What is Calvinism & Arminianism?

Moore's Corner Church

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Hello, in this video, I will be presenting a basic overview of the two opposing systems of theology,

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Calvinism and Arminianism. Calvinism is named after the

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French theologian John Calvin, and Arminianism is named after the

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Dutch Reformed theologian Jacob Arminius. Today, Calvinism is known for the five points that carefully define the doctrine.

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These points were not developed by John Calvin, but were given by the

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Synod of Dort in 1619. The Synod of Dort was a response to the five points of the

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Arminian Remonstrance, a document drawn up in 1610 by the

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Arminians of the Dutch Reformed Church, presenting the differences between their doctrines and those of the

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Calvinists. The five points of Calvinism are known by the acronym

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TULIP. The five points are T, Total Depravity, U, Unconditional Election, L for Limited Atonement, I for Irresistible Grace, and then

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P stands for the Perseverance of the Saints. The five points of Arminianism are in contrast to the five points of Calvinism.

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The Arminian five points are Human Free Will, Conditional Election, Universal Atonement, Resistible Grace, and Fall from Grace.

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So let's go back and define these points. The five points of Calvinism, again, are

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T for Total Depravity. This means that human beings are corrupted by sin and are unable to choose or to do good apart from the grace of God.

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Unconditional Election teaches that God chooses some people to be saved according to His sovereign will, not based on any merit or foreseen faith in them.

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Limited Atonement teaches that Christ died only for the elect, securing their salvation and guaranteeing their redemption.

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Irresistible Grace says that God's grace is effectual and cannot be resisted or rejected by the elect who are regenerated and enabled to believe and repent.

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Perseverance of the Saints says that God preserves the elect and keeps them from falling away, ensuring their final salvation.

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The five points of Arminianism explained are 1. Human Free Will.

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This states that though man has fallen, he is not incapacitated by the sinful nature and can freely choose

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God. 2. Conditional Election.

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God chooses people for salvation based on the precondition that He foreknows or foresees that they will have faith.

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So God looks into the future to see who would respond to the gospel message and He elects them in response to this foreknowledge.

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3. Universal Atonement. The position that Jesus bore the sin of literally every human being who has ever lived.

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4. Resistible Grace. The teaching that the grace of God can be resisted and finally beaten so as to reject salvation in Christ.

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And then 5. Fall from Grace. The teaching that a person can fall from grace, meaning people can, and in fact do, lose their salvation.

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Calvinist theology is typically found in Presbyterian, Congregational, and Reformed churches.

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Arminian theology is typically found within Methodist and Pentecostal churches as well as the

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Salvation Army. Baptist and non -denominational churches tend to be more Calvinistic, although they can go either way, with many rejecting the whole idea that you have to believe one or the other.

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So in conclusion, some believe the Bible teaches Calvinism, others believe the scripture teaches

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Arminianism, there are people who accept some parts and not others, and then there are those who reject the whole thing, claiming the two opposing systems really just present a false dichotomy, that you don't have to believe any of it.

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Whatever the case. One last comment, Calvinist theologian R .C. Sproul once said that this debate over which side is correct, he said, this is an in -house debate among Christians.

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In other words, neither position is heresy. People can hold to one or the other, or neither, and still be a true follower of Christ.

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Thank you for listening. I hope you found this video helpful. If you liked it, consider sharing it or giving it a thumbs up.

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That way YouTube will recommend it to others. And until next time, may the Lord be with you and have a great day.