Most believers are in agreement on the major issues of theology we have examined thus far, so I have spiced up the discussion with statements on these topics by pseudo-Christian groups. The finer points of soteriology, however, have generated significant debate among orthodox Christians, especially during the sixteenth century Reformation, when two prominent schools of thought emerged: Calvinism and Arminianism.
Calvinism derives its name from the French reformer, John Calvin (1509-1564). The primary emphasis of this school is God's sovereignty, and proponents at the Council of Dort (1618) distilled the main tenets into five points, with the helpful acronym: t-u-l-i-p.
Arminianism derives its name from a Dutch theologian, Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609), who was himself a Calvinist but began to question some of the teachings of that school and became an outspoken critic of it. The primary distinction of Arminianism is its recognition of man's responsibility, and proponents outlined the system in the Remonstrance of 1610, largely in answer to the five points of Calvinism (albeit without a helpful acronym).
We will examine each point and counterpoint, considering where they agree as well as where they differ. I have tried to be fair both in formulating the positions themselves and in citing the strongest biblical support in each case. That does not mean they are equally balanced, and you may decide that the evidence favors one school over the other. You may also find yourself somewhere in the middle, agreeing with some principles on both sides. It is difficult to straddle the fence, however, selecting one item from column A and another from column B. As we will see, the five points in each school are often interlocking, making it difficult to extract one without the others.2
1. The Nature of Man's Will
IV. The Compulsion of God's Grace
For the very extensive Endnotes, see the pdf here.
Calvinism derives its name from the French reformer, John Calvin (1509-1564). The primary emphasis of this school is God's sovereignty, and proponents at the Council of Dort (1618) distilled the main tenets into five points, with the helpful acronym: t-u-l-i-p.
- Total depravity (or natural inability)
- Unconditional election (or predestination)
- Limited atonement
- Irresistible grace (or effectual calling)
- Perseverance of the saints
Arminianism derives its name from a Dutch theologian, Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609), who was himself a Calvinist but began to question some of the teachings of that school and became an outspoken critic of it. The primary distinction of Arminianism is its recognition of man's responsibility, and proponents outlined the system in the Remonstrance of 1610, largely in answer to the five points of Calvinism (albeit without a helpful acronym).
- Freewill
- Conditional election
- Unlimited atonement
- Resistible grace
- Failure of the saints (or falling from grace)
We will examine each point and counterpoint, considering where they agree as well as where they differ. I have tried to be fair both in formulating the positions themselves and in citing the strongest biblical support in each case. That does not mean they are equally balanced, and you may decide that the evidence favors one school over the other. You may also find yourself somewhere in the middle, agreeing with some principles on both sides. It is difficult to straddle the fence, however, selecting one item from column A and another from column B. As we will see, the five points in each school are often interlocking, making it difficult to extract one without the others.2
1. The Nature of Man's Will
A. Calvinism: total depravity
1. Sin so dominates man that he has neither the inclination nor the ability to repent on his own.3
- Rom 3:11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
- Rom 8:7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
2. Man's will remains bound until God regenerates him and enables a positive response to the gospel.4
- John 6:44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.... 65b ...no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
- Eph 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
NB: This does not mean that man is incapable of making mundane decisions and then acting upon them. The doctrine of total depravity refers exclusively to man's estrangement from God, which man is incapable of rectifying.
B. Arminianism: free will
1. Sin so dominates man that he has neither the inclination nor the ability to repent on his own (same as above).
2. Man is dependent on God's prevenient (i.e., preceding man's decision) grace through the Holy Spirit to free his will and to enable a positive response to the gospel.5
- Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 16:31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."
- Phil 1:29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,
- 2 Tim 2:25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Both schools affirm that God must initiate the procedure resulting in man's salvation, because the Fall has rendered man incapable of reaching out to Him. The difference between these two positions lies in the extent to which man is volitionally active in the process.NB: As with the Calvinist position, free will does not refer to man's ability to make and execute ordinary decisions. It also accepts that the Fall incapacitated man's ability to turn to God.
- According to Calvinism, sin retains its grip on man's will until after regeneration, when he will accept God's offer of salvation.
- According to Arminianism, God frees man's will before regeneration so that he can decide for or against God's offer of salvation.
A. Calvinism: unconditional election
1. God chooses to save some without any consideration of their response.
NB: There are no clear passages here; this point depends on the next.6
2. Foreknowledge is love.7
- Rom 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
- 1 Pet 1:2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
B. Arminianism: conditional election
1. God chooses to save those He knows will response positively (to prevenient grace).
NB: There are no clear passages here; this point depends on the next.
