Calvinism & Arminianism

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 Calvinism & Arminianism

To many people the subject of Calvinism conjures images of

dusty theologians bickering over points that do not make a lot of
sense. It is not seen as an issue of much importance in the average
person’s daily life.
Believe it or not, the issues surrounding Calvinism lie at the
heart of the Christian life. Your convictions on this point determine
much of how you face each day as a child of God. It affects your
response and reaction to the situations you find yourself in and how
you view your responsibility before God.

A Brief Comparison
Today the Church as a whole is basically Arminian. That does
not mean that most church’s doctrinal statements are Arminian, but
most believers function as Arminians in the way they live. This cre-
ates all kinds of difficulties for the Church.
Arminianism has given us the idea that man has some ability
to deal with his own sin—some ability to respond and accept God’s
salvation on his own. This view of man ultimately weakens our per-
spective on sin. After all, if I have some ability to deal with sin
through my own power, then my focus is going to be on myself
rather than on God.
Arminian theology turns our attention to man rather than God.
Man is not viewed as totally depraved, totally helpless, worthless
and unable to do anything pleasing to God. Rather, he is seen as
cooperating with God in bringing about salvation. Compare this to
Calvinism which teaches that only through God’s power—sover-
eignly and supernaturally—can we be enabled to live a godly life.

3
 4 Calvinism & Arminianism

But I Would Rather Do It Myself

The Church today emphasizes a salvation that depends upon
man and his response. Evangelists often implore people to “make a
decision for Christ,” as if it were entirely up to them. This leads
some unbelievers to arrogantly say, “Well, maybe I will decide for
Christ—but maybe I will not. I will have to think about it.”
This view blurs the true picture, for the decision concerning
who will be saved is ultimately in God’s hands. It is not man who
accomplishes salvation at all but God who saves. It is not man who
chooses God, but rather God who chooses man. All man can do is
cast himself on the mercy of God and trust in the salvation that He
has provided. Even the ability to trust and believe is a work of God
in the heart of the elect. No one will come to salvation who does not
come as a result of the sovereign work of God in eternity past in
choosing that person and drawing him to salvation.

A Brief Background
The names Calvinism and Arminianism are derived from the
names of men whose teachings have come to be associated with
theological systems. Calvinism comes from John Calvin, a French
theologian and Reformer who lived in the first half of the 1500s.
Calvin very ably defended the doctrines that came to be known as
Calvinism, but they did not originate with him. Some 1100 years
before John Calvin, Augustine presented the facts of Calvinistic the-
ology very clearly, and he had ably defended them against Pelagius
and others who held an “Arminian” view.
Arminianism gets its name from James Arminius. We are not as
familiar with Arminius as we are with Calvin, but we do know that
he lived a little later than Calvin—from 1560 to 1609—so he was
four years old when John Calvin died.
As with the tenets of Calvinism, the doctrines of Arminianism
did not begin with James Arminius. They go back to the third or
fourth century. But they have been associated with his name be-
cause his followers, after his death, presented them in a systemized
fashion.
Arminius taught that although God’s grace provides salvation,
the ultimate choice regarding salvation is man’s. To a large extent
 Calvinism & Arminianism 5

then, salvation is a result of man’s work not God’s work, because

salvation hinges on man’s response. There would be no salvation
without the act of man in response to God. Arminians would firmly
agree, as would all Evangelicals, that salvation is provided by God
alone. But in the Arminian system salvation is accomplished by an act
of man.

The Anti-Points of Arminius

Calvinism is traditionally summarized in five points. But it is
interesting to note that Calvin’s “five points” find their origin not in
Calvin, but in the “five points” of Arminius! Arminius’ followers
presented to a church council five points upon which they disagreed
with Calvinistic theology. The council, in responding to those five
points, presented the “five points” of Calvinistic doctrine. Thus the
Calvinistic doctrine became identified with five distinct tenets.
We remember the five points of Calvinism by the acrostic,
“TULIP”: Total depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited atonement,
Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints.

