Miracle Max explains Arminianism v. Calvinism- ebooks-freezone
"With all dead, there's only one thing you can do. Go through his pockets and look for loose change."
LOL. For those who might not know, Miracle Max is a fictional character in the movie The Princess Bride. Of course, the movie was an entertainment fairy tale move, not a theological treatise. But Max's words summed up a critical difference in the two actual approaches to salvation.
The Arminian believes we are slightly alive, and that in some corner of the heart, we can at some point in life choose salvation.
The person who understands the Doctrines of Grace knows that divine grace is the only catalyst for salvation, and that we have nothing to do with it. God saves us. As a matter of fact, He chose every person He decided He was going to save before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 2:1-6).
There's a big difference between Mostly Dead (Arminianism) and All Dead (Calvinism). Miracle Max, you are very wise!
You've misunderstood the "dead" metaphor in Scripture. It doesn't mean "unable to respond." It means two things:
ReplyDelete1. Dead "to God": i.e., outside of relationship with Him.
2. Marked for eternal death - unless conversion happens to offset that.
Neither of those militates against a sinner's (God-provided) ability to respond positively to the Gospel, or, conversely, to resist the Holy Spirit's overtures.