Are All Arminians Unsaved?

I am so very glad that my salvation is not contingent on MC's interpreation of the Scriptures, or understanding of theology. While I do in fact agree with much what he has said, if he were the deciding factor in my conversion (whether it was genuine or not), I'd surely roast in hell for all eternity.

It's a very rare thing to come across someone who, at the moment of conversion, has the same understanding of the grace of God, as someone who has had the benefit of living it and studying it from the Scriptures. YES, you do know it is by His grace you are saved, but it's extremely rare for a new believer (or even a believer under false teaching for a time), to be able to articulate this grace.

As a small child, I knew my mom loved me, worked hard to take care of me, would have done everything in her power to provide for me. If asked, would I have been able to verbalize this truth in an intellectual way that would have accurately reflected the depth of my understanding? NO, I would not have been able to. But I still knew it.

At the moment of my conversion, did I know it was soley the grace of God at work, and had nothing to do with my choices or my will? Yes, I absolutely knew it was. I knew it was Him drawing me, I knew it was Him enabling me to believe, I knew it was Him who changed me, but would I have been able to articulate that, AT that time, or even months or years after? NO, I was not able to do that. But I still knew it.

At the time of my conversion, I was in an Arminian church. After my conversion, I was under a false teaching, and even though I was not fully aware of it at the time, something deep inside of me knew something was not right. I battled inwardly with so much of what I heard, and yet likely repeated to others the same tired old free will garbage. While I struggled to accept the free will sermons, I had not yet been exposed to the deeper doctrines of Scripture, so I was simply ignorant of the process - but yet I still knew salvation was in fact, of the LORD.

It was another 2 years, after initial conversion, before God showed me from the Scriptures, the deep things about election, predestination, His sovereign grace, and man's total depravity. I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever, that I had been regenerated 2 years prior, and I also have no doubt in my mind, had I met MC at the time, he would have declared me UNregenerate.

Funny, as I sit here and think about the dynamics of the way a person's mind works, the one questions that beg to be answered are these:

Do the unregenerate seek the deep things of God? Do they seek God at all? Do they seek truth, and turn to the Scriptures, and prayer? Do they question their pastors and teachers, about doctrines that dont seem to add up? Do they ever question if what they think they already know about Scripture, is wanting?

The answer to all those questions, as we SHOULD all know, is NO. The unregenerate do NOT seek God, they are at enmity with Him, they HATE Him, and hate anything to do with Him. They will not grieve over their own sinfulness, they will not turn to the Scriptures, they do not pray for His guidance and wisdom, they do not humble themselves before Him, they do not desire to grow in understanding.

For a group of people who consistantly preach on the topic of total depravity, this truth should be obvious - that the natural man (unregenerate) has no interest in the things of God.

So taking this to it's logical conclusion (according to MC's definition of unregenerate people), we would have to say that ALL arminians, who ever do any of those things above, seeking God's wisdom, etc., aren't truly saved at all -and yet - they defy the very Scriptures that tell us that ONLY those who have a new heart, do these things.

It cannot be both ways. You cannot be dead in trespasses and sins, unregenerate, hating God, and yet still seeking the things OF God. You cannot be a "God-hater" and have a burning desire to have God reveal to you that thing that gnaws at your mind, that you know you have not been taught yet, not even knowing what it is, but just KNOWING there is more to Scripture, MORE to the dynamic of the relationship between God and fallen man, than you have been shown.

The fact that this would be the desire of a man's heart, to seek God, to please God, to know Scripture, to live it, to revere Him, is evidence that a man HAS been changed inwardly by the power of God!

Does the unregenerate show forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit? NO, he does not. Only those changed by God, will ever show these things. I'm not referring to personality types, where some folks are just naturally more "like" a regenerated person, I'm talking about a person who lives to please God, day in and day out. I'm talking about consistantly being mindful of one's own sinfulness, and propensity to fall short, and gratitude toward our Heavenly Father that because it so pleased Him to do so, He chose to redeem our wretched soul, and give us eternal life. It is only the changed man, that shows forth love, joy, peace, patience, tenderness, goodness, faith, humility, and self control, and gives ALL glory to God, for those traits.

The unregenerate, will NOT live this way, and will NEVER give glory to God, for these things.

While I'm well aware that MC judges me unregenerate, due to the circumstances surrounding my conversion, my first couple of years under false teaching, and my current attitude toward those that are still under this same kind of false teaching - I'm also well aware of the fact that MC and others with this same attitude, cannot see into my heart, and set themselves up as judge and jury, of my salvation.

I praise God for those "Calvinists" that I first met, who challenged me in love, with tenderness and compassion, to search the Scriptures to see if what I had been taught, was indeed there. I praise Him for the truth of GROWING in grace.

There are many, many people out there, who are in fact saved, and under a false teaching. Some know it, some know there is something missing, but may not know what that something is (like I did), some dont even know it, yet. It is our duty, and should be our joy, to share with them the deep things of Scripture, pray with them, pray for them, and take on the responsiblity of being there for them, as the questions come up.

This whole practice of focusing on who is saved and who is not, taken to the degree that MC (and others) have taken it, only serves to cause MASSIVE division among the body of Christ, and leaves many people feeling cut off, shut out, and not worth the time required, to minister to them. God forbid that we should be so arrogant to practice this.

How DARE we, who consistantly preach His grace, be so full of ourselves to forget to be examples OF it? May our Heavenly Father forgive us for being so cold, when it comes to this. May He convict those of us who do this, in such a way that we are left speechless, and repentant, and turn us back around where we should be, practicing this, instead:

Col. 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

IPeter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you.

2Peter5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sin.

That's all I have to say on this topic. May it minister grace to someone.