[Editor’s Note: Not all Calvinists oppose the concept and practice of a sinner’s prayer, and the article eventually acknowledges that though it can often sound like it is talking about Calvinists generally. It is also…
Coords. Richard
Richard Coords, “Sheep”
The Calvinist perspective is that God chooses His own sheep, selected from eternity past as a special class of humanity, meaning that everyone who will ever believe in Christ has already been fixed and decided…
Richard Coords, “Self-Savior”
A common argument by Calvinists is to suggest that anything apart from an Irresistible Grace, necessarily results in the individual becoming their own Savior, as a Self-Savior. What do Calvinists believe? Arminians effectively make themselves…
Richard Coords, “Secret Will”
Sometimes when Calvinists are faced with a conundrum, they will invoke two wills in God, in which there is a “Revealed Will” and a “Secret Will.” The former is intended for man, and does not…
Richard Coords, “Salvation”
For mankind, getting to Heaven is not a reward for the righteous but a gift for the guilty. Consider who a pardon is for. Typically, it’s not for those who have never done anything wrong.…
Richard Coords, “Remote Tribes”
What about those who have never heard the gospel? A common objection from Calvinists about non-Calvinism deals with whether God could really love those who have never heard the gospel, such as unreached-people from remote…
Richard Coords, “Regeneration”
What is regeneration? It is something that God does for believers. Vernon McGee: “The minute you turn to Christ, you are regenerated by the Holy Spirit; you are indwelt and baptized by the Holy Spirit;…
Richard Coords, “Reformed”
Calvinists distinguish themselves from other Christians by calling themselves “Reformed.”* This is due in part to Calvinists envisioning themselves as the living legacy of the Protestant Reformation. They also see “Calvinism” as the true gospel,…
Richard Coords, “Puppets”
On the one hand, Calvinists will often argue (using passages like Romans 9:20-21) that mankind has as much control over how he believes and behaves as a piece of clay has over its own shape,…
Richard Coords, “Propitiation”
Christ’s propitiation deals with the blood covenant and atonement of Calvary, in terms that God has accepted what Jesus did at Calvary to effectively atone for the sins of all mankind. It is addressed at…
Richard Coords, “Prophecy”
Prophecy involves divine omniscience. It’s supernatural because it’s the ability of God to know beforehand what free creatures are going to do. If prophecy was instead only a matter of God knowing what He unilaterally…
Richard Coords, “The Prodigal Son”
The parable of the Prodigal Son of Luke delivers some interesting theology. It (a) corrects the Calvinist concept of spiritual death to mean separation—not a corpse in a tomb, (b) shows how everyone is 100%…
Video: Ephesians 1 – Chosen In Him
SEA members Dan Chapa, Chris Bastedo, and Richard Coords discuss Ephesians 1, election, and predestination from an Arminian perspective. The video below may also be accessed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/_zX3iTzejms.
Richard Coords, “Problem of Evil”
One way that Atheists assail Christianity is by asking rhetorical questions like: “Given all of the evil and misery in this world, if there really was a God, how could he be good?” So, then,…
Video: Romans 9 – Pharaoh the Vessel of Wrath
SEA members Dan Chapa and Richard Coords discuss the second part of Romans 9, regarding Pharaoh, God as a potter, and vessels of mercy and wrath. The video below can also be accessed on YouTube…
Richard Coords, “Pride”
Does Calvinism lead to pride? In other words, in Calvinism’s doctrine of Unconditional Election, if one believed that God chose them from eternity—over their neighbors—how might that type of thinking tend to affect them, emotionally…
Richard Coords, “Preterition”
Preterition is the Calvinist doctrine which addresses God’s relationship with the alleged “non-elect,” who are unconditionally omitted from God’s salvific will.440 These would be those who were not chosen to receive God’s “Irresistible Grace,” but…
Video: Romans 9 – Jacob and Esau
SEA members Dan, Richard Coords, and Christopher Bastedo discuss election in Romans 9. They discuss the national election found in the Old Testament texts Paul cites in Romans 9 and the way Paul applies them…
Richard Coords, “Circular Logic”
Calvinists often assume Calvinism in order to prove Calvinism, which is “Circular Logic.” Circular Logic involves presuppositional thinking. As an example, while it would be perfectly fine for two Christians who are debating Calvinism to…
Richard Coords, “Presupposition”
A presupposition is something you carry into any discussion, dealing with what you already presuppose to be true, and if you’re presupposition is accurate, then there is no problem, but if it’s false, then you…
