Question: Hello Greg,

I have been reading Plain Truth magazine on and off and I have learned many things. I appreciate your ministry. Recently I have been somewhat struggling about Calvinism and Arminianism. I have just started reading some books about the 5 points of Calvinism. I have been a born again Christian about 7 years now and started from an Assembly of God Church, which is influenced by Arminianism.

Predestination confuses me because both views have Scriptural support and both make sense. Please help me understand a little bit more about this issue and how to view this issue as a good Christian.

Jin

Answer: Dear Jin,

Your question, as you know, is about a HUGE topic – that is wonderfully compelling to some – while arousing little if any interest in others. As is obvious from your questions, Calvinism and Arminianism both seem to include interesting perspectives and add to our insight into the nature and attributes of God.

The best advice I can give to you is to highly recommend a recently published book by Norman Geisler. Dr. Geisler’s book is published by Bethany House and is titled, Chosen But Free – A Balanced View of Divine Election. The fact that Dr. Geisler endeavors to offer a "balanced view" is part of the reason I recommend this book, while another is his usual careful, exhaustive and logically coherent approach to his topic. I recommend it to you.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht