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“The Preservation of the Saints” -- Article Eight, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 8: The Certainty of This Preservation

So it is not by their own merits or strength but by God’s undeserved mercy that they neither forfeit faith and grace totally nor remain in their downfalls to the end and are lost. With respect to themselves this not only easily could happen, but also undoubtedly would happen; but with respect to God it cannot possibly happen, since his plan cannot be changed, his promise cannot fail, the calling according to his purpose cannot be revoked, the merit of Christ as well as his interceding and preserving cannot be nullified, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit can neither be invalidated nor wiped out.

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Throughout the preceding articles under the fifth head of doctrine, the authors of the Canons are responding to what appears to be undeniable evidence that professing Christians can truly lose their current salvation. Arminians appeal to two lines of evidence. The first is the obvious fact that baptized and professing members of Christian churches can and do fall away. Such is the reality of church life. We all know people who make a profession of faith, are baptized, and appear to bear the genuine fruit of Christian conversion—attendance at worship and support of the church’s work through the giving of gifts and time (sweat equity).

But sometimes suddenly, and often more slowly, such people cease to do these things. They stop attending church or begin doing or believing things that contradict the Scriptures. These people refuse to heed the admonitions of church officers and attempt to justify their sinful actions, even when their thinking and conduct are openly contrary to the teaching of Scripture. There are as many reasons why this happens as there are people who turn their backs upon Christ and reject him and his church. Arminians, then and now, can point to such instances and argue that this is proof that current believers can fall into sin and be lost.

A second argument raised by the Arminians grows out of the preceding point. This is why, they say, the Scriptures so pointedly warn Christians to persevere to the end in order to be saved. Why else would the biblical authors repeatedly warn God’s people that such a thing is a real possibility?

As we have seen in articles one through seven under this fifth head of doctrine, the Canons do indeed acknowledge that professing Christians can fall into serious sins because of the weakness of the flesh, the temptations of the world, and the deception of Satan. Since the habits of sin and the corruption of human nature remain after regeneration, all Christians will feel the pull to act upon their sinful propensities (Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:14–25).

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerMay 11, 2026Perseverence and PreservationComment

“Renewal to Repentance” -- Article Seven, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 7: Renewal to Repentance

For, in the first place, God preserves in those saints when they fall his imperishable seed from which they have been born again, lest it perish or be dislodged. Secondly, by his Word and Spirit he certainly and effectively renews them to repentance so that they have a heartfelt and godly sorrow for the sins they have committed; seek and obtain, through faith and with a contrite heart, forgiveness in the blood of the Mediator; experience again the grace of a reconciled God; through faith adore his mercies; and from then on more eagerly work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.

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Article Seven is, in many ways, a summation of what was set forth in the previous articles (four through six), where much of the biblical evidence regarding these questions was introduced. Serious sin (often called “backsliding”) is indeed an issue for some at various points in their Christian lives. As set out in these prior articles, Christians can and do fall into serious sin—usually through carelessness, temptation, or rebellion.

Many branches of the Christian family, especially the Arminians, at whom these “canons” are aimed, hold that genuine Christian believers can sever themselves from Christ, fall away, and be lost. Those who are Christ’s, but who commit the unpardonable sin, the sin which leads to death, or a final act of apostasy, will indeed suffer eternal loss just as any other unbeliever would.

The Reformed do not deny that Christians can fall into serious sin and suffer temporal loss, experience God’s fatherly discipline, and feel conviction of their sins through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. But the authors of the canons do not believe such people can suffer eternal loss. This is not because it is taught that the elect are strong enough, or so spiritually attuned, that they can hang on to the end. No, the Reformed doctrine of the “perseverance of the saints” grows out of a proper understanding of Jesus Christ’s work on behalf of those chosen by the Father, for whom the Son has died, and who have been called to faith and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not allow the elect to perish, and indeed the work of Jesus Christ as prophet, priest, and king is, in part, to preserve God’s chosen unto the end.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerApril 27, 2026Renewal to repentanceComment

What Should I Read to Learn More About the Three Forms of Unity? -- Revised and Updated

There are a number of great resources which will help you better understand the theology, practical application, and devotional value of the Three Forms of Unity (The Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort).

The Heidelberg Catechism

Dr. Scott Clark has written an historical, theological, pastoral, and devotional commentary on The Heidelberg Catechism. We have seen a fair bit of this material previewed on Scott’s Heidelblog over the years, but to have it assembled in a one volume commentary makes it an invaluable reference and accessible resource for anyone interested in the Reformed Confessions.

The need for a comprehensive and modern commentary on the beloved Heidelberg Catechism is obvious. There have been many previous efforts, to be sure, but Clark’s commentary treats the catechism in its historical context, and reflects Ursinus’s efforts to engage with long-standing and contemporary theological debate and conflict, while keeping the pastoral focus of the Catechism through consistently reminding us of our only comfort in life and in death (Q & A 1 of the Catechism).

