, but we fear feeding them meat. We say we need more ministries, more evangelism, more fellowship, more worship, more discipleship, but I say all of those things are meaningless without more truth, more scripture, and more understanding. You can teach anyone how to do a few ministries and tell someone about the gospel, but to teach people the meaning and understanding of the truth of God’s word so that it motivates them to do ministry and evangelism is a whole other issue. For Southern Baptists, those who claim to believe in Scripture as the infallible, authoritative Word of God, it seems rather hypocritical for us not to teach its deep, life giving truths. Have we sold out for convenience or comfort? Do we continue to feed our congregations the skin of the apple instead of letting them taste what is really inside?

”You will perceive, I think, in these words, that the divine plan of salvation is very clearly laid down. It begins, you see, in the will and pleasure of God: “When it pleased God”. The foundation of salvation is not laid in the will of man. It does not begin with man’s obedience, and then proceed onward to the purpose of God; but here is its commencement, here the fountain-head from which the living waters flow : “It pleased God”. Next to the sovereign will and good pleasure of God comes the act of separation, commonly known by the name of election. This act is said, in the text, to take place even in the mother’s womb, by which we are taught that it took place before our birth when as yet we could have done nothing whatever to win it or to merit it. God separated us from the earliest part and time of our being; and indeed, long before that, when as yet the mountains and hills were not piled, and the oceans were not formed by his creative power, he had, in his eternal purpose, set us apart for himself. Then, after this act of separation came the effectual calling: “And called me by his grace”. The calling does not cause the election; but the election, springing from the divine purpose, causes the calling. The calling comes as a consequence of the divine purpose and the divine separation, and you will note how the obedience follows the calling. So the whole process runs thus, - first the sacred, sovereign purpose of God, then the distinct and definite election or separation, then the effectual and irresistible calling, and then afterwards the obedience unto life, and the sweet fruits of the Spirit which spring therefrom. They do err, not knowing the Scriptures, who put any of these processes before the others, out of Scripture order. They who put man’s will first know not what they say, nor whereof they affirm.” – Charles Spurgeon from his sermon on Galatians 1:15, entitled “It Pleased God”.

Arminianism, then, is said to confuse scripture and keep people from having a clear view of the Word of God and it’s teachings on the whole plan of redemption.