Reformed Arminianism

I hate it when I get stuck in my thinking and I don't know how to choose the best of solutions. That's how it has been for the past 12 months as I've considered the Christian doctrine of election.

Growing up in the churches of Christ, I was taught that in order for a person to receive salvation, they must strike up a relationship with God. Salvation was summarized in this six step model:

• Hear the Word of God
• Believe in Jesus
• Confess your sins
• Repent (turn away from) your sinful life
• Be Baptized (completely immersed in water) for the forgiveness of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
• Continue to live for Christ (measured almost exclusively by good works)

Who takes these steps? The sinner, of course. It is up to the sinner to turn to God, to beg for mercy, and to show his sincerity/commitment by being baptized. Then, the sinner turned saint must faithfully continue to hold up his end of the relationship to maintain the promise of salvation.

I didn't know it at the time, but this philosophy of salvation bears the label Arminianism (after the 17th century theologian Jacobus Arminius). Man is sinful because of Adam's bite of the apple, but not so totally separated from God that he can't choose to turn to God (and turn from sin). Are we saved by grace? Yes. But, we can choose to turn down God's gift of grace, and thereby control our eternal destiny.

Because churches of Christ traditionally have separated themselves from the whole of Christian thought, I was never exposed to the other, widely taught possibility concerning salvation -- that God controls the whole process.

This is the concept of election -- that God elected before the beginning of time who would ultimately receive salvation and who would not. When we "come to Christ," it would be more accurately stated that Christ has already come to us, and through the Holy Spirit, both initiated and completed the salvation process. This is necessary, because when Adam sinned, all of mankind became so corrupt that we are completely incapable of choosing God. So, by necessary inference, if we can't choose God, then He must choose us.

Election was widely taught by St. Augustine, and later by John Calvin and others during the Protestant Reformation. Some would say that election is clearly taught by the Apostles John and Paul in their New Testament writings.

There really is no such thing as the title to this blog -- "Reformed Arminianism," but it's what I am right now. A fencesitter. A student. A confused modern-day theologian.

I may post in coming weeks some further thoughts on the issue as I read through a couple of books on the subject. Your thoughts, as always, are welcomed.