[xzins]

The Five Basic Arminian Objections to Calvinism

These Arminian definitions are found in the Wycliffe Dictionary of Theology and are condensed in that work by a Calvinist, Roger Nicole(Gordon Divinity School). I will take some liberties with them for the sake of clarification. They are the views of Jacob Hermann (Armin) a former student of Calvin who came to doubt Calvin's theology.

1. - - God elects only on the basis of foreseen faith and condemns only on the basis of resistance to grace.

2. - - Christ provided a universal opportunity by dying for all men and for every man such that ALL those who turn to him as true repentant believers are saved.

3. - - Man is so depraved that foreplanned divine intervention and preceding divine grace are necessary to bring about faith or any good deed.

4. - - According to the foreplanning of God, man was created with the ability to resist Divine Grace.

5. - - It is not certain that all who are truly regenerate will necessarily persevere in the faith.

[RnMomof7]

I had some problems with all your definations x..but especially bias was the Irrestible Grace..

Are we going to discuss Total depravity?

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

1. - - God elects only on the basis of foreseen faith and condemns only on the basis of resistance to grace.

• Rejected, on the grounds that the Natural Man is totally sinful and does not ever WANT in his own spirit to know Christ. Ergo, no "faith" will ever be foreseen in the Natural Man, apart from sovereign regeneration.

2. - - Christ provided a universal opportunity by dying for all men and for every man such that ALL those who turn to him as true repentant believers are saved.

• Rejected, on the grounds that Arminians believe that those who die in infancy are not Sinners; therefore, Christ did not die for them (or, if He did, then the Arminian must admit that the atonement is applied without decisional act of will, for those who die in infancy do not "choose to believe" -- after all, the Natural Man is totally sinful and does not ever WANT in his own spirit to know Christ. This must necessarily apply also to infants, if true).

3. - - Man is so depraved that foreplanned divine intervention and preceding divine grace are necessary to bring about faith or any good deed.

• Point granted as True, if understood to mean that the Natural Man is totally sinful and does not ever WANT in his own spirit to know Christ.

4. - - According to the foreplanning of God, man was created with the ability to resist Divine Grace.

• Indeed, if God "asks the sinner his opinion" of whether or not to "accept" Grace, it is certain that the unregenerate sinner will reject Grace, for the Natural Man is totally sinful and does not ever WANT in his own spirit to know Christ.

5. - - It is not certain that all who are truly regenerate will necessarily persevere in the faith.

• Deferred until the preliminary issue of Salvation is settled.

ERGO, we see that all Arminian Objections are thereby reduced to a debate about Total Depravity: The Natural Man is totally sinful and does not ever WANT in his own spirit to know Christ.

Have the Arminians a one-sentence objection to the Doctrine of Total Depravity?