Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Religion/Calvinism

Calvinism

The debate between Arminianism and Calvinism raged in Stuart England. Most Protestant and Puritan thought was on the side of Calvinism. At the heart of this is the battle of free-will versus predestination. Calvinism believes in predestination. Calvinism bases its beliefs in five major points which illustrate its predestination line of thinking. The first point is that we are not able to contribute to our own salvation. Our salvation is a gift from God and only he can choose who gets this gift. Calvinists also believe that people are inherently evil and only through the grace of the Holy Spirit can we become good in the spiritual realm. We must be reborn in the spirit to become good in the spiritual realm. The second point is that we are elected to be saved. A sinner cannot repent and earn God’s favour and his grace, but God must choose him to receive his offerings. Once you are chosen by God you then ask for his forgiveness and act obediently towards God. God chooses the sinner to be saved; the sinner does not choose God. The third point goes along with the second in that Christ’s work and sacrifice on Earth was only done for certain people whom were chosen by God to be saved. Christ’s work was not to save everybody but the people whom God has handpicked as his people. The fourth point is that once you are chosen by God and contacted by the spirit, you cannot disobey the call. If the Spirit tells you that you are part of the elect, you are forever saved. God’s gift of salvations cannot fail because once you have been chosen; you do not have the freewill to turn away from God, but will repent to God and then become obedient and forever a servant of God. The final point is that once you have been touched by the Holy Trinity there is no turning your back on God. You are forever a part of his kingdom. It is God, not man who chooses those who will receive salvation.

“The Reformed Faith,” Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics, accessed February 8, 2012, http://www.reformed.org/calvinism/trf/index.html?mainframe=/calvinism/trf/part_6.html