Well, this pathetic blog has never attempted any sort of delving into this great debate, and this will be kept short as we actually want people to a)read this blog and b)think about what is presented, which can be lost if I post nothing but a diatribe of theological mumbo-jumbo that most people can't understand nor care to find out.
My beloved brother-in-law (God bless him) sent me a couple of links that were arguing against the doctrines of Calvin. I had to write him and give him the bad news that in this world, finding people that disagree with Calvin isn't the least bit difficult. However, I read the links and gave him some very minor feedback. This post is simply to respond to a major theme that I find disturbing in the attitudes of those that believe in the theology of Arminius vis. the doctrine of election (God's sovereignty v. man's free will).
When pressed on why those that refuse to believe in the sovereign election as described by Calvin, many have written or said "I cannot believe in a god that would operate the way Calvin describes" (or something along those lines). I will say the same thing here as I say to my sons; "Words have meaning!" To put things short, Calvin believes that justification (saving faith) comes from God and God alone, that we as lost people cannot come to Christ without God's gift of regeneration (born again). Therefore, it is God who gets all the glory for our salvation, and we as those that are saved have no reason to boast in anything. Arminius believes that salvation is a work of both God and the lost person (synergism as opposed to Calvin's monergism); therebye emphasizing the freedom of man to choose his salvation or choose damnation. The problem comes when someone says that they can never believe in a god that would do things in some particular way, they are then opening themselves up to idolatry and having no god at all if they are in fact wrong in their assessment. IF God, does in fact, save people according to His decree and will alone, will those that use such strong language against such a position be saved? I hope and pray that they are using hyperbole and that they don't actually think that if God operates according to principles that they don't agree with that they won't believe in God. This is a dangerous position.
Christianity has open issues and closed issues. Let's make sure that we understand what those are and act accordingly. If you want to believe that you played the vital role in your own salvation, good for you. I think you're wrong, but we can still be Christian brothers and sisters, let's just make sure that we're not dying on a hill that can't afford to die on.
This is an interesting blog. The whole Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate I find is futile to say the least. Both theologies are man's limited attempt to understand and study God. As important as theology is, it is very limited by the ones that consider themselves theologians. There is more talk about Calvin and Arminius among "reformers" than Christ! I don't see any mention of Christ in these types of debates. Why does it appear that "reformers" are more devote to Calvin than Christ. John Calvin may have been a brilliant man, but his moral character was far from "Christ-like", remember his treatment of Servetus. Servetus was a heretic, but that still doesn't warrant someone to be burned to death. I think we need to focus on Christ and live our lives the way He taught us to live, and forget about Calvin and Arminius!
ReplyDeleteToo right Benje! As I've said to others, this is an open-handed issue. I know of many very godly men and women that disagree with at least one of the five points of Calvin, and yet there is no animosity between us, nor should there be. That being said, we need to be careful about how dogmatic we are regarding differences in our theology. If God does operate according to the theology of Arminius, I would be more than happy to eat humble pie. My God is triune in nature, He sent His Son Jesus Christ, the God-man, to die on a cross for the forgiveness of sins. I am required to repent and put my trust in his Son, and to be His disciple. It is in the pursuit of being a disciple that we tend to get into theological differences. Closed-handed vs. open-handed.
ReplyDeleteWell, I suppose to say "we need to focus on Christ" makes a statement, in itself, against Arminianism. If we are to focus on Christ we must forget ourselves, yet if we are to be Arminian we must also focus upon ourselves.
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