NO religious error pervades evangelicalism today as extensively as Arminianism. This error, which took its name from Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609), a theological professor at Leiden in Holland, was not popular when it appeared. His views were strongly opposed by the leading men of the Church. After his death, the vociferous supporters of his teaching protested to the States of Holland and West Friesland that they be allowed a place in the Church without being subjected to examination as to their orthodoxy. The followers of Arminius were not to be silenced. Eventually the States General called a General Synod at Dort (or Dordrecht). It was attended by ministers, theological professors and elders from the Churches in Holland, and representatives from reformed Churches outwith Holland, including those in Scotland and England. At this Synod, great doctrinal matters were debated. The outcome was that this Synod “unanimously condemned the doctrines of the Arminians, and in their articles confirmed the common Calvinistic faith of the Reformed churches.”1
One of the great errors of Arminianism, and it is only one of a number, is that which concerns the cardinal doctrine of justification. Arminianism makes the faith of the believer, rather than the righteousness of Christ, to be the ground of his being justified by God. The Wesleyan divines, who were Arminian in outlook, “say that faith is imputed as the believer’s justifying righteousness.”2
This error has been pointed out by many orthodox divines. For example, Witsius, who was Professor of Divinity at Leiden University from 1698, addresses believers thus: “Arminius, by his subtlety, frames vain empty quibbles, when he contends that the righteousness of Christ cannot be imputed to us for righteousness… But it is imputed to us, that is, put to our account as if it was ours… This is so true, that it is the sum of the whole gospel.” Witsius adds: “It is well known that the Reformed Churches condemned Arminius and his followers for saying that faith comes to be considered, in the matter of justification, as a work or act of ours.”3
A. A. Hodge states: “Arminians hold that for Christ’s sake the demands of the law are graciously lowered, and faith and evangelical obedience accepted in the place of perfect obedience as the ground of justification. Our Standards and all the Reformed and Lutheran Confessions teach that the true ground of justification is the perfect righteousness (active and passive) of Christ, imputed to the believer, and received by faith alone.”4 Louis Berkhof makes much the same point when he says: “The Arminian goes contrary to Scripture when he maintains that we are accepted in favour by God only on the ground of our faith or evangelical obedience”.5
The absurdity of regarding faith as a basis of justification is stated by G. H. Kersten in these words: “However great the value of faith may be, it has no value as ground for justification. How can God, without violating His justice, acquit the guilty sinner and ascribe to him a right to eternal life, except on the ground of the righteousness obtained by Christ when He obeyed the law perfectly and bore its curse?”6
Robert Shaw, the excellent expositor of the Confession of Faith, says of this error: “Arminians maintain that faith itself, or the act of believing, is accepted as our justifying righteousness. In opposition to this, our Confession teaches that God does not justify us ‘by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, as our righteousness.’ And in confirmation of this, we observe, that faith, as an act performed by us, is as much a work of obedience to the law as any other; and, therefore, to be justified by the act of faith, would be to be justified by a work. But this is contrary to the express declarations of Scripture, which exclude all sorts of works from the affair of justification. Gal. 2:16. Besides, faith is plainly distinguished from that righteousness by which we are justified. We read of ‘the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ,’ and of ‘the righteousness which is of God by faith.’ Rom. 3:23, Phil. 3:9. No language could more clearly show that righteousness and faith are two different things. ‘Nothing’ says Mr Haldane, ‘can be a greater corruption of the truth than to represent faith itself as accepted instead of righteousness, or to be the righteousness that saves the sinner. Faith is not righteousness. Righteousness is the fulfilling of the law’.”7
It is a pernicious error indeed when faith, in any way, is made the justifying righteousness of the believer, thus taking away from, or eliminating the righteousness of Christ as the justifying righteousness of the believer. This is Arminianism at its worst. If we are remiss as to receiving and resting upon Christ alone for salvation, all is lost. The language of all the redeemed, with regard to Christ and righteousness, has ever been: “In the Lord have I righteousness…” Isa 45:24. Christ Himself is their righteousness. It is of Him that they say, “Who of God is made unto us… righteousness…” 1 Cor 1:30, and, “The Lord our righteousness,” Jer 23:6.
How, then, are we to view the relationship between faith and righteousness? The answer is seen in this statement of A. A. Hodge: “The orthodox view is that the active and passive obedience of Christ satisfying both the precept and penalty of the law as a covenant of life, and thus constituting a perfect righteousness is, upon being appropriated by the believer in the act of faith, actually made his, in a legal sense, by imputation. Faith, therefore, is the mere instrument whereby we partake in the righteousness of Christ, which is the true ground of our justification.”8
It is abundantly clear that not the least part of any of our graces, gifts or doings can be part of the basis of our being accepted by God as righteous persons. As Richard Baxter said, “No man may look at his own graces as a part of his legal righteousness, in conjunction with Christ’s righteousness as the other part. We must go wholly out or ourselves, and deny and disclaim all such righteousness of our own.”9
I recall what the late Rev. D. A. Macfarlane, Dingwall, said, when reminding us in his preaching that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” Isaiah 64:6. In commending, and insisting upon, the righteousness of Christ as the only ground of our acceptance with God, Mr Macfarlane said that for his part he was resolved never to appear before God with as much of his own righteousness as would go on a “pinhead”. We were left in no doubt that the ground of justification had to be Christ in all His finished work, with nothing whatsoever of man added to that work.
It is tragic that so many in this day of dreadful declension, in one way or another, hold onto something of their own as the ground of their acceptance with God. When a person is trusting in this, instead of in the finished work of Christ in all its fulness, it certainly is not well with him or her in view of death. In order that we be accepted by God, may we, by divine grace, reject the very least of our own works, and wisely rest only on Christ and what He has done for His people. Then all will be well with us for eternity.
1 A. A. Hodge, Outlines of Theology, p. 105, Banner of Truth, 1972.
2 R. L. Dabney, Systematic Theology, p. 637, Banner of Truth, 1985.
3 H. Witsius, The Economy of the Covenants, vol 1, pp. 368 and 375, London 1837.
4 A. A. Hodge, A Commentary on The Confession of Faith. pp. 182, 183, London 1870.
5 L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 523, Banner of Truth, 1971.
6 G. H. Kersten, Reformed Dogmatics, p. 422, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1981.
7 R. Shaw, An Exposition of The Confession of Faith, p. 128, Christian Focus Publications, 1983.
8 A. A. Hodge, Outlines of Theology, pp. 503, 504, Banner of Truth, 1972.
9 R. Baxter, Spiritual Peace and Comfort, p. 273. (Quoted in Dogmatic Theology, Volume 1, by W. G. J. Shedd, p. 544, Klock and Klock, 1979).