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When it comes to theology, many issues are not discussed among most ordinary Christians. For instance, few people will speak of the aseity of God on most Sunday mornings. However, when it comes to the issue of divine sovereignty and human freedom, the first theological question I get asked as a minister is; Are you a Calvinist or an Arminian? My answer muddies the waters for most because I respond by saying, "I am neither a Calvinist nor an Arminian." "What?" they reply. "You have to be one or the other." I say, "Not necessarily. I am a Molinist." The...

Calvinism affirms a doctrine known as the perseverance of the saints according to which the truly regenerated disciple will persist in faith. In the words of the seventeenth-century Puritan William Secker, "Though Christians be not kept altogether from falling, yet they are kept from falling altogether."Calvinists insist that perseverance of the saints is a scriptural doctrine. As Paul says in Philippians 1:6: "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."In addition, Calvinists have also often argued that perseverance has a clear pastoral advantage in that it grounds our...

Full Title: Predestination: Should We Even Talk About It? Is the doctrine of predestination an obstacle to the usefulness of preaching? I’d like to begin a series on—get ready—predestination. Yes, I said that word. I know this is not the most popular topic to bring up among polite company; in fact, it’s downright divisive, isn’t it? In the fifth century, Augustine recounted in his letters that some said, “The doctrine of predestination is an obstacle to the usefulness of preaching.” And who wants an obstacle? In the sixteenth century, John Calvin had to go out of his way to state...

For whom did Jesus die? For the sins of the entire humanity or only for the elect? This was the topic of a live debate between Messianic Jewish apologist Dr. Michael L. Brown and Alpha and Omega Ministries Director Dr. James White on RevelationTV.com Friday evening. The issue boils down to what the intention of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit was in Christ going to the cross, said White, who heads the Phoenix, Ariz.-based evangelical Reformed Christian apologetics organization, as the debate began Friday at 9 p.m. EST. "Jesus' death on the cross was a covenantal death,"...

Did God provide for the salvation of sinners that he chose to be saved, or did God provide a way of salvation and then it is up to sinners to choose it? Wrong question that has been asked... The question that SHOULD be asked: Did God know which choice we would make (as to salvation) when He created this universe and bring into existence that choice to be saved, or did He bring into existence His choice for whom He would save when He brought this universe into existence? Is the ultimate, final answer to this either/or, neither/nor, or both/and?...

The thread that I posted yesterday was lively, energetic and, sadly, punctuated with a little too much Ad Hominem. For instance, and an example - I would never say that any topic is above another person's "pay grade," which was what was tossed at me. And in the asking, I never received any scripture(s) that show the dividing line - the place that unequivocally shows the total difference - between the one who was never saved & the one who had merely "fallen out of fellowship w/Christ," but was nonetheless still saved. I was asked why I didn't provide scriptures....

"Some of the greatest evangelists in the history of the church have for the most part, been Calvinists."

VIII. THE DIVINITY OF THE SON OF GOD With regard to the Divinity of the Son of God and the word autoqeov both of which have been discussed in our University in the regular form of scholastic disputations, I cannot sufficiently wonder what the motive can be, which has created a wish in some persons to render me suspected to other men, or to make me an object of suspicion to themselves. This is still more wonderful, since this suspicion has not the least ground of probability on which to rest, and is at such an immense distance from all...

On the Errors of the Trinity Seven BooksByMichael Serveto, alias RevesA Spaniard of AragonMDXXXI Due to the size of Servetus' book I will provide his arguments (as given by the translator) for each chapter (book). Below, you will find the links to Books VI and VII. Maybe? at some future date, I may add more. ~RDH~Book IArgumentAny discussion of the Trinity should start with the man. That Jesus, surnamed Christ, was not a Hypostasis but a human being is taught both by the early Fathers and in Scriptures, taken in their literal sense, and is indicated by the miracles he wrought. He,...

I finally got my mitts on Richard Muller's article on the Christology of Jacob Arminius (published in the Nederlands Archief voor Kerkgeschiendenis, 1988). Here is a summary of some of the salient points. In the years leading up to Dordt, Arminius debated the Reformed theologians on both predestination and christology, and in various documents of the period it is apparent that "the christological debate appears as a topic equal in importance to the predestinarian debate, both in Arminius' estimation and in the estimation of his opponents and questioners." Thus, Muller argues that Arminius' christology was not incidental to the more...

