I grew up in Southern California, where I attended Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa under the leadership of Pastor Chuck Smith. Many who have been part of Calvary Chapel know that Chuck taught from an Arminian theological perspective. Arminianism and Calvinism offer different perspectives on salvation, shaping how believers understand God’s role and human responsibility. These theological frameworks have historically led to church divisions and heated debates.
Calvinism, named after John Calvin, a French theologian who lived from 1509 to 1564, and Arminianism, named after Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived from 1560 to 1609, both seek to explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility regarding salvation.
Defining the Concept of Election
Both systems can be summarized by five key points, but I will focus on just one: the concept of election. Calvinism holds that election is unconditional, while Arminianism advocates for conditional election. Unconditional election suggests that God chooses individuals for salvation solely based on His will, not due to any merit or actions of the individual. In contrast, conditional election suggests that God elects individuals based on His foreknowledge of who will choose to believe in Christ unto salvation.
Furthermore, Calvinism views the atonement as limited, whereas Arminianism regards it as unlimited, which is likely the most controversial aspect of the five points. Limited atonement asserts that Jesus died only for the elect, while unlimited atonement claims that Jesus died for all, but His sacrifice only becomes effective when an individual accepts Him by faith.
Before diving deeper, I believe it’s important to approach these perspectives in a non-dogmatic manner. Ultimately, both frameworks fall short of fully explaining the complexities of salvation; humans inherently struggle to grasp such profound concepts. God is sovereign, and His ways are far higher than ours, so who are we to believe we can fully grasp all that He knows? We cannot. However, over time, God can open our eyes to see the Bible more clearly than we may have in the past. This awakening is a gift of His grace, providing the context we need to better understand some of the challenging passages in Scripture. Just as my views on election have evolved, I haven’t necessarily arrived at a definitive conclusion about which perspective is most accurate. Instead, I have gained a deeper understanding of the broader context of what God means when He refers to “the world.
When we examine the doctrine of atonement, we encounter the idea of reconciliation between God and humanity. In Christianity, atonement centers on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection are believed to have reconciled believers with God, thereby offering forgiveness for sin. This raises the question: who are these believers? Does this imply that everyone in the world can be atoned for their sins through Jesus? I once believed the answer was yes, but after looking deeper into John 17, especially verse 9, I began to second-guess that certainty. Jesus states, “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” This led me to ponder why Jesus wouldn’t pray for the world if He died for everyone. In conclusion, I realized that I needed a broader understanding of how God perceives the world.
Understanding Cosmic Geography in Scripture
This leads us to the concept of Cosmic Geography, which helps us comprehend the relationship between the divine and humanity, especially in terms of how God perceives the world compared to human perspectives. God outlines His view of the world in three key passages in the Bible: Genesis 11, Genesis 12, and Deuteronomy 32. While there are certainly more examples, I will focus on these three for the sake of this discussion.
In Genesis 11:5-10, we encounter the story of the Tower of Babel, where God takes a dramatic action by coming down to earth to scatter the people across the earth. But why is this significant?
To fully understand its importance, let’s first read the relevant verses:
Genesis 11:5-10 (NIV):
5 “But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the children of man were building.
6 The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language, they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the earth.”
These verses show God’s intent to intervene directly in human affairs. The dispersal was significant because it marked a pivotal moment in human history; rather than allowing humanity to unite in their defiance, God introduced diversity in language, ultimately leading to the scattering of people across the earth. This act of divine intervention highlights God’s authority and serves as a reminder of the limits placed on human ambition when it conflicts with His plan. What was His plan? God planned to grant the earth as an inheritance to humanity while allowing Satan to have dominion over those who chose to reject Him. In this context, He called Abraham out of the land of Canaan to form a nation that would serve as His people. Through this nation, God intended to establish a relationship where He would be their God, ultimately bringing forth the Messiah to save the entire world.
The Inheritance of Earth and Satan’s Dominion
Let’s begin with my first point: God granted the earth as an inheritance to humanity while allowing Satan to have dominion over them. We recognize Satan’s dominion because he is referred to as the “god of this world.” Jesus states this clearly in John 12:31, saying, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” Additionally, in 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul writes, “In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, keeping them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
So, how does this relate to God granting the earth as an inheritance to humanity? In Deuteronomy 32:8-9, we read, “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided mankind, He fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted heritage.” This verse illustrates God distributing inheritance among the nations and establishing their borders.
But where exactly did God divide the nations? We find the answer in Genesis 11, during the Tower of Babel incident. Following that, in Genesis 12, God calls Abraham out of the land of Canaan to establish a nation set apart for Him—the nation that would be dedicated solely to the God of the Bible.
