King James (of King James Version of the Bible fame) understood that Arminianism is a heresy...
"James I. king of England, having read the book of Vorstius [the Arminian], a book concerning the nature and attributes of God, and conceiving it to be replete with radical error, addressed a letter to the States General [in Holland], exhorting them “not to admit such a man into the important office of teacher of theology; and, further, commanded his ambassador at the Hague to use his utmost influence to prevent the introduction into such a Professorship, of a man, as he expressed it — rendered infamous by so many and great errors, and who ought to be banished from their territories, rather than loaded with public honours.” “In short,” said the king, “since God has been pleased to dignify me with the title of ‘Defender of the Faith,’ if Vorstius is kept any longer, we shall be obliged not only to separate from those heretical churches, but also to consult all the other Reformed churches, in order to know which is the best way of extirpating and sending back to hell those cursed heresies(like Arminianism - ed.) which have recently sprung up; we shall be forced to forbid the young people of our kingdom to frequent such an infected University as that of Leyden.”
It is also important to make note of the word "whosoever" in the Greek. The text is often rendered, "that whosoever believes shall have everlasting life." Appeal is made to the "whosoever" and not commonly to "whosoever believes." The Gospel is certainly a "whosoever believes" Gospel, but there is a more important note to make on this word than stressing the obvious fact that the "whosoever" is linked with "belief." John 3:16 in the Greek is fully quoted concerning the "whosoever believes" idea, "Greek text at http://www.apuritansmind.com/arminianism/an-exegetical-look-at-john-316-by-dr-c-matthew-mcmahon" The word in bold type is a verb which is a participle. It is the present active nominative masculine singular verb which determines our English rendering "whosoever believes". The problem here is the word "whosoever". There is no word "whosoever" in the Greek text. Literally the section reads "the believing ones into Him." God so loved the world that the ones who believed into Christ may not perish but have everlasting life.Oftentimes Pelagian and Arminian advocates stress the word "whosoever" where the word does not even exist. The Gospel here is directed to those who believe, and to no more. Even if we were to take liberty in rendering the English as "whosoever believes", it still ends up meaning the same thing: that those believing -- whosoever they may be -- are the ones actually saved.58 - Arminianism, What does John 3:16 actually mean? An Exegetical Look at John 3:16 (emphases added), by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon, http://www.apuritansmind.com/arminianism/an-exegetical-look-at-john-316-by-dr-c-matthew-mcmahon
Footnote 58: R.K. McGregor Wright states, "The passage states that as a result of his loving the world, God gave his Son, which is usually understood to be a reference to the incarnation and atonement. Then the Greek says "in order that every one believing in him may not perish." There is no word for "whosoever" in the original. On the contrary, far from God's giving his Son to provide a generalized atonement for everyone who exists, the verse states that he gave his Son for the express purpose of saving a special group. Since this group excludes all unbelievers and is less than all existing human beings, John 3:16 states explicitly that the purpose of God in sending his Son to die was limited to atoning for believers only, that they "should not perish, but have everlasting life." This is what Calvinists call a limited atonement, in answer to the general or universal atonement taught by the Arminian, Catholic and Lutheran systems." - R.K. McGregor Wright, No Place for Sovereignty (emphases added), Inter varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL: 1996. Page 159, in, Arminianism, What does John 3:16 actually mean? An Exegetical Look at John 3:16 by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon, http://www.apuritansmind.com/arminianism/an-exegetical-look-at-john-316-by-dr-c-matthew-mcmahon/ _________
"As soon as a visible form is given to God, his power also is supposed to be annexed to it. ... It makes no difference whether they worship the idol simply or God in the idol; it is always idolatry (John Calvin, Institutes, I, XI, on the Puritan Hard Drive http://www.PuritanDownloads.com/swrb-puritan-hard-drive.html).
FREE SWRB MP3: Pictures of Christ and Idolatry by Greg Price This MP3 defends the biblical position of the Protestant Reformation against the use of pictures and images of Christ, in opposition to the idolatry of Roman Catholicism and the first century Gnostics. http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=32401164443
"We must hold it as a first principle, that as often as any form is assigned to God, his glory is corrupted by an impious lie." - John Calvin (Institutes 1.11.1 on the Puritan Hard Drive http://www.PuritanDownloads.com/swrb-puritan-hard-drive.html)
FREE SWRB MP3: Roman Catholicism Permeating Evangelicalism (Separation From Images and Idolatry) by Richard Bennett (Former Romanist priest, who is now a Christian and Protestant author, conference speaker, etc.) http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1016091943513 A powerful message exposing and rebuking "Evangelical" and "Reformed" compromisers and apostates in our day. In this message Richard Bennett names names, so you do not have to guess who it is you need to separate from, rebuke and expose. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2 Corinthians 6:17). "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11).http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1016091943513