This volume will long be the gold standard for comment upon the Catechism.

To see the rest of the updated materials on the Three Forms of Unity:‍ ‍click here

Wisdom from Confessions, The Canons of Dort, Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerApril 22, 2026Recommended resources in the 3FUComment

“We Cannot Fall Completely” -- Article Six, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 6: God’s Saving Intervention

For God, who is rich in mercy, according to his unchangeable purpose of election does not take his Holy Spirit from his own completely, even when they fall grievously. Neither does he let them fall down so far that they forfeit the grace of adoption and the state of justification, or commit the sin which leads to death (the sin against the Holy Spirit), and plunge themselves, entirely forsaken by him, into eternal ruin.

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Having expressed the reality and serious consequences of members of the elect–those chosen by God, saved by Christ, and called to faith by the Holy Spirit–falling into careless and deep sin, the Canons move on to address the reason why none of the elect will fall so far as to be lost. We persevere to the end and avoid eternal ruin because God preserves us in faith until the end of our lives.

Many of us are familiar with the Robinson hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and the haunting line which opens the third stanza: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; Prone to leave the God I love.” That is the situation addressed in articles four and five under the Fifth Head of Doctrine. But the next line in that hymn, “Take my heart, oh, take and seal it with Thy Spirit from above,” is what is being addressed in Article Six.

Because we remain sinners with a sinful nature and the habitus (our established habits) of sin lives on even after conversion, there will be times (sometimes subconscious, or impulsive, and certainly not well thought-out) when we approach a cliff; a big decision, a change in our life’s direction, and so on, which, once made, will have catastrophic consequences for our souls and our Christian faith. But something stops us at the last minute from taking that “step too far.” The hymn writer speaks of this as “the sealing of the Spirit from above.” The Canons put it this way: nor does God “take his Holy Spirit from his own completely, even when they fall grievously. Neither does he let them fall down so far that they forfeit the grace of adoption and the state of justification.” The good shepherd will not allow even one of his sheep to be lost, no matter how far they wonder from the flock (John 6:39; 10:28).

The Arminian view that God’s grace enables sinners to choose if they will (or not) to come to Christ leads to the conclusion that if sinful people retain the freedom to decide to follow Jesus, then they can use the same freedom to walk away from the Savior and ultimately be lost. The Reformed view expressed throughout the Canons is (as we have seen), that God gives new life to those whom he has chosen from all eternity, sends Christ to save them, and the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit to call the elect to faith, indwell them, sealing them, and ensuring their final resurrection from the dead (Ephesians 1:13-14). God begins, continues, and completes his work in the life of his elect. Paul is unmistakably clear about this (Romans 8:28-30).

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerApril 13, 2026Perseverence and PreservationComment

“The Effects of Serious Sin” -- Article Five, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 5: The Effects of Such Serious Sins

By such monstrous sins, however, they greatly offend God, deserve the sentence of death, grieve the Holy Spirit, suspend the exercise of faith, severely wound the conscience, and sometimes lose the awareness of grace for a time—until, after they have returned to the way by genuine repentance, God’s fatherly face again shines upon them.

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At the time of the writing of the Canons (1618-1619), the Dutch Arminians held that since believers could sever themselves from Christ through gross and serious sins and fall way–and since the Reformed held to the perseverance of the saints–the Reformed were guilty of creating a sense of indifference toward sin which allowed professing Christians to sin with impunity. Of course, it is easy to find cases of professing believers doing exactly that–who, while claiming to be Christians, still live like pagans. The Arminian accusation was that the Reformed understanding of perseverance creates just that sort of problem–it allows and tolerates indifference to sin in the life of professing believers. If believers remain convinced that they are of the elect, and cannot be cast into Hell, then they can sin with complete indifference.

Lest we forget, at the time of the Reformed-Arminian debates in the Netherlands, the Roman church had long held to a distinction between moral and venial sins. Often described as the seven deadly sins (including murder, adultery, and theft), once committed, mortal sins were understood to remove one from the sphere of God’s grace and could and often do lead to eternal damnation. But a venial (or lesser) sin merely requires repentance and possible confession to a priest–depending upon the sin. The Roman church saw itself (and still does) as the judge of which sins are which (as spelled out in its various catechisms) and assigned a remedy to the sinner to remove themselves from their corresponding predicament.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerMarch 30, 2026Perseverance of the SaintsComment

“The Danger of Serious Sin” -- Article Four, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Yes, God preserves those whom he has chosen and called to faith in Jesus Christ unto eternal life as stated in Article 3. But this does not in any sense mean that the struggle with indwelling sin ceases because Christ preserves us unto final salvation. Indwelling sin (or the habit of sin) is a stark reality of the Christian life and remains a constant struggle until we die or Christ returns, whichever comes first. Such sin is ever-present and a Christian must be conscientious of this fact and strive to resist the three great enemies of God’s people identified here—the world, the flesh, and the devil.

