Recently, I read the article:
Is "Calvinism" the Gospel? For the most part, I think that the article does an excellent job of delineating precisely what is and is not meant by that claim. For a first who first hears it, it sounds like it means that you have to be a Calvinist to be saved, but the article, of course, clarifies that this is not the case.
The only thing I really has against the article is it's description of Arminianism does not describe mainstream Arminianism or even classical Arminianism (what Arminius himself actually taught). It MIGHT describe a minority strand of belief that some modern Arminians hold, but that's really the best I can say, because each claim (but one) about what Arminians believe is denies by Classical Arminian doctrine:
Claim: "Under the Arminian system, man is not so depraved that he cannot savingly believe in Christ."
This is true. Arminians believe that God is powerful enough that He has the option of giving enough grace that a man can believe without giving so much that man has no option but to believe. Arminians also believe that without grace, no man would come to God at all.
Claim: Under the Arminian system, God chose certain men only because He foresaw that they would believe.
This is not true. According to Arminus, God chooses believers in advance only because it is His Sovereign will and desire to save only those who, in response to His grace, accept faith and cease their suppression of the truth. God chose certain men because it's His unsearchable and sovereign will to do so.
Claim: Redemption under the Arminian system cannot save anyone unless man contributes his own faith.
This is not true. In the Arminian system, redemption is not applied to anyone who does not accept faith. Redemption can and DOES save everyone is it applied to, but it is only applied to the elect, who are chosen conditionally according to God's good pleasure. [To reiterate: Arminans hold that God CAN save anyone, with or without faith, but He only wants to save those who have faith].
Claim: Under the Arminian system God cannot regenerate a man until he responds in faith to the Gospel.
This is not true. The Arminian system hold that God is all-powerful, that God CAN regenerate any man at any point in time for any reason, with or without faith. It is not a lack of power that keeps God from saving all men. Rather, Arminians hold that God deliberately, according to His sovereign will, chooses only to regenerate those who respond in faith. There is a big difference between saying that God "cannot" and that He "will not."
Claim: And Arminianism views “grace” merely as a universal provision of salvation for all men...
This is not true. Arminians believe in many forms of grace. Common grace, previnient grace, saving grace, sanctifying grace, etc. Previnient grace is "merely" a universal provision (if you are bold enough to judge any of God's grace as a "mere" something), but that is exactly what God designed it to do. It is efficient for it's intended purpose. Similarly, saving grace, which is only applied to those who believe, is efficient for it's intended purpose and saves all to whom it is applies.
Perhaps the author is not familiar with Classical Arminianism?
