CALVINISM OR ARMINIANISM?

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction:

In this  book I would like to have a look at the doctrines of grace. We will have a detailed study of the five points of grace as well as its contemporary the five points of Arminianism.

There are two systems of beliefs in the religious world that are totally opposite each other in their doctrinal stand. These systems deal with our whole attitude and relationship with Christ.  The two systems are - Arminianism and Calvinism.

Lets look into the history of these systems before getting into their meanings and scripture to support our beliefs.  Remember - Neither system is new - it=s just that these two men put the already existing beliefs into an organized system for easier study and teaching and remembering. And even then - it was not the man themselves that started calling them by these names - it was their followers - those that came later and put a name to the system of doctrines each man so strongly believed in.

It was a Dutch theologian named Jacob Hermann who lived from 1560 to 1609 (he was better known by the Latin form of his last name - Arminius) that, although he was brought up in the Dutch reformed tradition - which held to Calvinistic views although at that time that term was not in use, he leaned toward the humanist doctrines of Erasmus - an Arminian type of system already in use. He had serious doubts about sovereign grace as taught by the reformers.

His followers - called Arminians and Remonstrants, expanded his teachings and shortly after his death in 1609 put together his doctrines into a system of five points that would become known as the five points of Arminius. Note that it was Jacob Arminuis= followers that actually systemized their beliefs.  They then took these five  point to the government of Holland hoping to have these doctrines established as the doctrines of the state church.

The churches of the Netherlands, along with other major Protestant churches of Europe followed to the Reformed Doctrines of the Belgic and Heidelberg Confession - which were more Calvinistic in their beliefs, even though these doctrines had not yet officially been formulated into that named system. Remember - this was shortly after the Protestant reformation when most Protestant churches were very sound in most doctrines - with the exception of church doctrine for one.  In fact it was this rise of Arminianism as an organized system that infiltrated the truths taught in most churches of that time and over the years since has all but destroyed all of them, as being a sound acceptable church, and seriously damaged many Baptist churches.

The Arminians were determined to present to the Dutch Parliament with a Remonstrance.

So a carefully written protest of the reformed faith was submitted to the state of Holland.  In 1618 a national synod of the church was convened in Dort to examine the teachings of Arminius in the light of scripture.

There was 154 sessions studying these doctrines over a period of 7 months.  So there was a very thorough, detailed study of each point. Nothing was overlooked. Much to their credit they found the five points of Arminius  contrary to scripture and declared them heretical. They reaffirmed the doctrines already held to by their own church as well as most of the Protestant Reformers.

At the same time the church reaffirmed the position held by the Protestant Reformers as consistent with scripture,  they formulated a system known as the five points of Calvinism in honor of the great French theologian - John Calvin.   Note here:  John Calvin himself had nothing to do with the formulating the system called by his name - although in his teachings he did stress these very five points.  John Calvin himself had been dead for many years.