And they are wrong about that, aren't they? But does God's soverignty include being the author and finisher of our damnation and the author and finisher of our sins? I think not. God's soveringty is infinite. His love is infinite. His mercy is infinite. His grace is infinite. If you recognize that, then you must recognize that God could not possibly be the "author" of our sins nor the "author" of our eternal damnation. It simply would not fit into "the good pleasure of His will."
Arminianism is wrong inasmuch as it denies the absolute soverignty of God. Calvinism is wrong inasmuch as it denies that God really does gives man a choice when he commands man to "Choose life." (God does not draft illusory contracts).
Man's ultimate free will and God's absolute soverignty are no more mutually exclusive than the fact that the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God and yet, there is only one God.
Scream that from the roof tops and I'll Amen ya till you come down. :)
I cannot repeat often enough that election is God’s choosing us in Christ. I emphasize again that men are not lost because they have not been elected. They are lost because they are sinners and that is the way they want it and that is the way they have chosen. The free will of man is never violated because of the election of God. The lost man makes his own choice. “If there be not free will grace in God, how can He save the world? And if there be not free will in man, how can the world by God be judged?” Here again is Paul’s strong statement, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid” (Rom. 9:14). Now if you think that there is some unrighteousness with God, you had better change your mind.
BigMack