Both Arminianism and Calvinism are non-biblical, as they both impose limitations on God.
Psalms 78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
Both have God predestinating totally depraved humans but selecting the elect in different ways. Calvinism limits the choice to God’s caprice; Arminianism rightly figured salvation was open to all but their methodology was also unbiblical. They added in a test by providing prevenient faith giving each individual just enough faith to see which way they would lean, toward or away from God. If you lean toward God, you were predestined to be saved. God still knows who would and would not believe from the beginning and elect those that did. How He knew without predestinating is not well defined.
What most call Arminian today is Neo-Arminianism, new-Arminianism. It discards predestination altogether and replaces it with God just knows. He obtains his foreknowledge by looking down from eternity upon the past, present, and future all at once, seeing what has happened. However, no one seems to be asking where this past, present, and future came from that God has to see to know what happened.
In the above three views, history is fixed, completed, unchanging, or in a word closed.
The only biblical view is history being open, that is running in real time under the control and guidance of God maintaining all things within his plan.
The most compelling problem is that most will not even attempt to reason these things out. When we look at the layout of history it is the same regardless of the theological view. They all have the same fixed events, set waypoints, and the same predetermined end. The question is not could God have done it this way; he could have done it any way he desired. The question is what is revealed in God’s word concerning the way it was done; which theology fits the Scriptures.
Close Theologies have history as static, fixed, unchanging, everything is set in stone. The choices men make are not real, the options given them meaningless; everything is predetermined. It is like a road map with only one road to take. Open Theology’s road map has the same trip to make, the same fixed events to happen, set waypoints to reach, and we end up with the same predetermined end. However, it is fluid, man’s decisions and actions make a difference in how history is played out in between; there is more than one road to take. There are at least two ways of getting there, obey God and take the easy direct route, or disobey him and take the circuitous undulating treacherous route due to God’s judgment upon your disobedience. Both lead to the same place; it is just how you get there. This leaves room for time and chance and God’s judgments upon and dealings with men to determine and set the course of history.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
The idea that God has to look down upon history to see what happened is the most lackluster God-limiting view of these theologies, Neo-Arminianism. Open Theology having history flowing in real-time raises the Lord to heights others cannot imagine. Working in real-time, knowing every thought and intent of men as they have them in the moment, knowing all things as they happen, having them in control, guided, and kept within his plan, God turns everything, all Satan’s devices, his and man’s evil intents, to his own purpose. He judges and passes judgment on all and records all in his books, all in real time. It is mind-boggling; man cannot fathom the depths of the wisdom and power of the Almighty.
Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Only Open Theology lifts our creator to these heights and beyond. The other three options all limit God in some way.
God’s plan or blueprint is laid out with its ordained waypoints and events that He will guide and direct all things into. In between these is room for time and chance, spontaneity, more importantly for God’s dealing with men and nations, raising them up and tearing them down through judging and judgment upon them. There are always at least two ways to reach the waypoints: fear God and obey or rebel and pay.
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