“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved …” Ephesians 2:1-5
It ought to bring a good-spirited chortle, followed by a praise-filled prayer of thanks, to any Calvinist. And, maybe … just maybe … it might prompt the Arminian-oriented, soteriological theology thinker to give a moment of pause to ponder the greatness and sovereignty of God in our salvation.
After all, as Charles Spurgeon cited the great Calvinist evangelist George Whitefield, “We are all born Arminians,” with the prince of preachers adding, “It is grace that turns us into Calvinists.”
Mike Abendroth of No Compromise Radio made mention of the song, Arminian Grace, on recent broadcasts of his show. Tim Challies’ site has an article about it that’s from way back in 2003.
Arminian Grace, says Challies, “is a pretty funny parody of Arminian theology.” Indeed it is.
The song is, of course, sung to the tune of John Newton’s unsurpassable “Amazing Grace.”
Arminian Grace
Arminian “grace!” How strange the sound,
Salvation hinged on me.
I once was lost then turned around,
Was blind then chose to see.
What “grace” is it that calls for choice,
Made from some good within?
That part that wills to heed God’s voice,
Proved stronger than my sin.
Thru many ardent gospel pleas,
I sat with heart of stone.
But then some hidden good in me,
Propelled me toward my home.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Because of what we’ve done,
We’ve no less days to sing our praise,
Than when we first begun.
[Contributed by Bud Ahlheim]
