arminianism vs calvinism Essays

arminianism vs calvinism Essays arminianism vs calvinism Essay arminianism vs calvinism Essay Arminianism and Calvinism Christian Doctrine Calvinism Historically, the doctrine of Calvinism arose out of the teaching of John Calvin. Five point Calvinism as it is exposed by its followers today was not taught by Calvin, but instead implied by those who carried his teachings to what they considered to be their logical conclusions. Calvinism is often called Reformed theology, and is founded in John Calvins Institutes of the Christian Religion. The Puritans and independent Presbyterians of Great Britain were heavily influenced by Calvins writings, but some of its greatest followers were Dutch. Most Baptist, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches base their doctrine off of John Calvins teachings. Calvinism can be summarized using the acronym TULIP, which stands for the following: 1 . Total depravity, is the belief that man is dead in trespasses and sins and totally unable to save himself. Many advocates of Calvinism carry this a step further, saying that man cannot even desire a relationship with God apart from His working in their hearts. 2. Unconditional election is the belief that in eternity, God chose or elected certain people to obtain salvation. Some Calvinists (although not all) carry this belief further nd teach what is referred to as double predestination, the teaching that God selected some people to go to heaven and others to go to hell, and there is nothing anyone can do to change Gods election. John Calvin taught this, but called it a terrible doctrine. 3. Limited atonement is the Calvinist teaching that Jesus did not die for the sins of the entire world, but that He only died for those that He elected to go to heaven. The argument is that Christs work on the Cross must be efficacious, that is, it must work for all for whom He died, that He could not have shed His blood for hose who are lost. Some Calvinists have gone to great lengths to explain limited atonement, saying, for example, that Jesus died for all, but does not pray for all, or tnat HIS aeat n tneoretlcally could save everyone, out Is eTTectlve only Tor tne elect. The end result is the same in each case the belief that Jesus only died effectively for some people, not all. 4. Irresistible grace is the doctrine that teaches that God will draw to Himself those whom He elected regardless of their rebellion against Him. It is the belief that man cannot resist the drawing of God to Himself. . Perseverance of the saints, or eternal security, is the doctrine that often attracts people to Calvinism because it is the belief that a true born again Christian cannot lose or give up his salvation because salvation is entirely Gods work, not mans. Arminianism Jacobus Games) Arminius was a Dutch theologian who lived from 1560-1609. Arminius taught that man is only guilty of Adams sin when he sins voluntarily . Arminius started out as a strict Calvinist, but later modified his views, which were expressed in a document called The Remonstrance in 1610. Arminianism is the heological basis for the Methodist, Wesleyan, Nazarene, Pentecostal, Free Will Baptist, Holiness, and many charismatic churches. Arminianism teaches: 1 . Election based on knowledge, the belief that God chose those who would be saved in eternity past based on His foreknowledge of those who would respond to and receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Arminianism rejects the concept that God elected anyone for hell. 2. Unlimited atonement is the belief that Jesus died on the Cross for all people, that His blood is sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of every man, woman, and child who has ever lived. Thus, all mankind is savable. 3. Natural inability is the teaching that man cannot save Himself, but that the Holy Spirit must effect the new birth in him. Strict Arminians do not believe that man is totally depraved and condemned as a result of Adams sin. . Prevenient grace is the belief that the preparatory work of the Holy Spirit enables the believer to respond to the Gospel and to cooperate with God in the salvation of that person. 5. Conditional perseverance is the belief that man can choose to reject God, and therefore lose his salvation, even after he has been born again. Rather than the once saved always saved doctrine of the Calvinists, the Arminian believes that you must abide in Christ to be saved, and that you can ch oose to walk away from God. Arminius himself, and his early followers, stated that they were unsure of this doctrine and that it required further Biblical study. Evaluation of the Doctrines At the heart of the controversy between Calvinism and Arminianism is the emphasis on the sovereignty of God by the Calvinists and on the free will of man, or human responsibility, by the Arminians. Arminians teach that man has free will and hat God will never interrupt or take that free will away. They say that God has obligated Himself to respect the free choice with which He created us. Calvinism, on the other hand, emphasizes that God is in total control of everything, and that nothing can happen that He does not plan and direct, including mans salvation. Both positions are logical, both have Scriptures to back up each of their five points, and both have truth to them. Both are right in what they claim, but both are wrong in what they deny. If truth is pressed to the point of excluding another truth, it becomes an error. The Bible presents a theology that is more man centered than calvinists make it out to be, and theology that is more divine than arminianism present it as. Certainly, the Bible does teach that God is sovereign (Psalm 135:6; Daniel 4:35, Ephesians 1:1 1), and that Dellevers are preaestlnea ana elected Dy (Romans B) to spend eternity wltn However, the bible never associates election with damnation. Scriptures teach that God elects for salvation, but that unbelievers are in hell by their own choice. Every passage of the Bible