The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum "Is Calvinism the Gospel?"

- Semi-Pelagianism: God does and thus obviously can save people without faith.
- Arminianism: God typically does not save people without faith but can and sometimes does, e.g., the death of infants and those who have not reached the "age of discretion".

Quick response...There is a difference between "free-agency" (Calvinism) and "free-will" (Arminianism).

Calvinism believes that God created man as a free agent, i.e., he has the ability to choose and is responsible for the choices made. Further, the nature of man (intellect, affections, and will) determines every person's choice. Man ALWAYS chooses that which is most important to him in every situation and circumstance. Thus, fallen man is bound by his corrupt nature and will not and thus cannot choose anything that pertains to God or anything that is good. What is required for man to even desire after God is regeneration; the re-creation, resurrection, rebirth of a spiritual nature. Being a free-agent, man is responsible for all that he chooses to think, feel and do. Further, man is responsible to obey every command of God regardless of his spiritual state. Thus, even though fallen man CANNOT keep God's commandments, he is still accountable to do so and is guilty for not doing so.

Arminianism (classic... not semi-Pelagianism) believes that man is a free-agent AND has a free-will, i.e., he can choose contrary to his nature. They hold that fallen man is dead in sin no less than Calvinism teaches but contrariwise, regeneration is not needed for man to seek after God, i.e., the necessity of a radical change of nature. Arminianism teaches that God provides "prevenient grace", which provides man with the ability to either choose God or reject God with his now unfettered free-will. Consequently, those who choose to seek after God and believe upon Christ are THEN given a new nature. In the Arminian system God does not sovereignly save by His eternal decree without consideration of what man does; exercise his free-will. Thus, God is NOT "all powerful" at all, for he CANNOT save unless and until a sinner takes advantage of the general prevenient grace and makes a free-will choice.

The difference between the two systems is infinite. The Synod of Dordt understood these differences and thus judged Arminianism as damnable heresy; not simply a different perspective with a similar end. It is unfortunate that the majority of those who profess to embrace Calvinism reject or are ignorant of the antithesis of the two systems and that Arminianism is "damnable", i.e., it is contrary to the biblical doctrines of Sola Gratia, Sola Fide and Solus Christus, thus it is teaching another God, another Jesus, another Spirit and another Gospel.


Sorry, but I am going to have to disagree with your understanding of Arminianism in regard to their definition of foreknowledge and its relationship to God's decrees of predestination and election. In the Arminian system, foreknowledge is bare prescience; knowledge of facts. And, the source of that knowledge is contradictory to the biblical doctrine of Omniscience, for God must "see" what man will allegedly do BEFORE He issues the decree. Further it is self-contradictory and self-defeating, for if God "foresees" that Joe Smith will believe on Tuesday, December 5th at 11:00 a.m. and therefore decrees to elect Joe Smith unto salvation, then Joe Smith MUST be infallibly saved on that date and time. There is no room for Joe Smith exercising his free-will and potentially reject the Gospel. I have written tomes on this subject to show all the convolutions involved in Arminianism's understanding of foreknowedge. In fact, taken to its logical end, one will end up with "Open Theism".

For a good article on the biblical doctrine of foreknowledge and its counterfeits, see HERE.

This is hardly the case of my equivocating salvation with everything. The fact is that salvation, from the eternal decree of God to the glorification of the saints and beyond is all of God. Again, I will state most dogmatically, in the Arminian and also the semi-Pelagian systems, "grace" accomplishes nothing. Both systems posit a synergistic system of salvation, all the while claiming to hold that salvation is all of grace. What they do as does most every heretical system is to redefine terms and typically without making known of the redefinition(s). What the Arminian calls "grace" is not what the Bible teaches about grace. The Arminian unabashedly believes that "grace" is resistible. Calvinism and the Bible teaches that grace infallibly saves.

This one: Do You REALLY Believe that Salvation is by Grace Alone?

Calvinism has never taught that 'grace' is "help". Grace always accomplishes its intended purpose, i.e., to save sinners from sin and judgment. Further, Calvinism has never taught that God is "dependent upon cooperation from man. As Jesus said, "without me you can do nothing" (Jh 15:5). A sinner is regenerated by grace, called by irresistible grace, sanctified by the sovereign grace of the indwelling Spirit, redeemed by the grace of Christ's vicarious substitutionary atonement, etc. GRACE according to Scripture and Calvinism is in full agreement as witnessed in the historic Reformed Confessions and Catechisms is particular and efficacious. For example, and specifically to this issue; sanctification... It is most often referred to as the "Perseverance of the Saints". But although that is certainly true, it is only half true. For it is also called the "Preservation of the Saints". Christ's sheep are "made willing" through the power of God, yet without any violation to their will. (Ps 110:3; Rom 8:29,30; Eph 1:4; 2:10; Phil 2:12,13).