First and foremost, Article 4 wisely directs those struggling with sin to rely upon the power of God which is given to God’s people through the preached word and the administration of the sacraments—the so-called means of grace. Vigilant prayer for the forgiveness of these sins is vital as John reminds us,

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 1:5-2:2)

Jesus knew the danger of indwelling sin (the flesh) his people will face as his disciples. He instructs us to pray “lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). He later exhorts his disciples to “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). James reminds us that, “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (1:14). Sin arises within, we are not tempted by God.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerMarch 16, 2026Indwelling SinComment

“God Preserves His Own” -- Article Three, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 3: God’s Preservation of the Converted

Because of these remnants of sin dwelling in them and also because of the temptations of the world and Satan, those who have been converted could not remain standing in this grace if left to their own resources. But God is faithful, mercifully strengthening them in the grace once conferred on them and powerfully preserving them in it to the end.

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Here, the Canons summarize the teaching of Jesus and the apostles to the effect that those whom God calls to faith in Christ are preserved in that faith until they enter glory. If, as taught in the prior two articles, that indwelling sin remains in Christians after they come to faith in Christ, is it possible that Christians can commit a “mortal sin” and be severed from Christ as taught by Rome? Or, are the Arminians correct to assume that if people become Christians through an act of the will, can they cease to be Christians by choosing to renounce Christ and fall away (apostasy)?

The Reformed teach the perseverance of the saints (that the elect will not fall away from Christ) unto final salvation precisely for the reasons spelled out in Article Three. Jesus, who is at the right hand of the Father, is presently interceding for all his people (1 John 2:1). He is our advocate–praying for us, that our faith does not fail (cf. Luke 22:32), and that those sins we continue to commit after we come to faith in Christ will not severe us from the Father. Jesus himself was clear to his disciples in John 6:37-40 that none of those who are his will be lost on the day of judgment.

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

The reason why believers can have confidence that they will persevere to the end and be saved is because Christ’s intercession for us cannot fail. Yes, as discussed in article four, through carelessness believers can and do fall into serious sin, but Christ preserves his people (the elect) preventing them from perishing in those sins. And yes, there are serious consequences when this occurs. But the elect are indeed kept in faith by the very Savior who died to redeem them.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerMarch 2, 2026Perseverance and preservationComment

“The Struggle With Indwelling Sin” -- Article Two, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 2: The Believer’s Reaction to Sins of Weakness

Hence daily sins of weakness arise, and blemishes cling to even the best works of God’s people, giving them continual cause to humble themselves before God, to flee for refuge to Christ crucified, to put the flesh to death more and more by the Spirit of supplication and by holy exercises of godliness, and to strain toward the goal of perfection, until they are freed from this body of death and reign with the Lamb of God in heaven.

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In the first article, the authors of the Canons established the fact that the Bible teaches that indwelling sin remains in the believer even after one is regenerated (born again). In light of this point, article two deals with the reality that the Christian life entails a constant struggle with such indwelling sin. These sins, which are a daily and perpetual occurrence, ought to push Christians to continually return in humility to the cross of Christ for forgiveness. The presence of such sin lies behind John’s exhortation in 1 John 1:5-2:2 regarding the need to acknowledge such sin and continually confess it, knowing that Jesus Christ’s death is a propitiation which turns aside God’s anger toward our sins. This forgiveness is part of our Lord’s ongoing priestly work in making intercession for his people.

Likewise, the Psalmist describes this struggle with indwelling sin in several places. Psalm 32:1-6 comes to mind, as does the entirety of Psalm 51. Steeped in the Psalter, Paul describes the Christian life as an intense struggle between the flesh and the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). While in Romans 7:14-25 (echoing both the Psalmist and John, as well as his prior comments in Galatians), Paul again speaks of hating the sin and sinful impulses within him (the flesh), yet still giving into them anyway. This prompts the cry of every Christian who honestly looks within themselves and finds such sin, “wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (v. 24).

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerFebruary 16, 2026Indwelling Sin, Psalm 32, Pslam 51, Galatians 5:17, Romans 7:14-25Comment

“Sin Remains in Believers” -- Article One, The Fifth Point of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 1: The Regenerate Not Entirely Free from Sin

Those people whom God according to his purpose calls into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord and regenerates by the Holy Spirit, he also sets free from the reign and slavery of sin, though in this life not entirely from the flesh and from the body of sin.