that speaks of election deals with it in the context of salvation nd not damnation. It is simply not biblical to say someone is elect for hell. The idea of total depravity is consistent with Scripture (Ephesians 2:1, Romans 3:1 1), but the doctrine of limited atonement, that Jesus did not die for the sins of the whole world, is clearly anti-Biblical Cohn 3:16, I Timothy 2:6, II Peter 2: 1, I John 2:2). The Bible teaches that Jesus died for everyones sins and that everyone is able to be saved if they will repent and turn to Christ. Limited atonement is non-Biblical doctrine. Cohn 3:16,17; Romans 5:8, 18; II Corinthians 5:14,15; 1 Timothy 2:4; 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 10:29; II Peter 2:1; I John 2:2; 4:14. Irresistible grace is taught by some, who do not understand the concept, to mean that God drags people to Himself contrary to their wills. Actually, the Biblical view, and the view of most Calvinists, is the belief that God works on our wills so as to make us willing to surrender to Him. In other words, He makes us willing to come to Christ for salvation. Many Scriptures teach that a true believer is safe and secure in Christ, tha t salvation doesnt depend on our ability to keep ourselves, but on Gods ability to keep s. l John 5:11-13; John 10:28; Romans 5:1 and 8: 1). The only condition for salvation is faith in Christ Cohn 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9). On the other hand, the Bible teaches us that we must abide in Christ Cohn 15; Luke 13:14; Colossians 1:29; II Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 6:4-6; I Peter 1:10) to persevere in salvation. Finding a Balance The truth of Gods Word flows between the extremes of Calvinism and Arminianism. Both Calvinism and Arminianism have truth in their argument, yet both contain error. Election and predestination are Biblical doctrines. God knows verything and therefore He cannot learn anything or be surprised by anything. He knows, and has known from eternity past, who will exercise their free will to accept Him and who will reject Him. The former are the elect, the latter are non-elect. Every person who is not saved will have only himself to blame; God doesnt send anyone to hell, people choose to go there by exercising their free will to reject Christ. On the other hand, no one who is saved will be able to take any of the credit. Our salvation is 100% Gods work, and is based entirely on the work of the Cross. We were ead in trespasses and sins, destined for hell, when God in His grace, drew us to Himself, convinced us of our sin and our need for a Savior, and allowed us to call Jesus Lord. God will do everything short of making humanity puppets in order for Him to draw us towards salvation but this does not mean that His grace is irresistible. The concept of a limited atonement, that Jesus only died for the elect, and not for the sins of all people, is clearly unbiblical. The Bible is very clear that Jesus death on the cross was for all people, and that there is sufficient power in His blood to cleanse way every sin. Whosoever will may come is meaningless if man has no free will and no ability to choose God. The question of whether or not a Christian can lose or walk away from salvation is academic. When a person who claims to be a Christian and shows some fruit of salvatlon turns nls DacK on ana llves tne IITe 0T a pagan, tne Armlnlan says ne was saved and is now not saved, while the Cal vinist would say that he was either never really saved to start with, or that he is severely backslidden, but his salvation is secure. Ultimately, no one knows the truth but God. The true believer in Christ never has to doubt his salvation. He can rest in the perfect assurance that God saved him and will keep him, and nothing will ever separate him from Gods love in time or eternity. We are secure in Christ, kept by the His loving grace. It is important to remember that both Calvinism and Arminianism are systems of theology devised by godly, devout, Bible-believing men. Both systems are based on the word of God, and both contain important elements of truth, but neither can be substituted for reading and believing the word of God. The New Testament church new nothing of either system, they simply believed what God had revealed in His word. The problem arises when it seems that some of what God has revealed contradicts something else He revealed. How can man be absolutely free and God absolutely sovereign and in control at the same time? How can salvation be entirely Gods work, yet simultaneously require the cooperation of men? These questions are ultimately unanswerable. The Bible teaches both the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. It teaches what appears to be unconditional perseverance in some places and conditional perseverance in others. The human mind can never understand the balance between these points because God is simply too big for us to understand. Both systems of theology emphasize one set of chapters or verses while ignoring or twisting another. We are not called to understand God, only to believe Him. We are free willed creations, responsible for our own sin, hopelessly lost. Jesus not only died for us, He drew us to Himself with love and grace. Jesus died for all of us and desires fellowship with all of us. Gods election excludes no one; Jesus atonement includes everyone. Its as if we are looking at two sides of the same coin. Election is Gods side, free will is our side. Rather than interpreting the Bible based on any theological or philosophical structure, we are to simply read and believe it. As we teach the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, verse by verse, in context, we will at times sound like devout Calvinists, preaching passages which emphasize Gods sovereignty, while at other times we will seem like Arminians, when we preach the passages which emphasize mans responsibility. The key is to find a balance to stay focused on the Word of God, and not become distracted by the doctrines of men.

