|
|
Compare to Calvinism & Arminianism
Compare to Arminian & Lutheranism on the 5 points of Calvinism
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes:
1. My main objection to the presalvation concepts of Calvinism and Lutheranism is that they believe that God will hold people responsible for things they have no control over.
2. Under Calvinism there is no pre or post salvation. One is not spoken of as being saved, but rather being "elect". And since Calvinists believe that individual election occurs even before one is born (based on some unknown standard), then it is not a matter of "being saved", but rather a matter of discovering whether one has been "elected".
3. Lutherans believe salvation is only rejectable by choice (And therefore since "choice" and cooperation is involved, this is Synergism). However, such a choice can only be made after one has salvation. They believe you can lose your salvation. Or to say it another way, one maintains his salvation status by choice. But they tend to hold with the Calvinists on the issue during pre-regeneration. (My theology is diametrically opposed to that of the Lutherans on these particular issues) They do believe in the eternal security of the "elect". But such elect are only revealed as elect by their cooperation. They don't believe that once one believes and has been born of God, that salvation is secure. For they believe that that non-elect can even believe and be born of God. (A similar position as Charles Finney)
4. Because of their theology of pre-salvation monergism, both the Calvinists and Lutherans presume the election of infants born to Christian parents and thus practice infant baptism, whereby infants are reckoned saved apart from faith in Christ. The Biblical evidence of this is scanty. But John Calvin tried to defend this idea zealously, and many "Ana-baptists" (those who didn't believe in infant baptism) were even put to death by such Calvinists. Though many "Calvinists" today could be classified as ana-baptists, having rejected infant baptism (such as "Baptists"). Calvin tried to make some allegorical connection with circumcision, but fall into the very trap that Paul rebuked the Galatians for on the matter of circumision. However, the idea is that since choice is not involved in becoming born of God, from their perspective, therefore "faith" can be eliminated as necessary and we'll just presume that God choses those babies who get baptized. Of course you could easily counter by proposing any other arbitrary standard - like God choses all babies born with blue eyes, or who have a certain skin color. (Compare to the development of racism in the history of "Christian" Europe)
5. Arminians also believe you can lose your salvation. Thus Lutherans
and Arminians don't believe in Eternal Security, while Calvinists and the
rest of us do. I recommend post-Salvation synergists to study the book
of 1st John as it explicitly reveals
the inevitable correlation between a person's behavior and his having been
born of God.
Popular Evangelicalism | BCBSR |
Free Grace Theology | No |
Young-Earth Creationism | No |
Evangelical Feminism | No |
Pre-Trib Rapture | No |
Reformed Theology | BCBSR |
Infant Baptism | No |
Imputed guilt upon the innocent | No |
Fatalistic Puppet Theology | No |
Perseverance of the Saints | Yes |
The Berean Christian Bible Study
Resources
Sunday, 30-Jan-2022 11:11:50 EST