I’m an Arminian and I believe in Divine Election and Predestination!

predestination arminianismArminians believe in divine election/predestination. We have to. It is in the Bible!

The question is whether or not predestination is based solely on God’s will (Calvinists= unconditional election) or whether there is some basis upon which God preordains people (Arminians= conditional election).

God’s Foreknowledge

Arminians typically have argued that God’s condition for predestination is God’s foreknowledge of how we will respond to God.

Texts like:

  • 1 Peter 1:1-2- To God’s elect … who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
  • Romans 8:29- For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Corporate Election

Some Arminians (and Calvinists) also teach that predestination/election is a corporate reality. That is, rather than God electing certain individuals to salvation, God elected a people—in the OT it was Israel, in the NT it is the Church.

So, God determined he would have a Church, but not necessarily who would be in and who would be out. Many (if not all) of the key “Calvinistic” texts actually provide support for this view:

  •  Ephesians 1:4-5- For he chose US in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined US to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. (notice the plural)

Consider also:

  • 1 Peter 2:9- But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (Here election is explicitly corporate)

Pentecostals on Election

There is nothing explicit in my Pentecostal denomination’s statement of faith about election. So, Pentecostalism often does allow for a Calvinist view of election. I do know some Pentecostal pastors out there who lean toward Calvinism.

Nevertheless, most Pentecostal statements of faith affirm that Jesus died for all, thereby rejecting the Calvinist view of “limited atonement” (i.e. that Jesus died only for the elect).

Further Reading

If you are interested in reading further, there is a great book out there called Perspectives on Election: Five Views (preview on Google books) edited by Chad Owen Brand. Five different authors  present their views on election and the authors also respond to each other’s chapters.

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Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Touched by God: Experiencing the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

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4 thoughts on “I’m an Arminian and I believe in Divine Election and Predestination!

  1. Hello Andrew. I am new to your blog and come across it through Nick Norelli’s review of your book. It is a book I hope to read now due to his review.

    Also, if you weren’t aware of the thesis below submitted by Joshua Ratliff on Ephesians 1:3-4 on the corporate nature of Election, do check it out.

    http://evangelicalarminians.org/files/Ratliff.%20Ephesians%201.3-4.%20An%20Explanation%20of%20the%20Corporate%20and%20Christcentric%20Nature%20of%20Election.pdf

  2. Very informative read. Great to see your view on predestination and election. I would have to say that I lean towards the Arminian thought.
    God bless!

    Nera Maaser

  3. Thank you for this article, Andrew! You helped bring clarity where I didn’t realize I needed it. I look forward to reading more posts!