Almost all Classical Pentecostals are Arminians; we are not Calvinists! We believe that Jesus died for all, and He wants us to share the gospel to all, so that faith will arise in people’s hearts to freely choose to receive Christ as their Saviour. We don’t accept Calvinism’s idea of a “limited” atonement, which believes that Jesus didn’t die for the whole world (He went to the cross only for some).
(1) As Arminians, we believe in the sovereignty of God. The crucial difference here is that God, in His love, chooses to be sovereign even over His own sovereignty. He limits His own power to permit humans to freely choose, even if it means that they might oppose His will. Nothing less than the genuine freedom of choice is required for this love to be real.
(2) As Arminians, we believe in predestination. The crucial difference here is that we don’t believe that God has “predetermined” who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. We stand firmly on Rom 8:29 that says, “For those God foreknew He also predestined”. The clear Bible evidence here is that God’s foreknowledge is the ground of His predestination. Those He foreknew, who will freely respond to His saving grace, He elected for salvation.
(3) As Arminians, we also believe in total depravity, in salvation by grace, and in the assurance of this salvation. We just cannot accept the Calvinist’s interpretation of them, which we feel is not consistent with biblical witness.
As Pentecostals, we at CHC and THN, are very serious about the Holy Scripture. We seek to contend for the gospel which has been entrusted to us (Jude 1:3). We desire to preach the gospel to the whole world (Mt 28:18-20), expressing a divine love which, unconditionally and genuinely, draws all people everywhere, allowing them to freely choose Him.
Almost all Classical Pentecostals are Arminians; we are not Calvinists! We believe that Jesus died for all, and He wants us to share the gospel to all, so that faith will arise in people’s hearts to freely choose to receive Christ as their Saviour. We don’t accept Calvinism’s idea of a “limited” atonement, which believes that Jesus didn’t die for the whole world (He went to the cross only for some).
(1) As Arminians, we believe in the sovereignty of God. The crucial difference here is that God, in His love, chooses to be sovereign even over His own sovereignty. He limits His own power to permit humans to freely choose, even if it means that they might oppose His will. Nothing less than the genuine freedom of choice is required for this love to be real.
(2) As Arminians, we believe in predestination. The crucial difference here is that we don’t believe that God has “predetermined” who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. We stand firmly on Rom 8:29 that says, “For those God foreknew He also predestined”. The clear Bible evidence here is that God’s foreknowledge is the ground of His predestination. Those He foreknew, who will freely respond to His saving grace, He elected for salvation.
(3) As Arminians, we also believe in total depravity, in salvation by grace, and in the assurance of this salvation. We just cannot accept the Calvinist’s interpretation of them, which we feel is not consistent with biblical witness.
As Pentecostals, we at CHC and THN, are very serious about the Holy Scripture. We seek to contend for the gospel which has been entrusted to us (Jude 1:3). We desire to preach the gospel to the whole world (Mt 28:18-20), expressing a divine love which, unconditionally and genuinely, draws all people everywhere, allowing them to freely choose Him.