Sin

Bullets and Determinism

, , Comment Closed

A Calvinist, attempting to explain an origin for sin that leaves God blameless, linked me John Piper’s “Where Did Satan’s First Desire For Evil Come From?“…a promising title, to be sure, since that’s a question Arminians…

Read Post →

Purposeless Evil by Cheryl Schatz

Cheryl Schatz, “Purposeless Evil”

, , Comment Closed

Is there purposeless evil if God did not foreordain all things? Calvinists often talk about “purposeless evil”. In fact, Dr. James White, a Calvinist apologist from Alpha and Omega Ministries, has stated that if God did…

Read Post →

Arminius on the use of the moral law

, , Comment Closed

This information is provided by SEA member, Roy Ingle IV. The uses of the moral law are various, according to the different conditions of man. (1.) The primary use, and that which was of itself…

Read Post →

Something For Calvinists to Chew On

, , Comment Closed

I’ve been reading the latter part of the Old Testament and something really interesting occurred to me. God spends so many chapters complaining about all the evil that Israel and Judah have been doing and…

Read Post →

Arminius on why we sin

, , Comment Closed

this post was written by SEA member, Roy Ingle I was reading from the Works of Arminius and noticed a short note he wrote on why we sin. Arminius wrote, “The efficient cause of actual…

Read Post →

Who Believes in Total Depravity?

, , Comment Closed

The following 10 quotes come from different authors surrounding the doctrine of total depravity. Their order has been randomly generated, so read to the end to find out the author and their respective soteriological standing!…

Read Post →

Arminius on Actual Sins

, , No Comment

Arminius on Actual Sins

submitted by SEA member, Roy Ingle

DISPUTATION 8

ON ACTUAL SINS

RESPONDENT, CASPER WILTENS

I. As divines and philosophers are often compelled, on account of a penury of words, to distinguish those which are synonymous, and to receive others in a stricter or more ample signification than their nature and etymology will allow; so in this matter of actual sin, although the term applies also to the first sin of Adam, yet, for the sake of a more accurate distinction, they commonly take it for that sin which man commits, through the corruption of his nature, from the time where he knows how to use reason; and they define it thus: “Something thought, spoken or done against the law of God; or the omission of something which has been commanded by that law to be thought, spoken or done.” Or, with more brevity, “Sin is the transgression of the law;” which St. John has explained in this compound word anomia “anomy.” (1 John iii, 4.)

Read Post →

Molinism, Calvinism, and I Corinthians

, , No Comment

I just finished Dr. Olson’s book Against Calvinism (It is really difficult to find time to read when you have a one year old). In appendix 1, Dr. Olson goes over several attempts by Calvinists to protect God’s character despite their theology. One particular argument caught my eye: the use of middle knowledge.
Roger Olson explains:

Molinism… is the belief that God possesses “middle knowledge” — knowledge of what any creature would do freely in any possible set of circumstances. The creature may possess libertarian freedom — freedom not compatible with determinism and able to do other than it does — but God knows what he or she wold do with that ability in an conceivable situation. [Roger Olson, Against Calvinism, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2011), 184]

Read Post →