Arminianism | Grace Evangelical Society

Once Saved, Rarely Saved?

August 13, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - antinomianism, Arminianism, Eternal Security, motivations for Christian living, Once saved always saved

Someone sent me a link to a rather extreme Arminian preacher. Most who believe you can lose everlasting life think that people who believe you can’t lose your salvation still have a good chance of making it to heaven by persevering. However, this preacher thinks that the preaching of eternal security makes it very unlikely

Conversation with a Former Free Grace Guy

July 26, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - apostasy, Arminianism, Eternal Security, John 10:27-28

I received a call from a man I knew years ago. We will call him Frank. I had not talked with Frank in ten or fifteen years. He used to be a solid Free Grace guy. But no longer. We spoke for nearly an hour. Frank wanted to warn me that I am teaching heresy and that

If People Are Born Unable to Believe: Six Options

July 25, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Arminianism, Calvinism, Faith, inner light, Quaker, Total depravity, Wesleyanism

Are people born unable to believe? If so, how does anyone come to faith? As I work through these issues for an upcoming book examining “total depravity,” it might help to conceptualize the different answers given to explain how people who are born unable to believe can ever come to faith. Here are six options. “People are born unable to believe, therefore…” Patristic: you need

A Is for “Able to Believe”

June 18, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Arminianism, Calvinism, Total depravity, total inability

Bob and I wrote an article called “TULIP or ASSURE?” in which we briefly outlined what we thought was the Biblical alternative to the Five Points of Calvinism (and Arminianism). Our thinking has grown since then. Previously, we defined “A” as “All have sinned.” That was too general a statement. I now prefer “Able to believe.” It gets at the heart of the issue. The key issue in total

The Arminian’s Difficulty

May 6, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Arminianism, Arminians, Chafer

I came across this quote from Lewis Sperry Chafer. He contrasts the eternal salvation preached by Jesus with the “transient” salvation believed by Arminians: “The Arminian’s difficulty is initial. To him salvation is no more than a state of mind, a good intention, a resolution, or an outward manner of life. Such passing or transient verities as these are far

Yesterday’s Faith

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Amos Binney, Arminianism, Continuous faith, methodism

Rev. Amos Binney was a Methodist preacher who wrote a short systematic theology called Binney’s Theological Compend (published in 1840) explaining “Biblical Methodism” (see here). The “improved” version edited by Daniel Steele is very readable and succinct. I think it is a model for how a short systematic theology should be done, and I plan

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Confusion Abounds About How to Have Eternal Life

June 22, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Arminianism, Assurance, eternal life, evangelism

Beware of Misleading Blogs A reader told me about a May 20, 2018 blog by Justin Steckbauer entitled “How to Have Eternal Life.” The reader said, “After reading it I felt truly sorry for him.” I just read the blog. You can see it here. I too feel sorry for Steckbauer and for all the

Cottrell’s Continuing Assurance

June 13, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Arminianism, Assurance, continuing faith, Jack Cottrell

In his book, His Truth: Scripture Truths About Basic Doctrines, Jack Cottrell, an Arminian theologian, wrote on the subject of assurance. He did not give a name for the view he defended. I think it would be appropriate to call it the “I hope I keep believing” view. On Cottrell’s view, salvation is by faith

Jack Cottrell Hopes He Will Keep Believing

June 11, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Arminian, Arminianism, Assurance, Continuous faith, Cottrell

Jack Cottrell is an Arminian theologian. If you want to read a serious Arminian, start with him. Cottrell wrote a summary of his beliefs—a short systematic theology—called His Truth: Scriptural Truths About Basic Doctrines. The last chapter is on assurance. At the beginning of the chapter, he identified two prominent errors regarding assurance. The first