Defenders 3: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 4): Arminianism Continued - Defenders Podcast

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Defenders Podcast: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 4): Arminianism Continued

Host: Dr. William Lane Craig
Date: August 25, 2020

Overview

In this episode of the Defenders Sunday school class, Dr. William Lane Craig continues his exposition of Arminianism within the doctrine of salvation, focusing in particular on Romans 8:28-30 and related scriptural passages. Craig contrasts the Arminian and Calvinistic readings of election, predestination, and the nature of God's call to salvation, emphasizing the corporate and resistible dimensions of grace in Arminian theology. The session concludes with a comprehensive overview of how faith, human freedom, and God's sovereignty interact within this theological framework.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Arminian Understanding of Election and Predestination

Dr. Craig recaps last week's discussion of Ephesians 1, noting key Arminian points:
- Election is Christocentric (focused on those “in Christ”) and corporate (the elect is a group, the Church).
- Individual election is secondary, contingent on belonging to the group.

"The Arminian interprets election to be Christocentric, to concern everyone who is in Christ, and secondly, to be corporate in nature. It is primarily this corporate group that is elect, and individuals are elect only secondarily insofar as they are members of that corporate group."
— William Lane Craig (01:08)

2. Romans 8:28-30 – The Nature of God’s Call

Craig unpacks this passage to show how Arminians view God’s call as:
- Genuine and sincere—it is a real offer of salvation to all, not an empty gesture.
- Supported by biblical passages indicating God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

“This call that goes out to people to salvation is a sincere call. Robert Schenck... describes the Calvinistic view by drawing a number of sharp contrasts between what the Scripture affirms and what Calvinism affirms.”
— William Lane Craig (03:23)

3. Schenck’s Critique of Calvinistic Election

Craig quotes Robert Schenck’s satirical critique of Calvinism:
- The Calvinist universal offer of salvation is disingenuous since God allegedly ensures that most will not respond.

“‘Look unto me all the ends of the earth and be saved, cries God to a lost world, while making certain that most men do not comply. Whosoever will let him come, pleads the risen Christ, while the Father makes certain that most men will not come.’...Schenck is writing here with considerable sarcasm about the Calvinistic view...”
— William Lane Craig (05:14)

4. Distinction Between Election and Predestination

Election: Corporate; God calls a people (the Church).
Predestination: Refers to the destined end of that group (conformity to Christ, justification, glorification).
Craig's analogy: Anyone can sign up for a tour; only those who go will have the experiences planned (see, e.g., Jerusalem). Predestination is about what happens to the participants, not about who they are.

“Similarly, here God has predestined and ordained that a certain group of people, namely the Church, will be justified, sanctified, and glorified. But that doesn’t guarantee who is in the group. So predestination is not the same as election.”
— William Lane Craig (07:42)

5. The Role of Faith in Salvation

For Arminians, faith is not unilaterally bestowed, but is a free human response.
Craig traces scriptural support (Romans 9–10, Galatians 3) showing:
- God’s sovereignty in choosing to save “all who have faith in Christ,” Jew or Gentile.
- Faith qualifies one to be among the elect, “the distinguishing factor between who is elect and who is not elect” (11:52).

“Faith is the key factor in determining whether one is a part of that elect body of persons that God has chosen. It is faith which qualifies you to be a son of Abraham and an heir to God’s promises.”
— William Lane Craig (11:21)

6. Grace: Resistible, Not Irresistible

Unlike Calvinism, Arminianism sees God’s grace as genuinely offered to all but capable of being resisted.
Stephen’s accusation (Acts 7:51) illustrates this resistibility:

“‘You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.’ So grace is not irresistible, it can be resisted. God's saving grace is freely offered to all persons, and those who respond with faith will be part of that elect group of people and so foreordained to share in its blessings.”
— William Lane Craig (13:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Arminian Sincere Call:

“God does not want anyone to perish. He wants all to reach repentance.” (02:45)
On the Calvinistic View, Sarcastically Critiqued:

