There are two main views of theology known as Calvinism and Arminianism with each having five points. A third view is Lutheranism from former Roman Catholic priest Martin Luther who led to the Protestant Reformation. This view is found mainly only in Lutheran churches. Calvinism came about in the 1500’s by French theologian John Calvin and Arminianism in 1610 by Dutch Reform theologian Jacobus Arminius. All three are wrong with Arminianism being the closest to biblical truth and with Calvinism being very dangerous. Each of the three contains some truth, but also wrong doctrines. Baptists since the 1600’s have long been associated with Arminianism over Calvinism since it was the most biblical, though as I said all are wrong and one needs to just follow scripture. Methodists and Pentecostals are also heavily Arminian with Presbyterians being Calvinistic. Reform denominations are also heavily Calvinistic. Today many Baptists and especially Southern Baptist leaders and preachers have gotten away from scripture due to using false corrupt bibles and have been pushing the false and dangerous Calvinism. The Southern Baptist bible the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), formerly known as the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), even makes changes in the text to support Calvinism. John Calvin was a Roman Catholic who broke away and started Calvinism as an alternative view of Lutheranism and as a competing denomination. We should never follow the doctrines named after a man, follow God’s word.
The five points of Arminianism are Free Will, Conditional Election, Unlimited Atonement, Resistible Grace, and Falling From Grace. Sometimes the acronym DAISY is used with slightly different wording.
The five points of Lutheranism are Original Sin, Unconditional Election, Unlimited Atonement, Resistible Grace, and Falling From Grace.
The five points of Calvinism are known by the acronym TULIP. Some people are said to be five point Calvinists or five point Arminianists or three point Calvinists and two point Arminianists or some combination. Some people call a certain combination of the two the five points of Evangelicalism. I am not anything as I just go by scripture as we all should. The TULIP acronym stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.
Total Depravity teaches that man due to Adam and Eve’s sin is totally depraved, spiritually dead and cannot repent. Calvinism says God must initiate the work in order to save a person. It is true that all people are born with a sin nature due to Adam’s sin and all are born spiritually dead, but it is not true that we cannot repent and be saved. It is true that man cannot save themselves, but not true that everyone cannot call out to Jesus for salvation. Arminianism says we have a free will to choose to obey the Holy Ghost and to repent or not. Most people never do get saved because they ignore the conviction by the Holy Ghost, but not due to not being an elect or because they cannot repent. Lutheranism calls this Original Sin which is a term taken from Roman Catholicism. Scripture says the Holy Ghost convicts people that they are a sinner in need of a Saviour as they are unable to save themselves. Man will not call out to Jesus without conviction by the Holy Ghost, but the Holy Ghost convicts everyone and not just certain people as Calvinism teachings. (Romans 3:10-11 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.) Every person can choose to repent of their sins if they want. Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached that people needed to repent. (Mark 1:14-15 14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.) Jesus never said that unless I allow you too, then you cannot repent as taught by Calvinism. Jesus would not preach repentance nor have others preach repentance if man was unable to repent. Jesus calls out for all to repent, not just a few. (II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.) True biblical repentance is realizing that something is sin in the same way that God sees it as sin. You are to then stop doing it. If someone is unsaved then they need to call out to Jesus to save them before changing their lives. True repentance is not as many teach that we need to change our lives before we are saved. God will save us just as we are, the filthy wretched sinners that we are. God will clean us up after we are saved by the Holy Ghost convicting us of sin and us then repenting of the sin and not doing it anymore. If we had to change before being saved, then few would be saved and that is works salvation. We cannot clean up ourselves since we are sinners and that is the whole point of why we need Jesus as our Saviour. All of us are as filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.)
Unconditional Election says that people did nothing on their own to be elected by God for their salvation. Calvinism says that God elects people for salvation based on his will and nothing that the sinner has done whereas Arminianism says that God foreknew who would believe on Jesus before the foundation of the world and therefore they are elected for salvation due to the fact that they chose Jesus as their Saviour. Scripture says we are the elect of God since we chose Jesus as our Saviour, not because he just decided to choose us over someone else. God knew who would get saved before the foundation of the world and so he knew who would be the elect, but he never prohibited all people from being the elect. (I Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.) (Ephesians 1:4-5 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,) Ephesians 1:4-5 means that God knew who would be saved, but he never prevented someone who wanted to be saved from being saved as many places in scripture show. We are predestinated in the sense that God being omniscient knows who will be saved even before they are born but he does not force anyone to be saved or prevent someone who truly wants to be saved. It is true that we do not have to do anything to be saved, but we do need to realize that we are a sinner and call upon Jesus to save us or else we will not be saved. You are not just saved because you are one of the elect. You are one of the elect because you are saved. The idea of only the elect being saved can be seen in changes made in modern bibles in verses such as Luke 2:14 where modern bibles change “good will toward men” to phrases such as “to those with whom God is pleased [NLT (NASB is similar)]”, “to those on whom his favor rests [NIV]”, and “men of goodwill [Roman Catholic bibles, NWT]. All Roman Catholic bibles have some Calvinism in them. I Thessalonians 1:4 is another verse often changed by modern bibles to show God chose people rather than we choose God by free will. God does convict us that we our sinners who need a Saviour, but we must decide to choose Jesus or reject him. Jesus does not force himself on anyone who does not want him. Many people do not choose God, but instead Satan. Jesus died for all, not just those who please him as in reality none of us please him enough to deserve salvation. (Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.)
