The Human Condition
Calvinism: Total Depravity
Arminianism: Deprivation
Answer: When Adam chose of his own Free Will to eat of the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil He forever affected his seed (Humanity) to a state of being Flesh driven rather than Spirit driven. When a member of Humanity does make the choice to Sin they cause their heart to become hardened. They thus come out of the realm of Innocence and enter into the realm of Death (separation from God) which is the jurisdiction of the Devil. In this state Humanity is a slave/debtor to commit Sin and though he does have the ability to choose not to Sin in individual situations and will be judged based on every Sin that he commits, he is inevitably going to choose Sin because he is by nature a Flesh driven being with a hardened heart who can be manipulated by the Devil.
PREDESTINATION
Calvinism: Unconditional Election
Arminianism: Conditional Election
Answer: Apart from Divine Revelation, Election is known only to God, therefore it is best not to concern oneself with it.
ATONEMENT
Calvinism: Limited Atonement
Arminianism: Unlimited Atonement
Answer: Atonement is Restoration of Relationship with God. We understand that Pardon has been Purchased for all Sinners by the blood of Jesus, making way for the Grace of God to be extended.
GRACE
Calvinism: Irresistible Grace
Arminianism: Prevenient Grace
Answer: The Grace of God is not a Pardon for Sin rather it is the Person of Jesus and His impartation of the Holy Spirit, therefore He must be Resistible(Free Will) by the Sinner. Yet because of the goodness of Jesus and the necessity of the Sinner, the Sinner must Surrender this Resistance(Free Will) in order to be Saved from Sin and restored back into Relationship with God, which is Life. The best way to understand this is a marriage. When the woman says, “I Do” she is giving up her Will, she is submitting once, of her own Free Will under her spiritual head. Even so Jesus as our example submitted to the Will of the Father when He was Baptized and received the Holy Spirit.
SECURITY
Calvinism: Perseverance of the saints
Arminianism: Conditional preservation of the saints
Answer: Once the Sinner has Repented of/Turned away from his Sin and Surrendered his Free Will to Jesus Christ, having his Old Sin Nature of Adam and the corrupted heart crucified and buried in Baptism = being Born Again of water and the Holy Spirit by God becoming a New Creature that CANNOT Sin by virtue of the New Nature of Jesus and the pure heart and the Indwelling power of the Holy Spirit who lives in, for and through and causes him to observe, keep and do all the Will of God, he is thus Saved from Sin and Eternally Secure and therefore CANNOT Sin.
Do you have #FreedomFromSin ?
