Dealing With Arminians

It seems to be very popular today within Arminian circles to attack the doctrines of grace which may be better know to some as Calvinism particularly the doctrine of election, and I have seen of late those who attack Calvinism and then go so far as to call it Hyper-Calvinism to further confuse the issue. I heard Dr. John MacArthur's sermon titled "The Doctrine Of Election, Part 2" this morning and just wanted to share a quote where he address's the issue of how to deal with an Arminian regardless of the angle they are coming from. ( Download MP3 )

I think if you’re dealing with someone who doesn’t like the doctrine of election, if you’re dealing with someone who doesn’t like the doctrine of predestination, if you’re dealing with someone who is, what is known as Pelagian or Arminian from Arminius who denied this doctrine, if you’re dealing with those people, here’s a passage that really stops them cold in their tracks.

1 Corinthians 1:26, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise, according to the flesh; not many mighty, not many noble.”

Just take a look at the congregation. All right, you’re sitting there in the church at Corinth, look around...look around. See the ones who have been called effectually into salvation, how many of the world’s wise are there? How many of the world’s mighty are there? How many of the nobles are there? How much royal blood is there in your church?

Verse 27, “But God has chosen the foolish of the world to shame the wise, God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised. God has chosen the things are not that He might nullify the things that are in order that no man should...what?...boast before God.”

I’m telling you what, folks, Arminians are up a creek without a paddle in this passage. This says God wanted to be glorified. God wanted to receive all the glory. No person who is saved could ever boast about his own salvation and it served God’s glory best for Him to choose the foolish and the weak and the base and the despised and the nothings and the nobodies. Now listen, if the weak and the foolish chose God, this passage doesn’t make any sense. If the weak and the foolish chose God, then who gets the credit? The weak and the foolish. So how does this end human boasting? It turns the whole passage into nonsense. And verse 30 he says, “But by His doing...His being God...you are in Christ Jesus.” You’re in Christ Jesus because God did it so that verse 31 says, “If you’re going to boast, boast...where?...boast in the Lord.” I mean, it’s all over the Bible. This passage isn’t about man’s choice, this hasn’t anything to do with man’s choice. This is about God’s choice. And if it’s about man’s choice, then how does it end human boasting? It turns the whole passage into utter nonsense.