Three Roads on Salvation
Calvinism, Provisionism, Arminianism
Three Roads on Salvation
Three answers to the same questions, set side by side. Each column is written so that its own defenders would sign it. I hold the middle one, and I have said why elsewhere rather than in the subtitles here.
| Calvinismsovereign decree | Provisionismwhosoever will, kept forever | Arminianismcooperative grace | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The will of Goddoes God desire the salvation of all equally? | Unequal desireGod desires the salvation of all in His revealed will, but unequally, and especially intends the salvation of those unconditionally appointed to receive faith. | Equal antecedent desireGod desires the salvation of all men equally, antecedent to faith. The gospel itself, through the word and the Spirit's conviction, is what does the work. Consequently He saves those in Christ through faith. | Equal desire, prevenient graceGod desires the salvation of all men equally, and gives prevenient grace to every person, prior to the gospel, restoring the will so that any may respond. |
| Human condition | Total depravity and inabilityFallen man cannot come savingly to God without a prior work of the Spirit. | Depravity without inabilityTruly fallen, yet able to receive or reject the gospel (Acts 7:51). | Depravity with prevenient graceFallen man is unable, but grace given to all restores the ability to respond. |
| Election | Unconditional, individualGod chose particular persons before the foundation of the world, not on the basis of foreseen faith. | Corporate, in ChristGod chose a people in Him (en autō, Eph 1:4); you enter by faith. | Conditional election in ChristGod decreed to save believers in Christ, and elects individuals in view of their foreseen faith. |
| Atonement | Particular redemptionChrist died to actually secure the salvation of the elect. A strand within the Reformed tradition holds universal satisfaction with particular application. | Unlimited, sufficient for allChrist died for the whole world (1 John 2:2), applied to those who believe. | UnlimitedChrist died for all without exception. |
| Gracewhat does grace do to a will that cannot save itself? | Necessary, internal, irresistibleGrace is necessary, internal, and irresistible. The fall left man unable to respond, so grace regenerates first, and faith follows as the certain result. The drawing cannot be refused. | Necessary, internal, resistibleGrace is necessary, internal, and resistible. The capacity to respond was not destroyed; grace convicts, draws, and brings the word the able man answers, or refuses. Necessary, not irresistible. The grace is not a prevenient work that re-enables a disabled will; the will was never disabled.Is this Pelagian?→ | Necessary, internal, restorativeGrace is necessary, internal, and restorative. The fall disabled the will; prevenient grace re-enables it so a man can respond, and that grace can then be resisted. |
| Securitywhat happened to the one who walked away? | Perseverance of the saintsAll the truly elect are kept and persevere. One who finally falls away was never regenerate. | Eternal securitySealed in Christ at the moment of genuine faith (Eph 1:13) and kept. One who finally falls away shows the faith was never genuine. The difference from the Reformed view is the ground: security rests on the sealing of real faith, not on unconditional individual election. | ConditionalSalvation can be forfeited through persistent unbelief. One who falls away was genuinely saved and apostatized. |
Not whether God desires all to be saved. Mainstream Reformed affirm that in the revealed will, and a real strand holds that Christ satisfied for all. The parting is that the desire is equal and antecedent, and that grace can be resisted.
The disagreement is not whether God keeps His own. All three hold that. It is whether a genuine believer can apostatize.
The Calvinist column here is one broad camp. The actual spectrum runs from classic-moderate Calvinism through mainstream higher Calvinism to hyper-Calvinism, and they differ on both the will of God and the extent of the satisfaction. Tony Byrne has charted it precisely.
Each position here is compressed to fit a row. For the longer version, including thirteen things all three hold in common and how much range sits inside each label, see wsb.bible/common-ground.
Ezekiel 33:11 · Matthew 23:37 · John 3:16 · Acts 7:51 · Ephesians 1:4 · Ephesians 1:13 · 1 John 2:2