To some degree, I am likely beating my head against the wall trying to reach a firm and final conclusion when theologians (real ones, not us “everyday living” theologians) have debated Biblical interpretation and resultant doctrines for over four centuries. So donning the helmet of ignorance, I’ve attempted to assemble the disparate positions and the scriptural basis of two of the main theological camps (and there are others!?), I created and herein (ooh! fancy) offer this table along with my personal conclusions.
These perspectives represent the different understandings and interpretations of key doctrinal issues of the Christian faith. As the title suggests, many Christians see doctrine as something to be avoided as it can lead to division. Quoting something about “it is impossible to know the mind of God”, they shrink from engaging in what can be an unsettling discussion.
Rather than dismiss differences in doctrine as irrelevant minutia, we’re cautioned by Paul that failure to defend true doctrine can lead to creating idols and false gods. He wrote to his young protégé in 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
Don’t let your itchy ears be scratched by false teachers. Instead, read the scriptures for yourself and pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, you will come to know the thorough and proper interpretation of the Word.
The framework of this table begins with the “distinctives” of Reformed Theology, often represented by the acrostic TULIP described in the “Canons of Dort” written in 1619 (over 400 years ago!)
NOTE: Any italics or bold are added by me (Hey, it’s my chart!).
| Doctrine | Total Depravity | ||
| In Brief | Can man decide to accept Jesus of his own initiative? | ||
| Arminian Position | Individuals can, of their own volition, accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. While God’s grace is necessary for salvation, due to the existence of “prevenient grace” individuals have the freedom to accept or reject God’s offer of salvation through their own volition. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | John 1:9 (“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”) | Romans 2:6-8 (“God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” | |
| Calvinist Position | Human beings are completely unable to save themselves or respond to God without His initiating an irresistible grace. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | Romans 3:10-12 (“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”) | John 6:63 (“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” | John 3:5,6 (“Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”) |
| Conclusion | My understanding aligns with Calvin – God must give humans the desire and ability to respond. The metaphor of swimming to a life ring thrown to a drowning man is not an accurate metaphor. We are a dead man pulled from the bottom of the ocean then brought back to life by the power of the Holy Spirit alone. | ||
| Simply Stated | Without God’s initiative, no one can choose to be saved; no one can be good enough to earn their way to heaven. Regeneration precedes faith. | ||
| Doctrine | Unconditional Election | ||
| In Brief | How does God determine who gets saved? | ||
| Arminian Position | God’s choice of salvation is based on His foreknowledge of individuals who will respond in faith. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | 1 Peter 1:1-2 (“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood…”) | ||
| Calvinist Position | God’s choice of salvation is based solely on His sovereign will, not on anything foreseen in human beings. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | Romans 9:11-13 (“…though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'”) | Ephesians 2:9 (“Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”) | |
| Conclusion | My understanding aligns with Calvin – Though God can certainly see the works and decisions one may make, these are still works and according to “sola fide”, we are saved by faith alone which is a gift from God. | ||
| Simply stated | God chooses who will be saved based on His own decision and not because of anything we do or deserve. | ||
| Doctrine | Limited Atonement | ||
| In Brief | Did Jesus die for all or for some specific subgroup? | ||
| Arminian Position | Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for all, and salvation is offered to all, but only those who believe will be saved. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | 1 Timothy 2:3-6 (“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all…”) | 2 Peter 3:9 (“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” | |
| Calvinist Position | Christ’s sacrifice is specifically for the elect, and His atonement secures their salvation completely. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | John 10:26 (“But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.”) | John 17:9 (“I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”) | John 6:44 (“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”) |
| Conclusion: | My understanding aligns with Calvin – Paul’s letter to Timothy was in regard to worship and applied to believers. Peter is addressing believers. Any other stretch to include “all” is universalism. Everyone is obviously NOT saved since people go to hell per Matthew 25:46 – “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” | ||
| Simply stated: | Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was specifically for certain people chosen by God, rather than for everyone. Before you feel smugly superior, see my post which cautions never to assume who you interact with is or is not among the elect. The thief on the cross was likely a man devoid of good fruit right up until the Holy Spirit allowed him to see and respond to the truth – Jesus is Lord! | ||
| Doctrine | Irresistible Grace | ||
| In Brief | When God extends His saving grace to an individual, can that person resist or reject? | ||
| Arminian Position | God’s grace can be resisted or rejected by human beings through their free will. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | Matthew 23:37 (“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”) | ||
| Calvinist Position | God’s grace is irresistible, and those whom He calls will respond in faith. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | Romans 8:30 (“…and those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”) | Romans 8:38 (“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”) | |
| Conclusion: | My understanding aligns with Calvin: In Matt 23:37 Jesus is speaking of Jerusalem’s unbelieving (non-elect) leaders who blocked the “children” from participating in Jesus’ ministry. It shows Jesus’ compassion, not an inability to persuade those whom the Father has given Him. | ||
| Simply stated: | When God wants to save someone, His grace is so powerful that the person cannot resist or say no to His invitation (nor would he want to once the truth is known!). | ||
| Doctrine | Perseverance of the Saints | ||
| In Brief | Can someone who is saved lose or reject their faith? | ||
| Arminian Position | Believers can fall away from faith and lose their salvation if they choose to reject God’s grace. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | Hebrews 6:4-6 (“For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance…”) | ||
| Calvinist Position | True believers are eternally secure in their salvation, and none whom God has chosen can be lost. | ||
| Scriptural Reference | John 10:27-29 (“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”) | Philippians 1:6 (“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”) | |
| Conclusion: | My understanding aligns with Calvin; The author of Hebrews is referring to apostates, like Judas, who were exposed to the truth (went through the motions) but were not truly believers (they could not be as they were not numbered among the elect). In 1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” Anyone who apostatizes is proving he never had genuine faith to begin with. | ||
| Simply stated: | Once someone is truly saved, they will continue to follow and trust in Jesus throughout their life, with God’s help (not their own efforts), and will never lose their salvation. They are “preserved” by God may be a better letter “P” than persevered which seems to imply will and effort on the part of the saved person. | ||
Summary: Calvinist positions on doctrine are considered by some to be more accurate interpretations due to their emphasis on God’s sovereignty, scriptural consistency, and the logical coherence of their theological framework. Well-known historical theologians like John Calvin (obviously) and Jonathan Edwards (read his tome Freedom of the Will) and more recent theological heavyweights like R.C. Sproul, J. I. Packer, Charles Spurgeon, and John Piper have provided robust theological arguments in support of Calvinistic perspectives.
So who cares? How should aligning to one or the other impact what I do, what I think, my attitude, or my actions?
(**A later posting titled “Destination: Known” discusses the “so what” of doctrines.**)