After
reading Enns' section on "Reformation Soteriology," critique and evaluate
his assessment of Calvinism (Reformed) and Arminianism on the select topics of
atonement and faith and works (Enns, ch. 30). Would your church
denomination be in agreement with the Reformed or Arminian or some modified
position?
I have been a follower of Christ for
ten years and for the last eight I have been a member of a PCA church which is
a Reformed denomination. So this topic is very intriguing to me. So this would
have me lean a bit more towards the reformed side of each of these topics.
There is much truth to be understood when Enns says, “The Reformers taught
Christ died to satisfy the justice of God. This work of Christ can be
appropriated only by faith, which unites the believer to Christ; the believer
thereby has Christ righteousness imputed to him.” (Enns 2008, 477) There is one area
that has been a struggle for me, and it has to do due with election and
predestination. Since Calvin taught that Christ died only for the elect what do
we do with the verses that speak of Christ dying for all (1 Cor. 15:22) and
others along those lines?
It looks as though the Arminian view
believes that Christ did not take on the punishment of the world due to sinners
but God still forgives sinners because of Christ death. (Enns 2008, 478) So if by Christ being
God did not take on the punishment of men in order to be reconciled then why
does Paul tell us the punishment for sin is death (Rom. 6:23)? This view also
denies that Christ is a full substitute for our penalty. This is outrageous to
me, when again in 1 Corinthians Paul draws the parallels between the price Adam
paid and the price Christ paid.
For me the reformed view on faith
and works is dear to my heart. Once it is understood that no matter what we do
outside of Christ is of no good, meaning it cannot earn our salvation. It frees
us up to live lives glorifying to God once we are inside of Christ. Our works
do not save us but instead show the love of Christ and the process of our
sanctification working itself out in our lives. We are unable to deny the call
of God on our lives. However, the Arminian view believes that we can resist the
work of the Spirit calling us to God, and eventually losing our salvation. (Enns 2008,
480)
Doesn’t this contradict when Christ says that those the father have given to me
shall not be plucked from his hand (Jn 10:29).
Bibliography
Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook of Theology.
Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008.
