Introduction

Growing up in a Baptist church in the Midwest, I got a healthy dose of once-saved-always-saved--but I can't recall a single sermon linking that doctrine to election.

I did believe God is omnipotent (he can do whatever he wants to do), and I still vividly remember Reverend Oaks describing how hopelessly wicked mankind is.  The way he described it, even this 9-year-old boy could feel the flames of hell licking at my heels!  And, yeah, I figured if God's smart enough and powerful enough He can do anything he wants.  If God really desired to save this Indiana boy, no one (including myself) could stop him!   

I only began seriously investigating this doctrine relatively recently--and this study is the result.  It was not my goal to write a definitive position paper to prove either position; rather, I wanted to explore the background and development, and examine the support and problems for these two opposing views on the subject--Calvinism and Arminianism.

I just don't care anymore! 

So I'm not trying to sell you anything.  I don't want to create even more division within the church, and I don't particularly care whether you finally agree with my conclusions.  There's a big difference between being "wrong" and being "dead wrong" so either one of us can misunderstand this theological doctrine without risking our eternal salvation.  Our fellowship as believers in Christ shouldn't depend upon it either! 

On the other hand, Biblical doctrines interact with, relate to, and overlap each other.  Beliefs on what and who the church is determines our understandings about dispensations and end times events.  Rapture theories, in turn, contribute heavily to the overall understanding of both end times events and our responsibilities and expectations in this present life.  What one believes about the trinity naturally affects how one perceives the nature and identity of Jesus--which, in turn, affects one's prospective on the relationship of natural to supernatural, reasons for existence, and many other areas. 

Whatever we may conclude concerning election and eternal security is a reflection of what we previously have concluded about the nature of God and the nature of man--these are all intrinsically tied to the value and meaning of Christ's incarnation and death, and how (and by whom) anyone gains salvation in the first place.  Ultimately, what we believe about the Christ and His salvation determines whether, in fact, we are truly believers.  It should affect our everyday life--how we interact with God, how we interact with fellow believers, and how we interact with the rest of mankind.  That's the question both Arminianism and Calvinism try to answer.