Two Views of Election and Redemption

                                 
                               

      ARMINIANISM (FREE WILL) VS CALVINISM (SOVEREIGN GRACE)

                       (I believe the Calvinist/Reformed theology is biblically correct).


                                     From In My Place Condemned He Stood:
                                     Celebrating the Atonement, by J.I. Packer

               ELECTION

                       Arminianism
                      "God's act of election was defined by the Arminians (free will)
     as a resolve to receive to sonship and glory a duly qualified class of people:
     believers in Christ. 

                       This becomes a resolve to receive individual persons only in virtue
     of God's forseeing the contingent fact that they will of their own accord believe.
     There is nothing in the decree of election to ensure that the class of believers will
     ever have any members; God does not determine to make any man believe.

                        Calvinism
                        Calvinists define election as a choice of particular undeserving
    persons to be saved from sin and brought to glory, and to that end to be redeemed
    by the death of Christ and given faith by the Spirit's effectual calling.

                         Conclusion
                         Where the Arminian says: 'I owe my election to my faith,'
     the Calvinist says:  'I owe my faith to my election.'  Clearly, these two concepts
     of election are very far apart."


               REDEMPTION

                       Arminianism
                       "Christ's work of redemption was defined by the Arminians as the
     removing of an obstacle (the unsatisfied claims of justice) that stood in the way
     of God's offering pardon to sinners, as he desired to do, on condition that they
     believe.

                       Redemption, according to Arminianism, secured for God a right to
     make this offer but did not of itself ensure that anyone would ever accept it;
     for faith, being a work of man's own, is not a gift that comes to him from Calvary.

                       Christ's death created an opportunity for the exercise of saving faith,
     but that is all it did.


                       Calvinism
                       Calvinists, however, define redemption as Christ's actual substitutionary
     endurance of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners, through which
     God was reconciled to them, their liability to punishment was for ever destroyed,
     and a title to eternal life was secured for them.

                        In consequence of this, they now have in God's sight a right to the gift
     of faith, as the means of entry into the enjoyment of their inheritance.

                        Calvary, in other words, not merely made possible the salvation of those
     for whom Christ died; it ensured that they would be brought to faith and their salvation
     made actual.  The cross saves.


                        Conclusion
                        Where the Arminian will say only:  'I could not have gained my
     salvation without Calvary,' the Calvinist will say:  'Christ gained my salvation
     for me at Calvary.'

                         The former makes the cross the sine qua non (something indispensable
     or essential) of salvation; the latter sees it as the actual procuring cause of salvation,
     and traces the source of every spiritual blessing, faith included, back to the great
     transaction between God and his Son carried through on Calvary's hill.

                          Clearly, these two concepts of redemption are quite at variance."


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          (The main point is that Arminianism insists that salvation is a joint, cooperative
     effort between God and man, while Calvinism believes that salvation is a miracle
     wrought by God's grace that requires no cooperation on man's part.
           In fact, man is unable to respond positively to God without being born again first).