Calvinism's Exhaustive Determinism and Old Testament Scriptures Submitted by WilliamBirch on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 9:16am "I don't see how anyone could read the Old Testament and not conclude that Calvinism is right," was the assessment of one Calvinist professor recently. By "Calvinism" he meant the notion of God's exhaustive predeterminism of all things by decree. This professor was merely being consistent and honest about his own beliefs. He has done nothing immorally or ethically wrong with making such a statement to his students. My only hope is that his students do not take their professor's word on the matter but...

CLEARING UP MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CORPORATE ELECTION Brian Abasciano I. INTRODUCTION The nature of election has long been one of the most hotly debated topics in evangelical theology. The question lies at the heart of the debate between Arminianism and Calvinism, a debate which commands so much interest and attention because it ultimately has to do with the character of God. But beyond the inherent appeal the disagreement between Arminianism and Calvinism holds for those with a high view of Scripture, the debate has been raging with a heightened intensity in recent years with no sign of abating due to factors...

"So many people are satisfied with knowing Christ as their Savior on a theological level and to be honest accepting that as your final Spiritual destination may in fact indicate you may well need to examine yourself..." * Pursuing the Christ * When a sinner by faith embraces the Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ he begins a brand new journey that has no parallel this side of heaven’s glory. The born again experience happens in a time and place setting, but the pursuit of knowing, pleasing, and glorifying Jesus is life long journey. What are the necessary commitments that...

Imagine, if you will, that you are a missionary. You have taken the classes you will need to get around in this new country. You know the common language well enough. You understand the customs and are confidant you won’t make a scene your first day on the ground. There has been very little progress made in this locale, and that is why you were sent. It is your first missionary assignment, and you hope that God will use you to do great things among the people. You are in a high place. The top of a building, or maybe...

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever..." - Deuteronomy 29:29 From the beginning of time, thinkers have puzzled over the paradox of fate vs. free will, or predestination vs. free choice. In theological terms, this leads to the struggle between Calvinism and Arminianism. As we explore this paradox, we find that examining the fruit of each position reveals that the River of Life seems to flow between these two extremes, and that once again, truth involves a careful balance. At the heart of the...

Removing the Doctrinal Obstaclesto Calvinistic Evangelism by Mitch Cervinka Is Calvinism incompatible with evangelistic zeal?  This is one of the objections that is often raised against Calvinism. One needs only examine Protestant history to see that Calvinists have been on the forefront of evangelism and missions.  George Whitefield was outspoken in affirming all five points of Calvinism, yet he was one of the most zealous and effective evangelists of the Great Awakening.  Wherever he traveled, both in England and America, people would turn out by the thousands to hear him preach in the open fields.  The modern missionary movement began...

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY Three years ago Paul Kerovian lost it all. He had invested heavily in the "dot com" boom around the turn of the century only to watch his investments crumble one by one. Finally, in 2004, his portfolio hit rock bottom leaving him $39.8 million dollars in debt, jobless, homeless and virtually friendless, that is until help came. As it turns out Kerovian's older brother, Donald, had invested his own money elsewhere, focusing on more stable technology stocks. As a result Donald Kerovian had amassed a fortune of some $2.5 billion dollars in net worth. Taking pity on...

Dort Pitted Calvinists against Arminians. by the Staff or associates of Christian History Institute. James (Jacob) Arminius was uneasy with some of the teachings that had come to be identified with Calvinism. Did God really choose some men to be damned before he created them? Was Christ's death only intended for those who would finally be saved? Does God exercise his sovereignty so fully that man has no choice in his own salvation? Does regeneration come first and then repentance? As the professor of theology at Leyden, James had promised to teach only those things which conformed to the confessions...

Who Is Elect? Arminius Differed with Calvin. by the Staff or associates of Christian History Institute. © Copyright 1999-2006. All rights reserved. After a lengthy exchange of letters, the curators and burgomasters of Leiden officially appointed Jacobus Arminius Professor of Theology at their university on this day, May 8, 1603. When first proposed for the position, Arminius doubted he would take the job. He had formed loving ties with his flock in Amsterdam. Furthermore, he had found theological research a hindrance to his growth in personal sanctity. His working relationship with Amsterdam's authorities was good and he seldom found it...

Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?by C.H. Spurgeon An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most short-sighted can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years it has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. From speaking out as the Puritans did, the Church has gradually...