Calvinism Versus Arminianism – A Brief Comparison
Gods Sovereignty
This debate that has ranged wide among Christians for the last five hundred years. Calvinism holds that a person contributes nothing to their individual salvation and that includes choice. In the opinion of Calvinists God chooses the believer and applies everything the believer needs to become a Christian. This includes the ability to decide to believe on Jesus Christ, to have faith and everything required to make that decision possible. This is based on the doctrine of Predestination which is underpinned in the teachings of the apostle Paul.1 They have an acronym called TULIP which states that a person has nothing that they can contribute because they are totally depraved and have nothing in themselves capable of even thinking about accepting Christ as their savior. They are unconditionally elected meaning the believer is chosen by God to be saved or to be lost and, has no choice. There is limited atonement meaning God’s grace in Christ Jesus is applied only to those who believe and become Christians. There is irresistible grace meaning that Grace in Jesus Christ cannot be resisted so that again there is no choice for the believer to make as grace is not able to be resisted. There is perseverance of the saints meaning you are chosen of God and cannot lose your salvation. You cannot choose to reject Christ Jesus at a later date.
Man’s Freedom of Choice
Arminianism holds that while there is much that only God can do to enable a person to believe on Jesus Christ that He leaves the ultimate decision to that person to make. 2A similar acronym to TULIP that some Arminian’s hold to is ROSES. This states that a person is radically depraved meaning that before God we are fallen but not completely wicked. That God’s grace is overcoming meaning that the grace in the form of the gospel is heard but can be resisted by person who chooses not to believe. That rather than unconditional election. Sovereign election is a better fit in that they see God foreknew those who would choose him and he then elected them to be Christians. Eternal life is used instead of perseverance of saints meaning that you can lose your salvation if you choose to reject God. Singular redemption is used instead of limited atonement meaning basically that Christ’s redemptive work on Cross was for everyone but is applied to those who choose to believe on Him. Thus Freedom of Choice is implicit in the gospel for the Salvation of those who believe on the Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Because, Yahweh Elohim has always sought a people who will follow Him of their own volition from the time of the beginning in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.
Is there Freedom of Choice - Genesis: Cain and Seth – The Good and Evil Lineage
In this vein it could be argued that right from the beginning of creation there have been those who when given the choice either believed in Yahweh Elohim and worshiped Him. Or, who rejected Yahweh Elohim and worshiped idols and either directly, or indirectly, Satan the devil.
The book of Genesis describes the Son’s of God and the Daughters of Men. There is much debate as to what the bible is saying here. Are Son’s of God fallen angels? Did they breed with the daughters of men and create a race of mighty warriors – The Nephilim? Are the Son’s of God a kingly race of warriors. Or, are the Son’s of God the descendants of Seth and the Daughter’s of Men the descendants of Cain. Or, are the Son’s of God merely men and the Daughters of Men simply women made of the rib of man?
In alignment with the doctrine of predestination I quite like the idea of the Son’s of God being descendants of Seth and the Daughters of Men being descendants of Cain. I feel myself that the Son’s of God ought to have married righteous women but saw the daughters of Cain’s descendants, that they were desirable and were tempted to make the wrong choice. In so doing they took on the worship of idols and essentially doomed mankind to judgment and the Great Flood.
How does this fit in with the great Calvinist and Arminian debate. Well I think it fits rather nicely and probably supports the idea of God allowing man freedom of choice. Seth loved God and was obedient to him whereas Cain rebelled against God and hated him. When the Sons of God took the Daughters of Men as their wives they also compromised their faith and obedience to God. They chose to turn away from God and that caused them and their descendants to die in their sins. Noah and his family were the only ones left on Earth who worshiped God and God chose Noah as a type of Christ to deliver the human race. Freedom of Choice has been a theme throughout scripture.
Meritocracy – Does Our Decision to Accept or Reject God Impact Society
Government in Western Democracies is seen as being, for the most part a Benevolent Meritocracy. We are encouraged to believe that we have freedom of choice providing we don’t impinge on the freedoms of other citizens.