Limited Atonement is the belief that Jesus only died on the cross for a limited number of people, only his elect rather than for all people. Scripture is clear that Jesus died for everyone and not just for his elect that he knew would get saved. This is dangerous teaching as this leads people not to witness to certain people believing they were not one of the elect so it is just a waste of time. Arminianism says that he died for everyone just as scripture says. Satan wants people to believe that they cannot be saved no matter how much they desire to be. Satan also casts doubt into people on being assured they are saved. I John 5:13 says we can know we are saved. (I John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.) I John 2:2 is clear that Jesus died on the cross not just for those he knew would get saved, but for the whole world meaning everyone. (I John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.) (II Corinthians 5:14-15 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.)
Irresistible Grace says that all of those who are elected by God cannot refuse the grace that God gave them and they will be saved no matter what. Arminianism says that man has a free will and can refuse the grace of God. Scripture says that God gave man a free will and he can freely accept the free gift of God to receive his Son Jesus as their Saviour or he can freely reject the grace of God and die in their sins. All people can receive this grace of God, not just the elect. It is true that we are saved by grace, but those of us who are saved and part of the elect of God had to choose to receive Jesus as Saviour and did not just automatically be saved just because we are one of the elect. We could have refused the grace. [Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)] (Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:) This teaching by Calvinism along with the other false teachings such as limited atonement can make people say that no matter what they cannot be saved or for an unsaved person to say that there is no need to call upon Jesus because if I have been chosen by God as one of his elect then I will still be saved even if I do nothing. This is similar to many Jews believing since they are God’s chosen people then they get a free guaranteed ride to heaven. This is not true as they must call on Jesus the same as everyone else. No one is saved without admitting they are a sinner and calling upon Jesus including the so called elect of Calvinism. God called all people to salvation, just that most people reject Jesus. (Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.) (John 3:18 ¶ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.)
Calvinism is correct in its fifth point of Perseverance of the Saints with Arminianism wrong with its fall from grace. Calvinism teaches that once you are saved you cannot lose that salvation since you are one of the elect. Arminianism says that a person can fall from grace and lose their salvation. Scripture is clear that for all who are truly saved and washed in the blood of Jesus, then they cannot lose their salvation. It is true that a person can backslide and move away from God and not be as strong or faithful of a Christian that they once were, but if they were truly saved then you cannot lose your salvation. Many places show this. (John 3:16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.) (John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.) (John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.) Jesus said in all of these verses that those who believed on him as their Saviour will have everlasting life. Everlasting means it lasts forever and cannot be lost. Nearly all denominations including some Baptist ones preach that you can lose your salvation, but scripture is clear that you cannot. You cannot have everlasting life if you can lose it and if this was true then Jesus would be a liar and a sinner and could not be our Saviour. This does not mean that Christians have free reign to sin though. (Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.) Most modern bibles show this false belief by saying “are being saved” instead of “saved” which not only shows work salvation but also that a person could potentially lose their salvation.
Calvinism is dangerous in that it teaches that only certain people are elect and that Jesus died on the cross only for these people and that if you are one of the elect then you will be saved automatically due to nothing you do and for those who are not saved but desire to be then unless they are one of the elect then they cannot be saved no matter how sincere they are since Calvinism teaches that people cannot repent even though Jesus taught repentance. Scripture clearly shows these doctrines are wrong as it says that we do not do anything to save ourselves, but we must call out to Jesus to save us. If a person never does that then they will die in their sins. Scripture says we can repent and that Jesus died for all people, but that most would reject him as their Saviour. It is this calling out to Jesus that makes us one of the elect, not because Jesus only allowed us to be saved and no one else. Jesus desires that all be saved as we saw in II Peter 3:9. Stay clear of the dangerous teachings of Calvinism which are anti-scriptural and will lead many to hell. For those who are not saved, call upon Jesus today as he will save you so that you too may become one of the elect that he foreknew.
