Note: It should be obvious from the content of the post, but the version of OSAS that I am arguing against in this post is what has been termed by some as the ‘Alpha View’.…
Apostasy
The Question of Perseverance in Philippians 1:6
Arminians are not of one mind with regard to the doctrine of perseverance. Some Arminians see perseverance as a gift which God gives to those who respond to the gospel in faith. These Arminians believe…
Jesus Preaching OSAS?
A little theological humor:
Eternally secure, provided that…
The debate over eternal security among various stripes of evangelicals is unlikely to go away any time soon. Some assert that upon conversion believers are guaranteed their salvation cannot be lost. Others disagree by claiming…
A Day With Arminius Session 4: Sin and Salvation
This is the fourth video in a fantastic series of lectures by Dr. Keith Stanglin and Dr. Thomas McCall on who Jacob Arminius was, and what he believed. McCall and Stranglin wrote the book Jacob…
Monergism: A Doctrine of Demons?
Probably not, but this is SO MUCH FUN to say with a straight face. Let’s run with it a while and see how much mileage we get from it.
First, Calvinists claim that monergism is the only view of salvation that really glorifies God. Any non-Calvinist Christian knows this a lie, and since Satan is the Father of Lies …
Second, Calvinists claim that anyone who rejects monergism is a Pelagian at worst or a semi-Pelagian at best. Arminians know this is a false accusation, and since Satan is the Accuser of the Brethren …
Third, “Calvinism makes it difficult to recognize the difference between God and the devil except that the devil wants everyone to go to hell and God wants many to go to Hell.” (Roger Olson) Calvinists might whine they’re being misrepresented here, but Calvin himself said that election necessarily entails reprobation.
“But God isn’t sending people to Hell by withholding grace; he’s merely allowing them to go,” Calvinists might reply.
The Extent of Spiritual Death
This post was written by SEA member, Pastor Christopher C. Chapman “Very, Very Dead” Calvinist Challenge: Ephesians 2:1-2 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked…” The spirit of…
Waldemar Kowalski, “Once Saved, Always Saved?”
Waldemar Kowalski, “Once Saved, Always Saved?” from Enrichment Journal.
Thoughts on Apostasy from I. Howard Marshall and Robert Picirilli
I. Howard Marshall finds four biblical dangers that could serve as precursors to a believer giving up their faith in Christ and committing apostasy. Persecution by Unbelievers – “Believers . . . are frequently tempted…
René A. López, “IS FAITH A GIFT FROM GOD OR A HUMAN EXERCISE?”
This article is posted with permission from the publisher, the scholarly journal Bibliotheca Sacra. Please click on the attachment to view René A. López, “IS FAITH A GIFT FROM GOD OR A HUMAN EXERCISE?” Bibliotheca Sacra 164 (July–September 2007) 259–76.
It should be noted that, while this is a learned and helpful article, López seems to have missed one major view on the question of whether faith is a gift of God, which is a more typical Arminian view than that it is not; and that is that faith is a gift in the sense that God must enable us to believe, but that like most gifts, it can be rejected and is not irresistible.
Douglas W. Kennard, “Petrine Redemption: Its Meaning and Extent”
Please click on the attachment to view Douglas W. Kennard, “Petrine Redemption: Its Meaning and Extent”, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 30/4 (December 1987) 399-405. Kennard. Petrine Redemption_0
John Goodwin, “Redemption Redeemed”
Now available here online, John Goodwin’s Redemption Redeemed may be the best defense of Arminianism ever written. Published in 1651 by the Arminian Puritan John Goodwin (1593-1665), it is written in seventeenth century English with…
Eric Landstrom, How Does Grace Work in Arminian-Wesleyan Theology?
How Does Grace Work in Arminian-Wesleyan Theology? by Eric Landstrom How grace is understood to work is the key to unlocking any Christian theology or theological tradition. As such, I thought it beneficial to unpack…
David A. deSilva, “Hebrews 6:4-8: A Socio-rhetorical Investigation (Part 2)”
Please click on the attachment to view David A. deSilva, “Hebrews 6:4-8: A Socio-rhetorical Investigation (Part 2)”, Tyndale Bulletin 50.2 (1999) 225-35: Desilva_Hebrews 6 Part 2 This is the second part of a two part article.…
David A. deSilva, “Hebrews 6:4-8: A Socio-rhetorical Investigation (Part 1)”
Please click on the attachment to view David A. deSilva, “Hebrews 6:4-8: A Socio-rhetorical Investigation (Part 1)”, Tyndale Bulletin 50.1 (1999) 33-57: deSilva_Hebrews 6 Part 1 This is the first part of a two part article.…
Scot McKnight, “The Warning Passages in Hebrews: A Formal Analysis and Theological Conclusions”
Please click on the attachment to view Scot McKnight, “The Warning Passages in Hebrews: A Formal Analysis and Theological Conclusions” (published in Trinity Journal 13NS [1992] 21-59).
Robert Hamilton. “Can a Person Accidentally Commit the Unpardonable Sin?”
Mr. Hamilton discusses whether a believer can accidentally commit the unpardonable sin. “In Matthew chapter twelve Jesus gave one of his most unusual and most misunderstood teachings, concerning what is commonly referred to as the…
I. Howard Marshall, “The Problem of Apostasy in New Tesament Theology”
Please click on the attachment to view I. Howard Marshall, “The Problem of Apostasy in New Tesament Theology”, published as an epilogue to I. Howard Marshall, Kept by the Power of God: A Study of Perseverance…
Irresistible Blondie
Here’s a little theological humor in the form of a cartoon that can be related to the Calvinist doctrine of irresistible grace.
Robert Hamilton. “When an Immunization Becomes Fatal. Thoughts on Perseverance in Faith.”
Mr. Hamilton discusses the necessity of Perseverance. “There are many churches in the United States that, like the imaginary health clinic in the scenario above, are unwittingly administering “sugar-water” immunizations to their members. These churches…
Recent Posts
Video: Discussion with Dr. Alan Rhoda on Open Theism
Roy Ingle, “Theology Should Ignite Passion (But It Often Doesn’t)”
Ben Henshaw, “Refuting Social Media Calvinism #3: Faith in Christ Means We Depend on Ourselves?”
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley on Animal Redemption”
