Someone asks that we document from responsible leaders of both Calvinism and Arminianism wherein they differ in their views of righteousness by faith.
The two ideas are distinctly different. Both try to understand what the Bible has to say about justification by faith but neither fully understands; and when God can find a church that believes the full truth, it will proclaim it so clearly that the Holy Spirit will bless as He blessed the apostles after Pentecost, to lighten the earth with the message.
Calvinism holds that whatever is God’s sovereign will must be fulfilled “on earth as it is in heaven”(to quote part of the Lord’s prayer). From this comes the idea that Christ must not be allowed to die for anyone in vain, so God must therefore predestinate some people to be saved eternally and nothing can alter that predestination. Calvinism would be right if it recognized that the Lord has predestinated everyone to be saved.
But many will at last be lost; therefore the strict Calvinist conclusion has to follow—that Christ did not die for the lost.
Arminianism arose as a protest: Christ must be allowed to offer salvation to all men, but He must have some resource to back up that offer. It follows that He must have died for all men; but that sacrifice does no one any good so far as salvation is concerned unless he first believes.
But this raises a problem: the salvation of those who believe therefore ultimately depends on their own initiative in believing. Thus in the end the idea is there, underground in every person’s “experience,” that he has had a vital part in his own salvation. The unconscious connection then inevitably produces lukewarmness in the world church. “Thou knowest not,” says Jesus (Rev. 3:17); if we believe we helped save ourselves, pride is inevitable.
Until this is resolved, generation after generation who anticipate the “soon” return of Christ go into their graves short of realizing the “blessed hope” of seeing Jesus return (John 14:1-3).
About 120 years ago two young men came up with a clearer understanding: Christ did die for “all men;” He did redeem “all men;” He gave the gift, not merely offered salvation, to “all men” in the same way that Esau’s birthright was his; no one could take it from him. And no one can be lost unless like Esau he has “despised” and “sold” what Christ has given him (Rom. 5:15-18; Heb. 12:16, 17). This truth puts an end to lukewarmness forever. Your soul is “constrained” by the love (agape) of Christ, for self is now “crucified with Him”(Gal. 2:20). And gladly so, no weepy regrets for what is given up for Him; the surrender is joyous.
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