Tips for Writing a Winning College Application Essay

Tips for Writing a Winning College Application Essay Nearly all colleges rate application essays as either important or very important in their admissions process. A poorly executed essay can cause a stellar student to get rejected. On the flip side, exceptional application essays can help students with marginal scores get into the schools of their dreams. The tips below will help you win big with your essay. Also be sure to check out these tips for the 7 personal essay options on the Common Application, this ​​advice for improving your essays style, and the sample essays. Avoid the List on Your Application Essay Many college applicants make the mistake of trying to include all of their accomplishments and activities in their application essays. Such essays read like what they are: tedious lists. Other parts of the application provide plenty of space for you to list extracurricular activities, so save your lists for the places where they belong. The most engaging and compelling essays tell a story and have a clear focus. Through carefully chosen detail, your writing should reveal your passions and expose your personality. A thoughtful and detailed narration of a difficult time in your life tells far more about you than a list of competitions won and honors achieved. Your grades and scores show that you’re smart. Use your essay to show that you’re thoughtful and mature, that your personality has depth. Add a Touch of Humor   While its important to be thoughtful and mature, you dont want your college application essay to be too heavy. Try to lighten up the essay with a clever metaphor, a well-placed witticism, or a little self-deprecating humor. But dont overdo it. The essay that is filled with bad puns or off-color jokes will often end up in the rejection pile. Also, humor isnt a substitute for substance. Your primary task is to answer the essay prompt thoughtfully; the smile you bring to your readers lips is just a bonus (and a tear can sometimes be effective too). Many students have been rejected for failing to take the prompt seriously and writing essays that end up being more foolish than clever. Focus on Tone Not just humor, but the overall tone of your application essay is remarkably important. Its also difficult to get right. When you are asked to write about your accomplishments, those 750 words on how great you are can make you sound like a braggart. Be careful to balance your pride in your achievements with humility and generosity towards others. You also want to avoid sounding like a whiner use your essay to show off your skills, not to explain the injustices that lead to your low math score or failure to graduate #1 in your class. Reveal Your Character Along with the essay, most colleges rate character and personal qualities as extremely important in their admissions decisions. Your character shows up in three places on the application: the interview (if you have one), your involvement in extracurricular activities, and your essay. Of the three, the essay is the most immediate and illuminating to the admissions folks as they read through thousands of applications. Remember, colleges aren’t looking solely for straight As and high SAT scores. They are looking for good citizens for their campus communities. Mechanics Matter Grammatical problems, punctuation errors, and spelling mistakes can hurt your chance of being accepted. When excessive, these errors are distracting and make your application essay difficult to understand. Even a few errors, however, can be a strike against you. They show a lack of care and quality control in your written work, and your success in college partly depends upon strong writing skills. If English isnt your greatest strength, seek help. Ask a favorite teacher to go over the essay with you, or find a friend with strong editorial skills. If you cant find expert help, there are many online essay services that can provide a careful critique of your writing.

