"This pretemporal choice [election] was not based on the fact that God knew which persons would believe of their own free will, for there is no person which fits that description." – quoted text from Monergism.com's statement of faith as pertaining to "election".  So what I understand them to be saying is that God created mindless robots that are inherently evil and cannot choose goodness and righteousness born of free will.  How then do we glorify God if we do not have the capacity for a free will choice?  How are we to be lights unto the world if there is no possibility of us changing anything anyway?  This God they describe is not the God I know.  I believe that He wants people to choose Him from free will, and this, in turn, brings Him glory because of our capacity to CHOOSE to follow Him.

Please explain the Arminianism vs. Calvinism (election vs. free will) point of contention.  Are we simply mindless robots, or do we in fact have free will to choose God?  This question really hits home for me considering my own walk and how I came to be a believer.

Sincerely,
Not On Autopilot

Dear Not On Autopilot,

Jacobus Arminius (the creator of Arminianism) and John Calvin (the creator of Calvinism) are both men, and what they think about eternity, free will, God’s character, and salvation doesn’t matter unless it agrees with the teachings of the Bible.  In the case of freewill, Jacobus Arminius was correct, and John Calvin was dead wrong.

The Bible states time after time that you have choices in life and that those choices make a difference.  Jhn 3:16 says that Christ died for the sins of all mankind, and those who choose to believe in Christ will receive forgiveness.  Joshua told the Israelites to choose which god they would follow (Josh 24:15).  God has consistently told mankind that we can choose life or death (Deu 30:15).  Jesus calls us to come to Him and receive freedom from our burdens (Matt 11:28).  We must choose to follow the narrow road to salvation (Matt 7:13) and flee from wickedness (Jas 4:7).  We can choose to obey God and receive salvation, and we can choose to turn from God and lose our salvation (Heb 3:12-14).  God is constant in His love and willingness to help all mankind (Heb 13:8)… it is our choice whether or not we heed His call.

If you would like more information on the fallacies of John Calvin’s teachings, we recommend reading “Calvin And Sobs”.

What are the 5 points of calvinism?

Sincerely,
Counting To Five

Dear Counting To Five,

Calvinism is best described using the TULIP theory.  TULIP is an acronym developed by Calvinists to explain their philosophy; each letter of the acronym stands for a fundamental part of the Calvinist doctrine.

‘T’ stands for “Total Depravity”.  Total Depravity means that Calvinists believe that everyone is born completely sinful and depraved.  A totally depraved human is incapable of doing good or pleasing God.  This is completely false.  All babies are born without sin and perfect in God’s sight (even David recognized that his dead child was going to be in heaven [2 Sam 12:23]).  Sin is not a birthright; it is a choice (Gen 4:6-7, Jas 1:13-15).  Humans sin when they choose to do wrong; they are not born in sin.

‘U’ stands for “Unconditional Election”.  If you are born totally depraved and incapable of doing anything good through your own power, then it makes sense that Calvinists also believe that God saves you without any requirements.  You can’t require someone to do the right thing if they are incapable of it.  This, too, is false.  The entire Bible is a book of commandments for mankind to follow.  It is FULL of conditions.  We cannot be God’s friends unless we obey His conditions and commands (Jhn 15:14).

‘L’ stands for “Limited Atonement”.  Limited Atonement means that Calvinists believe Jesus only died to save a limited amount of people.  Since they believe everyone is totally depraved and only a few are chosen by God to go to heaven, it follows that Jesus only died on the cross for those few that were chosen.  This is blatantly opposite of the Scriptures’ teachings (Jhn 3:16).

‘I’ stands for “Irresistible Grace”.  Irresistible Grace means that if God chooses you to be saved, you are incapable of resisting that salvation.  If God chooses you to be saved, you cannot tell Him, “No!”.  This is a complete lie.  People reject God all the time.  People rejected Christ as He walked this planet – even one of Jesus’ apostles rejected Him (Matt 10:4).  Jesus specifically says that those who reject Him will be judged (Jhn 12:48).  Mankind has always had the choice to accept or reject God.

‘P’ stands for “Perseverance Of The Saints”.  Perseverance Of The Saints means that christians will always persevere no matter what sins they commit.  Calvinists teach that it is impossible for someone to be lost once they become a Christian.  That is rubbish.  Heb 6:4-6 directly states that someone can enjoy the blessings of fellowship with God and then fall away.  Even the apostle Paul believed if he didn’t continually strive to serve God, he would fall away (1 Cor 9:27).

Calvinism is a lie created by man to blind people from the truth of God’s Word.  Calvinism teaches a lack of responsibility for our behavior and eternal destiny.  It makes God out to be an evil villain that willfully seeks the destruction of the majority of mankind, instead of the loving God that sacrificed His own Son in hopes that all would come unto Him (Jhn 3:16).  Calvinism leaves most of mankind tearfully unloved and alone, without the hope of salvation.

Are we born sinners or born into sin?  My boyfriend’s mom said we are all saved, but the Bible says that if you believe with your heart and confess with your mouth, then you will be saved... so if you haven’t done either, how are you saved?

Sincerely,
Lost On Salvation

Dear Lost On Salvation,

We aren’t born sinners (all babies are born pure and without sin just like Adam and Eve – read “What About The Children” to better understand the spiritual state of children), but we also aren’t all saved (Matt 7:13).  Though it is true that all adults have sinned (Rom 3:23), sin is a choice… not a genetic birth defect.

When an adult breaks God’s laws and commits sin (and we all do), they die spiritually (Rom 6:23).  The only person to never sin was Jesus Christ (Heb 4:15).  All the rest of us have sinned and, therefore, are impure and unfit to dwell eternally in heaven.  It is only through Jesus’ blood that we can be freed from our sin (1 Jn 1:7).  Jesus says that He will cleanse us of our sin if we have faith in Him (Gal 3:22).  We learn how to have faith in Jesus through the Bible (Rom 10:17).  In our post “What Must I Do To Be Saved”, we explain what the Bible requirements are for salvation.  (You mentioned belief and confession, which are two of the requirements).  If we haven’t put our faith in Christ, we will not be saved.  The only way to get to heaven is through faith in Jesus (Jhn 14:6).

[This question is a reply to “Born That Way”]

Thank you.  I agree with you 100%  about sin and it being a choice.  My question isn't about sin; it's about iniquity… unless you're saying they are one and the same.  I feel that sin is what we choose to commit, but iniquity isn't necessarily a choice; it's more of a compelling or predisposition to commit sin.

Sincerely,
Similar But Different

Dear Similar But Different,

Sin and iniquity are the same thing.  The word ‘sin’ means ‘to miss the mark’ and refers to someone failing to live according to God’s standards.  The word ‘iniquity’ means ‘that which is opposed to law’ and refers to someone that breaks God’s standards.  The two words can be used interchangeably.