2. Foreknowledge is prescience.8
- Rom 8:29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Both schools agree that God bases His choice of those He will save on foreknowledge. They differ in how they define the term.
- 1 Pet 1:2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
- According to Calvinism, foreknowledge is an intimate acquaintance born of love, which moves God to save some.
- According to Arminianism, foreknowledge is simply knowing something before it happens, in this case, God's knowing who will accept His offer of salvation.9
A. Calvinism: limited atonement
1. Atonement is available only to the elect.10
- John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
- Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Gal 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
2. Atonement is available to all but efficient only for the elect.
- Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
- Col 1: 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
B. Arminianism: unlimited atonement
1. Atonement is available to all.11
- John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said. Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
- 1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.
- 1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
2. Atonement is efficient only for the elect.
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- Acts 10:43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
For whom did Christ die? Both schools agree that only believers, the elect, benefit from Jesus' atonement.
- 1 Tim 4:10 (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
- According to Calvinism, Christ died just for the elect, for those who would respond positively, making salvation available to and possible for them alone.
- According to Arminianism, Christ died for all, regardless of their response, thereby making salvation available to and possible for all.
IV. The Compulsion of God's Grace
A. Calvinism: irresistible grace
1. Special (saving) grace regenerates the sinner and gives him a willing heart.
- Ezek 11:19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
- Ezek 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you Your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
2. He then accepts God's offer of salvation and yields himself in obedience.
- Ezek 11:20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
- •Ezek 36:27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
- John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
B. Arminianism: resistible grace
1. Prevenient (part of common) grace frees the sinner and gives him the ability to choose.12
- Ezek 18:31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?
- Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
- Acts 11:18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."
2. He may then reject or accept God's offer of salvation and yield himself in obedience.13
- John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
Both schools hold that God's grace leads to salvation.
- 2 Cor 6:1 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.
- According to Calvinism, grace can have no other result, because man is a passive agent in salvation until after regeneration is complete.
- According to Arminianism, grace can have more than one result, because it makes man an active agent in salvation by allowing him the opportunity to choose for or against regeneration.
A. Calvinism: perseverance of the saints
1. The elect will remain faithful.15
- 1 Thess 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
- Jude 24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—
2. Those who are unfaithful were never part of the elect.16
- 1 John 2:18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
- 1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because Gods seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.... 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
B. Arminianism: (possible) failure of the saints
1. The elect may become unfaithful.17
- Matt 24:13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
- 1 Cor 9:27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
- 2 Pet 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2. Those who are unfaithful will lose their place among the elect.18
- John 15:2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.... 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
- Heb 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Both schools affirm that God is able to protect and preserve the believer from any external threat to his salvation.
- 2 Pet 2:20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
- According to Calvinism, extends such protection to the believer's own heart, overriding any tendency toward (fatal) rebellion.19
- According to Arminianism, maintains the real possibility that a believer might choose to forsake God and, thereby, to forfeit his salvation.
- Calvinists view foreknowledge, predestination, vocation, and election as a unified act of God, wholly devoid of any human involvement. According to Calvinism...
- Through foreknowledge, God decides to bestow His love on certain people.
- Through predestination (= election), God decides those people will accept His provision of salvation and be saved.
- Through vocation, God decides to offer them alone the opportunity for salvation.
- Arminians view foreknowledge, predestination, vocation, and election as separate acts of God, which interact with human involvement. According to Arminianism...
- Through foreknowledge, God knows that, given the opportunity, some people will choose to rectify their sinful predicament, and He even knows which ones.
- Through predestination, God prepares a remedy (the sacrifice of Jesus) with a guarantee that all who stay with the program, who remain on the road to salvation, will reach the ultimate goal of glorification.
- Through vocation, God makes a general offer of amnesty, even to those He knows will reject it. He does not force any to accept but leaves the decision to them.
What to remember: Calvinism and Arminianism differ in their view of man's role in salvation.
- Through election, those who decide to accept God's offer, the ones He had in mind from the beginning, the ones He knew would benefit by the program, are the ones He chooses to save.
- With Calvinism, God's sovereignty is the primary factor determining man's salvation, almost to the exclusion of any human initiative, and the various steps in that process evince God's preeminence.
- With Arminianism, human responsibility is an essential component, along with divine initiative, for determining man's salvation, and the various steps in that process evince that interplay.
- He initiates the procedure,
- He chooses whom He will save, and
- It is they who benefit from the atonement He provides.
- Salvation is, above all, an act of divine grace, and
- God will ensure that no outside force prevents their reaching the goal.
For the very extensive Endnotes, see the pdf here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs