CALVIN AND ARMINIUS --

Predestination AND Free Will

The age old debate of Arminian vs. Calvinist continues. It divides
and causes quarrels and it breaks my heart. I consider myself a
Calvinist who believes in free will. I embrace those saved by
Jesus Christ alone (Calvinist or not!) as my brethren in Christ.
Free will is not the Way to God. Calvinism is not the Way to God.
Jesus Christ is the Way to God (See John 14:6).

I will share my thoughts about the debate, however.

SOVEREIGNTY AND CHOICE

Like Calvin, I believe that God is sovereign. He knows all, sees
all and history is but a moment to Him. He engineered this
universe knowing all that would happen. Further, all glory goes to
Him and our works and merits are nothing. Yet, even as that is
true, that does not mean that free will does not exist. Where I
differ from some Calvinists is free choice. God knows the choices
(by my free will) I would make, both those influenced by a Holy
Spirit empowered spirit and those influenced by an enemy
corrupted flesh. God knew all the choices I would make before I
was born and while I indeed do make those choices, the choices
that I do make are choices that God has already Himself
foreknown. God revealed Himself to me and I responded.
HOWEVER, I ONLY RESPONDED BECAUSE GOD MOVED IN
ME TO RESPOND. Left to myself, I could not and would not
choose God as I would be incapabale. This is true for all of us
(See Psalm 51:5, Psalm 53:3, Isaiah 48:8, Jeremiah 17:9,
Romans 3:10-12, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12-18, Ephesians
2:3). God will have mercy on whom He has mercy. Consider
Romans 9:13-22, Ephesians 4:1-11, and Acts 4:28. I have heard
it said of free will that it is "giving into the greatest inclination at
the time." In his book Putting Amazing Back Into Grace, Michael
Horton writes, "Just because humanity declared independence
does not mean that it became independent" (chapter 3). Prior to
God changing one's heart, the only "free" will is to choose which
sin to be in bondage to. Everyone who sins is enslaved to sin
(see John 8:34). We cannot please God without faith in Him since
"everything that does not come from faith is sin" (see Romans
14:23).

And then John Piper asks the question, "What is the will of God
and how do we know it?" (which links to a very insightful site).
God demonstrates 2 wills -- that of His commandment (which we
can fail) and that of His sovereignty (which we cannot - i.e., it will
happen no matter what). And if we fail His commandment due to
behaving out of the flesh, then are we free at all? Or is it some
twisted sense of "freedom" since we become enslaved to sin and
can only make the right choices when we are slaves to
righteousness by the transforming work of His Holy Spirit?

NOT GOOD AND TRANSFORMED,

PARTICIPATION
I agree with Calvin that no one is good. This is supported in the
Bible in Psalm 53:3 and Romans 3:23 to name a couple of the
many verses listed above.

Calvin states the following:

"Let it stand, therefore, as an indubitable truth, which no engines

can shake, that the mind of man is so entirely alienated from the
righteousness of God that he cannot conceive, desire, or design
any thing but what is wicked, distorted, foul, impure, and
iniquitous; that his heart is so thoroughly envenomed by sin that it
can breathe out nothing but corruption and rottenness; that if
some men occasionally make a show of goodness, their mind is
ever interwoven with hypocrisy and deceit, their soul inwardly
bound with the fetters of wickedness."

I agree that mankind is sinful. One could argue about the

changes made by the Holy Spirit and transformation via the
renewing of the mind (Romans 12:1) when one is saved and
subsequently in process of sanctification. However, this is not
Calvin's point as Calvin is referring to the unregenerate man who
is totally depraved and steeped in sin. One could ask, "What
about the spirit versus the sinful nature?" This is not at issue.
Where is the person's participation in God's redeeming work?
TRUE, our work may not mean anything as far as gaining
salvation but our participation is part of our transformation after
salvation and our transformation does not come without our
choices made during our temptation! This choosing (empowered
by the Holy Spirit) in transformation is part of sanctification.

Calvin is addressing man separate from the life of God (see

Genesis 6:5 and Jeremiah 17:9). Yes, man is separated from
God, but when Christ is in the heart of man then that gap of
separation is bridged by Jesus Christ via the cross.

SALVATION AND DAILY CHOOSING

Jesus did all of the work on the cross and in His life. I am justified
by Christ alone. When I responded to the Holy Spirit tugging at
my heart, it is only because the Holy Spirit had ALREADY DONE
WORK IN MY HEART for without Him we perish (see 1
Corinthians 2:14 and 2 Corinthians 4:3-4). I did work some
changes in my life afterwards IN CHRIST; He empowered and
began to change me. And He will complete that work He began
(see Philippians 1:6). God always works and I, now included in
His flock, work (empowered by Him). In doing this, He did not
abolish my free will. He restored it. I now actually have free will,
though in Christ am a slave to righteousness by His work,
certainly not my own. In Christ, I can choose not to sin. Jesus
gives me freedom to choose daily! When I choose to sin, I
choose to not live life abundantly as Christ offers in John 10:10. I
make choices based on the battle between spirit and flesh, and
He knows what choices I will make and works them out
according to His purpose whether that be to witness to another or
to learn a lesson myself or to be disciplined or something far
beyond my understanding. He sees the "big picture." I do not. I
only see glimpses -- divine revelation. Yet, He goes even further
than just working it out for good. He doesn't idly sit by an wait for
me to screw up and then do the trick to make things just "work
out." While He does allow, use, and sometimes initiate adversity,
that last word is the point. He initiates. He moves me via His
Spirit to make the right choices as left to my own devices, I fail. In
my salvation, I responded ... to prompting by the Holy Spirit. He
drew me. John 6:44 states, "No one can come to me unless the
Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last
day."
Choose this day whom you will serve (Refer to Joshua 24:14-15).
When faced with temptation I DECIDE which way I go, but as a
believer, I HAVE THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO
OVERCOME. Not by my power do I overcome, but by His. Grace
is a gift and gifts can be refused, but once taken, grace is for
good.

PREDESTINATION
There is something called predestination out there since
"predestined" is in the Bible (See Romans 8 and Ephesians 1).
Predestination intertwines with foreknowledge -- God's knowing
of my destiny (-destination) before (pre-) it happens. This is what
makes this debate almost a moot point. If God preordains it OR
He works out things so that in the long run my choices fit into His
purpose, then isn't the same thing ultimately going to happen?
Ok, I know most, if not all, of my Calvinist friends will say that
foreknowledge is not predestination. I agree! Foreknowledge
does not fully capture what predestination is. I heard an
interesting twist on predestination one time, and I think there is
something to be said for it: When one is saved, he or she is
predestined to Heaven and eternal life (That is once one is
saved, he or she is forever saved and destined to go to Heaven
even though he or she is before -- pre -- the point of having
passed from this earthly life and into the life to come). Many
Calvinists extend predestination to a predeterministic view of all
humanity. This almost says to me that if Joe Schmoe is shared
the gospel and says he chooses it that he still may be
predestined for condemnation. Ludicrous! I know personally
some Calvinist brothers and sisters who share tracks and the 4
Spiritual Laws with others where it is set up for the reader to
make a CHOICE. If these brothers and sisters believe in
"predeterministic" Calvinism, then besides Matthew 28:18-20,
why do they bother offering people a choice if Joe Schmoe might
be destined for condemnation? Maybe they would say because
they don't know how he is pre-ordained. Well, if they don't know,
they could still just sit back and let God's pre-ordained stuff just
happen. No! God knows, but we act, too. Even if we just sat
there, and we all do that too often, then we are exercising our will
though in an ungodly way (which means that we are acting out of
the flesh, which is bondage, not freedom). Yet, to go against
God's will is not to undermine His plan. Reflecting back on that
insightful twist to predestination, one could say that
foreknowledge applies to all, but predestination is for those who
become saved WHEN they become saved. I would say it applies
to those who are saved even BEFORE they become saved.
Does not God want ALL to come to repentance and not perish as
2 Peter 3:9 suggests? Yet, people choose against God and He
knows that they will choose against Him. Yet, to leave
predestination there is to reject biblical election and replace it
with foreknowledge; predestination is more than foreknowledge.
Humanity does not do what God intended most of the time, but
God knows all, sees all. He is not surprised, but we are not stuck
in a predetermined program. It begins to go beyond trying to
understand at this point. Much of this is an argument for
evangelism, not against predestination. Even though choice is
evident, one cannot make a choice for God without God FIRST
working in his or her heart.

FREE WILL
While the Bible mentions "predestined", it is also quite clear that
we have (or at least had) a free will. I believe that free will is part
of Imago Dei (The image of God). True love and fellowship
cannot exist without free will. The tree of the knowledge of good
and evil in the garden of Eden was what I call the "free will
element." Why else would God put the tree there? He wanted
true love and fellowship with Adam and Eve, not a forced
predeterministic fellowship which would not be true fellowship.
God told Jonah what to do and he CHOSE to run. God wants all
to come to repentance and not perish (2 Peter 3:8-9), but Jesus
also said that narrow is the gate to Heaven and wide are the
ways to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). That means that
somehow, people go against God's will. That means people
choose against God. However, again, the most "freedom" an
unregenerate heart can have is to choose the type of sin to be
enslaved to. A requirement for true love and fellowship and being
in God's image is free will, and it happens that they are of great
cost! Our choosing against God cost Him Jesus on the cross!
Yet, this is what God foreknew (and planned from the beginning)
and how it is the Greatest Example of God working things out to
the good. The crucifixion and resurrection are the climaxes of all
existence and history fulfilling prophecy and saving the lost and
giving the believer hope for eternal life! I do not deny the power
of the Holy Spirit and His influence in the lives of people, but God
is not in the clouds with a remote and we a bunch of robots. God
knows my decisions and their outcomes, but I don't sit and let all
the preordained stuff just happen around me. That is a
predeterministic view that I reject, a view pragmatically
synonymous with atheistic behavioralism or evolution. But in
saying all of this, I am also not saying that God sits around and
lets things just happen as a distant an impersonal deity. He
knows each and every choice -- good or bad -- that is going to
happen and He knows how it will all fit together for His ultimate
purpose. There are NO SURPRISES TO GOD! And our only
hope to do good is in and through Him!

SALVATION
I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone for if He
had not done the act of grace on the cross, there would be no
option except Hell. Yet His freeing act on the cross gives those in
Him freedoms to choose His will, choosing He foreknew and
choosing empowered by His Holy Spirit.

THE REAL ISSUE

God and mankind are both active; but only God foreknew what
occurred, is occurring, and what will occur. However, the real
issue is "Where do you stand?" Certainly how salvation occurs is
worth exploring, but division over how is ridiculous. I am
exploring it and I hope that this document can unify as opposed
to divide brethren in Christ. The free will aspect of my perspective
is not to the degree that I am saved by works and is not one to
the degree where I deny God's sovereignty. I believe in God's
working in the lives of people but not at the expense of people
becoming mindless (and not being able to think and make
choices, thus unable to love and fellowship truly, though we can
only truly love in Him).

To try to ultimately pin this down is unfruitful in my opinion. More

accurately, pinning this down is impossible (to be mentioned). Ok,
maybe I am in my folly to type all of this but I do this to dilute
some of the "stuff" that separates the Body of Christ and to get at
the heart of the matter. Is Christ in your heart? Are you saved?
Are good works coming out of your faith instead of trying to save
you? These are the questions that must be asked, even though
others are asked above. "Are you Calvinist or Arminian?" while a
good question, is NOT the question that needs to be asked.
Jesus asked, "Who do you say I AM?" (Mark 8:29).

REVISITED
I have revisited this topic (and this document) many times. I have
in the past fluctuated between Arminius and Calvin, neither
accepting both nor rejecting both, but now I am a Calvinist who
lets the tensions stand. Phil Smuland, a pastor and Calvinist
himself stated, "Extreme Calvinism is unhealthy" and in a later
message reminded the congregation to remember when they first
came to Christ before they were "theologized, Calvinized,
galvanized, and homogenized." God is a God of justice and
grace. Both justice and grace are attributes of God. Just as
neither justice alone nor grace alone is healthy for a Christian
lifestyle (as grace alone is abused as a license for sin when
without justice, and justice alone is abused as Pharisaic legalism
when without grace), free will and predestination also co-exist. It
was so eloquently put in words paraphrasing Charles Spurgeon
in a Bible study I attended in February 1999 that free will and
predestination are two lines that are both co-existing principles in
truth; these two lines converge in eternity. I am a free moral
agent, but God is omniscient. I can make choices, but the Holy
Spirit inspires righteous choices. I can go against God's will, but
God can use it in the "big picture" for good. How I want to
reconcile this in my mind! It is like a cruise ship. People choose
whether they dance, go to the restaurant, the show, lounge,
swim, or whatever, but the ship is set on its course. All those
choices are part of the functioning of the cruise ship and the
cruise ship will reach the destination. The universe is like the
cruise ship. Or as one quote went from J. Nehru states, "Life is
like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents
determinism; the way you play it is free will." Yet, to play the
cards right or to be doing good activities on the cruise ship can
only be accomplished by the One who knows right and good and
works in us to do it. Humanity can make its choices, but the book
of Revelation shall unfold. Still, this document may raise
questions and tensions in both free will and Calvinist camps. It
raises tensions and questions within me. Am I repeatedly
contradicting myself? A wise sister in Christ named Rebecca
(Breindel) Dillard once said that part of this debate is reflective of
God's divinity. I pondered her statement. How true that is! We can
make choices and even go against God's will, but God is still God
and He is still sovereign. The lack of reconciliation is mind-
boggling, but the tensions stand. Free will and predestination co-
exist in some mysterious way, a way that seems tense, but in my
finite mind, I see that I will never fully comprehend this aspect of
God's divinity. It surpasses the mere three-dimensional world I
perceive in my finite mind. This goes beyond the finite and into
the eternal. I just must go in faith knowing that these seemingly
irreconcilable ideas co-exist and I must trust that as I make
choices, God is also sovereign. God is good and we can trust
that.

Pastor Jim Logan dissected Romans 8:28-30, which states, "And

we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For
those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he
called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." He
mentions that predestination has nothing to do with Heaven or
hell, that all of us were destined for hell before we were in Christ.
Rather he mentions that foreknowledge means that God
foreknew we would exist and of those who would be in Christ He
predestined to be conformed to Christ. Predestination, Logan
states, is a matter of believers in Christ being conformed to
Christ. Logan emphasizes to not confuse predestination with
election. Some Calvinists are mistaken in that confusion, though
that is not good Calvinism. Logan also reminds those to whom he
preaches that it was God's work, not yours. And I once again
reiterate that God is good and we can trust Him.

FAIRNESS TO BOTH SIDES

The Reverend C.H. Spurgeon delivered a sermon entitled
Sovereign Grace and Man's Responsibility (No. 207) on Sabbath
Morning, August 1, 1858, at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey
Gardens. He covers this issue eloquently and more maturely and
clearly than I have here. See his full sermon at
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0207.htm
spurgeo . I conclude with
some quotes from his sermon:

And just let me say here, that it is the custom of a certain body of
Ultra-Calvinists, to call those of us who teach that it is the duty of
man to repent and believe, "Mongrel Calvinists." If you hear any
of them say so, give them my most respectful compliments, and
ask them whether they ever read Calvin's works in their lives. Not
that I care what Calvin said or did not say; but ask them whether
they, ever read his works; and if they say "No," as they must say,
for there are forty-eight large voluines, you can tell them, that the
man whom they call "a Mongrel Calvinist," though he has not
read them all, has read a very good share of them, and knows
their spirit; and he knows that he preaches substantially what
Calvin preached-that every doctrine he preaches may be found in
Calvin's Commentaries on some part of Scripture or other. We
are TRUE Calvinists, however. Calvin is nobody to us. Jesus
Christ and him crucified, and the old fashioned Bible, are our
standards. Beloved, let us take God's Word as it stands. If we
find high doctrine there, let it be high; if we find low doctrine, let it
be low; let us set up no other standard than the Bible affords.
...
This doctrine is as much God's Word as the other. You ask me to
reconcile the two. I answer, they do not want any reconcilement; I
never tried to reconcile them to myself, because I could never
see a discrepancy. If you begin to put fifty or sixty quibbles to me,
I cannot give any answer. Both are true; no two truths can be
inconsistent with each other; and what you have to do is to
believe them both. With the first one, the saint has most to do.
Let him praise the free and sovereign grace of God, and bless his
name. With the second, the sinner has the most to do. O sinner,
humble thyself under the mighty hand of God, when thou thinkest
of how often he hath shown his love to thee, by bidding thee
come to himself, and yet how often thou hast spurned his Word
and refused his mercy, and turned a deaf ear to every invitation,
and hast gone thy way to rebel against a God of love, and violate
the commands of him that loved thee.
...
I do not think the truth lies between the two extremes, but in them
both.
...
Where we get wrong is where the Calvinist begins to meddle with
the question of damnation, and interferes with the justice of God;
or when the Arminian denies the doctrine of grace.
...
Have nothing to do with me where I have nothing to do with
Christ. Where I separate from the truth, cast my words away. But
if what I say be God's teaching, I charge you, by him that sent
me, give these things your thoughts, and turn unto the Lord with
all your hearts.
And let's not forget about considering the 5 points of Calvinism,
a.k.a. Calvin's TULIP:

T - Total Depravity. The verses listed earlier in this document

support this.
U - Unconditional Election. If God electing us was conditional
on our works, then salvation would be based on our works,
which means God would not be electing us. However, the
Bible teaches that He chooses us and that believers are the
elect (See Mt 24:31, Luke 18:7, John 15:16, Acts 15:17-18,
Romans 8:28- 30, Rom 8:33, Romans 9:11, Rom 11:2,
Romans 11:5-7, 1 Cor 2:7, Ephesians 1:5,11, 1 Thes 1:4, 2
Thes 2:13, Titus 1:1, 1 Peter 1:2 and Rev 13:8).
L - Limited Atonement. This is a tough one, requiring some
theological massaging, which would then make me a four-
point Calvinist if you have to stoop to labeling. A five-point
Calvinist would say that Jesus died ONLY for the elect, not
for all people. What I say is that Jesus died for all as
supported by Scripture, but that the effect of the atonement
is limited to the elect (also supported by Scripture). Think
about it. God's grace is sufficient for all, but applied to some
(You could also think in terms of common and specific
grace). Jesus said this when he said, "Enter through the
narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that
leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is
the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a
few find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). This means that those who
enter the gate are a limited group. John 3:17 states, "For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him." Some look at the
word world, but miss the phrase through him. The narrow
gate, those through Him -- in Christ. These are His elect.
That is why the effect of the atonement is limited. The act on
the cross is universally sufficient, but we know that it is not
universally applied since not all will be in Heaven. Worthy of
debate and you may differ, but consider this question.
Whether you believe Jesus died only for the elect or Jesus
died for all and only the elect receive His gift, the end result
is the same: Only God's elect go to Heaven. However, the
most important question is, "Do you know Jesus and are you
trusting His death and resurrection - His perfect work on your
behalf - for salvation?"
I - Irresistible Grace. Those whom God calls respond to Him.
 P - Perseverance of the Saints. Once saved, alwasy saved.
If eternal life could stop, then it would no longer be eternal.
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow
me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no
one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has
given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch
them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:27-29).

If there are any comments, please feel free to e-mail me at

BeaknDeakn@aol.com.

Blessings in the Name of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

James A. Johnson
BeaknDeakn@aol.com
http://beacondeacon.com/

For this and other documents, refer to

http://beacondeacon.com/ichthus/theology.

Originally written March 1998. Revisited and updated 7

September 1998, 20 February 1999, and 27 July 2006, 3
September 2008, 16 December 2008, November 2009, March
2010 and November 2015.

Special thanks to William H. Johnson, Phil Smuland, Rebecca

Breindel Dillard, Lee Dunbar, John Morrison, Dave Miller, Jim
Logan and others whose reflections have both challenged and
enriched what I have written by my choosing and with God's help
:)