Both Calvinists and Arminians hold that forgiveness of sins and eternal life come through faith in Jesus Christ. However they offer very different descriptions of how God’s grace works in salvation and what role a person plays in responding to the gospel.

In order to illustrate these two contrasting views on salvation we can use an electrical circuit. In order for a light bulb to be lit the wires in the circuit must be connected and form a closed loop. This allows current to flow and the bulb to be lit. When the loop is broken there is no way that the light bulb can be turned on.

In this example the junction box, wires, and light bulb represent a person. When the light bulb is lit the person has exercised saving faith. When the light bulb is off the person is in a state of darkness and unbelief.

Both Calvinists and Arminians hold to the inability of man to respond to the gospel in his natural state. This can be illustrated by an electrical circuit in which the wires in the junction box are disconnected. Without a reconnecting of the wires the current cannot flow through the circuit and the light can not be turned on. There can be no positive response to the gospel. Continue reading →