Sin of Unbelief?

[KBoone19]

I was wondering what the Arminian view is of the sin of unbelief. Such if Jesus paid the price for that sin, does it mean that people who reject Jesus are forgiven? Or is it different than saving faith?

Thanks

Keith
San Diego, CA

[Sean]

I was wondering what the Arminian view is of the sin of unbelief. Such if Jesus paid the price for that sin, does it mean that people who reject Jesus are forgiven? Or is it different than saving faith?

Thanks

Keith
San Diego, CA

-If Jesus died for the all sins of all people including unbelief, then all are saved.
-If the response then is that Jesus died for only the elect's sins and this includes the sin of unbelief then all the elect are saved, even before having a chance to hear and believe the gospel. This idea is foreign to scripture. Most Calvinists don't believe this either.

To answer your question directly requires a little unpacking. The bible consistently speaks of salvation as a covenant between you and God. This covenant (that Jesus established) is entered by faith. Faith is a condition.

John 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Rom 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved

Someone who does not believe is not forgiven:

John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

What about those who believe for awhile?

Luk 8:11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Luke 8:12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

So are these who believe for awhile but later fall away have their "sin of unbelief" covered? No. Only those who are actually attached to Jesus by faith have their sins covered. Forgiveness is an ongoing reality, not a one time event:

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Why would John say this to believers if their sins (including unbelief) were already covered?

We have access by faith into the grace of God (Rom 5:2). If the access to the grace of God is severed by departing from the faith (John 15:5-6, Rom 11:22), then their is no grace.

So people who reject Jesus are not forgiven. Which is answered clearly here:

John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Hopefully that makes some sense.

[KBoone19]

I think I understand. So Jesus died for the sin of unbelief for the believers. But to the unbelievers, their sin of unbelief was condemned because they never entered into the covenant of faith to have their sins forgiven. And if a believer later rejects the covenant, then their sin of unbelief is still held against them because they no longer have access to God who forgives sin. Right?

[Sean]

I think I understand. So Jesus died for the sin of unbelief for the believers. But to the unbelievers, their sin of unbelief was condemned because they never entered into the covenant of faith to have their sins forgiven. And if a believer later rejects the covenant, then their sin of unbelief is still held against them because they no longer have access to God who forgives sin. Right?

That's pretty much how I understand it.

[tmember]

I was wondering what the Arminian view is of the sin of unbelief. Such if Jesus paid the price for that sin, does it mean that people who reject Jesus are forgiven? Or is it different than saving faith?

Thanks

Keith
San Diego, CA

"For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all." (Rom 11:32)

I see that as a second chance for all. The Cross freed up all men to choose for themselves whether or not they would be believers in Jesus. So some choose to believe and others not to believe.

What is 'apostasy' if not voluntarily choosing to fall away from one's belief, rejecting it altogether? One can apostasize from just about anything (Mormonism, Communism, vegetarianism, etc....), but if one's apostasy is a falling away from faith in Christ, Woe.

If all those who fall away from belief in Jesus "were never really believers to begin with" then apostasy is a word without meaning.

I hope I didn't change the subject too much....