“T” is for Total Depravity

This is the first point, and in many ways it is the most impor-
tant. If you are clear on the total depravity of man, everything else
begins to fall into place.
When God presents His Gospel in the Book of Romans, He be-
gins with a presentation of man’s total depravity and condemna-
tion as a result of sin. From Romans 1:18 through 3:20, man is seen
as sinful and depraved because that is the first thing you have to
understand to receive the Gospel.
Total depravity means that man is corrupted and depraved in
every part of his being. He is saturated by his sinfulness. Sin has so
corrupted man that he is unable to function in a way that is pleasing
to God. He can do nothing acceptable to God. Man is controlled and
dominated by his sin to the extent that he cannot respond positively
in faith to an offer of salvation.
This sin is ours by virtue of our relationship to Adam, and it
characterizes us from birth: “Therefore, just as through one man sin
entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread
to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
 6 Calvinism & Arminianism

As the federal head of the human race, Adam acted on our be-
half. When he acted in sin, his sin became our sin. And since we are
all descendants of Adam, sin is ours by virtue of our relationship to
him. If you have any doubts about our relationship to Adam or of
our having sinned with him, just look around you and see. All hu-
man beings are dying, and death is the penalty for sin . . . “death
spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
In Psalm 51:5, David writes, “Behold, I was brought forth in
iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” David is not saying
that conception is sinful but that at conception he became a sinner,
because as soon as conception occurred, he was identified with
Adam. So sin does not begin when we commit rebellious acts. Sin
begins when we are conceived in the womb. That further supports
the fact that our sin centers in Adam’s act.
We see the same point in Psalm 58:3: “The wicked are estranged
from the womb; these who speak lies go astray from birth.” From
birth the wicked are separated from God. And who are the wicked?
We all are! Isaiah writes: “All of us like sheep have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). We are all sin-
ners in our very being—in what we are from the point of concep-
tion.
As sinful beings, we are incapable of doing anything that is
pleasing to God. Romans 3:12 says, “All have turned aside, together
they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not
even one.” Romans 8:7,8 adds, “The mind set on the flesh is hostile
toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is
not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please
God” (emphasis added).
These passages clearly illustrate the futility of fallen beings in
attempting to do anything acceptable or pleasing to God. Their sub-
mitting to God is a total impossibility.
Total depravity does not mean, however, that sinners always
act as wickedly as they could. There are restraints on our sin—thank
God! But men are as totally corrupt as they can be, even though the
expression of that corruption is somewhat restrained and limited—
at least in ways that we can see.
This is the Calvinist view of sin—total depravity.
 Calvinism & Arminianism 7

Arminians, however, believe that while all men are sinners,

God has given “common grace” to all men. This “common grace”
enables men to decide for God—to make certain decisions that are
pleasing to God—to become a partner, if you will, in dealing with
sin. God cannot deal with sin in the life of an individual until that
individual decides to cooperate. So salvation becomes a joint ven-
ture from the Arminian viewpoint.

“U” is for Unconditional Election

This second point in Calvinistic doctrine simply states that at
some time before Creation (usually called “eternity past”) God sov-
ereignly selected from among sinful humanity those who would be
the recipients of His salvation (see Ephesians 1:4,5). This “election,”
(the word simply means “choice,”) was unconditional in that it was
not based on anything that man would do or be. God decided sim-
ply on the basis of His own character—sovereignly. It was His arbi-
trary decision, if you can accept this word without its negative con-
notations. Ephesians 1 puts it: “According to His good pleasure” (v.
5, lit.).
Teaching on the sovereignty of God often causes people to re-
act negatively. We do not like to hear about it because naturally we
prefer man-centered theology. Man likes to be at the center of his
world.
Remember the Garden of Eden? With what words did Satan
tempt Eve? “You will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). We still have that
desire today. We may share our world with God, but we do not want
to be humbled to the point of being nobodies—helpless and hope-
less. And yet, that is where the biblical emphasis lies.
In 2 Timothy 1:9 we read that God has “called us with a holy
calling not according to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity”
(emphasis added). God’s call, which involves our being drawn to
salvation as a result of our election, was not according to our works
but according to His grace. Before the creation God sovereignly called
us. On what basis? According to His own purpose and grace. The
basis for election rests in the very character of God, and that is as far
back as we can take it.
Some Calvinists believe that God not only elected some for
 8 Calvinism & Arminianism

salvation but that He also elected some to spend eternity in hell.