Most citizens would agree that despite the best efforts of government and the citizenry. Daily life equates to more of a benign meritocracy than a benevolent one. It doesn’t seem to matter how hard we all try, despite our best work we can’t meet the needs of everyone in society.
In fact, life in our society seems to be pointed downhill and with gathering speed is becoming a Malevolent Meritocracy. Where only those with wealth can afford a good life and the rest of society are becoming increasingly disenfranchised and, impoverished.
Where does this fit in with Calvinism and Arminianism? Well the closer a society is to God generally the closer they are to a benevolent meritocracy. If we look at the nation of Israel God actually told them that when they followed Him he would bless them and when they turned away He would deliver them into the hands of their enemies3. So if Israel chose to follow God they had blessing and if they turned away they were punished and delivered into the hands of their enemies.
While there is no doubt about God’s sovereignty. God’s blessing would seem to be contingent on man exercising the choice to accept Him and not to reject Him. So in believing on Jesus Christ in our era we are blessed with a benevolent meritocracy but when a society rejects the Son of Man in favor of idols and worldly pleasures. That society rapidly begins to feel the spiritual burn that rejecting God can produce. It would also seem that the decision is allowed to us by God.
Did God Build Freedom of Choice into Creation for a Reason
It is my belief that God made the Angels a perfect race. Each one created without blemish or any sign of imperfection. However, it seems that even so, Lucifer was able to become corrupted by the sin of jealousy over the position of God himself. Seeking to elevate himself above the Lord of all Creation.
Now here is a puzzle. God is without doubt the Sovereign Lord, Yahweh Elohim. But if we postulate that everything that happens is designed by Yahweh. Are we saying he designed Lucifer to fall into temptation and to rebel against Him becoming Satan in the process. Not only that but leading one third of the other angels in a revolution against the Creator as well. It doesn’t seem likely that God would do that and rather, it seems much more likely that Lucifer had the free will to make the choice to rebel against God himself.
In fact, it seems much more likely that the whole theme of the bible is to show how much Yahweh Elohim loves His creations. So much so that He wants them to have the choice to follow Him. To take it a step further Yahweh has always insisted on Free Will. Adam and Eve were given Free Will to decide to accept Yahweh or to reject Him. They decided to reject Him by disobeying a direct instruction not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. Mankind before the flood had the choice to follow Yahweh or to reject Him. In the end only Noah and his family decided to follow Him.
Abraham had the choice to obey God and leave Ur or to stay there. He obeyed God and also was obedient to the point of giving God his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. So it was with Jacob, Joseph and Moses. All followed and obeyed God and this resulted in the deliverance of the descendants of Abraham and the formation of the nation of Israel. A people called by Yahweh to follow Him of their own Free Will.
Joshua led Israel into Canaan of his own free will. This after the people murmured and complained against God of their own Free Will. That generation never saw the promised land except for Joshua and Caleb. God gave Israel judges and blessed Israel when they repented and followed Him and gave them into the hands of their enemies when they chose to disobey. Samuel judged Israel righteously all of his days, of his own free will, and brought them Saul and David as their kings. God allowed Israel to choose for themselves a king of their own Free Will.
God gave His only Son, Jesus Christ of His Free Will and as sacrifice for all sins. Just as Abraham had been prepared to give Isaac, his only son and a type of Christ, as a sacrifice for sin and in obedience to Yahweh. There is a constant theme in the Holy Bible of Freedom of Choice. This freedom is given by God because He desires a people of His own possession who love, obey and follow Him of their own Free Will.
And so it is with the Church Age. Yes it is true our Lord and God, Yahweh Elohim, is the Sovereign Lord. There is no doubt but it is also true that he gives man the right to freewill when it comes to following Him. It is our choice to accept or reject Jesus Christ. Yahweh does not desire a people who follow him but not of their own freewill. Freedom of Choice is essential with Yahweh and the single most important difference between resurrected man and the angels will be that resurrected man will have chosen to follow God of his own freewill.
1 Romans 8:29
3 Deuteronomy 28:1-67
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