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The fifth and final head of doctrine as framed by the Canons of Dort deals with challenges raised by the Arminians to the Reformed doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. The focus in article one is upon the presence of indwelling sin in all regenerate believers. The Reformed reject all forms of Christian perfectionism–the erroneous view that it is possible for Christians to attain a state of sinless perfection in this life. This view was held by the fourth century heretic Pelegius and has resurfaced in the evangelical bloodstream periodically through works such as John Wesley’s A Plain Account of Christian Perfection and later through the revivalistic efforts of Charles Finney.

American evangelicals–many of whom understand the idea of the perseverance of the saints through the lens of decisional regeneration, will find the Reformed view of perseverance quite foreign. Decisional regeneration (“once saved always saved”) is a popular view that once someone “accepts” Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, their salvation is eternally secured and they cannot lose their salvation, although they will lose rewards if they do not live a godly life post-conversion.

As indicated in the first four heads of doctrine, the Reformed see things quite differently. God sovereignly regenerates his elect through the preaching of the gospel (the effectual call), that they believe and are justified (declared righteous) and are set apart for God’s purposes (sanctification). All those justified and definitively sanctified (i.e., “saints”) will begin the lifelong process of progressive sanctification, wherein the power of sin over them is steadily broken and they begin to live godly and holy lives (e.g., Romans 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 1:30). Yet, the Christian life is characterized by the struggle with indwelling sin. According to Galatians 5:17, the Christian life is, and remains until death, a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. Likewise in Romans 7:7-13, Paul speaks of the power of the law to condemn as no longer in effect for believers, although he goes on to describe the intense struggle with indwelling sin in Romans 7:14-25.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerFebruary 2, 2026Indwelling SinComment

The Error of Synergism – Sinful Humans Cooperate With God’s Grace in Salvation—The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (9)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

Who teach that grace and free choice are concurrent partial causes which cooperate to initiate conversion, and that grace does not precede—in the order of causality—the effective influence of the will; that is to say, that God does not effectively help man’s will to come to conversion before man’s will itself motivates and determines itself.

For the early church already condemned this doctrine long ago in the Pelagians, on the basis of the words of the apostle: “It does not depend on man’s willing or running but on God’s mercy” (Rom. 9:16); also: “Who makes you different from anyone else?” and “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7); likewise: “It is God who works in you to will and act according to his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

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Although a bit more subtle, this error is similar to those addressed in articles 7-8 of the rejection of errors under the Fourth Head of Doctrine. The Arminians seemed willing to confess that sinners must cooperate with God’s grace for conversion to take place—conversion being the exercise of faith and repentance. But when pressed, they contend that human willingness to act is necessary and prior to obtaining that grace necessary for someone to come to faith in Jesus Christ and repent of their sins. Human freedom is therefore logically prior to grace, which is why the authors of the Canons associate this view with “Pelagianism.”

But regardless of the subtleties here, the Arminian view is that human freedom, not the grace of God, is key. So God’s grace remains merely a “partial” cause, not the sole cause of conversion. And this brings us to the critical issue in the Reformed-Arminian debate; who initiates salvation, God or humanity? The Arminian says fallen sinners must “co-operate” with the grace of God, which make human initiative the basis of salvation. In the Arminian scheme, a universal grace with only the potential to save is said to be prior to all human initiative. But since that grace actually saves no one until we act upon it, Arminians have painted themselves into a corner–no one can be saved until they exercise their wills so as to “appropriate” the grace of God. This is synergism at best (God and humans co-operating in salvation), and Pelgianism at its worst (God only reveals to us what we need to do to be converted), and both are in serious error.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerJanuary 19, 2026The error of synergismComment

The Error that God’s Grace in Regeneration Can Be Thwarted—The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (8)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

Who teach that God in regenerating man does not bring to bear that power of his omnipotence whereby he may powerfully and unfailingly bend man’s will to faith and conversion, but that even when God has accomplished all the works of grace which he uses for man’s conversion, man nevertheless can, and in actual fact often does, so resist God and the Spirit in their intent and will to regenerate him, that man completely thwarts his own rebirth; and, indeed, that it remains in his own power whether or not to be reborn.

For this does away with all effective functioning of God’s grace in our conversion and subjects the activity of Almighty God to the will of man; it is contrary to the apostles, who teach that “we believe by virtue of the effective working of God’s mighty strength” (Eph. 1:19), and that “God fulfills the undeserved good will of his kindness and the work of faith in us with power” (2 Thess. 1:11), and likewise that “his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3).

