All Articles

Total Depravity

Does Scripture teach that fallen humanity is incapable of any positive response to God, or does spiritual death describe alienation, corruption, and condemnation rather than the complete destruction of the ability to hear and respond to God's gracious call?

Unconditional Election

Is election individual and unconditional — God choosing specific persons — or is it corporate, with God choosing a people "in Christ" and individuals participating through faith?

• Start here: cornerstone study

  Romans 9 and Calvinism: Election, Israel, and God’s Faithfulness

  Cornerstone · 18 min read · Romans 9
  Reader question: Does Romans 9 prove Calvinist unconditional election to salvation, or is Paul explaining God's faithfulness to Israel, Gentile inclusion, and covenant membership through faith in Christ?

• 1 Peter 1:1–2: Election and Foreknowledge

  Essay · 3 min read · 1 Peter 1:1–2
  First Peter 1:1–2 addresses scattered Christians as elect according to the Father’s foreknowledge, in the Spirit’s sanctification, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling with his blood.

• Romans 8:29: What Does It Mean That God Foreknew?

  Essay · 16 min read · Romans 8:29
  Romans 8:29–30 is one of the most discussed passages in the debate over divine election.

• Are Faith and Good Works the Fruits of Election? A Response to Loraine Boettner

  Essay · 5 min read
  Boettner treats faith and good works as results of unconditional election; the article tests whether the cited passages require that order.

• Deuteronomy 7:7–8: Does God’s Choice of Israel Prove Individual Unconditional Election?

  Essay · 5 min read · Deuteronomy 7:7–8
  Deuteronomy 7:7–8 explains why the Lord set His love on Israel: not because they were more numerous than other peoples — they were the fewest — but because the Lord loved them and kept the oath He swore to their fathers.

• Deuteronomy 10:14–15: Did God Choose Israel for Eternal Salvation?

  Quick Study · 3 min read · Deuteronomy 10:14–15
  Deuteronomy 10:14–15 declares that heaven and earth belong to the Lord, yet He set His affection on Israel’s fathers and chose their descendants above the nations.

• Psalm 33:12: Does God Choosing a Nation Prove Unconditional Election to Salvation?

  Quick Study · 4 min read · Psalms 33:12
  Reader question: Psalm 33:12 says the blessed nation is the people God chose as His heritage.

• Psalm 65:4: Does God Choose Individuals and Cause Them to Come?

  Essay · 5 min read · Psalms 65:4
  Psalm 65:4 pronounces blessing on the one God chooses and brings near to dwell in His courts.

• John 15:16: Chosen for Salvation, Apostleship, or Fruitful Mission?

  Essay · 5 min read · John 15:16
  John 15:16 is frequently quoted in debates over election: “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”

• Acts 13:48: Were Those Appointed to Eternal Life Predestined to Believe?

  Essay · 7 min read · Acts 13:48
  Acts 13:48 says that “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” It is one of the briefest and most contested texts in the election debate.

• Ephesians 1:4–13: Were Individuals Chosen to Believe or Were Believers Chosen in Christ?

  Essay · 7 min read · Ephesians 1:4–13
  Ephesians 1:4–13 is central to the election debate because it says believers were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world and predestined for adoption.

• Can God Foreknow a Free Choice Without Causing It?

  Quick Study · 4 min read
  Many assume that if God infallibly knows a future choice, then God must have caused that choice. The argument is common in debates over election, perseverance, and divine sovereignty.

• Unconditional Election: Is Predestination Compatible with a Loving God?

  Essay · 9 min read
  Does unconditional election mean God chose particular people before creation and then caused only those people to believe?

Limited Atonement

Did Christ die for the sins of all humanity, or did He bear the punishment due for the sins of the elect alone? Does universal provision entail universal salvation?

Irresistible Grace

Does God give selected individuals an inward saving call that necessarily changes their desires and infallibly produces faith, or does God graciously call, reveal, convict, and enable people in a manner they may still resist?

Perseverance of the Saints

Does Scripture teach that God guarantees every genuine believer will continue in faith to the end, or do its warning passages describe a real possibility of final apostasy? Does assurance rest on Christ alone, or must it include evidence of perseverance?

Terminology

How should contested Calvinism terms and labels be used with enough precision to avoid caricature?