When you find true Christians who are either Arminians or Calvinists, you will find that their prayers and hymns are the same in that they both proclaim a salvation because of Christ alone. No true Christian would get on their knees and say, “Lord, I thank you for doing your part… but I’m the one who really made the difference.”
George Whitefield (Calvinist) was asked this question, “Do you expect to see John Wesley (Arminian) in Heaven?”“No,” was his reply. But then Whitefield continued, “John Wesley will be so close to the Throne of Glory, and I will be so far away, I will hardly get a glimpse of him.”
This says: "Two themes of the conference have been love and unity. On the one hand, I've heard about how we should be able and desire to love all true Christians. On the other, I've heard the comment here, quote: 'Maybe 10% of Arminians are truly saved.' Question: Is that love? Is the Reformed applications of the teachings on love and unity limited to the Reformed family? Can you discuss love and unity between Arminians and Calvinists in light of the doctrinal differences, either being unto salvation or not unto salvation?" What I would say here, this statement of "maybe 10% of Arminians are truly saved", it's very likely you can say the same thing about Calvinists. The reason that this kind of statement was made is because we live in a day when the vast majority of professing evangelicals are Arminian. And there was a day, right here in New England, when the vast majority of professing evangelicals were Calvinists. And they were just as dead and just as lost as a vast number of professing Arminians and professing Christians in our day. It doesn't have anything to do with that. A person can be completely doctrinally sound and be lost. He could love doctrine. Alot of men, alot of pastors have loved to argue the points of Calvinism and so on, that are completely lost. So out fellowship is centered around whether men really love Christ, and love His truth and His word. Many times, the differences between a Calvinist and an Arminian are theoretical things. And I would say that if a man truly believes that His salvation is attributed to himself, then yes, he's not a Christian. And Arminianism, if it was really believe with the life, would mean that person wasn't a Christian. Let me give you an example. Charles Wesley, who was an Arminian, whenever he wrote his hymns, this is the kind of thing he said: "Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night. Thine eye defused a quickening ray", a life-giving ray. "I woke, the dungeon flamed with light. My chains fell off, my heart was free. I rose, when forth and followed Thee." No Calvinist could have written that any better than that. You see, what that is, he's expressing there the realities of his heart. No true Christian would get on their knees and say: "Lord, I thank You for doing Your part, but I know you're trying to do Your part for everybody and I'm the one that really made the difference." Nobody would ever say that if they really know the Lord. I think Charles Hodge said it like this, he said: "We look at the hymns and the prayers of people to see where there hearts really are." Not when they're arguing and discussing theology and they get off into all these theoretical areas. Look at what they're saying in their prayers. Look at what they're saying in their praises and hymns to God. And that will all be the same, there'll be unity between them. And so what we look for is godly men. I remember a time years ago, when I was around a group of guys who were all solid in doctrine, and as cold as they could be. And I have known in my life, godly Arminians who were ten times further along with God than I was. And I remember writing in one of my notebooks: "Oh God, put me with men of a burning heart! Not cold, carnal, doctrinarians." This is not the dividing area, the dividing area has to do with truly knowing the Lord. Truly being regenerate. Somebody asked Whitefield: "Do you think you'll see Wesley in Heaven?" And he said something to the affect of, "Maybe not, he'll probably be so close to the throne that I won't be able to get near to him." That's the right attitude. And of course, Wesley preached at his funeral.
