Kenneth D. Keathley, Professor of Theology and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, has completed his latest book, Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach, published by B&H…
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In Defense of Resistible Grace to Retain the Goodness of God
To Calvinists, God’s grace is irresistible. This follows naturally in their entire scheme of salvation by logical necessity. It is a point that must stand or the system falls. If God has not made His…
Resistible vs. Irresistible Grace: The Key Issue
The topic of resistible vs. irresistible grace is of vital importance. In my experience, the Calvinist’s biggest objection to Arminianism is that it is a man-centered theology and gives man a reason to boast. In…
Eric Landstrom, An Introduction to Sacramental Grace within the Wesleyan Tradition
Grace comes solely from God and is the uncreated energy of God. This uncreated energy can be understood as the work of God’s person upon the heart and soul and it is my belief that…
Saved By Grace To Faith?
Is the grace of God which leads a sinner to salvation by faith or to faith? In Scripture it is by faith, in Calvinism it is to faith. The Calvinist incorrectly assumes that God’s grace is directly related to regeneration in order for the sinner to then have faith in Christ (which is also a gift, in the absolute sense).
He is left to conclude that grace for salvation is not by faith but to faith, since salvation and election is by the unconditional choice of God. This “faith” seems to be one of proxy, for it is not the sinner’s faith, but a faith given to him by God. This is an alien faith. It did not derive from the sinner but was (somehow) “planted within” him. The Scripture behind this idea (so admits the Calvinist) is Philippians 1:29, which reads, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (NASB).
Does John 6:44 Teach Irresistible Grace?
The content of this post was authored by Ben Henshaw and is posted on his behalf. As I stated in my last post (Does Regeneration Precede Faith?), there is no more important question with regards…
John Wesley’s View of Man: A Study in Free Grace Versus Free Will
JOHN WESLEY’S VIEW OF MAN: VERSUS FREE WILL
From the Wesleyan Theological Journal
Irwin W. Reist, Th. M., S. T. D. (candidate)
Associate Professor, Bible and Theology, Houghton College
I. INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF MAN FOR THEOLOGY
Graceless, Humanist Theology
The apostle Paul wrote that his prayer was that Christians would know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked…
Monergism Versus Synergism: Beware, Kobayashi Maru Ahead!
Monergism and Synergism are extra-Biblical terms coined to encapsulate Bible truth. They fail. God’s dichotomy is Works and Faith, not Monergism and Synergism. Works are bad; faith is good. Faith in Jesus is something humans do (with prevenient grace courtesy of the Holy Spirit); saving these believing humans is something God does.
Arminians are sucker punched by Calvinists when they allow themselves to ignore Works Versus Faith and engage Calvinists on the battlefield of Monergism Versus Synergism. This becomes clearer when we look at the abortion debate.
Those who are pro-abortion do not call themselves Pro-Abortion; they call themselves Pro-Choice. They have reframed the debate to be about women’s rights. They are now able to paint their opponents as Neanderthal chauvinists grumbling about women receiving equal pay and having equal rights. That’s not your agenda at all. You’re a Foetusphile unscrupulously caricatured as a misogynist.
The Fallacies of Calvinist Apologetics – Fallacy #3: We Choose by ‘Chance?’
Related Fallacies:
Begging the Question
Special Pleading [given that God has power of contrary choice]
False Dichotomy
If all men are neutral in prevenient grace was it by chance that one believed and not another? – [A Prayer That a Synergist Won’t Pray (An Open Challenge to All Synergists) – yet another winner by John Hendryx]
The Arminian and Calvinist Ordo Salutis: A Brief Comparative Study
The ordo salutis is the “order of salvation.” It focuses on the process of salvation and the logical order of that process. The main difference between the Arminian and Calvinist ordo concerns faith and regeneration. Strictly speaking, faith is not part of salvation in the Arminian ordo since it is the condition that is met prior to God’s act of saving. All that follows faith is salvation in the Arminian ordo while in the Calvinist ordo faith is the result of salvation in some sense. What follows is how I see the Arminian ordo compared to the Calvinist ordo along with why I find the Calvinist ordo theologically problematic.
Arminian ordo salutis:
Prevenient grace
Faith
[Union with Christ]
Justification
Regeneration
Sanctification
Glorification
Notes on Arminian ordo:
Mark K. Olson, “Wesley’s ‘Warmed Heart’ at Aldersgate – What Really Happened?”
Abstract: Wesley’s religious experience at Aldersgate remains the most famous and debated event in his life. Scholars disagree on what the experience meant to Wesley at the time and over his lifetime. This article reviews…
Andrew Sullivan, “Harmony of the Arminian Faith: A Proposal to the Global Methodist Church” (Full Thesis)
Please click on the attachment to view Andrew Sullivan, “Harmony of the Arminian Faith: A Proposal to the Global Methodist Church.” John Wesley left the people called Methodist a trio of doctrinal…
Ben Henshaw, “Q & A on The Calvinist Claim That Salvation Conditioned on Faith Necessarily Implies Some Sort of Merited Contribution to Salvation”
Here is the question as originally posed along with a break down interaction below: Full Question: “So, let me reason this way, If prevenient grace is given to everyone, and my neighbors resist it, so they…
Mark K. Olson, “Opening Salvation’s Door: Acts 10:35 and John Wesley’s Inclusivism”
Abstract: This article explores John Wesley’s inclusivism regarding the future salvation of non-Christians, like Jews, Moslems, and other religious people. Reflecting on Acts 10:35, Wesley became convinced that the foundation for future salvation was not…
Ben Henshaw, “An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s ‘The Ultimate Balanced Guide to Arminianism (From a Calvinist)’: The Good, the Bad, and the [Very] Ugly”
You can find Patton’s original post here I was referred to this recent post by C. Michel Patton and thought I would respond to it. My comments can be found in-between sections of his post below:…
Roy Ingle, “Spurgeon’s Misunderstanding of Arminianism”
“The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth;…
Ben Henshaw, “Does Arminianism Imply That we Can Boast in Our Salvation Over Those Who do Not Believe?”
Out of all the arguments for Calvinism, this is the one that I probably hear the most. It comes in a variety of forms but usually imagines two people under the influence of prevenient grace,…
Wilbur F. Tillett, “The Holy Spirit’s Preparation of Man for Salvation” (1902)
[This post first appeared at GospelEncounter.wordpress.com] “The Holy Spirit is the author of every movement of man’s soul toward salvation… The Spirit of grace, which is but another name for prevenient grace, “is the sole…
Richard Watson on the Origin of Depravity: “The Withdrawing of That Spirit from Adam” (1832)
[This post first appeared at GospelEncounter.wordpress.com] “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” – King David, Psalm 51:11 KJV “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law…
Recent Posts
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley’s Doctrine of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit: An Exegetical Study – Part One”
Clayton Sidenbender, “How a Small US Evangelical Seminary Is Defying the Odds”
Richard Coords, “Mystery”
Sermon Video: Jack Hibbs, “God’s Good – Good Sovereignty (Romans 9:14-29)”
