Grace, Faith, Free Will: Contrasting Views of Salvation

by Robert E. Picirilli

Publisher:

Randall House

, 2002

Overview

In Grace, Faith, Free Will, Robert E. Picirilli, renews discussion of the issues that have divided Calvinism and Arminianism since the Reformation. Jacobus Arminius, a sixteenth-century Dutch theologian, contested the dominant theological ideas advanced by the well-known Protestant reformer John Calvin and his disciples. Historically, Arminius has been frequently misunderstood and often reinterpreted by friend and foe alike. Even today, one who calls himself “Arminian” does so with considerable risk, as the name means different things to different people and comes in various flavors. Many people automatically think of Arminians as liberal, differing little from Universalists in holding to salvation by works, and possibly espousing heretical views of the Trinity or the goodness of man. In truth, some “Arminians” have held and even now hold such beliefs. Not so Arminius himself, his original followers, or able contemporary theologians such as Picirilli.

Though he presents both classic Calvinism and Arminianism in order to help readers intelligently decide for themselves, Dr. Picirilli unabashedly advocates a very specific form of Arminianism as the best resolution of the tensions between the two doctrinal positions. In what he calls “Reformation Arminianism,” Picirilli reclaims the original views of Arminius and his defenders. This is an Arminianism that defends:

• Total depravity
• The sovereignty of God to control all things for the certain accomplishment of his will
• God’s perfect foreknowledge of, and the certainty of, all future events—including the free, moral choices of human beings
• The penal satisfaction view of the atonement
• Salvation by grace through faith and not by works
• An apostasy that cannot be remedied

Logos Bible Software significantly improves the value of any resource by enabling you to instantly and efficiently find what you’re looking for. As you read through Grace, Faith, Free Will, you can easily search for and examine topics or Scripture references you come across—finding for example, every mention of “justification” or “sanctification.” All scripture references link directly to the Bible translations in your library, allowing you to immediately read verses cited by your resource.

Key Features

• Includes subject, author, and Scripture indexes
• Contains a foreword by the author

Contents

Top Highlights

“Arminius’ main point was to insist that all of God’s saving works deal with men as sinners, and that God must not be made the author of sin. He understood unconditional predestination to do that. He also felt constrained to insist that election is ‘Christocentric’; salvation is by the redemptive work of Christ and not by an arbitrary decree.” (Page 9)

“The first episode came when Arminius preached on Romans 7 in 1591. The high Calvinists maintained that the person described in verses 14–24 is a regenerate man. Arminius preached that this person must be a sinner, else God’s power is ineffective.” (Page 6)

“Applied to election and reprobation, then, predestination is not the basis of foreknowledge; the Biblical order is foreknowledge, then predestination (Rom. 8:29).” (Page 40)

“God’s grace operates in such a way that man can successfully resist it. No one is overpowered by it, man’s freedom is not taken away by its work.” (Page 14)

“How God’s decree renders sin certain without causing it is a mystery: that is, it is unrevealed.” (Page 25)

Praise for the Print Edition

I commend Bob Picirilli for such an erudite, comprehensive, and persuasive presentation of the classical Arminian position as contrasted with classical Calvinism and sub-Calvinism. The final chapter which analyzes Hebrews and Petrine writings with respect to the finality of apostasy is one of the strongest arguments on the same that I have read.

—Dr. Arthur M. Climenhaga, former dean, Western Evangelical Seminary, Portland, Oregon

Product Details

• Title: Grace, Faith, Free Will: Contrasting Views of Salvation
• Author: Robert E. Picirilli
• Publisher: Randall House
• Publication Date: 2002
• Pages: 245

About Robert E. Picirilli

Dr. Robert E. Picirilli, former academic dean and professor of Greek and New Testament studies at Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, Tennessee, has been teaching, preaching, and writing Arminian theology for more than 45 years. Since 1983, he has served as the general editor of The Randall House Bible Commentary and, in that series, contributed to the volumes on 1, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 1, 2 Thessalonians. His other published works include the books Paul the Apostle, Book of Galatians, Romans, and A Survey of the Pauline Epistles, as well as numerous booklets and articles in denominational publications and theological journals.