This is a contentious subject, and it is best left to more mature
believers. At the Synod of Dort, a meeting of theologians in 1618-19,
ideas were presented and debated. Five ideas of Jacob Arminius
were put forth and ultimately rejected. The responses are called the
five points of Calvinism since Calvin's Institutes of Christian Theology,
1536, set forth theological ideas which differed.
Will "five-pointers" who are trusting in Jesus for salvation be saved?
Absolutely! Will "zero-pointers" who are trusting in Jesus for
salvation be saved? Absolutely!
The 5 points of Calvinism are easily remembered using the TULIP
acrostic. The verses provided are not intended as proof texts:
T - Total depravity; Ps 14-1
U - Unconditional election; Eph 2:8,9; Rom 9:11
L - Limited atonement; Matt 26:28; John 3:16,17
I - Irresistable grace; John 6:44,45
P - Perserverance of the saints; John 6:37
Wikipedia gives a good description at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism
