Sovereignty-Responsibility chart

For clarity in the context of the Calvinist / Arminian / Catholicism / Restoration discussion.

1610 Remonstrance (also called the Five Articles of Remonstrance) A formal protest written in 1610 by Dutch followers of Jacobus Arminius and presented to the civil authorities of Holland. It outlined five points of disagreement with the strict Calvinist views then current in the Dutch Reformed Church: conditional election (based on foreseen faith), universal atonement, human inability apart from grace, resistible grace, and the possibility that believers might fall away. It was later rejected by the Synod of Dort (1618–1619). The name “Remonstrants” comes from this document.

Arminian A person or system following the teachings of Jacobus Arminius or the Five Articles of Remonstrance. Classical Arminianism affirms total inability apart from prevenient grace, conditional election, unlimited atonement, resistible grace, and (in many forms) the possibility of falling from grace. It is not the same as Pelagianism or semi-Pelagianism.

Arminius (Jacobus Arminius, 1560–1609) Dutch Reformed theologian and professor at Leiden. Trained in Calvinist theology, he came to question unconditional election and related doctrines. His followers produced the 1610 Remonstrance after his death. He did not reject the Reformation emphasis on grace; he rejected certain interpretations of how grace and election work.

Augustinian Referring to the theology of Augustine of Hippo (354–430), especially his later writings on original sin, human inability, the priority of grace, and predestination. Both Calvinists and many Catholics claim Augustinian roots, though they develop them differently. Calvinism is sometimes described as a more consistent or radical Augustinianism on the issue of election and grace.

Double predestination The view that God actively decrees both the election of some to salvation and the reprobation (damnation) of others. Most Calvinists hold some form of this (often distinguishing between active election and passive reprobation or “passing over”). Catholics, classical Arminians, and most non-Calvinists reject it, affirming that God predestines no one to hell and that reprobation is the result of human rejection of grace.

Forensic imputation A Protestant (especially Reformed and Lutheran) understanding of justification in which God declares or credits (imputes) the righteousness of Christ to the believer as a legal status. The righteousness is “alien” (outside the person) and is received by faith alone. It is contrasted with the Catholic view of infused righteousness. The term “forensic” emphasizes the courtroom/legal declaration rather than an internal transformation at the moment of justification.

Infused righteousness The Catholic understanding (formalized at the Council of Trent) that justification involves God pouring or infusing grace into the soul so that the person is actually made righteous (transformed inwardly). Justification is not merely a legal declaration but a real change that includes the beginning of sanctification. Protestants typically distinguish justification (forensic) from sanctification (transformative).

Monergistic regeneration The view (characteristic of Calvinism) that the new birth (regeneration) is the work of God alone. The Holy Spirit unilaterally gives new life to the spiritually dead person; faith is the result of regeneration, not its cause. Contrasted with synergism (human cooperation with grace). From Greek mono (“one/alone”) + ergon (“work”).

Pelagian Referring to the teachings of Pelagius (c. 354–418), who denied original sin in the strong Augustinian sense and held that humans retain the natural ability to choose the good and obey God without special enabling grace. Condemned by several early councils. Modern critics sometimes loosely label certain free-will views “Pelagian,” though classical Arminians and Catholics explicitly reject Pelagianism.

Prevenient grace Grace that “comes before” (Latin praevenire) and enables a fallen person to respond to God. In classical and Wesleyan Arminianism, it is given to all people and restores the ability to freely accept or reject the gospel, without guaranteeing the response. Catholics also affirm prevenient grace as necessary for the first movement toward God (Council of Trent). Calvinists generally do not use the term in the Arminian sense; they speak of effectual/irresistible grace given only to the elect.

Soteriology The branch of theology that deals with salvation (soteria in Greek). It covers questions of grace, faith, election, atonement, justification, regeneration, perseverance, and the human response. The Calvinist–Arminian debate is primarily a debate within soteriology.

Suggested Additional Terms a Common Christian Might Be Unfamiliar With

These frequently appear in the same discussions and are often confusing or assumed:

These terms cover most of the technical vocabulary that arises when people move from casual Bible discussion into historical theology on grace and salvation.