THE "FIVE POINTS" OF
ARMINIANISM |
THE "FIVE POINTS" OF
CALVINISM (T.U.L.I.P.) |
Free Will or Human Ability
Although human nature was seriously affected by the fall, man has not
been left in a state of total spiritual helplessness. God graciously
enables every sinner to repent and believe, but He does not interfere
with man's freedom. Each sinner possesses a free will, and his eternal
destiny depends on how he uses it. Man's freedom consists of his ability
to choose good over evil in spiritual matters; his will is not enslaved
to his sinful nature. The sinner has the power to either cooperate with
God's Spirit and be regenerated—or to resist God's grace and perish. The
lost sinner needs the Spirit's assistance, but he does not have to be
regenerated by the Spirit before he can believe, for faith is man's act
and precedes the new birth. Faith is the sinner's gift to God—it is
man's contribution to salvation.
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Total
Inability or Total Depravity
Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the
gospel. The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his
heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is
in bondage to his evil nature; therefore, he will not—indeed he cannot—choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. Consequently, it takes
much more than the Spirit's assistance to bring a sinner to Christ—it
takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes the sinner alive and gives
him a new nature. Faith is not something man contributes to salvation,
but is itself a part of God's gift of salvation. Faith is God's gift to the
sinner, not the sinner's gift to God.
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Conditional Election
God's choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation
of the world was based upon His foreseeing that they would respond to
His call. He selected only those whom He knew would of themselves freely
believe the gospel. Election therefore was determined by or conditioned
upon what man would do. The faith which God foresaw and upon which He
based His choice, was not given to the sinner by God (it was not created
by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit) but resulted solely from
man's will. It was left entirely up to man as to who would believe—and
therefore as to who would be elected unto salvation. God chose those
whom He knew would, of their own free will, choose Christ. Thus the
sinner's choice of Christ—not God's choice of the sinner, is the
ultimate cause of salvation.
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Unconditional
Election
God's choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the
foundation of the world rested solely in His own sovereign will. His
choice of particular sinners was not based on any foreseen response or
obedience on their part—such as faith, repentance, etc. On the
contrary, God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom He
selected. These acts are the result—not the cause, of God's choice.
Election therefore was not determined by or conditioned upon any
virtuous quality or act foreseen in man. Those whom God sovereignly
elected, He brings through the power of the Spirit to a willing
acceptance of Christ. Thus God's choice of the sinner—not the sinner's
choice of Christ, is the ultimate cause of salvation.
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Universal Redemption or General
Atonement
Christ's redeeming work made it possible for everyone to be saved—but
did not actually secure the salvation of anyone. Although Christ died
for all men and for every man, only those who believe on Him are saved.
His death enabled God to pardon sinners on the condition that they
believe—but it did not actually put away anyone's sins. Christ's
redemption becomes effective, only if man chooses to accept it.
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Limited
Atonement or Particular Redemption
Christ's redeeming work was intended to save the elect only—and actually
secured salvation for them. His death was a substitutionary endurance of
the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. In
addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ's redemption
secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith which
unites them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the
Spirit to all for whom Christ died—therefore guaranteeing their
salvation.
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The Holy Spirit Can Be Effectually
Resisted
The Spirit calls inwardly, all those who are called outwardly by the
gospel invitation; He does all that He can to bring every sinner to
salvation. But inasmuch as man is free, he can successfully resist the
Spirit's call. The Spirit cannot regenerate the sinner, until he
believes. Faith (which is man's contribution) precedes and makes
possible the new birth. Thus, man's free will limits the Spirit in the
application of Christ's saving work. The Holy Spirit can only draw to
Christ, those who allow Him to have His way with them. Until the sinner
responds, the Spirit cannot give life. God's grace, therefore, is not
invincible—it can be, and often is, resisted and thwarted by man.
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Irresistible
Grace or the Efficacious Call of the Spirit
In addition to the outward general call to salvation which is made to
everyone who hears the gospel—the Holy Spirit extends to the elect a
special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. The
external call (which is made to all without distinction) can be, and
often is, rejected. Whereas the internal call (which is made only to the
elect) cannot be rejected—it always results in conversion. By means of
this special call, the Spirit irresistibly draws sinners to Christ. He is
not limited in His work of applying salvation, by man's will; nor is He
dependent upon man's cooperation for success. The Spirit graciously
causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come
freely and willingly to Christ. God's grace therefore, is invincible—it never fails to result in the salvation of those to whom
it is extended.
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Falling From Grace
Those who believe and are truly saved can lose their salvation, by
failing to keep up their faith, etc. All Arminians have not been agreed
on this point; some have held that believers are eternally secure in
Christ—that once a sinner is regenerated, he can never be lost.
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Perseverance
of the Saints
All who are chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given
faith by the
Spirit—are eternally saved. They are kept in faith by the power of
Almighty God, and thus persevere to the end.
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| According to Arminianism:
Salvation is accomplished through the combined efforts of God (who
takes the initiative) and man (who must respond)—with man's response
being the determining factor. God has provided salvation for everyone,
but His provision becomes effective only for those who, of their own
free will, "choose" to cooperate with Him and accept His offer of grace.
At the crucial point, man's will plays a decisive role. Thus man, not
God, determines who will be the recipients of the gift of salvation.
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According to Calvinism:
Salvation is accomplished by the almighty power of the Triune God. The
Father chose a people, the Son died for them, the Holy Spirit makes
Christ's death effective by bringing the elect to faith and repentance—thereby causing them to willingly obey the gospel. The entire process
(election, redemption, regeneration) is the work of God and is by grace
alone. Thus God, not man—determines who will be the recipients
of the gift of salvation.
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