What is the main difference between Calvinism and Arminianism?

Answer 1

This covers it.
http://www.the-highway.com/compare.html

Answer 2

Calvinism is a theological system and an approach to the Christian life that emphasizes the rule of God over all things. Named after John Calvin, it falls within the realm of Protestant Christianity and is sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology while Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought in Protestant Christian theology founded by the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius. Arminianism holds to the following tenets: Humans are naturally unable to make any effort towards salvation; Salvation is possible by grace alone; Works of human effort cannot cause or contribute to salvation; God's election is conditional on faith in Jesus; Jesus' atonement was for all people; God allows his grace to be resisted by those unwilling to believe; Salvation can be lost, as continued salvation is conditional upon continued faith.

Answer 3

if i went with Calvinism i would have no free will to answer this question... it would have to be that i was following the will of God

if i went with Arminianism i would be able to decide whether or not to answer this question, even if God would want me to do other things

Answer 4

Calvinism believes in irresistible Grace, in other words, you have no choice in it. You are either chosen to be Saved, or you are not. If you are among the chosen you cannot loose your Salvation, no matter what you do. This is also called Eternal Security, and is a damnable false doctrine.

Arminianism believes that all are called to Salvation, and that all are free to choose. It believes that a Christian can indeed fall from Grace, and if he/she does not repent, but continues in Sin, they can loose their Salvation.

Answer 5

Booth has illustrated the kind of distortions of Scriptures that can occur when a lawyer tries or pretends to be a theologian. Eph. 2:8 does not indicate that there is no free will. In fact based on the context of the whole body of Scriptures it says the opposite of what Calvin surmised. Those who believe in free will whether Arminian, Thomist or Molinist recognizes that we are saved through faith and that this is a gift of God. We also agree that it is not by our own doing that this occurs but that God has and does prepare us for acceptance of His gift and that it is the Holy Spirit that does the work of convicting us of the necessary faith of the salvific promise. Where theologians differ from Calvin is whether one can refuse this gift.

Calvin taught that we are predestined to both come to faith and salvation or to be reprobate and go to our eternal destiny in hell. This makes no sense in view of other Scriptures. For instance, the Bible in both the old and new Testaments tells us that the law is written on everyone’s heart. It does not say that it is written only on the hearts of those who are predestined to be saved. If Calvin is correct why is the law written on everyone’s heart and not just the predestined to receive His gift. Besides the fact that Calvin’s teaching depicts a God who is less that just, by creating those who are created to be damned, it ignores the statements in Scripture that Christ died for all and not just the predestined. This indicates that all of humanity has the chance, by Christ’s sacrifice, to accept or refuse the gift freely given by God. So, clearly Calvin did not believe what the Scriptures say but a distortion evident in his conclusions about God’s salvific grace.

The fact is that God’s plan is that we come to Him freely convicted by the Holy Spirit to surrender to the law written on our hearts and believe in Him. This is not wholly by ones own doing but by God who has prepared us with the law and given the Holy Spirit to draw us to faith. In His will we either accept His grace or refuse it, condemning ourselves instead of God creating us to be damned, without choosing to serve Him. It is this same Grace which we choose or reject that allows us to endure in faith or fall away which Calvin denies, instead teaching that after initial salvation that we are powerless to fall away whether in sin or desire. This is clearly heresy on the part of Calvin’s teaching and cannot be supported in Scriptures.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 6

They are two opposing views of the Sovereignty of God verses free will or free choice both views take an exclusive approach instead of allowing for both to be partly correct and not contradictory as the look at it through human understanding not God's being beyond human understanding

Answer 7

free will(arminian) slave will(calvinist)
Arminius rejected Calvinism's double predestination,limited atonement(that Jesus died only for the elect few),total human depravity(rather than just fallen),unconditional election(predestination/determinism).irresistible grace("raped by grace") andthe" perseverence of the Saints" for the predestined elect cannot be lost(once saved ,always saved)

Answer 8

Calvinism is once you are saved, that's it.....you have nothing else to do with it...

Armenianism is working out your salvation with fear and trembling....not that you have to do anything to be saved, but you need to daily work on staying that way....communication with the Lord.

Answer 9

See http://www.bcbsr.com/topics/fgospel.html for a categorization of Salvation Theologies.

Answer 10

It's a break away church from the main church associated with the lutheran church, they are all break aways and teach different doctrines of men and not of the bible.