Conditional election based on foreknowledge; Arminian theology; individual response always required
Christian Churches reject unconditional Calvinist predestination and affirm instead conditional election: God foreknew all things and chose salvation for those who would respond in faith and obedience to the gospel. Predestination is not unconditional election of some to salvation and others to damnation, but God's sovereign plan of salvation in Christ, offered conditionally to all.
Following Arminian theology, Christian Churches emphasize human free will as central to salvation. God operates through prevenient grace, enabling human response, but does not compel the will. Each person must freely choose to believe in Christ, repent of sin, and submit to baptism. This responsibility is genuine and not illusory. Some are saved because they responded; others are lost because they rejected the offer.
Baptism holds a crucial place in this understanding: it is not merely the fruit of prior conversion but an essential part of the conversion process itself. God's foreknowledge includes knowing who will respond in faith and obedience (including baptism), so predestination encompasses the entire saving act. This maintains both divine sovereignty and genuine human agency.
Key Distinctions
- Election model:
- conditional — individual response and baptism
- Double predestination:
- rejected
- Free will teaching:
- free will essential — prevenient grace enables response
Scripture References
Sources
- Campbell, Alexander. 'Christianity Restored' (1835)
- Garrison, Winfred E. 'The Quest and Character of a United Church' (1957)