“Whosoever will let him come, pleads the risen Christ, while the Father makes certain that most men will not come.” (05:30, quoting Robert Schenck)
On Predestination vs. Election:

“Predestination is God’s ordaining that those who are members of that elect body will be conformed to the image of Christ, will be sanctified, justified, and eventually glorified.” (08:27)
On Faith and Grace:

“Faith is the distinguishing factor between who is elect and who is not elect. It doesn’t matter whether you are Jew or Gentile. All who have faith in Christ Jesus will be saved.” (12:08)

Important Timestamps

01:08 – Recap of Arminian reading of Ephesians 1 (corporate election)
02:45 – Arminian view of the genuine, universal call to salvation
05:14–06:12 – Robert Schenck’s critique of Calvinistic calling and election
07:42 – Distinction between election (corporate) and predestination (destined end)
09:51 – Arminian account of faith as a human response
11:21 – Scriptural overview: faith as what qualifies one to be among the elect
13:03 – The resistibility of grace; Stephen’s accusation in Acts 7:51

Summary Flow & Tone

Dr. Craig’s tone is academic yet accessible, blending careful scriptural exegesis with illustrative analogies and quotations from both sides. The summary above mirrors his balanced, didactic language while capturing the warmth and clarity with which he draws distinctions between Calvinism and Arminianism.

