Theo1689
Well-known member
I believe Arminians and Calvinists have the same gospel. And it goes like this:
1) God is holy.
2) man is a sinner.
3) The wages of sin is death.
4) All people are under condemnation.
5) But God sent His Son to die for sin.
6) Everyone who believes on the Son will have eternal life.
But there are some who hate the idea that others might disagree with, and likely don't understand (or don't want to acknowledge) the difference between the "gospel" and "theology". So they try to claim (uncharitably) that the other side proclaims a "false gospel".
So let's see how that works.
The Arminian "Gospel"
"God loves you, and He WANTS so badly to save you, but He's impotent to save you Himself, He sent His Son to die for EVERY man on Earth. But He needs your help, and if you don't believe in Him, you will spend eternity in torment, and He won't lift a finger to prevent it. But as your suffering in torment, remember that He still LOVES you!"
The Calvinist "Gospel"
"God is Holy, and must condemn all sin. And all men have sinned, and are under eternal condemnation for their sin. But God has decided to show mercy and grace, and He sent His Son to die on a cross to atone for sin. And God has chosen a particular number of sinners, and has chosen them from the foundation of the world, to personally love them, and to apply the blood of Jesus to atone for their sin, so they are freed from the eternal torment they justly deserve. And you can know if you are one of those whom God chose to love, despite your sins, because He will regenerate you, and give you a new heart to love God, and will give you faith to believe in Him. And so if you trust in Him to atone for your sins, you can know that He has saved you."
1) God is holy.
2) man is a sinner.
3) The wages of sin is death.
4) All people are under condemnation.
5) But God sent His Son to die for sin.
6) Everyone who believes on the Son will have eternal life.
But there are some who hate the idea that others might disagree with, and likely don't understand (or don't want to acknowledge) the difference between the "gospel" and "theology". So they try to claim (uncharitably) that the other side proclaims a "false gospel".
So let's see how that works.
The Arminian "Gospel"
"God loves you, and He WANTS so badly to save you, but He's impotent to save you Himself, He sent His Son to die for EVERY man on Earth. But He needs your help, and if you don't believe in Him, you will spend eternity in torment, and He won't lift a finger to prevent it. But as your suffering in torment, remember that He still LOVES you!"
The Calvinist "Gospel"
"God is Holy, and must condemn all sin. And all men have sinned, and are under eternal condemnation for their sin. But God has decided to show mercy and grace, and He sent His Son to die on a cross to atone for sin. And God has chosen a particular number of sinners, and has chosen them from the foundation of the world, to personally love them, and to apply the blood of Jesus to atone for their sin, so they are freed from the eternal torment they justly deserve. And you can know if you are one of those whom God chose to love, despite your sins, because He will regenerate you, and give you a new heart to love God, and will give you faith to believe in Him. And so if you trust in Him to atone for your sins, you can know that He has saved you."