Below are five truths that James Arminius gave to help prove that the Scriptures are from God. These five truths, from his Public Disputations, are based on the power of the Bible’s teaching. These five were found within a larger argument and only represent a smaller part of his thinking. He would also go on to say that coming to believe in the Bible through these proofs would not be enough to save, and that the person would need the Holy Spirit to persuade him and work in his heart. With these explanations given, below are five truths that help show “The Efficacy of its [the Bible’s] Doctrine.”[1]

1. Without God’s power, the message would push men away because of man’s fallen human reason and fleshly desire

Arminius’ point is that God’s message would not advance on its own because of how sinful man view the Bible. Fallen man thinks of God’s message as “foolish,” and their own sinful desires lead them away from it. And yet, God’s message does advance, thus showing that this is indeed God’s Word. He says,

By the peculiar genius of the doctrine, which, independently of the Divine power which accompanies and assists it, is calculated to repel every one from giving his assent to it, on account of the apparent absurdity in it, and the concupiscence of human passions which is abhorrent to it. For this is the manner in which it speaks: ‘Unless thou dost believe in Jesus the Crucified, and art prepared to pour out thy life for him, thou shalt lose thy soul.’

2. That God used weak men (in the eyes of the world) to begin the spreading of His Word

Arminius says one of the signs of the Bible being God’s Word is how God worked through, not “great” men and many men, but weak men and few men, at the beginning of the spread of the gospel. If the apostles were all upper class, well respected, then perhaps their own prestige could have influenced men. But not so. Most of God’s human instruments in the New Testament were looked down upon. That God used men who were humanly viewed this way to advance His cause, is a sign that the Bible is God’s Word. He says,

By the persons through whom the doctrine was administered, and who, in the estimation of men, were few in number, mean in condition, and full of infirmities…

3. That God’s Word advanced against powerful enemies and those who loved their own religion

God used His message, preached through His men, to see many won to the truth who were both enemies of Christianity and lovers of their own false religion. These enemies were a “multitude,” they had “wisdom…authority…power,” and were still defeated. These five truths we are looking at are found in the context of, in his own words, “…the Destruction of remaining religions and of the entire kingdom of Satan,” which he says mainly is two, “silencing of the Heathen Oracles, and in the removal of Idols.” Arminius says that a sign of the Bible being God’s Word is that it has defeated many strong enemies.  

4. That men of all backgrounds have suffered greatly for their belief in the Bible

It would be one thing for only a certain type of person to believe the Bible and then to suffer for that belief. But because people of all backgrounds have believed the Bible, and suffered for this belief, it is a sign that the Bible is God’s Word. Arminius says,

By the infinite multitude of men of every description, nation, age, sex, and condition, who have believed this doctrine, and confirmed their belief by enduring intolerable torments even unto death.

5. How quickly the message of God filled a large part of the world

The fast spread of the gospel is a sign that the Bible is from God. He says, “By the short time in which, like lightning, it pervaded a great part of the habitable world…”

These arguments by Arminius, again, are only part of his larger argument. Yet these help show that the Bible is God’s Word.

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[1] James Arminius, The Works of Arminius, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1986), 88. All other quotations below come from page 89.