A genetically modified organism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A genetically modified organism - Research Paper Example Thus, in this paper I am going to examine the process of GMO production and storage in order to assess the risks connected with their consumption. Genetically modified organisms are organisms (bacteria, viruses, plants, animals) which genetics was changed in order for acquiring new functions. As genes are responsible for carrying the information in the sequences and structures of DNA, they define special characteristics of the organisms. Advances of biotechnology now permit to extract, change, and add various genes to the organisms. It is even possible to transfer genes between non-related organisms. Most often scientists add some genes to plants in order to make them stable to certain viruses (GMOs, 2010). Genetically modified organisms are used in medicine, agriculture, biology, textile production. Usually when people start speaking about genetically modified organisms they mean genetically modified crops which have become a part of everyday life of the consumers in the world. Tobacco was the first plant which received additional genes to resist herbicides. Later it was modified to be capable to resist insects and the ripening qualities of the crops were also changed. In 1995 Food and Drug Administration approved commercial usage of GM potato, corn, soya, and tomato, and the variety of plants with additional genes increase significantly (Swanson, 2013). People usually underestimate the quantity of GM crops that they consume. However, by the end of 2012 more than 144 kinds of plants received access to the market in the United States of America. So an impressive part of the crops consumed by Americans in the following years were genetically modified: according to the statistics of USDA 93% of all soy, 88 % of all corn, and 94% of cotton (Swanson, 2013). Today such products as tomatoes and cantaloupes with advanced ripening characteristics, beets and soybeans with improved herbicides

Software Systems Fundamental Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Software Systems Fundamental - Essay Example This report will discuss some software development problems which can cause overall software development failure. CAUSE OF SOFTWARE FAILURE According to May (2000), the majority software projects fail partially or totally due to software unable to meet all established requirements, cost and time overrun or less effective project management. These requirements could include schedule, cost, objectives or quality related (May, 2000). This section outlines the causes and factors of software development failure: Poor User Requirements The process of software development failure starts when a user states the system development requirements in a less effective way. In this way the system developed on the basis of such faulty system requirements become a disaster. In this scenario, the inability to state the user requirements can be due to lack of software working knowledge, poor understanding of software working or less effective business process information. However, mismarks in requiremen ts recording can be done on both sides at client side or at developer side (May, 2000) and (Kaur & Sengupta, 2011). ... Moreover, the lack of effective project quality management plan can cause less effective project quality that lead to project failure (May, 2000) and (Kaur & Sengupta, 2011). Failure of Cost and Schedule Estimation Another important reason of software development failure is the less effective cost and time estimation. In addition, effective cost and time estimations are very important for the successful software development. However, it depends on the project manager and team leader to estimate and figure out important project factors to better assess the project time and cost aspects. Moreover, if the time and cost of software development project overruns, it will surly lead to overall failure of project (May, 2000) and (Kaur & Sengupta, 2011). Team Size Estimation of team size is crucial in software development project. Fundamentally there are 3 main types of team small, medium and large. However, team selection is completely based on the project size if the project size is small t hen managers obviously take the small team and in case of big project they can select the large or medium team. Moreover, the selection of team size depends on project leaders or managers how successfully they can perceive the project and develop a well balanced project team. Furthermore, a lot of software development projects fail due to less effective team size that can lead to some of extensive problems regarding effective project management. This can also lead to amplifying the project cost and damaging project performance (Kaur & Sengupta, 2011). Human Resource Skills Effective and well organized team for a software development is really essential. Seeing that in software development an effective team for

High School Students on the Job Essay Example for Free

High School Students on the Job Essay High school is an important time in life; students in high school have a lot of responsibilities. Students are beginning to drive and getting into trouble. High school students that have entered the work force have less of a chance to get in trouble. Working students also have an advantage over their peers that haven’t worked. They learn money management, social skills, and responsibility. Money management is a very important part of life. Usually once high school students start working they begin to learn the importance of money and how to spend it. Saving money is one very important life lesson that high school students can learn once they start working. Saving money can help the students save up for their future, helping with bills and possibly buying their own car. Owning a car comes with expenses oil changes, unfortunate accident, tires, gas, etc. To pay for these expenses there has to be money. There also comes a time when parents may need a little help. While working, students can help their parents with a bit of money every month. Having all of these expenses students will have to learn how to manage their money so they have some left over for themselves. Next, if high school students have a job, they learn about social skills. The most important thing is treating people politely. Thus, they need to get a better communication such as talking to each other and listening very carefully. When high school students are on the job, they have to speak correctly and courteously so their customers could get the correct information. Also they have to listen very carefully. They should know what the customers are asking. In addition, they could learn about physical demeanor. At the work place, they have to keep a friendly smile and then keep a good posture by keeping themselves upright. Further, working students can learn to take responsibilities. Time management and appearance are two important responsibilities. First, working students have to get to work on time. Also, they should manage and make balance between school, work, sleep, home, family and friends. Second, many work places have special uniforms that represents them in what position they  work. They need their workers to put these specific dresses on. Working students take this responsibility too. Students have to take care of their hygiene to go into work, which includes keeping their hair clean, shaving, cutting nails, and keeping a clean scent. Money management, social skills, and responsibility are skills that are need in life to succeed. High school students that begin working learn these skills earlier than those students that don’t. Before students become adults, they need to develop money management, social skills, and sense of responsibility, so they have been preparing to adjust themsel ves to society. Therefore, I recommend teenagers work while attending high school.