This is known as “double predestination.” I do not believe the Bible
supports this idea. The Bible clearly teaches that God sovereignly
chooses some for salvation. It does not state, however, that He
chooses or predestines anyone to hell. People go to hell because they
are sinners. God did not have to do anything to send sinners to hell,
but He did intervene that some might be saved. I do not believe that
you can find biblical support for double predestination.
Arminians will teach election also, of course. They have to be-
cause the Bible clearly talks about election! But they teach that God
elected some to salvation based upon His foreknowledge—that He
looked ahead in time and saw that some would choose to believe in
Christ when given the opportunity. On the basis of this foreknowl-
edge, God chose those whom He knew would believe. But again
you see that the Arminian view of salvation centers on man and his
choice. God is reduced to an observer, but man has the power.
An Arminian will say, “No, man does not have the power. God
provides all men with just enough power to believe. That is what
we call ‘common grace.’ ” But common grace does not resolve the
question, because when some men and women are confronted with
the Gospel, they don’t believe! If all men are given enough grace to
respond of their own will, then why do some respond while others
do not? The only conclusion, from an Arminian point of view, is
that somehow, some people are more worthy. The focus again re-
turns to man.
Ultimately, Arminians see election as based upon the actions
of man. Calvinists see election as based on the sovereign choice of
God.

“L” is for Limited Atonement

This third point of Calvinism which is often referred to as “par-
ticular redemption,” teaches that Christ died only for the elect. Since
God only intended to save the elect, He made provision only for
those He intended to save. Therefore, Christ’s atonement is restricted
in that it only provides for those whom God has chosen.
I do not believe this idea is consistent with proper exegesis of
the God’s Word. The concept of limited atonement seems to be based
upon “logical reasoning” rather than explicit Scripture passages.
 Calvinism & Arminianism 9

Those who believe in a limited atonement would say that it is

theologically incorrect to tell someone that Christ died for his sin,
because if he is not one of the elect, Christ did not die for his sins.
Christ died only for the sin of the elect.
Of course, the strict, five-point Calvinists believe that you
should still present the Gospel to the lost because you do not know
who the elect are. But they do not believe that you should tell an
unbeliever that Christ died for his sin and exhort him to believe,
because if he is one of the elect, he will respond. And if he is not one
of the elect, then there has been no provision for his sin.
I believe a denial of the universal provision necessitates an ab-
normal approach to interpreting a wide variety of passages of Scrip-
ture. The Bible clearly teaches that Christ died for the sins of the world.
Christ’s death made provision for all of humanity even though
that provision is applied only to the elect.
In John 6:51 Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down
out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and
the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh”
(emphasis added).
In passages such as this, you see that in the death of Christ a
universal provision was made. An unlimited atonement was pro-
vided for every person who would be born into the human race. But
that provision will only be applied and become effective for those
who are the elect of God.
Those who believe in a limited atonement redefine world in such
passages to be the world of the elect. But I do not believe that you can
demonstrate anywhere in Scripture where the word world refers only
to the elect. If you take your concordance and look up the word
world in the writings of John, you will see how subjective it is to
arbitrarily pull out some references to world and say, “Well, that
must mean the world of the elect.” There is no interpretive reason to
do that, unless you have come to the Scriptures with a preconceived
idea.

Support for an Unlimited Atonement

In 2 Corinthians 5:19 we are told that Christ’s death was a re–
conciliation to the world: “Namely, that God was in Christ reconciling
10 Calvinism & Arminianism

the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them,

and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” This does
not mean that everyone in the world is going to be reconciled in the
sense of salvation, but nonetheless, Christ’s ministry is one of rec-
onciliation of the world.
In 1 Timothy 2:6 we are told that Christ gave Himself as a ran-
som for all. It would seem rather arbitrary to interpret this verse as
Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all (the elect), when in practically
the same breath, Paul says, “God desires all men to be saved, and to
come to the knowledge of the truth.” Who are the “all” in verse
four? Why would the “all” in verse four refer to everyone, while the
“all” in verse six be interpreted to mean only the elect?
First Timothy 4:10 presents a real problem for five-point Cal-
vinists: “It is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our
hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of
believers.” That interpretation would not make sense at all! (See also
Titus 2:11; Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2; 4:14 for more passages that dis-
prove the world equals the elect theory.)
Hebrews 10:29 is very clear:
How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve
who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded
as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified,
and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (emphasis added).
So there is a sense in which unbelievers have been impacted by
the blood of Christ. Provision was made for them, but they have
trampled it underfoot.
One well-known evangelical writer, speaking in defense of lim-
ited atonement, says that 2 Peter 2:1 is the most difficult verse to
explain:
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there
will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly intro-
duce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought
them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves (emphasis
added).
Here, Peter is clearly talking about unbelievers. And yet, they
deny the Master who bought them. There was a universal provision
made for them, which they have not personally accepted by faith.
 Calvinism & Arminianism 11

