When I engage in discussion with other brothers and sisters in the faith reguarding the Doctrines of Grace aka the Five Points of Calvinism or about the Absolute Sovereignty of God I get one specific question that seems to concern non-Calvnists non-Reformed folks and with good reason. The question usually goes like this “Ricky, are Arminians or non-Calvinist even Christians?”. Well, my usual response is, of course they are. All those who have put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are sealed with the promise. But, it is a little deeper than that. I do not affirm that Arminians or non-Calvinist are lost as do many if not most Hyper-Calvinist but rather I affirm with the rest of orthodox Reformed teachers that the problem is that Arminians have inconsistent bad theology and are saved in spite of that and this is usually the case. I find, in my many encounters with Arminians, that they really do not understand what they believe most, Arminians are inconsistent, and they don’t really believe what they say. For example, they pray and plead with God to save their family memebers and friends, they pray like Calvinist, How? you may be asking yourself, because God has no power (or right) to violate mans “free” will according to Arminianism. But most Arminians, the ones that are saved, know in their heart that salvation IS all the work of God and IS all by grace. So they pray and plead for God to save sinners! Their true theology comes out in their prayers and I would argue even in their sermons, even if they don’t want to admit it.
Most Arminians agree with Calvinist and affirm that salvation is all of Christ and that faith is the only instrument by which we receive Christ. Most Arminians I dialogue with will clearly acknowledge that they have no hope except in the mercy of Jesus Christ alone. Here is the bottom line Saints, as long as all their trust is in Christ alone and they see faith as nothing more than an instrument to receive Him, then it is more than likely that they are saved and we should be gracious and merciful in thinking that they are. Further, many Christians do not even know what Arminianism nor Calvinism is to begin with but nevertheless believe is grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone.
On the other hand those non-Calvinists who are pure Pelagians and or deny that salvation is of grace alone and believe that salvation has to be earned via your own works and your own righteousness as Rome teaches then I must highly question their salvation and preach to them the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, Sola Fide.
I leave you with these quotes of one who was one of the most vigourous defenders of Calvinism and proclaimed it to be the essence of the Gospel itself and taught passionately against Arminianism, the Prince of Preachers Charles Spurgeon to confirm my position and the position of many other reguarding this issue.
“A man may be evidently of God’s chosen family, and yet though elected, may not believe in the doctrine of election. I hold there are many savingly called, who do not believe in effectual calling, and that there are a great many who persevere to the end, who do not believe the doctrine of final perseverance. We do hope that the hearts of many are a great deal better than their heads. We do not set their fallacies down to any willful opposition to the truth as it is in Jesus, but simply to an error in their judgments, which we pray God to correct. We hope that if they think us mistaken too, they will reciprocate the same Christian courtesy; and when we meet around the cross, we hope that we shall ever feel that we are one in Christ Jesus.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon
“Far be it from me to imagine that Zion contains none but Calvinistic Christians within her walls, or that there are none saved who do not hold our views.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon
Urban Reformed Theology 