Jesus: The Light of the World and Universal Salvation
What sets Israel apart from the rest of the world? God chose to no longer give the oracles of God to the other nations; instead, the Word of God was only entrusted to Israel. While Satan continued to wield control over the world, leading it into sin, Israel received the words of life intended for their salvation. Ultimately, both Israel and the rest of humanity turned their backs on God, prompting Him to send His only begotten Son to reconcile the entire world to Himself.
Through Jesus, the Word of God is now accessible to all who believe. In Him, light entered the darkness, rendering Satan’s dominion over that darkness null and void. Jesus brought the Word of God to the world, opening the door for everyone to receive it.
As John 1:1-5 explains, Jesus is the Word of God from the beginning. This passage proclaims: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Through Christ, the light of truth and salvation shines into a world once shrouded in darkness.
The Word produces light in darkness, and though the Word has always existed, it was primarily entrusted to the Jews. The Gentiles did not have direct access to the Word of God; they could only hear it through the Jewish people. God’s revelations resided with the Jews and their prophets.
Now that we have established this context, what does it have to do with the concept of election? To clarify my thoughts, let’s read John 17:6-12:
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
Now, as I shared above, let’s focus on verse 9: “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” Why does Jesus say He is not praying for the world? Didn’t He come to die for everyone? Yes, Jesus did come to die for the whole world, as expressed in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son.” So, if He came for all, why does He not pray for the world?
I see that this distinction relates to the concept of cosmic geography. In Jesus, the world now has direct access to God’s throne room in His name. People no longer need to approach the Jews to hear the oracles of God; they can receive these truths wherever they are. This reflects the Christian message that invites everyone to come just as they are, regardless of their cultural or religious background. In Jesus, the whole world is welcomed.
This was God’s plan from the beginning. In Genesis 3:15, He told Eve, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” God knew that one day salvation would flow back to the world, granting all of humanity access to the Garden of Eden once again, with the key provided through Jesus.
When Jesus said He is not praying for the world, He was indicating that His prayers are specifically for those who belong to Him, not for those who do not. God’s sovereignty allows Him to know in advance who will be saved and who will not. Before Jesus, the world could only hear God’s Word through the Jews. However, after Jesus came, everyone now has direct access to the Word of God.
Jesus’ mission was to liberate the world from Satan’s dominion, granting all people access to God in His name. Yet, we are aware that not everyone accepts this gift; many still live in darkness and reject God’s Word. God understands this reality, and when He prayed, He did so with this knowledge in mind. Although salvation is available to the entire world through Jesus, not everyone will ultimately be saved.
The process of election reveals that God knows who are His long before we are born. As Ephesians 1:4-5 (NIV) states, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” For those who belong to Him, He opens our eyes to see Him; for those who do not, He is not praying for them.
Satan’s Attempts to Thwart God’s Plan
Satan attempted to thwart Jesus’ mission by tempting Him in the desert, sensing that God was up to something, even if he didn’t fully grasp the complete mystery. It was only after Jesus’ resurrection that this mystery was revealed to His apostles. In Luke 24:45 (NIV), it says, “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”
Another instance of Satan’s interference occurred when he used Peter to dissuade Jesus from going to Jerusalem to die. Jesus rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23, NIV) because His plan was to reclaim the land under Satan’s control, and His death was essential to that mission.
Reconciling Calvinism and Arminianism
Can Arminian and Calvinist views coexist in this context? You decide. I present this perspective to provide a deeper understanding of how God views the world. We all agree that the entire world is offered the possibility of salvation due to the cosmic geography established through Jesus. However, as indicated by Jesus’ prayer in John 17:9 (NIV), “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours,” suggests that God already knows who those individuals are.
Can it be said that individuals have the choice to follow Jesus? Certainly. However, this does not negate the reality that God knew their choices before they were born. Consider the pivotal moments in Scripture: Did Moses have a choice to reject God at the burning bush? What about Paul on the road to Damascus—was that not God making it abundantly clear that He was in control and had chosen them to fulfill His will, leaving little room for personal choice?
I often reflect on my own experience: Did I truly have a choice to follow God at my conversion, or were my circumstances arranged in such a way that I felt that I had no other option? Was the reason I saw no alternative due to God illuminating His calling on my life during a time when all I desired was to escape the darkness?
Personal Reflections on Divine Calling and Choice
God grants us the free will to choose His path of truth over our sinful impulses. But when it comes to salvation and His choosing of us, is it truly our choice? Personally, I feel that God had His hand on me from a young age, and there was nothing I could do to escape His influence and calling. I belonged to Him, and though it took time, I ultimately surrendered everything to Him and He knew all along I would. I understand why this debate has persisted for so long. When I teach this subject, I strive to present both perspectives and allow individuals the freedom to believe as they feel God is leading them. I make a conscious effort to avoid being overly dogmatic, as such attitudes can create division within the body of Christ—something Satan has already been effective in doing. I also believe that God’s grace can gradually reveal deeper truths over time, helping us to better grasp some of the more challenging passages in the Bible like election.