Grace Faith Free Will: Contrasting Views of Salvation: Calvinism & Arminianism

by Robert E. Picirilli

Robert Picirilli renews the discussion of issues that have divided Calvinism and Arminianism since the Reformation. Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian of the 16th century, 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. Though he presents both classic Calvinism and Arminianism in order to help readers intelligently decide for themselves, Dr. Picirilli unashamedly advocates a very specific form of Arminianism as the best resolution of the tensions between the two doctrinal postions. 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, salvaiton by grace through faith and not by works, from beginning to end, an apostasy that cannot be remedied.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction

247 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2002

Reviews

[Michael Locklear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will admit that I am bias in commenting on this author and his book. Dr. Robert Picirilli is a Free Will Baptist scholar and theologian. He is a former professor of Greek and New Testament studies at Welch College (formerly Free Will Baptist College) in Nashville, Tennessee. For over 45 years he has been teaching, preaching, and writing Arminian theology.
Dr. Picirilli considers himself a “Reformed Arminian.” Here is an excerpt from the Foreward of his book:
I wish to contribute to the contemporary renewal of discussion about the issues that have divided Calvinism and Arminianism since the Reformation... My goal is to present both sides, so that the reader will know exactly what those issues are: to clarify understanding of both positions and help readers intelligently decide for themselves.
Also, I intend to urge a very specific form of Arminianism as the best resolution of the tensions, and in this respect I am not impartial. The trouble with “Arminianism” is that it means different things to different people. My aim is to present what I call “Reformation Arminianism,” by which I mean the views of Arminius himself and his original defenders...
Some readers may be surprised to learn that there 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, from beginning to end,
and that apostasy cannot be remedied.
I highly recommend this book to all my friends, Calvinist, Arminian or unsure... especially the latter.

[Vic]

Over all this book was very informative to those seeking to understand how one may, to no avail I might add, dodge the exegetical and reasonable assertions of the system of Calvinism. It gives an accurate account of modern and even classical arminianism in its defense. Good read for those serious about understanding which system of theology follows the words of scripture.

[Joey Kaching · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75/5.00 A must-read for anyone interested in hearing the Arminian view comprehensively stated and juxtaposed to Calvinism by a evangelical classical/reformation Arminian theologian.

Great book. Very thorough but accessible case for Arminianism from a systematic and biblical theology perspective. Most comprehensive and effective case for Arminianism I have read in a single book.

The book is loosely structured around four of the “five points of Calvinism” (not in order): unconditional election, total depravity, limited atonement, perseverance of the saints.

Each chapter presents the Calvinist perspective from systematic theology, followed by the Arminian perspective from systematic theology and then the biblical theology supporting the Arminian view (including the Calvinist objections and the Arminian defence).

This book is fairly academic and very dense in parts. This is its great strength as the writer comprehensively deals with complex debates with great precision and wisdom. You don’t need a theology degree to enjoy this book. It is also fairly accessible and written for a lay audience.

Nevertheless, the strength of this books academic objectivity, also lends its weakness. The book is fairly dry and not beautifully crafted. As such it takes patience and discipline to make it through to the end. But it is so very worth the hard work.

I commend this book to everyone who has an interest in this debate and can tolerate slightly dry and dense theology. It will encourage Arminians and reinforce their confidence that Arminianism best captures the biblical teaching; and it will challenge Calvinists to reconsider their own confidence.

[Nicholas Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picirilli’s book is a fantastic treatise on Arminian theology that is exegetically faithful, a respectful representation of Calvinist theology, and a systematically organized response. I do believe that Picirilli’s “Reformed Arminianism” has one of the more nuanced and biblical views in comparison to other “Arminian” viewpoints (like Wesleyan Arminianism) and it actually brings something worthwhile to the long-standing debate. There’s a lot of hard-hitting biblical evidence that he brings that are hard to disagree with.