Conclusion

This episode concludes Dr. Craig’s exposition of the Arminian perspective on salvation, with next week promised to be a direct evaluation of Calvinism and Arminianism. Listeners receive a thorough, scripture-based understanding of how Arminianism views God's call, grace, election, predestination, and faith—all framed within God’s desire for all to be saved and the dignity of a genuinely free human response.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:03]
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Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig today the Doctrine of Salvation, Part 4 For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to
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reasonablefaith.org welcome to Defenders. Can you believe that it's been five months now that we've been podcasting Defenders remotely from my home office? We never suspected when we started doing this that it would be so long, but we are so glad that we didn't interrupt the class but have continued to come to you remotely so that we've not had to interrupt our study together. I've really enjoyed preparing for the class and I hope that these lessons have been helpful and encouraging to you as well. We've been talking about the doctrine of salvation from contrasting Calvinistic and Arminian perspectives. Last time we looked at the Arminian understanding of Ephesians Chapter one, and we saw that the Arminian interprets election to be Christocentric, to concern everyone who is in Christ, and secondly, to be corporate in nature. It is primarily this corporate group that is elect, and individuals are elect only secondarily insofar as they are members of that corporate group. Today we want to turn to the second key passage, which is Romans chapter 8, verses 28 to 30. Paul writes, we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, and in order that he might be the Firstborn among many brethren and those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those whom he justified he also glorified. What the Arminian emphasizes is that God's calling here, by which he calls people to salvation, is not an insincere call. This is a genuine call to which people can respond. God really wants them to respond and be saved. So in 2 Peter 3, 9 we read, the Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. So God does not want anyone to perish. He wants all to reach repentance. Similarly, in 1 Timothy 2, 4, Paul writes, God our Savior, desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. God genuinely wants all persons to be saved and does not want any to perish. So this call that goes out to people to salvation is a sincere call. Robert Schenck, whom I introduced in last week's lesson, describes the Calvinistic view by drawing a number of sharp contrasts between what the Scripture affirms and what Calvinism affirms. On page 165, he writes, Thus the call addressed by God to all by design of God, is not to all, but only to some. The ungodly have, to quote Calvin, an asylum to which they may betake themselves from the bondage of sin, and they are utterly without excuse for not doing so, despite the fact that God by immutable decree, has rendered them totally unable to do anything other than to ungratefully reject the offer that is made to them. When God asks, why will you die? The real answer is that God has so ordained God so loved the world that he determined that few shall believe and be saved. Look unto me all the ends of the earth and be saved, cries God to a lost world, while making certain that most men do not comply. Whosoever will let him come, pleads the risen Christ, while the Father makes certain that most men will not come. God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. But he has effected a hidden arrangement ensuring that most of the world shall not be saved. Obviously, Schenck is writing here with considerable sarcasm about the Calvinistic view, saying that in effect, the call to repentance and salvation on the Calvinist view is a sham. It is an insincere call because even though God issues this universal call, He Himself wills that not all respond to it and does not give his saving grace to people to enable them to respond to it. With regard to Romans 8:28 30, Schenck distinguishes between election and predestination. Election is the corporate calling, the calling out of a people or a body. The Church election is a corporate notion. Predestination, by contrast, he sees as the foreordination of the elect to conformity to the image of Christ. So anyone who is part of that elect body is predestined to be conformed to Christ's image. That's what Paul means when he says those whom he foreknew and he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. To give my own illustration, suppose I were to announce we're going to be leading a tour to Israel next year. Anyone who wants to can sign up for the tour and join us on the trip. Those who go are guaranteed to see the Sea of Galilee, to walk through the walls of Jerusalem, to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and so on, because that is what is planned. That would not guarantee who is actually in the group and goes on the tour. Similarly, here God has predestined and ordained that a certain group of people, namely the Church, will be justified, sanctified and glorified. But that doesn't guarantee who is in the group. So predestination is not the same as election. Election is the corporate calling, and predestination is God's ordaining that those who are members of that elect body will be conformed to the image of Christ, will be sanctified, justified, and eventually glorified. Let's turn now to how the Arminian understands faith. For the Arminian, faith is not something that is bestowed upon us by God independent of our own free decision to believe in Christ. The Arminian recognizes God's sovereign choice to save sinners. In Romans, chapter 9 and verse verse 18, Paul writes, so then he has mercy upon whomever he wills, and he hardens the heart of whomever he wills. It is God's discretion whom he shall save and whom he shall pass over. It is up to God. In verses 22 to 24, Paul explains who it is then that God has chosen to have mercy upon. He writes, what if God, desiring to show his wrath and make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy whom he has prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom he has called not from the Jews only, but but also from the Gentiles. So God in His sovereignty has chosen to elect for himself not simply Jewish people, but Gentile peoples as well. No Jewish person can gainsay God's decision in this matter because God is sovereign. He has mercy upon whomever he wills, and he has chosen and to save Gentiles as well as Jews. So then in verses 30 and 31, Paul says, what shall we say then, that Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is righteousness through faith, but that Israel who pursued the righteousness which is based on law did not succeed in in fulfilling that law. It is through faith that one comes to be a part of that elect body. God has sovereignly chosen to save all who have faith in Christ Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile. This is his sovereign choice. Similarly, over in Galatians 3, 6, 9, Paul writes, thus Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham, and the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, in you shall all the nations be blessed. So then, those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith. Faith is the key factor in determining whether one is a part of that elect body of persons that God has chosen. It is faith which qualifies you to be a son of Abraham and an heir to to God's promises. Finally, back to Romans again. Romans 10:12,13 for there is no difference between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord of all, and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So faith is the distinguishing factor between who is elect and who is not elect. It doesn't matter whether you are Jew or Gentile. All who have faith in Christ Jesus will be saved. The Arminian, in contrast to the Calvinist, regards God's grace, which is freely offered to all, as resistible. Look for example at Acts chapter 7 and verse 51. This is Stephen's statement just before his stoning. In verse 51 of chapter 7 he says to the people around him, you stiff necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, and you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. So grace is not irresistible, it can be resisted. God's saving grace is freely offered to all persons, and those who respond with faith will be part of that elect group of people and so foreordained to share in its blessings. But this is not an irresistible unilateral work of God. This is a work that requires a free human response. That completes my exposition of an Arminian understanding of the doctrine of salvation. Next time we'll turn to an evaluation of these two competing views. Until then, may God guide you throughout this coming week.
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The copyright for the preceding material is held by Dr. William Lane Craig. For more go to reasonablefaith. Org.