Message of the Latter Rain - Kelvin M. Duncan

Chapter 17
Adventist Arminianism
Since Christ was and still remains a corporate personality, and all of
humanity was taken into Him, when He died, we "all died" "in Him." This
thought, Paul presented to the Corinthian believers: "For the love of Christ
compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died" (2
Corinthians 5:14, NKJV).
All of humanity was there "in Christ," when He suffered and died--He
was the Representative and Substitute for all mankind. Therefore, His death
is counted as the death of all humanity. He could die for all, because all were
represented "in Him." The Spirit of Prophecy clearly presents this concept.
"Christ would have us realize that our interests are one. A divine Saviour
died for all, that all might find in Him their divine source. In Christ Jesus we
are one."[1]
This quotation brings together two important concepts--that Christ died
for all, and the "in Christ" idea. By linking them together, it lends support to
the thought that by virtue of the fact that all were "in Christ," He could and
did die for all. All are indebted to Christ. This reality rules out Calvinist
theories of limited atonement and double predestination. However, we shall
soon see that the Spirit of Prophecy, which recognizes the full implications
of the "in Christ" idea, also transcends Arminianism.
Arminianism: A Working Definition
Traditionally, most Seventh-day Adventists have considered themselves
to be Arminians. In fact, if one peruses the description of the term Adventist,
in the online Encyclopedia Britannica, the following entry may be found:
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