Now, that’s a Good Question!

Q. Please give a short definition for each of the following terms: (a) Pelagianism; (b) Calvinism; (c) Arminianism; and (d) Amyraldism.

A. These terms describe the different ways in which the biblical doctrine of salvation is understood. As labels, they provide helpful guidelines for us to understand how and why churches and individuals differ. As a church holding on to the Reformed Faith, we are confessionally Calvinistic and believe that Calvinism gives the most accurate presentation of the biblical doctrine of salvation. However, while Pelagians and ‘consistent’ Arminians, can hardly be considered Christian due to their denial of vital aspects of the faith, Amyraldians should be considered charitably as being seriously misled, but not necessarily deluded as to the integrity of their faith.

(a) Pelagianism is the teaching which originated from a British monk Pelagius (A.D. 354-430?). Pelagius denied Original Sin and the substitu-tionary atonement of Christ. The chief work of Christ was to provide us with an example. Man, by nature, has a free will which enables him to choose either good or evil independently. This is so because God never commands what is impossible for man to perform, therefore, it must be possible for man to take steps towards salvation without any special divine grace. Pelagianism was vigorously opposed by Augustine of Hippo, and finally condemned in 431 at the Council of Ephesus.

(b) Calvinism is a system of doctrine taught by John Calvin (1509-1564). It emphasises the Absolute Sovereignty of God in all areas of life. Very frequently, however, the term Calvinism is used to refer particularly to the doctrine of salvation agreed upon by the Synod of Dort in 1618-19 as summarising the teachings of Calvin and of the Scripture. The standard which resulted from the Synod, known as the Canons of Dort, is frequently abbreviated as TULIP: Total (or Radical) Depravity—fallen man is by nature dead in sin; Unconditional Election—God chose some to have eternal life according to the good pleasure of His will alone; Limited (or Particular) Atonement—Christ died a substitutionary and atoning death for the elect only; Irresistible Grace—the Holy Spirit brings the elect sinner to salvation by sovereignly changing his heart so that he embraces Christ irresistibly; and Perseverance (or Preservation) of the Saints—the Holy Spirit keeps the regenerate sinner in the faith so that he will never loose his salvation. When preaching the Gospel, the Calvinist may say "Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is able to save you. Your sin is abominable to God. A just and holy God must punish sin, — including your sin in Adam. Your sin is either paid in Christ or you will pay for it by eternal death." The Calvinist may also say "Christ died for sinners like you and I. His death is sufficient to pay for the penalty of your sin."

(c) Arminianism (also known as semi-pelagianism) refers to the theological stance of James Arminius (1560-1609) and his disciples. The Canons of Dort was actually written to refute point-by-point Arminius’ doctrine of salvation which was summarised by Arminius’ disciples in a 1610 document known as the Remonstrance, which they had hoped would occasion the re-vision of Dutch confessional theology. Arminius taught that although man is by nature dead in sin, he has the freedom of the will to reject or accept the Gospel when the Holy Spirit begins to woo him. Thus grace is also resistible. On the subject of election, Arminius taught what may be known as "conditional predestination," i.e. God predestinated the destiny of individuals based on His foreknowledge of whether they will accept or reject Christ. On the atonement, although later Arminians taught (inconsistently) that Christ paid the penalty of believers’ sins, Arminius actually taught that Christ suffered for everyone without exception so that the Father could forgive those who repent and believe. In other words, Christ died for no one in particular, but suffered for everyone. Arminius also taught believers may lose their salvation and be eternally lost. An Arminian may preach "God loves you! He loves you so much he sent His only begotten Son to suffer for you. He offers you a wonderful plan for your life. The death of Christ has made it possible for you to have this gift of life. All you need to do now is accept Jesus as your saviour. Do not reject Him. He cannot give you the gift unless actually take it."

(d) Amyraldianism (or Amyraldism) is the doctrine formulated by Moise Amyraut (1596-1664), a French theologian from the Saumur school. Amyraut taught what may be know as "hypothetical universalism." According to him, there exists a twofold will of God in predestination: a universal conditional will—in which God wills (or desires) the salvation of all without exception on condition that they believe; and a particular, unconditional will to save only the elect. In other words, Christ’s death is sufficient for all or hypothetically universal, but efficacious for the elect alone. Amyraut also believed that the particular will of God is hidden and inscrutable, and therefore must not affect Gospel preaching. The preacher, must instead preach Christ as the Saviour of the world, call for faith in His sufficient work and encourage sinners to believe with fact that God loves the world and desires all to be saved. Most Reformed theologians such as Charles Hodge, WGT Shedd, BB Warfield, Louis Berkhof, RL Dabney, Herman Hoeksema, John Gerstner etc consider Amyraldianism to be an inconsistent synthesis between Arminianism and Calvinism. Some other theologians such as Richard Baxter, Robert Bellamy, AH Strong, and LS Chafer believe that it is a return to the Calvinism that Calvin taught. An Amyraldian may preach: "God loves the world. He sent Christ to die for the world. God loves you, Christ died for you. If you believe in Christ you will be saved. Accept Him now, for He will not cast you out."