This error appears in the Remonstrance of 1610 (the Arminian articles)—which affirm that grace is not irresistible. As the authors of the Canons have pointed out previously, faith and repentance have their origin in a prior act of God’s regeneration of the sinner while he or she remains dead in sin (cf. Colossians 2:13). Yet, Arminians insist that faith and repentance spring from the human will even after Adam’s fall. They reject the biblical teaching that faith and repentance are acts of the will made free after a prior sovereign act of God (regeneration). But if tied to an act of the human will (and not prior regeneration) then, of course, Arminians can contend that the grace of God can be resisted until such time as the sinner chooses to take avail of that universal, provisional grace, which God makes available to all. For the Reformed, regeneration precedes faith. For the Arminian regeneration results from faith—understood as an act of the human will—the choice to believe and repent.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerJanuary 2, 2026Irrestible grace Comments

The Error that Grace Is Mere Persuasion—The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (7)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

Who teach that the grace by which we are converted to God is nothing but a gentle persuasion, or (as others explain it) that the way of God’s acting in man’s conversion that is most noble and suited to human nature is that which happens by persuasion, and that nothing prevents this grace of moral suasion even by itself from making natural men spiritual; indeed, that God does not produce the assent of the will except in this manner of moral suasion, and that the effectiveness of God’s work by which it surpasses the work of Satan consists in the fact that God promises eternal benefits while Satan promises temporal ones.

For this teaching is entirely Pelagian and contrary to the whole of Scripture, which recognizes besides this persuasion also another, far more effective and divine way in which the Holy Spirit acts in man’s conversion. As Ezekiel 36:26 puts it: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; and I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.…”

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A modern illustration of this 17th century error can be seen in a famous Christian tract which reflects similar confidence in the human will, claiming: “God has voted for you; the devil has voted against you. Your vote decides” whether you’ll spend eternity in heaven or hell. If the Synod of Dort had been conducted today, they’d have spent countless hours considering similar appeals from Evangelical pulpits proclaiming the same error as the Arminians. Instead of proclaiming Christ and him crucified and trusting the Holy Spirit to grant the new birth and create faith, contemporary preaching often centers around enticements such as the promise of a better and happier life, or even financial prosperity. It is not an accident that testimonies of celebrities are prominently featured. You can have the same spiritual experience they have, if only you are willing. Peer pressure too is used—everyone else is accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior! What are you waiting for . . .

In many ways the refutation of this error addressees the heart of the Arminian system–the denial of the efficacy of grace, which is replaced by “gentle persuasion.” The Arminian system is grounded in the unbiblical assumption that after the fall of the human race into sin, people still retain the ability to respond favorably to the gospel. People are not dead in sin, but are understood to be “wounded in sin.” Evangelism often amounts to attempting to persuade people to believe in Jesus since they can do so if only they are willing to do so.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerDecember 8, 2025Persuasion as faithComment

The Error that Faith Is Merely a Human Act — The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (6)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

Who teach that in the true conversion of man new qualities, dispositions, or gifts cannot be infused or poured into his will by God, and indeed that the faith [or believing] by which we first come to conversion and from which we receive the name “believers” is not a quality or gift infused by God, but only an act of man, and that it cannot be called a gift except in respect to the power of attaining faith.

For these views contradict the Holy Scriptures, which testify that God does infuse or pour into our hearts the new qualities of faith, obedience, and the experiencing of his love: “I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts” (Jer. 31:33); “I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring” (Isa. 44:3); “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5). They also conflict with the continuous practice of the church, which prays with the prophet: “Convert me, Lord, and I shall be converted” (Jer. 31:18).

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The Dutch Arminians (the Remonstrants) were seeking to establish several points in opposition to the Reformed. The first was to affirm that salvation is a gift from God, and is freely available to all who will choose it. But in order to establish the first point, the Arminians sought to deny the Reformed distinctive that people are dead in sin and inclined toward unbelief and self-interest—the manifestation of the “flesh” or fallen human nature. Therefore, the Arminians must contend that Adam’s Fall did indeed impact the entire human race, but God’s grace was universally available to all, and sufficient to save any willing to believe, provided they exercise their willingness to do so. According to Arminians, the Fall left Adam and his progeny wounded and sickened by sin, but nevertheless still able to seek grace, and once having done so, would find more grace available until such time as they are able and now willing to exercise faith in Christ (see the prior refutation of errors, number five). This is often framed as truism which is agreeable to many Americans, “God helps those who help themselves.” To put the matter in theological terms, Arminians speak of sin as act (not condition), so they also understand coming to faith as a human act.

