Arminianism vs. Predestination
When I learned Soulwinning from Pastor Chappell, I immediately accepted that Jesus wants us to spread the Gospel to people all over the world. Isn’t Matthew 28:19-20 clear when it says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I believe that one of the most important tasks of a Christian is to spread the Gospel and bring more people to Christ so they can be saved. This is what Jesus commanded us to do before He ascended back to heaven.
It is, therefore, surprising to me to learn that within Christianity, there are two major schools of salvation: Arminianism (Free Will) and Predestination (Calvinism). Arminianism emphasizes human free will. It believes God gives people free will to choose whether to trust Jesus for salvation. Jesus died on the cross for everyone, not just those who receive Him. God initiates salvation, but individuals must freely accept or reject it. Predestination (Calvinism) emphasizes God’s sovereignty, predestination, and grace being irresistible. It suggests that salvation is solely God’s action, with humans playing no role in choosing to be saved. Every individual saved is predestinated by God to be saved. The free will church does not like the Calvinists because they don’t do much soulwinning. The Calvinists do not emphasize soulwinning as everyone is predestined whether he will be saved or not. Some Calvinist churches even think that it is not true to tell people that they are saved when they pray to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It takes more than that to get saved.
When I read Matthew 28:19-20, we are told by Jesus to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Romans 10:9 says, “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” It seems clear to me that whoever believes in Christ shall be saved. God does not wish anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance), and Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2: He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world). Many other Bible verses support this position.
However, there are as many Bible verses supporting Predestination. Ephesians 1:4,5 says, “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” Romans 9:16 says, “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” Romans 8:30 says, “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those who he justified he also glorified.” Many other Bible verses support Predestination. Calvinists like to use Romans 9:13 as an example, which says, “As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” The lives of both were predestined before they were born.
In my humble opinion, both positions are correct, and the two are not mutually exclusive. There are two population groups: one has been predestined, and the other has not. There is no shortage of Bible verses confirming that a certain group of people has been predestined, as in Ephesians 1:4-5, Romans 8:29, and Romans 9:16. When Jesus spoke to the people in Matthew 28:19-20, John 3:16, He was speaking to both population groups, not just the group that has been predestined, or He would have specified that. Similarly, when Paul spoke in Romans 10:9 and Romans 10:13, he was also speaking to all the people, not just those who had been predestinated, or he would have to specify that. When people read those verses, it seems straightforward that Jesus and Paul spoke to everyone there, not just the predestined one. To say it only meant for the predestined group would be very confusing. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:33 that God is not a God of confusion. These are very critical verses in the Bible, and God intends whoever reads it to understand it clearly and not be confused.
The predestined will find the way to salvation regardless of what happens. The un-predestinated will need to hear the Gospel first and then decide to trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior to be saved. The un-predestinated who never heard the Gospel or heard it but decided not to trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior will not be saved.
Christians who wish to do the Great Commission work should evangelize diligently and spread the Gospel to everyone. Even the predestined need to hear the Gospel to go home to Christ. For the rest of the population, it gives them a chance to hear the Gospel and to decide whether they would trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior and be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 says The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. God is giving the world more time to hear the Gospel, repent, and be saved because He does not wish to leave anyone behind.