Sports Narrative - Football Injury :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- Football Injury The nerves are raging, mainly in his stomach as the butterflies flutter till no end. "Is everything ok? Will everything go as planned?" He couldn't stop thinking about what might happen. Images were racing wild as he thought about his teammates going to battle without him. He couldn't comprehend why he had to let them handle it on their own. He has played with them since they were in eighth grade, and when they need him the most, all he can do is sit and cheer. He hates this feeling of helplessness, but at the same time he knows he has to do what little he can do, well. It was two days until the first game of my last high school football season. My team and I were going to play Bayfield, a battle we had persistently prepared for since the last game of our junior year. The sun was beating on my pads, radiating the heat to make practice seem even worse. I was exhausted and looking forward to the end of my last sweat poring practice for the week. Our team was repetitively executing plays to make sure they were like second nature to us on Friday. Then, creating an unknown peace, Coach Nelson yells, "Last Play!" The play was "Red 334"which is a run to our halfback, me, out of our dive series. I crouched over the ball as I jetted past the quarterback and ran the play so we could observe the changes we needed to make. I let out a sigh of relief because we were finished with the most dreaded part of practice; well, only until someone complained about not knowing their job on one of our pass plays. Coach Nelson undoubtedly decided we needed to run through the final pass play before we perfected our defense. The play was quietly called in the huddle with intentions of getting it right. I ran the play through my mind while I tried to remember what the snap count was and what I was supposed to do for that play. The ball was snapped and I jolted to the left of our team's quarterback to set up his backside protection. Out of my peripheral vision, I noticed the defensive end raging toward the quarterback. I intensely stepped into him while lowering my body and exploded through his shoulder pads sendin g him stumbling into the line's pass protection.

Typewronger

To be or not to be That is the question Tiger, Tiger, burning bright Why, this is L Normyoutfit Anyone can do it You too can be a Poet See! Stars and Stripes Cloaca (ASSHOLE) and + Fortyfour keys to success! A bonus of+% for all future poets!!LSD & $$$ All men are equal Oh, how they pound away. Without a stop. FACIT cry l!! The Typewriter Revolution written by D. J. Enright in 1920 shows one perspective on how the typewriter was received when it made its debut. The poem's wit and applica bility to the seemingly unstoppable downward spiral of our language is entertaining. It is a very witty poem and many interpretations can be drawn for the meaning of this poem.In my opinion, Enright wrote this poem as a sort of Joke about how we all abbreviate and th m the more you see. It is an incredible work of art. Art is only as you perceive it. Just as a pic ture is worth a thousand words because so much meaning and beauty in different forms c n be taken away from it, this poem has the same thi ng. Interpretation and derivation of meaning comes from the individual. As a class, we could all come back with a different idea of the meaning because it is such an open e nded poem.It reminds me of the way I drew meaning from this one song. The chorus goes â€Å"Baby, it's Bam and I must be lonely†¦ Baby, I cant help but be scarred but the rains g onna wash away I believe it. † I used to draw meaning from the lyrics in a relationship sense of someone feeling alone at 3am but after I met Rob Thomas, the lead singer of the ban dl ame to find out he was really talking about his mother and how he would sit in bed confused and crying at 7 years old while his mom was puking from chemo.Such a si mple two line chorus can have so many interpretations in this expansive ordeal that is the english language that it blows me away when I try to derive meaning from a poem like this on e that is made to have a cornucopia of meaning hiding, waiting to be found amongst the bla ck ink fro m Enright's Swedish Maid. many meanings that can be derived from one thing. The more you look into this poe â€Å"Baby, it's 3am and I must be lonely.