But as the authors of the Canons have been pointing out from the opening article (and responding with appropriate biblical passages), such an optimistic and rosy view of human nature is contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture. We are dead in sin, we cannot come to faith in Christ unless and until we are given the new birth and called to trust in Christ through the preaching of the gospel. Human nature is thoroughly corrupt and Adam’s children are all sinful from head to toe. As dead in sin, we retain no natural ability nor desire to come to faith in Christ if left to ourselves. This ability and desire was lost in Adam’s Fall. For anyone to exercise faith in Jesus Christ (i.e., trust in him to save us from the guilt and power of sin) they must be born again through the power of the Holy Spirit, regenerated, and effectually called to faith through the Gospel. Regeneration (the new birth) precedes faith.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerNovember 19, 2025Faith as act Comments

The Error that Fallen Men and Women Can Increase Common Grace and so Achieve Salvation— The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (5)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

Who teach that corrupt and natural man can make such good use of common grace (by which they mean the light of nature) or of the gifts remaining after the fall that he is able thereby gradually to obtain a greater grace—evangelical or saving grace—as well as salvation itself; and that in this way God, for his part, shows himself ready to reveal Christ to all people, since he provides to all, to a sufficient extent and in an effective manner, the means necessary for the revealing of Christ, for faith, and for repentance.

For Scripture, not to mention the experience of all ages, testifies that this is false: “He makes known his words to Jacob, his statutes and his laws to Israel; he has done this for no other nation, and they do not know his laws” (Ps. 147:19–20); “In the past God let all nations go their own way” (Acts 14:16); “They were kept by the Holy Spirit from speaking God’s word in Asia”; and “When they had come to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit would not allow them to” (Acts 16:6–7).

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Of course, Arminians do not want to say that sinful people are saved by personal merit gained through accumulated good works or human effort. But they do seek a way to affirm that God enables all people to seek grace, and then upon finding that grace, and provided they continue to seek grace, the more grace they will attain, eventually leading to the exercise of saving faith. To put this in popular jargon, “God helps those who help themselves.”

To circumvent the biblical and Reformed doctrine of total inability articulated throughout the previous articles of the canons, which teaches that that no one can come to Christ unless they are first made alive through regeneration, Arminians stress a universal, potential grace. Arminians affirmed that anyone who takes advantage of this universal grace (which they spoke of as described as “common grace,” and which has a different meaning than current Reformed uses of the term), can eventually receive sufficient grace to exercise “evangelical” or “saving faith.” Recent Arminians often base their view on contemporary notions of “fairness”— it isn’t right for God to give grace to some and withhold it from others since that would not be “fair.” So grace must be universal in some sense. But early Arminians—such as those singled out by the Canons—usually framed the matter in semi-Pelagian categories. Adam’s fall corrupted human nature. Nevertheless although remaining corrupt and sinful, humans still retain the ability to seek grace, gain more grace, and act upon it by exercising faith and repentance.

The specific issue addressed here is how Arminians understand “common grace” (the light of nature) which is an end-run around the Reformed stress upon an efficacious, particular grace. This becomes clear when the canons identify the two errors addressed here. The first error is that sinners supposedly “make such good use of common grace (by which they mean the light of nature) or of the gifts remaining after the fall that he is able thereby gradually to obtain a greater grace—evangelical or saving grace—as well as salvation itself.“ Depravity, yes. Total depravity and inability, no.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerOctober 22, 2025The light of nature, Inherited CorruptionComment

“The Error of Denying Biblical Teaching That We Are Dead in Sin” — The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (4)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

IV. Who teach that unregenerate man is not strictly or totally dead in his sins or deprived of all capacity for spiritual good but is able to hunger and thirst for righteousness or life and to offer the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit which is pleasing to God. For these views are opposed to the plain testimonies of Scripture: “You were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Eph. 2:1, 5); “The imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5; 8:21). Besides, to hunger and thirst for deliverance from misery and for life, and to offer God the sacrifice of a broken spirit is characteristic only of the regenerate and of those called blessed (Ps. 51:17; Matt. 5:6).

This article is a summary statement of ground covered previously. Arminians do indeed acknowledge the reality of Adam’s fall into sin, but in order to preserve human freedom, they seek to mitigate the damage done to human nature as a result. Those who teach that people are merely weakened by the fall, yet are still able to do spiritual good (defined in the Canons as “hungering and thirsting after righteousness”), or who chose to follow Christ prior to regeneration, which then results in “life”, find themselves facing a tidal wave of biblical texts which teach the exact opposite. Several such passages are included in the refutation. Of course, there are many more.