These are just a sample of the many passages that support un-
limited atonement—that Christ made provision for the world. Since
He died for all, it is definitely theologically correct to tell an unbe-
liever, “Christ died for you!” But the application of that provision
extends only to the elect.

“I” is for Irresistible Grace

Also known as the “efficacious call,” this tenet of Calvinism
refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in drawing the elect to salva-
tion. The grace of God in drawing the elect to believe in Christ is
irresistible; the elect will come to believe. When God chose them in
eternity past for salvation, He also ordained the means by which
they would come to believe in Christ. And when the Holy Spirit
does His work of drawing them to faith, His work of drawing is
irresistible.
In the epistles the idea of irresistible grace is described as the
“call of God.” Romans 1:6,7 says: “Among whom you also are the
called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called
as saints.” In the Gospels the word call is used differently. For ex-
ample, Matthew 22:14 says: “For many are called, but few are cho-
sen.” When you come to the epistles, however, Paul talks about “the
called” only in the context of the elect.
Romans 8:30 reads: “And whom He predestined, these He also
called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He
justified, these He also glorified.” Note here that the called are justi-
fied. He is speaking of an effective call. Those who are called are
justified; those who are justified are glorified.
The word called is used a number of times in 1 Corinthians.
“God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellow-
ship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. . . . we preach Christ
crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolish-
ness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. . . . For con-
sider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise ac-
cording to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble” (1 Cor.
1:9,23,24,26).
The irresistible grace of God guarantees that the elect will be-
lieve in Christ and experience God’s salvation. Without irresistible
12 Calvinism & Arminianism

grace, there would be no effective election. This is where we would

disagree with the Arminians. The Arminians believe that by com-
mon grace all men have the same opportunity. The call of the Spirit
of God goes out to all, and some resist the grace of God and are lost.
They do not believe in irresistible grace.
We should keep this in mind as we present the Gospel. Paul
says, “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who
are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ
Jesus and with it eternal glory” (2 Tim. 2:10). Our job is not to cajole
or manipulate people with sad stories or high pressure the lost into
believing in the Savior. We present the almighty, all-powerful Word
of God so that the Spirit of God might impress it upon the heart of
unbelievers and draw the elect to salvation, which is in Christ Jesus.
It is God’s work, and only God’s work, which brings about sal-
vation. We need to be very careful. I believe many people respond
in evangelistic meetings because of the emotion of the moment—
not that the Spirit of God cannot use emotion. And there is a certain
pressure in the Word of God: “Now is the acceptable time, behold,
now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2, emphasis added). But we are
not trying to talk people into salvation. We are not trying to pres-
sure them into making a decision for Christ. We are presenting the
Word of God as clearly as we can in the Spirit so that the Spirit can
convict hearts and draw men and women to salvation in Christ.

“P” is for Perseverance of the Saints

The final point of Calvinistic theology is commonly known as
the security of the believer. I think perseverance is the more accurate
expression. Security conveys a passive attitude—I just sit back and
let God carry me to glory. But correct Calvinistic theology talks about
perseverance of the saints. The saints will persevere; they will be
faithful. Through trials, through difficulty, through hardship, they
will endure. There is no sitting back and floating to heaven. It is an
active perseverance through which the true saints will emerge vic-
torious.
First John 2:19 tells us, “They went out from us, but they were
not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained
with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they
all are not of us.” In other words, those who do not persevere
 Calvinism & Arminianism 13

demonstrate their unbelief. True believers do not stop persevering.

