If you are a Calvinist, you may or
may not be a Christian.
Do you believe in eternal security?
The issue is whether people who truly believe in Jesus for salvation can possibly shipwreck their faith and forfeit their salvation, or conversely, once people have genuinely put their faith in Christ, whether their final salvation is unconditionally guaranteed.
• If you answered yes and do believe in eternal security, you might be a Christian.
• Even Jacobus Arminius (of "Arminianism" - what Calvinists call non-Calvinist Christians) himself was non-committal on the issue and never actually taught that believers may make shipwreck of their faith and so forfeit their salvation.
• The Remonstrants — people who sided with Arminius in the theological debates of 17th century Holland — originally took no position on this issue, though they ultimately came to the conclusion that believers can make shipwreck of their faith and so perish.
• If you answered no and don't believe in eternal security, then you affirm something which many Christians strongly affirm, and you certainly would not be welcome in the Calvinist camp.
• The official statement of faith of the Society of Evangelical Arminians only affirms that "persevering in faith is necessary for final salvation," without commenting further on the possibility of making shipwreck of one's faith.
• All Calvinists believe in unconditional eternal security (some without qualification and some because they think that faith and its continuance is due to unconditional election).
• Most Independent and Southern Baptists base their claim to be Calvinists on this sole issue; however, in light of historic agreement among Arminians to allow for disagreement on this issue, eternal security is not a determining factor in the question of whether one is an "Arminian" or a Calvinist.
The issue is whether people who truly believe in Jesus for salvation can possibly shipwreck their faith and forfeit their salvation, or conversely, once people have genuinely put their faith in Christ, whether their final salvation is unconditionally guaranteed.
• If you answered yes and do believe in eternal security, you might be a Christian.
• Even Jacobus Arminius (of "Arminianism" - what Calvinists call non-Calvinist Christians) himself was non-committal on the issue and never actually taught that believers may make shipwreck of their faith and so forfeit their salvation.
• The Remonstrants — people who sided with Arminius in the theological debates of 17th century Holland — originally took no position on this issue, though they ultimately came to the conclusion that believers can make shipwreck of their faith and so perish.
• If you answered no and don't believe in eternal security, then you affirm something which many Christians strongly affirm, and you certainly would not be welcome in the Calvinist camp.
• The official statement of faith of the Society of Evangelical Arminians only affirms that "persevering in faith is necessary for final salvation," without commenting further on the possibility of making shipwreck of one's faith.
• All Calvinists believe in unconditional eternal security (some without qualification and some because they think that faith and its continuance is due to unconditional election).
• Most Independent and Southern Baptists base their claim to be Calvinists on this sole issue; however, in light of historic agreement among Arminians to allow for disagreement on this issue, eternal security is not a determining factor in the question of whether one is an "Arminian" or a Calvinist.
Doctrine does not affect one's
salvation - belief in Christ does. However, there exists a distinct possibility
that if your doctrine is false, as is the case with Calvinism, then you may
never have asked Jesus' forgiveness and as a result, you may not have received
salvation.
Material borrowed from
this site. All edits are mine.
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