Called, predestined, elect, and chosen are all words found in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament. Throughout church history these terms have created a controversy that was ultimately crystallized into two theological schools of thought regarding how one obtains the benefits of Jesus’ redeeming work, namely what is referred to as Arminianism and the other Calvinism, referring to the theologians historically most identified with each school, namely Jacob Arminius and John Calvin.
There is much substance to this controversy that certainly cannot be addressed in a short blog post, nor would I trust that I am able to fully represent each side of the controversy credibly. Many credible books, articles etc. have been written on the controversy, particularly since the Protestant Reformation. There are two contemporary books written on the subject that I found helpful and relatively easy to read, The Potter’s Freedom by James White, and Chosen By God, by RC Sproul. Two books by authors of earlier times that also may be helpful are a book by Charles Haddon Spurgeon titled, Spurgeon’s Sermons on Sovereignty, and another by Arthur Pink, The Sovereignty of God. These two books are relevant as the noted controversy is essentially related to God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility or “free will” in regard to our salvation.
When theologians speak of the sovereignty of God, they are referring to God’s absolute and total rule over His creation, asserting that He decrees and controls all that comes to pass in His creation and within His kingdom, including who will be the beneficiaries of God’s free offer of salvation and made heirs of that kingdom (1 Chronicles 29:11) (James 4:13-16) (James 2:5). This is the main area wherein Arminianism and Calvinism disagree. Calvinists assert that the beneficiaries of Christ’s work in salvation are only those sovereignly and freely chosen by God, predestined from the foundation of the world to be heirs of salvation (Ephesians 1:3-6) (John 15:16). Arminians assert that salvation is available to anyone, who in the freedom of their will come to believe in Jesus (Acts 16:31-32) (Mark 16:15-16).
Both would agree with God’s word that no man or woman shall be justified, brought into a saving relationship with God, through our law keeping or good works as many other religions teach (Galatians 2:16). Both schools would enthusiastically proclaim that salvation is by grace, a free gift of God, received by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God the Son, who through His sinless life, substitutionary death on the cross, miraculous resurrection and ascension into Heaven as a man, accomplished everything necessary for men and women who repent of their sin, trust Him as their all sufficient savior, and submit to Him as their sovereign Lord, to be saved – justly forgiven of their sin, released from God’s judgement, and reconciled and restored to the glorious relationship with God for which man was created, what is referred to in the New Testament as eternal life (Romans 3:21-24) (Mark 1:14-15) (Romans 6:23).
John 3:16 would seem to present the way to salvation quite clearly and succinctly, when the apostle writes, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes (has faith) in Him should not perish (in Hell) but have everlasting (eternal) life. This would appear to support the Arminian position. However, this is ultimately where the controversy with Calvinism begins, and it begins with the word whoever, (whosoever in the King James Bible). This would appear to be an open invitation to anyone and everyone to come to Jesus, in faith, and receive the gift of eternal life and all that it entails, and it is. Yet, considering mankind’s desperate and dire spiritual and moral condition which is displayed in mankind’s unwillingness to seek after God or come to God on His terms, how would/could anyone come to believe in Jesus, apart from a sovereign, supernatural work of God in their hearts and minds (Ephesians 2:1-3) (Romans 3:11).
To summarize our moral and spiritual condition, the Bible reveals that we are spiritually dead, cut off from the life with God for which we were created as a result of Adam’s sin, existing under the wrath and judgement of God, slaves to sin and deceitful lusts, with deceitful and desperately wicked hearts and minds that are hostile toward God and are set on doing only evil (Genesis 6:5). Our sin corrupted nature reveals itself in desires, attitudes and actions more closely resembling that of the devil than to that of God, and whose lies we are told have captivated our heart and will (John 8:44) (2 Timothy 2:24-26). We have willingly suppressed the truth of God’s eternal glory such that God has given us over in wrath and judgement to vile passions and a reprobate/debased mind that is incapable of understanding the things of God, a mind that has been blinded by the devil’s lies to the glory of God revealed in the saving work of Christ (the gospel), finding the presentation of Jesus’ saving work on the cross to be foolishness (Romans 1:18-32) (1 Corinthians 2:14) (1 Corinthians 1:18).
From this summary it should be abundantly clear that a man or woman in this condition has no inclination or ability to overcome this desperate condition nor to, in themselves, by their own free will, fulfill the requirements that God has set forth for us to receive the benefits of all that Christ has graciously accomplished, which is to repent of our sin and put our faith in Jesus, believing Him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God.
As I have previously noted in these series of posts under the title of “A Divine and Supernatural Light”, it is only by God the Holy Spirit supernaturally restoring us to spiritual life, lifting our spiritual blindness and giving us new hearts, that we will see and embrace the light of the glory of God that is revealed in the person and work of God the Son, Jesus Christ, and receive in Him the gift of eternal life (Ezekiel 36:24-27) (2 Corinthians 4:6).
The question then becomes, to whom does God grant this new life and light, and why? This is the crux of the Arminianism /Calvinism controversy.
This then leads to another question; why is the answer to the above questions important, even essential to our walk, our relationship with Christ? God willing and by His grace, I plan to address each of these questions in my next post.
Grace and Peace ×
Looking forward to your next posts