Arminians teach that people are “wounded in sin” as a consequence of the Fall, but not “dead in sin.” They concede that human nature has been damaged, but also contend that people still retain the natural ability to come to faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing that Scripture is clear about grace preceding faith, the Arminians reduce grace to an enticement for the sinner to act using their ability to do so retained after the Fall. If they so choose to seek salvation, they receive more grace which God then brings to conclusion—regeneration and a change of nature. But according to Arminians, grace is not tied to prior regeneration (which, the Scriptures teach–John 3:3-6; John 6:44, 65, etc.) and therefore precedes any exercise of faith. Instead, it is taught that grace is merely offered to Adam’s fallen children who must then take advantage of it. In this scheme, fallen sinners must co-operate with such grace, but as a consequence of their operating assumptions, Arminians must overlook or ignore the fact the those “dead in sin” (as the Scriptures so clearly teach) retain neither the power nor the ability to come to faith in Christ apart from prior regeneration.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerSeptember 17, 2025The Effects of the Fall Comments

“The Error of Denying Biblical Teaching Regarding Free Will” — The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (3)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

III. Who teach that in spiritual death the spiritual gifts have not been separated from man’s will, since the will in itself has never been corrupted but only hindered by the darkness of the mind and the unruliness of the emotions, and since the will is able to exercise its innate free capacity once these hindrances are removed, which is to say, it is able of itself to will or choose whatever good is set before it — or else not to will or choose it. This is a novel idea and an error and has the effect of elevating the power of free choice, contrary to the words of Jeremiah the prophet: “The heart itself is deceitful above all things and wicked” (Jer. 17:9); and of the words of the apostle: “All of us also lived among them” (the sons of disobedience) “at one time in the passions of our flesh, following the will of our flesh and thoughts” (Eph. 2:3).

Building upon the previous article, the error addressed in paragraph 3 is that according to the Dutch Arminians, the human will remains largely undamaged by Adam’s fall–although human willing may be influenced by inherited corruption impacting the mind and emotions. Since the will supposedly operates independently–apart from original righteousness and holiness–despite the fall of Adam, the human will remains free possessing the power of contrary choice. This supports the unbiblical notion of semi-Pelagianism that although human nature is damaged by the fall, since the will is not part of that nature, fallen sinners retain the power to choose Christ, or not, depending upon one’s greatest inclination at any given moment. So, to summarize the error being addressed, whatever damage may have been done to human nature in the Fall, the human will was not significantly damaged.

The authors of the Canons point out that nowhere does the Bible allow for human nature to be weakened by the fall, while the human will remains largely unaffected. If the human heart is “deceitful” above all things, then the human will cannot operate “neutrally,” apart from sin’s effects upon the heart–which is but another way of saying that the person is at their core enslaved to sin. Paul says people are by nature “sons of disobedience” and apart from a work of God’s grace changing our nature (regeneration), we all follow the passions of the flesh (the sinful nature) in all our thinking and doing. The will remains enslaved by sin until acted upon by God. We have no more power if left to ourselves to choose Christ, than a dead person does to raise themselves from the dead.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerAugust 29, 2025The Arminian defense of free willComment

“The Error of Denying Biblical Teaching Regarding the Image of God” — The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (2)

Synod rejects the errors of those . . .

(II) Who teach that the spiritual gifts or the good dispositions and virtues such as goodness, holiness, and righteousness could not have resided in man's will when he was first created, and therefore could not have been separated from the will at the fall.

For this conflicts with the apostle's description of the image of God in Ephesians 4:24, where he portrays the image in terms of righteousness and holiness, which definitely reside in the will.

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As we discussed previously, this particular error of the Arminians has to do with one’s estimation of the effects of Adam’s fall upon the human race. If one believes that the human race suffered great impairment in the fall (as do the Reformed) then one must assign a proportionate amount of grace to undo these effects. If the fall brings great damage to human nature and ability, grace must repair that damage before people can come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Here, the critical question that must be asked is this: “does the fall bring about damage to essential human nature?” The authors of the Canons are careful to point out that, “yes, mankind suffered the loss of true righteousness, holiness, and knowledge in the fall, that these are part of essential (not accidental, in the sense of being “incidental to) human nature. The loss of them means that after the fall, even though humanity remains human because we retain the image of God, nevertheless, without the supernatural restoration of these essential characteristics through the new birth, men and women cannot come to faith in Christ apart from prior regeneration.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerAugust 11, 2025The imago, The Effects of the FallComment

“The Error of Teaching That Original Sin Condemns the Entire Human Race” — The Rejection of Errors, Third and Fourth Head of Doctrine, Canons of Dort (1)

Having set forth the orthodox teaching, the Synod rejects the errors of those

(I) Who teach that, properly speaking, it cannot be said that original sin in itself is enough to condemn the whole human race or to warrant temporal and eternal punishments.

For they contradict the apostle when he says: Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death passed on to all men because all sinned (Rom. 5:12); also: The guilt followed one sin and brought condemnation (Rom. 5:16); likewise: The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

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The first error of the Arminians addressed by the Canons under the third and fourth head of doctrine is the teaching that although the human race is fallen in Adam, Adam’s act of rebellion and the resulting “original sin” is not the basis upon which the unbelieving members of the human race will be condemned.

