The FACTS of Arminianism

I've told my church that I am an Arminian, not a Calvinist.  But what is an Arminian?  Most people have heard of the TULIP of Calvinism, but what do Arminians believe?  On the website of the Society of Evangelical Arminians, Dr. Brian Abasciano has coined a helpful acronym for Arminianism using the word FACTS.  In this short post I'll briefly summarize the FACTS of Arminianism.  

Freed to Believe

As I will explain below, Arminians affirm "total depravity," which means that on their own people cannot and will not turn to Christ for salvation.  They will always reject it.  People must be drawn by God (Jn 6:44).  But God enables all people to believe and respond to the gospel (Jn 1:9; Jn 12:32).  To be clear, Arminians believe in "freed will" rather than "free will."  Naturally we are dead in our trespasses and sins.  We do not seek God on our own.  But God frees our will.  This enabling grace is called "prevenient grace," or grace that goes before salvation.  Contrary to Calvinism, this enabling grace is given to everyone, and it is resistible.  When God frees our will, we are responsible for accepting or rejecting Christ.  

Atonement for All

This means that Christ died for the sins of every single person (1 Jn 2:2; 1 Tim 2:5-6).  While the death of Christ provided for the atonement of all, the intent of the atonement was for it to be applied only to those who believe in Jesus (Jn 3:16-18).  This is why "atonement for all" doesn't mean that God saves everyone.  God's desire is to save everyone, and the cross made salvation possible for everyone, but salvation is only experienced by those who believe.  

Conditional Election

Arminians believe in election, but we differ from Calvinists in how it is defined.  Election is God's choice to save those who believe in Christ.  In contrast to Calvinism, election is conditional.  It is based on faith in Christ (Eph 1:4).  God chooses who to save before the creation of the world (Eph 1:4).  This is sometimes called predestination.  How does God choose to save those who believe in Christ before they are even born?  Election is based on His foreknowledge of their faith in Christ (Rm 8:29; 1 Pt 1:1-2).

Total Depravity

This is where Arminians and Calvinists completely agree.  Human beings have an inherited sinful nature from Adam and Eve, which means they are inclined to sin.  They are dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1).  They do not naturally seek God (Rm 3:11).  Without the grace of God, people are not able or willing to respond positively to the gospel.  

Security in Christ

On this point Arminians disagree with each other.  Jacob Arminius and his earliest followers did not take a side on this issue, so still to this day some Arminians believe that you can lose your salvation, while others believe that God will enable those who are genuinely saved to persevere in their faith to the end.  This is where I stand.  I'm a once-saved-always-saved Southern Baptist.  However, most people who call themselves Arminians believe that it is possible to lose your salvation.  For this reason, Abasciano calls those like me four-point Arminians, or moderate Arminians.  You could also call me a two-point Calvinist because I affirm the T and the P, but reject the ULI in the middle.  But I guess if you reject three of the five points of Calvinism, you can hardly be called a Calvinist.