Romans 8:1 says: “There is therefore now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is our established condition: no
condemnation. In that sense we are secure.
A passage we have already discussed, Romans 8:29,30, describes
the entire process: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined . . .
and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He
called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also
glorified.” It is a package deal, if you will, beginning with God’s
sovereign work in eternity past, and carrying us to eternity future,
when we will be glorified in His presence.
Calvinists assert that salvation is totally the work of God. If, as
the Arminians believe, salvation is the work of man in response to
the work of God, then there can be no security. For how does one
get saved? By making a decision. It follows then that if salvation is a
choice I make, then I can also choose at some future point to change
my mind. I can lose that salvation by making a decision to reject it.
Not every Arminian denies eternal security, of course. Keep in
mind that this is just a general summary. But to make the distinc-
tion between Calvinism and Arminianism clear on this point, we
must bring it to its logical conclusion. If salvation depends upon me
in its initiation, then why does it not depend on me for its continua-
tion?
On the other hand, if salvation is the work of God from begin-
ning to end, then none of it depends on me. So we are left with
Philippians 1:6: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who
began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
God, who began the work of salvation, will continue that work of
perfecting and completing us until the day of Jesus Christ.

Focus on Man or Focus on God

The two theologies of Calvinism and Arminianism conceive
the plan of salvation in quite different terms. One makes salvation
depend on the work of God, the other on a work of man. One re-
gards faith as part of God’s gift of salvation, the other as man’s own
contribution to salvation. One gives all the glory of saving believers
to God; the other divides the praise between God (who “built the
machinery” of salvation) and man (who, by believing, operates it).
14 Calvinism & Arminianism

Plainly, these differences are important.

Over the years the Church has distanced itself from Calvinistic
theology. Most people who talk about Calvinism have a vague no-
tion that it has something to do with election and that God has made
some arbitrary choices in sending some people to hell who never
had a chance and so on. This leads to emotional responses, and we
end up deciding our theology by our emotions rather than on a clear
understanding of Scripture.
The end result has been disastrous. Today we have believers
and professing believers trying to deal with the issue of sin, and
they look to man for solutions! Why? Because they do not see God as
completely sovereign and in control. Therefore, it is up to us! And we
begin looking to other men who may have come up with better so-
lutions. As a result we become absorbed with man, rather than God.
Whether we realize it or not, our theology pervades the way
we live our lives. Even if we do not know what our theology is, we
all have a theology that we live by. When disaster strikes, we react
according to the way we view God. We either recognize Him as in
control and rely on His sufficiency or we run around saying, “What
will I do?”
What we should do is come back and search the Scriptures. We
need to make sure that our theology is a biblical theology, so that the
Spirit of God can work His purposes and plans, which are always in
accord with the Word of God, in developing the people of God into
a body that brings glory to God.
Other Books by Gil Rugh
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Baptism: Truth or Tradition
Bible Study Tools for the Layman
(The) Bible Workbook: What Is It All About?
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Calvinism & Arminianism
(The) Church: God’s Program for Ministry
Church Discipline—An Evidence of Christian Love
(A) Critique of Experiencing God
Deliverance Workbook
Demonization of the Believer: An Unbiblical Teaching Exposed
(A) Different Gospel: An Evaluation of the Teachings of Robert Schuller
Division & Diversion
Divorce on Trial
Does God Have a Future for Israel? A Study of Romans 11
Election: Whose Choice?
Endurance: Standing Firm in a Throw-Away World
Evangelism: Treading the Roman Road
Freedom From Addiction
Giving: A Result of Grace
Homosexuality: A Biblical Perspective
How to Have Victory Over Sin
Instruction to Husbands, Fathers & Their Wives
Instruction to Wives, Mothers & Their Husbands
Lordship Salvation: What Must a True Believer Believe?
Living the Life
Marks of the True Believer
(The) Origin and Fall of Satan
Prayer
Preparation for Water Baptism
Promise Keepers and the Rising Tide of Ecumenism
Promise Keepers: A Pastor’s Perspective
Prophecy Update
Provision or Penalty
Psychology: The Trojan Horse
Rendering to Caesar
Reversing the Reformation
Revival and Revival Meetings
Spiritual Gifts
Statement of Faith and Constitution
To Earth With Love: A Study of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ
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