Wherever you land on the debate, this is an essential read to understand the Arminian position at its clearest and most exegetically mature. Although, it’s last chapter falters in quality as preceding chapters, the major point of conditionality by faith vs. unconditionality to faith proves to be its most pertinent and powerful argument. I plan to re-visit the work to better sharpen my understanding of the Arminian viewpoint.

[Jared Hiebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

First the good. I give this book 5 stars for its excellent overview of Arminian soteriology. Picirilli is a longtime defender and expositor of this type of theology and this book demonstrates his knowledge. It is well put together and easy to read. I give this book 0 stars on account that it is a book that advocates Arminian theology. Therefore it gets a 3. A quick read of this book will reveal the emptiness and hopelessness of Arminianism. This book lacks consistent and quality exegesis. It relies too much on philosophical presuppositions. Many of the so-called arguments beg the question. Chapter 9 is indicative of all that is problematic with Arminianism. This is not an indictment on Picirilli, who has put together a valuable resource for understanding the Arminian view of salvation. It is an indictment on the theology itself.

[Ian Minielly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a challenging book to read. I usually consume books pretty fast, but this book forced me to slow down. I wanted to read his efforts to Strong Man the Calvinist viewpoints while at the same time making sure I comprehended his arguments against them and what he called Reformation Arminianism without cheating either side.

Trying to make the Calvinist understanding make sense made the reading painful, but Picirilli did a good job. At no time was I ever supporting the Calvinist interpretation, but I am giving him credit for trying to make it sound as rational and biblical as they think it is, which is not an easy job. I plan on reading this again in a few years when I am not as deep in the throws of battling Calvinists as they continuously use their well funded hands to steer the faith down a road it was never meant to go.

[Chad CG · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very educational and I learned a great deal! I loved the way Picirilli formatted and went about addressing each topic. His style reminds me of some of the great thinks and scholars and was very dense in nature. Overall, though at times it was slow reading, it helped me get a better understanding for where calvinists and arminians stand and where I stand.

[Matt Y. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book. Picirilli carefully and thoroughly makes the case for Arminianism, while being nuanced, fair-minded, and charitable to opposing views. It was exactly what I was looking for.

[Daniel Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute, all-time favorite theology book. If you are unfamiliar with Free Will Baptist Theology or what it means to be a Reformed Arminian, please read this book. I come back to this book frequently and recommend it often.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic exposition!

[Mike Crews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I once read a passing comment online to the effect that Arminianism is too convoluted and complicated, while Calvinism is much more simple and straightforward. What I suspect is that Calvinism seems simpler because its proponents have been better at explaining and advocating it.
Fortunately, for those willing to think through their theology, Dr. Robert Picirilli does a masterful job of explaining the problems with Calvinism as well as showing how Arminianism is more Biblical and more satisfying to the heart and mind.
Dr. Picirilli begins with three main purposes for this book:
1) “…to contribute to the contemporary renewal of discussion about the issues that have divided Calvinism and Arminianism since the Reformation”
2) “to urge a very specific form of Arminianism as the best resolution of the tensions…” (specifically what he calls Reformation Arminianism)
3) “to draw the debate back to the fundamental issues” (as opposed to issues such as open theism.)
His method for accomplishing these goals is “…to pursue historical, systematic, and Biblical theology.” (p. ii) which leads him to the first chapter of a historical overview of the controversy.
After providing a brief sketch of the life of Arminius, he pinpoints the core theological problem: “Arminius believed that all the Calvinists finally made sin necessary and therefore caused by God. Most importantly, he held that election to salvation was election of believers, which means that election is conditioned on faith. He also insisted that God’s foreknowledge of man’s choices did not cause or make those choices necessary.” (p. 10) He recounts not only the theological battle, but also the political and personal battle that ended up branding Arminius and his followers as heretics. Given the views of many contemporary Calvinist leaders, it’s telling to see that some things have not changed much! (Except, thank the Lord, the physical persecution!)
The rest of the book is divided into four parts, each of which presents the Calvinist perspective, the Arminian perspective, and some type of Biblical defense for Arminian theology. This arrangement is very helpful first because it helps the reader understand the Calvinist view (many times in the words of Calvinists themselves) and also highlights both the agreements and disagreements between the two theological systems. It is here Picirilli shines brightest in being both sensitive and fair, but also charitably pointing out the flaws in Calvinism. At the same time he rigorously shows how Arminianism is both truer to Scripture and more satisfying to both the heart and mind.
In my humble opinion, this book accomplishes its goals almost perfectly, and is an invaluable resource for anyone, Calvinist or Arminian, who wants to seriously consider and understand the differences.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good book. The author presents the Calvinist view, then the Arminian view, then explains why the Calvinist view is incorrect. The only problem with this approach is that a Calvinist does not have the opportunity to explain why the Arminian view is incorrect. I generally lean to the Arminian side, so I would mostly agree with Mr. Picirilli's writing. However, he does make a number of assumptions, especially about the book of Hebrews, that I believe leads him down the wrong path in believing that a Christian could lose salvation. He pretty passes over the eternal security view by simply dismissing the verses that teach eternal security and one gets the impression that he looks down on those who hold this position. The problem is that the position is very similar to the Calvinist view of perseverance and he never fully refutes it.
A couple important take aways:
1. Jacob Arminius and the original remonstrants were undecided on the issue ow whether a Christian could lose salvation. Kudos to Mr. Picirilli for pointing this out (although later in the book it seems he seems to assert that Jacob Arminius did actually believe this).
2. The brevity of the book. Given the topic, it is remarkable Mr. Picirilli was able to keep the book under 250 pages. The book is remarkably concise.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this and "Salvation by Grace" by Matthew Barrett at the same time. It's a contrast. Picirilli argues Arminianism just as well as Barrett does for Calvinism. Each school has strengths and weaknesses, and Picirilli introduced a surprising strength. His take on the "warning" passages of 2 Peter and Hebrews rocked me. I thought I had them figured out, but Picirilli has prompted a new investigation. He also made an outstanding case for salvation conditioned upon faith. Excellent book.

Notes:

(1) Robert Picirilli's part/whole argument about the scope of election leaves quite a bit to be desired

(2) Personal note: perhaps a better way of understanding previenient grace is middle knowledge. Since God knows the counter factual of what would persuade me outside my sinful nature, he can call me according to the faith I would have under those conditions.

(3) It's ironic that calvinists read Acts 16:14 as proof of effectual calling, Picirilli uses it as proof of previenient grace. The two views are in opposition, and they use the same verse as justification

[Jason Walsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers a lot of the intellectual/exegetical/theological angles of this issue quite well but certainly doesn't cover all of them and almost entirely avoids discussing the heart of the issue. Certainly the book would be longer if it covered everything I wanted it to...

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good presentation and defense of Classical Arminianism from an Conservative Orthodox Evangelical perspective.

[Dima Belous · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good and short presentation of Arminian theology.

[Jon Cheek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I disagree with most of Picirilli's conclusions, but his logic is sound, and he tries to interpret Scripture honestly. This was really helpful in understanding Arminian soteriology.

[Jarred Edgecombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picirilli defends what he calls "Reformation Arminianism." One responsibility that an author has is to represent the arguments of the opposing view accurately. I believe that Picirilli accomplishes that goal pretty well. He takes the reader through the five points of Calvinism explains the view then counters with an Arminian understanding for the same concepts. One one of the more helpful aspects of the book is that he takes the reader through Arminian interpretation of classic passages used by Calvinists. In my personal opinion, the interpretations of these passages seemed somewhat compared to a more literal interpretation.

The book is refreshing in that it isn't an unending attack on Calvinism. There was one, what I would consider, glaring weakness to the book. The latest Calvinist authors that Picirilli interacted with were from the 1970's. At the same time, he used more recent Arminian contributions. Interaction from more recent Calvinist authors would be refreshing.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a fair treatment of the debate and a proper explanation of "Reformed Arminianism."