The False Choice Between Calvinism and Arminianism

Last updated on: May 2, 2013 at 9:00 am by Josh Daffern

The False Choice Between Calvinism and Arminianism 2013-05-02T09:00:24-06:00 Josh Daffern

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Am I a Calvinist or an Arminian? Yes. And life is great here above the fray. Southern Baptists are being torn apart by the classic Calvinism debate. Our seminaries are in separate camps, our leaders are divided and throwing resolutions at each other. College and seminary presidents are weeding out professors that don’t agree with their particular doctrine. Your theological view on salvation is becoming a litmus test that trumps all others.

The tragedy is that the Calvinism vs. Arminian debate presents us with a false choice (or in classical logic terms, a ‘false dichotomy’). In this debate, salvation is either all God or all man. The problem is that both camps point to Scripture for their beliefs. And both sides are right.

For years, I avoided the debate. Then I began to see in Scripture that God’s sovereignty vs. man’s choice wasn’t an “either/or,” it was a “both/and.” And here’s the illustration that captured the essence of that truth for me. Once I thought of this (if you’re in the Arminian camp) or God sovereignly revealed it to me (if you’re in the Calvinist camp), I was at peace with the issue.

It’s the incarnation of Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to earth, was he God or man? The first few centuries of believers heavily debated that. Was he God that just looked like a man, or was he merely a man with God-like powers? After centuries of debate, here’s what Christianity concluded: Jesus was both. Not 50/50 both, but 100/100 both. He was fully God and fully man. In God’s equation, 100% plus 100% equals 100%. We can’t fully understand it, but we accept it.

I believe God exercises the same principle in salvation. Is salvation man’s choice or God’s sovereignty? Yes. It’s both. It doesn’t have to be an either/or. It can be both, side-by-side. I believe that salvation is 100% man’s choice and 100% God’s sovereignty, in the same way that I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was 100% man and 100% God. Although I cannot fully understand it, I accept it.

Southern Baptists, if we can come to a peace about this issue, and if we begin to focus on the issues that matter (like lostness), how much more will our Heavenly Father be pleased with us? The current Calvinism debate is nothing but sideways energy meant to distract us from the task at hand, fulfilling the Great Commission.

Let’s be better than this. Let’s finish what we were left here to do. Salvation is 100% man’s choice and 100% God’s sovereignty. That’s what I’ve lived and breathed for the past decade, and my soul is at perfect peace. I can now focus on partnering with God to influence souls for Christ. May we all do the same.

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