What is Arminianism?

Arminianism is a theological framework that developed as a response to Calvinism. It is based on the teachings of Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609), a Dutch theologian who opposed John Calvin’s doctrine of predestination. Arminianism emphasizes human free will, God’s universal grace, and conditional election, rather than the deterministic framework of Calvinism.

Arminianism became widely influential in various Christian traditions, including Methodism, Wesleyanism, Pentecostalism, and many Baptist churches. It presents a middle ground between Calvinism and full-fledged Pelagianism (the heretical view that humans can achieve salvation without divine grace).

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Five Tenets of Arminianism

Arminianism is often summarized by five key points (sometimes called the Five Articles of Remonstrance, 1610), which contrast with Calvinism’s TULIP.

Arminian Tenet	Description	Scriptural Support
1. Free Will (Human Ability)	Humans, though affected by sin, still have the ability to respond to God’s grace and accept or reject salvation.	Deuteronomy 30:19 – “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”
2. Conditional Election	God elects individuals based on foreseen faith—those who choose to believe in Christ.	Romans 8:29 – “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.”
3. Unlimited Atonement	Christ’s sacrifice is for all people, but only those who believe receive salvation.	1 John 2:2 – “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
4. Resistible Grace	God’s grace enables people to believe, but it is not irresistible—they can choose to reject it.	Acts 7:51 – “You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”
5. Conditional Security (Possibility of Falling Away)	True believers can fall from grace if they turn away from faith and reject Christ.	Hebrews 6:4-6 – “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened… if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance.”

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Which Arminian Tenets Align with Scripture?

Arminianism finds strong biblical support in several of its tenets:

1. Free Will and Human Responsibility

• The Bible repeatedly calls people to choose to follow God.
• Verses like Deuteronomy 30:19 and Joshua 24:15 (“Choose this day whom you will serve”) affirm that humans are given real choices.
• John 3:16 (“Whoever believes in Him shall not perish”) clearly offers salvation to all who believe, indicating human responsibility in accepting salvation.

2. Unlimited Atonement

• The Bible affirms that Christ died for all people, not just a specific group of “elect”:
  • 1 John 2:2 – “Not for our sins only, but also for the whole world.”
  • 1 Timothy 2:4-6 – “God desires all men to be saved.”
  • John 3:16 – “God so loved the world…”
• This contradicts Calvinism’s Limited Atonement, which teaches that Jesus died only for the elect.

3. Resistible Grace

• Many scriptures show that humans can resist the Holy Spirit:
  • Acts 7:51 – “You always resist the Holy Spirit.”
  • Matthew 23:37 – “O Jerusalem… How often I wanted to gather your children together… but you were not willing!”
• The fact that people resist God’s call proves that grace is not irresistible but can be rejected.

4. Conditional Election (Based on Foreseen Faith)

• The Bible supports the idea that God foreknew those who would believe:
  • Romans 8:29 – “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined…”
  • 1 Peter 1:2 – “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God.”
• This means election is not arbitrary but based on God’s foreknowledge of those who would choose Him.

5. Conditional Security (Can a Believer Lose Salvation?)

• Arminians argue that believers can fall away and lose salvation.
• Verses that seem to support this:
  • Hebrews 6:4-6 – “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened… if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance.”
  • 2 Peter 2:20-21 – “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world… they are again entangled in them, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.”
• Those who remain faithful in Christ have the eternal security as well:
  • John 10:28-29 – “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
  • Philippians 1:6 – “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it.”
  • Romans 8:38-39 – “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

Two arguments:

• Some believers argue that true Christians will persevere and that those who “fall away” were never truly saved.
• Others argue that free will allows even saved believers to abandon their faith.

We believe that those who remain faithful in Christ have eternal security. If you choose to walk away from Christ and fall back into the world, you will lose your salvation as well.

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Why Arminianism Is Acceptable Than Calvinism

Overall, Arminianism aligns with biblical teaching than Calvinism because it:

✔ Affirms that God loves all people and desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).
✔ Acknowledges that Christ’s atonement is for the whole world (1 John 2:2).
✔ Teaches that salvation requires faith and that humans have the ability to choose God (John 3:16).
✔ Recognizes that grace is offered freely but can be rejected (Acts 7:51).

The main point of contention in Arminianism is the belief that Christians can lose salvation.

Final Thought:

While both Calvinism and Arminianism attempt to understand God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, the Bible clearly teaches that God offers salvation to all and invites people to respond. Instead of a deterministic view (Calvinism), the Bible presents a loving, just, and merciful God who desires that everyone would repent and believe.

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).

Let us remain faithful in the presence of God and hold on to our faith in Christ and do not fall away from the hope of glory that we have through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.