The Five Points of Calvinism and Arminianism

"As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.' What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."

-Romans 9:13-16 ESV

Why Does It Matter?

The simple answer is: God has addressed it in Scripture. God has inspired some texts in Scripture that seem to address the subject of God's sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation (e.g., John 6, Romans 8:30; 9; 1 Tim. 2:4). (This article is focused on God's sovereignty in salvation, or a person being saved. For a more general article on God's sovereignty click here.) This doesn't mean that God has provided every detail on the relationship between God's sovereignty and human responsibility. Still, we are left with this question: How should we interpret these passages of Scripture concerning God's sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation?

Moreover, from a practical standpoint, the implications from these views can have significant effects in a believer's life and a church's practices. (What follows are clearly generalizations and not every person or church always fits neatly into these categories. This next section merely describes some general trends and even some abuses I've seen on both sides. The point is our theology can significantly influence our practice.)

For example, an Arminian may have a more optimistic view of people and their free will while a Calvinist may have a more negative view due to the effects of sin. Sometimes this has led Arminians to place a higher emphasis on evangelism (though some may fall into an obsession on numbers often including an obsession on our ability to influence numbers of salvations). Nevertheless, there have been many powerful Calvinistic evangelists who confidently share the gospel precisely because of their confidence I God’s power to save. Sadly, however, on the other end of the spectrum, hyper-Calvinists have occasionally claimed since God will save who he has chosen, evangelism is not needed. The best representatives on both sides emphasize God's sovereignty, human responsibility to respond to the gospel, and the need to spread the gospel through evangelism.

Furthermore, these beliefs can have significant implications on one's view of God. An Arminian may focus more on a person's decision while a Calvinist may focus more on God's wisdom, power, will, and glory. This can significantly influence the strategies a church may take for evangelism and discipleship. An Arminian may focus more on the strategies, methods, and elements that help a person make a decision (i.e., perhaps leading to pragmatism at times) while a Calvinist may focus more on faithfulness to God's ordained means and trusting the results into his hands (i.e., perhaps leading to apathy in evangelism and mission at times).

As another example, an Arminian Christian may find oneself crippled with worry that he will lose his salvation while a Calvinist may sleep peacefully because of the belief that believers are securely preserved by God until the end. On the other hand, Arminians may put more effort into their sanctification (i.e., growing to become like Jesus) while Calvinists may fall into the delusion that one can live however he or she wants.

Another example is one's prayer life. A Calvinist may feel confident praying for a nonbeliever since God can affect the salvation of people. On the other hand, an Arminian may feel less confident praying for someone's salvation (since the person's salvation is ultimately dependent on his or her free will). However, on the other side, a Calvinist may struggle wondering why God didn't choose a particular person while an Arminian may simply say, "In the person's free will, he (or she) rejected God."

Again, these are merely generalizations, but the point is: What we believe matters, and our beliefs often enter into our lives and practices. Thus, it is important that we reflect on both our theology and practice.

Additionally, if these views (shaped by abuses) are automatically directed at the other side, then they could easily become a caricature. Again, not everyone falls into these traps. There are solid, healthy representatives on both sides. Let’s be careful that we are generously understanding the other side and avoiding caricature.

Nevertheless, it remains true that these doctrines can significantly impact our lives and churches. Scripture addresses the topic. Therefore, it is an important subject to think through; we should reflect carefully and biblically.

This is typically considered a secondary or tertiary issue where well-meaning Christians sometimes disagree.

What Is It?

In the 1600s, a debate arose concerning salvation (i.e., being saved). Various questions have been brought up in this debate such as: Do people have free will to believe the gospel? Or, do they need God's work of regeneration before they believe? Did God choose people conditionally based on how people will respond or was it based upon his own sovereign will? Did Jesus die for everyone or only the elect? If he died for everyone, then why isn't everyone saved? If he died for a few, why is the gospel preached to all? Can God's grace be resisted or not? Can a Christian lose their salvation or not?

Admittedly, there are extremes that should be avoided on either side. On one side, God's sovereignty can be stressed and human responsibility can be completely neglected. On the other side, human freedom can be stressed and God's sovereignty can be totally neglected. The Bible demonstrates both God's sovereignty and human responsibility. Therefore, both Arminians and Calvinists emphasize God's sovereignty and human responsibility, but they do so in different ways. While it is helpful and biblical to think through this topic, it must be stressed that exactly how God's sovereignty and human responsibility relate is ultimately a mystery.

It is also important to note that this was an intramural debate among the Reformed stream which came out of the Reformation. As Douglas Sweeney points out (in his excellent article titled "Was Luther a Calvinist?" on The Gospel Coalition), there were four main branches which came out of the Reformation: Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, and Church of England. Arminians were trying to reform the Reformed, as it were. He continues in his article to argue that Lutherans generally agree with Calvinists on the first two points: that is, they agree on total depravity and unconditional election (with some slight variations); Lutherans generally agree with Arminians on the last three points: limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints (with some slight variations; see the article for the details).

Although some aspects of this debate stretch back to the early church, at the Synod of Dort in 1619, it became clear in the Reformed stream that there were two sides to this issue. One side was the Arminian view while the other was Calvinism. The issues were later arranged to form the acrostic "T.U.L.I.P." (hence the picture of the tulip above).

The chart below is adapted from H. Wayne House, Charts of Christian Theology & Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), 99-100.

	Arminianism	Calvinism
T (Total Depravity) - After the Fall, does the sinner need the Spirit to regenerate before belief?	Free Will or Human Ability (No)	Total Inability or Total Depravity (Yes)
U (Unconditional Election) - Was God's choice of people before the foundation of the world based on how they would respond or his own sovereign will?	Conditional Election (Based on their faith that he can see in the future with his foreknowledge; conditional)	Unconditional Election (Based on his own sovereign will; unconditional)
L (Limited Atonement) - For whom did Jesus die?	Universal Redemption or General Atonement (died for all to have the opportunity to be saved but did not secure their salvation)	Particular Redemption or Limited Atonement (died for the elect and actually secured their salvation as well)
I (Irresistible Grace) - Can people resist God's grace?	The Holy Spirit is Able to Be Effectually Resisted	The Efficacious Call of the Spirit or Irresistible Grace (He cannot be resisted)
P (Perseverance of the Saints) - Can a Christian lose their salvation?	Falling from Grace (yes, they can lose salvation)	Perseverance of the Saints (no, they cannot lose their salvation)

Application

Both views agree that universalism is not biblical. They both agree that we should pray for the salvation of others and preach the gospel to all. They both agree that we should remain Christians rather than leaving the faith. Thus, while it is an important subject to study, both groups can agree on the basic application. In other words, both groups can agree that we should pray for nonbelievers to be saved and share the gospel with them!

Where Can I Learn More?

Bibliography:

-House, H. Wayne. Charts of Christian Theology & Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992.

-Douglas Sweeney's article titled "Was Luther a Calvinist?" on The Gospel Coalition

For more:

-Hunt, Dave, and James White. Debating Calvinism: Five Points, Two Views. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2004.