ARMINIANISM AND CALVINISM

阿米念主義和加爾文主義

Arminianism is like a bridge in Lancaster County, Pa., that is wide but goes only halfway across the river. It fails to lead a hiker safely to the other side of the river. Arminianism is wide and easy to travel, but it does not lead a person to the harbor of God’s bosom. In the end, Arminianism is cruel in failing to deliver what it promises. It weakens the essence of God, exalts man, and opens the door to liberalism.

阿米念主義就像賓夕法尼亞州蘭開斯特縣的一座橋，很寬，但只跨過河的一半。它無法引導徒步旅行者安全到達河的對岸。阿民念主義的范圍很廣，很容易傳播，但它並不能把人引向上帝懷抱的港灣。最終，阿民念主義殘酷地未能兌現其承諾。它削弱了上帝的本質，高舉了人，並打開了自由主義的大門。

The way of Calvinism seems narrow; in some sense it is, for it expects self-denial and teaches that man cannot meet God halfway. But in the end, Calvinism brings a believer across the river into the arms of Jehovah. Believed in the mind and experienced in the soul, Calvinism’s truths lead a sinner to salvation.

加爾文主義的道路似乎狹窄；從某種意義上來說確實如此，因為它期望自我否定，並教導人不能在半路上遇見神。但最終，加爾文主義能把信徒帶到了河對岸，投入了耶和華的懷抱。加爾文主義的真理得以在心靈中相信，得以在靈魂中體驗，引領罪人得到救恩。

Calvinism gives both God and man their due. It glorifies God, humbles the sinner, and encourages the saint. It invigorates the believer who knows that if a sovereign God is for him, no one can be successful against him (Rom. 8:31). As J. C. Ryle writes: “No soldiers of Christ are ever lost, missing or left dead on the battlefield.”

加爾文主義給予神和人應有的待遇。它榮耀神，謙卑罪人，鼓舞聖徒。它使信徒充滿活力，因為他們知道如果有一位至高無上的神支持他，那麼沒有人能成功地反對他（羅馬書8:31）。正如 J. C. 賴爾 (J. C. Ryle) 所寫：“沒有基督的士兵在戰場上迷失、失蹤或死亡。”

Erroll Hulse provides a helpful illustration of how salvation is worked by our sovereign God: 埃羅爾·赫爾斯（Erroll Hulse）提供了一個有用的例證，說明我們至高無上的上帝如何實現救恩：

In the town of Otley in Yorkshire a group of anxious onlookers surrounded a man who was lying down flat with his hand down a rainwater drain. Among the onlookers was a mother duck expressing deep alarm. She had been leading her ducklings along the gutter and hopped over the drain, but one by one her ducklings had fallen in. One by one the man lying flat retrieved them. All ten of them were brought up unscathed and happily followed mummy duck down to the Wharfe River. There is no way that they could have come out of that drain on their own. Power of a greater kind than duck-power was needed. In the case of our salvation we must affirm that it comes entirely from an omnipotent, gracious God.

在約克郡的奧特利鎮，一群焦急的旁觀者圍住了一名平躺着、手伸進雨水排水溝的男子。圍觀者中，有一隻鴨媽媽表達了深深的震驚。她牽着小鴨子沿着排水溝，跳過排水溝，但她的小鴨子一隻一隻地掉進去了。平躺着的男人一隻一隻地把它們救了出來。它們十個鴨子都安然無恙地長大，高興地跟着鴨媽媽來到了沃夫河。他們不可能自己從那個排水溝里出來。需要比鴨子動力更強大的動力。就我們的救恩而言，我們必須確認它完全來自一位全能、恩典的神。

Some suggest that Calvinism and Arminianism should reconcile because the Bible affirms both divine sovereignty and human responsibility. We must be Calvinists on our knees and Arminians on our feet, they say. But such a proposal is naive. Calvinism asserts the role of human responsibility every bit as much as Arminianism does. Calvinism and Arminianism cannot be joined together because of the following irreconcilable differences:

一些人認為加爾文主義和阿民念主義應該調和，因為聖經既確認了神聖的主權，也確認了人類的責任。他們說，我們必須跪下成為加爾文主義者，站起來成為阿民念主義者。但這樣的提議是幼稚的。加爾文主義與阿米念主義一樣，都主張人類責任的作用。加爾文主義和阿民念主義不能結合在一起，因為存在以下不可調和的差異：

•    The initiative in salvation is either with God or with man.

•    Depravity is either total or partial.

•    Election is either unconditional or conditional.

•    Atonement is either particular or universal.

•    Saving grace is either irresistible or resistible.

•    The saints either must persevere in faith or they may fall away.

• 救恩的主動權要麼是神，要麼是人。

• 墮落要麼是完全的，要麼是部分的。

• 揀選要麼是無條件的，要麼是有條件的。

• 贖罪要麼是特定的，要麼是普遍的。

• 拯救恩典要麼是不可抗拒的，要麼是可抗拒的。

• 聖徒要麼必須信仰堅忍，要麼可能會離棄。

These differences are not just matters of emphasis; they represent different systems of thought. The five points of Calvinism are biblical and need to be proclaimed with boldness and vigor.^[1]

這些差異不僅僅是側重點的問題。它們代表不同的思想體系。加爾文主義的五點是符合聖經的，需要大膽而有力地宣講。

^[1] Joel R. Beeke, Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism (Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2008), 127–129.