The Four (or Four-and-a-half) Pointers:

After the Reformed Church in the Netherlands answered the Arminians, a man name Moses Amyraut entered the debate. Amyraut was a French Reformed Theologian and Pastor from the very late 1500's to the mid 1660's.

Amyraut was not arguing for Arminianism. In fact, it appears Amyraut in general agreed with the Five Points of Calvinism. Where Amyraut parted ways with the Five Points was in how best to articulate the crossroads between unconditional election and the atonement of Jesus. This view is called Amyraldianism, after - you guessed it - Amyraut. In the past in the United States, you could find this position in colonial Congregationalist and Presbyterian pockets, due to the influence of Pastor Richard Baxter, who was somewhat Amyraldian on this topic.

Richard Baxter (Boy, all these old pastors look the same)

Today you can find this view amongst Brethren churches, some Southern and Reformed Baptists, and Bible churches.

Amyraut taught that Jesus hypothetically died for all mankind (contrary to limited atonement) but, that God elected only some to salvation, not all. According to Amyraut, God did this by decreeing Christ's atonement before he decreed who was elect. This means the Father ordained Jesus to die for an amorphous mass, a hypothetical "all," as part of a new covenantal order.

Now, it is true that Jesus' death inaugurated a new covenantal order: the new covenant (Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, Hebrews 9 & 10). But what Amyraut meant by this is not what Reformed Theologians meant. Reformed theologians in general have believed, that, since the breaking of the covenant of works by Adam (Genesis 3), the only door into covenantal relationship with God is "by faith;" more specifically by faith in the coming Messiah (from the OT perspective) and by faith in the already-come Messiah (from the NT perspective). Not just that Jesus exists; but faith in his life for our righteousness, his death for our sins, and in his resurrection for our regeneration.

In contrast, Amyraut taught that Jesus died, not just to establish a new covenant, but a new way to interact with the covenant: by faith. That’s all. He didn’t elect people. He elected faith to be the means of conversion. Covenant theologians argued, "but that's not new!" To Amyraut it was. So all men (all people, not just the church) are under the new covenantal order (an idea Reformed Theologians would deny). But only those elected by the Father would respond with regenerate faith. This regenerate faith manifests itself by obedience. So then to Amyraut what's the difference between believers and unbelievers? Your faithfulness; not Christ's work. Many have called this position "hypothetical universalism." (You’re welcome for the big theological phrase.) But, as you can tell Amyraut's view starts getting into philosophical understandings of the decree of God, a form of universal atonement, and a denial of Christ's penal, substitutionary atonement, and therefore a confusion of faith with faithfulness as the cause for interacting with God's promises, which is legalism. For this reason the Westminster Confession of Faith intentionally denies Amyraldianism as an accurate depiction of the Bible and the Reformed Faith, saying:

WCF 3:6. As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so hath he, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore, they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power, through faith, unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.

So, no. I’m sorry. We’re not trying to just be a bunch of meany heads. While many who call themselves Calvinists, don’t agree with all the Five Points, yet denying any one of the Five Points, including this one, certainly does not make you Reformed. The Five Points will stand and fall together, as we will begin to see in later posts.

In Christ, and with you all,

Pastor Joshua Sparkman