According to the Arminians, Adam’s sinful act plunged the human race into sin and condemnation, but the death of Jesus Christ (they contend) remits the guilt of that original sin. Since people are actually condemned to eternal punishment, however, it is not because of imputed or inherited guilt from Adam’s sin that such punishment comes about. Having remitted the guilt of Adam’s sin and removed the grounds for God’s just condemnation of the entire human race, it is now left up to the individual sinner to believe in Jesus Christ (as enabled by prevenient grace secured by Jesus Christ) and thus be saved. Should the sinner reject the Savior, they are lost.

Arminians teach that those who are condemned, reject Jesus Christ and are punished for actual sins only, not because of the imputed guilt and inherited corruption resulting from Adam’s act. “Fairness” supposedly dictates that we can only be held responsible for our own acts, not for the actions of another. This denial of the imputation of the guilt of Adam’s sin to all of his descendants sets up a very serious theological precedent, which, as we will see, has grave consequences for the gospel.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerJuly 14, 2025Original sin, Orginial guiltComment

“God's Use of Means in Regeneration” -- Article Seventeen, The Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 17: God's Use of Means in Regeneration

Just as the almighty work of God by which he brings forth and sustains our natural life does not rule out but requires the use of means, by which God, according to his infinite wisdom and goodness, has wished to exercise his power, so also the aforementioned supernatural work of God by which he regenerates us in no way rules out or cancels the use of the gospel, which God in his great wisdom has appointed to be the seed of regeneration and the food of the soul. For this reason, the apostles and the teachers who followed them taught the people in a godly manner about this grace of God, to give him the glory and to humble all pride, and yet did not neglect meanwhile to keep the people, by means of the holy admonitions of the gospel, under the administration of the Word, the sacraments, and discipline. So even today it is out of the question that the teachers or those taught in the church should presume to test God by separating what he in his good pleasure has wished to be closely joined together. For grace is bestowed through admonitions, and the more readily we perform our duty, the more lustrous the benefit of God working in us usually is and the better his work advances. To him alone, both for the means and for their saving fruit and effectiveness, all glory is owed forever. Amen.

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Article 17 points out to us that the Scriptures themselves connect the divinely appointed ends (the salvation of God's elect) to the divinely appointed means (the preaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments).

Therefore, as Christians, we must not only believe the correct things about God and his grace as taught us in his word, but we must also ever be on our guard not to separate that which God has joined together. God does not effectually call his elect to faith in Jesus Christ, nor does he give us the new birth, through any means other than those which he has prescribed in his word.

This means that there is a spiritual marriage between divinely appointed means and ends, a marriage in which we dare not attempt to divide what God has so clearly joined together. This, of course, was the error of the Anabaptists at the time of the Reformation, who sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit apart from the text of Holy Scripture, the same error made by many Charismatics and Pentecostals today. Everything we need to know about how God saves sinners has been revealed in God's word and is confirmed through the two divinely appointed sacraments.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerJune 24, 2025Ends and MeansComment

“Regeneration’s Effect” -- Article Sixteen, The Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine, Canons of Dort

Article 16: Regeneration’s Effect

However, just as by the fall man did not cease to be man, endowed with intellect and will, and just as sin, which has spread through the whole human race, did not abolish the nature of the human race but distorted and spiritually killed it, so also this divine grace of regeneration does not act in people as if they were blocks and stones; nor does it abolish the will and its properties or coerce a reluctant will by force, but spiritually revives, heals, reforms, and—in a manner at once pleasing and powerful—bends it back. As a result, a ready and sincere obedience of the Spirit now begins to prevail where before the rebellion and resistance of the flesh were completely dominant. It is in this that the true and spiritual restoration and freedom of our will consists. Thus, if the marvelous Maker of every good thing were not dealing with us, man would have no hope of getting up from his fall by his free choice, by which he plunged himself into ruin when still standing upright.

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In article sixteen we are reminded yet again that without the grace of God acting upon us and in us (when we were dead in sin), we would forever remain unbelievers. Even though the effects of sin are all-pervasive, nevertheless, the imago Dei remains in us, although badly defaced.

That the remnant of the imago remains can be proven from a number of biblical texts. In Ephesians 4:24, Paul speaks of the Christian “putting on the new self”—which is clearly a reference to the regenerate “new man” being restored to the true righteousness and holiness which were lost in the Fall. In Colossians 3:10, Paul reiterates much the same thing, this time mentioning that putting on the new self includes the restoration of true knowledge. In some sense then, regeneration restores particular aspects of the imago Dei which had been lost in the fall. These include true righteousness, knowledge, and holiness. Therefore, “putting on the new-self” is descriptive of the process of restoration of fallen human nature.

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The Canons of DortKim RiddlebargerJune 2, 2025Regeneration, The effect of regeneration Comments