DR BEN WITHERINGTON ON ARMINIANISM (REMNANT RADIO INTERVIEW)

Some interesting portions of his interview. No timestamps yet because Automatic Captions are not enabled on the video. He uses lots of real life analogies to illustrate the theological concepts he wants to explain.

There are far more Arminians in the USA, but because they traditionally focused on evangelism rather than scholarly education like Calvinists did, the latter seems more prevalent.

Luther and Calvin basically inherited Augustinianism into Calvinism.

Arminius questioned Perseverance of the Saints, and if that is not true then three other petals fall off as well.

Total Depravity remains, but God’s prevenient grace is given to all people to enable them to overcome it and make a decision whether to accept salvation or reject it.

Salvation and love are always synergistic – it takes two parties working together. [I fully support his embracing of the label synergism which is meant to be an insult and scare tactic.]

There are 3 tenses to salvation – we have been saved by justification, we are being saved by sanctification, and we will be fully saved at the resurrection.

But it’s not an equal partnership, God gets all the credit because it is by His grace that any of this is even possible.

It takes wilful effort to apostatise. He also points out that in the Calvinist systematic, Paul’s warnings not to fall away are pointless if they are meant for believers since the Elect cannot ever fall away. But they are also pointless if they are meant for unbelievers because the Reprobate can never believe in the first place!

The early church fathers taught the same corporate view of election, and election to purpose. Predestination is God’s plan for those who love Him. Calvin smushed together election, salvation and stuck predestination onto it.

Foreknowing is not forechoosing. [Compare however OVER-EXTENDING THE USAGE OF FOREKNEW & PREDESTINE and WHO IS PREDESTINED, AND FOR WHAT?.]

God is not the author of evil.

Ephesians 1 must be understood based on the key phrase ‘in Him’, it is Christ who was foreknown before the foundation of the world. [See also EPHESIANS 1 AND PREDESTINATION – TO WHAT? and BRAD SAAB ON CALVINIST & NON-CALVINIST INTERPRETATION OF EPHESIANS 1.]

Regarding Romans 9 ‘Jacob I loved, Esau I hated’ – Hebrew & Aramaic don’t have good ways to compare things. So to say ‘Jacob I loved, Esau not so much’ they have to use antonyms. This is backed up by Reformed scholar Charles Cranfield’s work which states that Romans 9’s references to the Old Testament are about election to ‘historical function’, not salvation. [See under ‘2.2.1. C.E.B. Cranfield’ on page 26 of this PDF aka page 32 of the journal numbering. See also my ROMANS 9 – SUPERPOST which includes a similar admission by another Calvinist, Douglas Moo. See also specifically ROMANS 8:29-30 – PAST TENSE OLD TESTAMENT? and ROMANS 8 – THE GOLDEN CHAIN OF ADOPTION FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST (NOT THE GOLDEN CHAIN OF SALVATION FOR THE TOTALLY DEPRAVED WHO ARE UNCONDITIONALLY ELECTED).]

Cyrus is called God’s anointed, messiah. He was chosen but not saved.

Tags: Arminianism