A Look into Calvinism and Arminianism - Research Paper Example

The Divine Providence Debate: An Analysis of Calvinism and Arminianism The Divine Providence Debate- A Look into Calvinism and Arminianism The providence of God has been a much-debated one and there are various views on the same, ranging from hard determinism, soft determinism, hard liberalism, and soft liberalism. According to the simplest possible definition, providence can be explained as the means by which God directs all things. In other words, it is the way that God is directing the universe. This work intends to look into the two broad and contrasting views on God’s providence, that is, Calvinism and Arminianism. The Calvinist point of argument Calvinists support the philosophy of Divine Determinism. This view argues that God has predetermined the entire future and course of action before the creation of the world1. According to this view, God has a role and involvement in every event, either directly or through specific secondary conditions. This divine determinism is promoted by John Calvin, who wrote “God’s will is the highest and first cause of all things because nothing happens except from His command or permission2.” In addition, he says, “providence, that determinative principle of all things from which flows nothing but right, although the reasons have been hidden from us3.” Calvinists are in possession of a few scriptures in their favor. The first point used by Calvinism to argue that everyone is predestined to act in a specific way, including sin, is seen in Acts. It reads, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur”4. Acts clearly point out that even to sin is predestined to occur according to the great plan of God, which is beyond our cognition. However, there is the irony that those that are destined to sin as a part of the predestination are still found guilty by Him and are not entitled to questions the decisions. Romans points out, “you will say to me then, “why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, why did you make me like this, will it?”5 In addition, the free will claimed by man is questioned by Calvinists by showing the fact that many a times, scriptures show God comparing man to inanimate objects6. A perfect example of this claim is seen in Isaiah, which reads, “you turn things around! Shall the potter be considered equal with the clay, That what is made would say to its maker, “He has no understanding?”7 Admittedly, this predeterminist view poses a number of dilemmas for Christianity to solve. First, the claim that humans have the free will to stay away from sin is threatened. The examples provided by Calvinists show that they are made to sin in order to facilitate the great design. To illustrate, God decides to make Pharaoh harden his heart and reach a wrong decision. God says, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt8”. Similarly, we can see a God who “has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, So they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn-and I would heal them”9. Thus, the basic concept of Calvinism regarding God’s plan of salvation is purely deterministic. It claims that God has decreed and selected the ones to be saved through Christ and the ones for eternal death before the foundation of the world. In the opinion of Dave Hunt, Calvinism faces criticism because people fail to understand what is meant by opposing the free will. He says that Calvinists agree to the fact that a person is not forced to make a choice, is responsible for the choice made, and is the active agent behind that choice10. That means differences in opinion arise only in the claim that a person is free to do whatever they like. In the case of free will or the power of contrary choice, Calvinism claims that situation and nature are the things which make a person behave in a particular way in a particular situation. Thus, the behavior of a person, or the ability to make a contrary choice, is preset and self-limited11. In order to support this view, Jean Calvin points out that one does not decide when and where one is to be born, one does not select ones parents, and one does not select the external influences on ones life. In addition are factors like genetics, looks, and physical capabilities12. In fact, these are the factors which make a person take a particular decision in a given situation. Thus, the issue of sin gets the main attention at this juncture. To understand how Calvinism deals with the issue of sin, original sin, and salvation of humans, it is necessary to analyze the Five Points of Calvinism, which is covered using the acronym TULIP13. “T” stands for “total depravity”. According to this claim, all humans are sinners in thinking and emotions. Romans 5:12 points out “as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” In addition, scriptures read, “”unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables.14” Thus, the question arises as to who will be saved and whose privilege is salvation. In order to answer this, there is “U” which means “unconditional election”. To support this claim, Calvinism provides Romans 9:15, which states, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” In addition, scriptures say, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make a vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?15” According to Calvinism, the reason for selecting some to be knowledgeable about God and rejecting others is unknown, but it is predestined as to who is going to get salvation. Finally, there is limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. In total, it becomes evident that in Calvinist view, all things which happen in history are not influenced by any factor including prayer except the plan of God to achieve the great commission. The Arminian views on providence- a picture of stark contradiction Ironically, it becomes evident that everything that is claimed by Calvinism is contradicted by Arminianism using the same Bible. The first point of contradiction is that “election” is conditional in Arminianism16. To illustrate, God says that salvation is an invite to those who will come17. This can be considered as a declaration that no one is predestined to salvation but all can achieve the same if one is ready to accompany Jesus. For support, some quote “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace18”. In addition, Roger E. Olson claims that according to Arminianism, atonement is meant for all, not just for those who are selected19. For example, Romans 5:6 points out that “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” While the Calvinist view claims that only the elected will enjoy the benefits of atonement, Arminianism uses this quote to strengthen their position that even the “ungodly” are not exempted from the rescue mission of Jesus. Even stronger is the message seen in Romans 10:13 which states, “whosoever shall call upon the name of Lord shall be saved”. While Calvinism pays little attention to the power of prayer, Arminianism points out that all who depend on Jesus are going to benefit from atonement. In fact, this unconditional care is seen in Timothy 2:3-6, in which God declares that He desires all men to be saved. However, the most important point of difference between both the views is regarding the free will of humans. Calvinism is firm on its claim that every human is made to act in a way, which is preplanned by God, and everything including sin and prayer comes within this plan. They use the way God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and the way God compares humans to vessels as examples to show that humans are made to act in a specific way by God in any given situation. Thus, the power of prayer and the reasons behind sins are questioned when one follows Calvinist views. On the other hand, Arminianism claims that humans have the free will to take independent decisions, and are responsible for the sins they commit20. Therefore, it says prayer has the power to alter situations. The reality- an independent analysis It is the confusion that made Charles H. Spurgeon respond in the following way: “I see, in one place, God in providence presiding over all, and yet I see, and I cannot help seeing, that man acts as he pleases, and that God has left his actions, in a great measure, to his own free will. That God predestines, and yet that man is responsible, are two facts that few can see clearly. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one part of the Bible that everything is foreordained, that is true; and if I find, in another Scripture, that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is only my folly that leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other.21” In order to understand the situation in a clear perspective, one should read John 9:1-12, in which disciples asks Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” seeing a blind man. Jesus replies, “this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” An analysis of this situation proves that God has made the man in a particular way, but in making him so, God has a purpose; He wanted the man to believe and get his vision back and praise God. Ephesians 1:12 reads, “in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of glory.” Admittedly, God wants humans to praise Him for the benevolence He shows towards them, and in order to show them His mercy, he shows signs like curing the blind and resurrecting the dead. It is with this purpose that God has given humans the ability of free-thinking and decision-making. He has given them the free will to go away so that they may understand their folly and come back. It is to facilitate this comeback that God has vested the ability of rational thinking in humans. To illustrate, the Bible shows various instances where sinners are forgiven by Jesus, and there are various diseases cured by Jesus22. In all these cases, Jesus says the purpose of the cure is to make God’s acts displayed in them. However, there is one point that deserves attention; Jesus cures these people when they go in search of Him and believe in Him. In other words, Jesus proves through the actions that faith can save everyone or that everyone can be saved through faith. Evidently, God has a great mission, that is, the salvation of all humans. All humans are made a part of this great plan and He wants them to be voluntary partners of this plan understanding His great benevolence and love. Some are made imperfect for the purpose of displaying God’s acts through them. God wants all humans to be perfect and has made it clear that through faith and belief, all can get rid of their imperfections. Thus, it becomes evident that as Calvinists argue, God evidently has a plan, or everything is preplanned. However, as a part of this plan, God has given humans the free will so that they become voluntary partners of God’s mission and praise Him. It is God’s plan that all humans reach salvation through prayer and faith. The imperfections of humans and their chance to sin, along with the ability of rational thinking, enable them to understand the depth of God’s love and closeness. Thus, as far as the power of prayer and free will perfectly fit in the great plan of God, the contradiction between Calvinism and Arminianism, or determinism and libertarianism, disappears. The conclusion In total, one can sum up with the insight that every word of Scriptures reveals a great message and it is human imperfection that results in the improper understanding of the same. It is unwise to claim that God has no plan for humans, and it is equally unwise to say that prayer has no power and that humans have no free will to select their actions. Evidently, God’s plan for every human being is salvation. God oversees the actions of every human to ensure that they understand His great love for them using their free thinking and reach perfection, overcoming their imperfections through prayer and faith. Bibliography Calvin, Jean. Treatise on the Eternal Predestination of God. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1856. Fletcher, John. “Conditional Election.” Arminian Today. http://arminiantoday.com/tag/conditional-election/ (accessed Feb. 21, 2014). Hunt, Dave. Debating Calvinism: Five Points, Two Views. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2004. Kuyper, Abraham. Calvinism. Princeton: Primedia, 2001. Madany, Bassam M. “The Providence of God According to Calvin.” Middle East Resources. http://www.unashamedofthegospel.org/providence-calvin.cfm (accessed Feb. 21, 2014). Olson, Roger E. Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities. Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009. Pinnock, Clark H. The Grace of God, The Will of Man: A Case for Arminianism . Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1989. Spurgeon, Charles H. A Defense of Calvinism. New York: Prisbrary, 2013. Van Baren, Gise J. The Five Points of Calvinism. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformed Free Publishing Assoc., 1976. Welty, Greg. Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue. Nashville, Tennessee: B & H Publishing Group, 2008. Read More