Why We’re Reformed Arminians (and Not Calvinists)

When people find out that the Former Adventists Philippines (FAP) are no longer legalists or Sabbatarians, they often assume we’ve gone full Calvinist—especially since we love the doctrines of grace, preach sola fide, and affirm salvation by grace alone. But here’s the truth:

We are Reformed Arminians, not Calvinists.

And no, that’s not a contradiction. Let’s explain what that means—and why we hold this view.

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Wait... What Is Reformed Arminianism?

First things first: Reformed Arminianism is not the fluffy, man-centered, decision-based theology you often hear from modern evangelicalism. 

Reformed Arminianism affirms:

• Total depravity
• Salvation by grace through faith
• Necessity of prevenient grace
• Conditional election (based on God’s foreknowledge)
• Christ’s atonement is sufficient for all, efficient for believers
• Believers can fall away without perseverance

It’s Arminian in theology but Reformed in seriousness about sin, grace, and holiness—unlike popular “easy-believism” forms of Arminianism.

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A Little Church History 101

To understand why we hold this view, let’s back up.

• The early Church Fathers (like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian) clearly taught free will and human responsibility while affirming that grace was essential.

• The strong determinism of later Calvinist theology didn’t fully take root until Augustine, and even then, Augustine still affirmed the real role of grace working with the human will.

Fast forward to the Reformation—not all Reformers were Calvinists. Many early Protestant thinkers held to synergistic soteriology (God works with man, not apart from his will). For example:

• Philip Melanchthon, Luther’s close ally, rejected unconditional election and believed in synergism.

• John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, followed classical Arminianism and emphasized holiness and grace-based responsibility.

• The Arminian Remonstrants (1610) were not heretics—they affirmed total depravity and salvation by grace but disagreed with Calvinism’s double predestination and limited atonement.

FAP aligns with this stream of thought.

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Historical Sources That Support Reformed Arminianism

1. Jacob Arminius (1560–1609)—A Dutch Reformed theologian who challenged Beza’s supralapsarian Calvinism. Arminius didn’t teach free-will works-righteousness. He wrote:

“No man believes in Christ unless the Father draws him by His Spirit; and no man comes unless he has heard and learned from the Father.” (Works of Arminius, Vol. 1)

2. The Five Articles of the Remonstrants (1610)—Taught that salvation begins with God's grace and that man cannot choose God unless moved first by the Holy Spirit.

3. Thomas C. Oden, a Reformed Arminian theologian, writes:

“Arminius and Wesley were closer to the early Church Fathers than Calvin ever was.” (The Transforming Power of Grace, p. 75)

4. J. Matthew Pinson, president of Welch College and author of Arminian and Baptist: Explorations in a Theological Tradition, clarifies:

“Reformed Arminianism is not semi-Pelagian. It is a grace-centered, biblically grounded tradition that simply rejects unconditional election and irresistible grace.”

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Why Not Calvinism?

We studied Calvinism deeply. Many of its doctrines (like total depravity and salvation by grace alone) resonated with us. But here’s where we part ways:

❌ Unconditional Election

We believe God chooses based on foreknowledge of who will trust Him (Romans 8:29). Election is in Christ, not apart from Him.

❌ Limited Atonement

Jesus died for the world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). The cross was sufficient for all and genuinely offered to all.

❌ Irresistible Grace

We believe in prevenient grace—the Spirit awakens and draws sinners, but that grace can be resisted (Acts 7:51).

❌ Perseverance of the Saints

We believe apostasy is possible (Hebrews 6:4-6, 2 Peter 2:20-22), though God desires to preserve those who trust in Him.

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Why This Makes Sense for Former Adventists

As ex-Adventists, we know what it’s like to be trapped in performance-based religion. Calvinism seemed attractive because it offered security and sovereignty. But after careful study, we found that:

• Calvinism sometimes replaces one form of bondage (legalism) with another (determinism).

• Reformed Arminianism gave us both grace and freedom, security and responsibility.

• It allowed us to affirm biblical tension: God is sovereign, and yet we are responsible.

We wanted a theology that emphasized grace, avoided man-centered decisionism, but still preserved human accountability. Reformed Arminianism gave us just that.

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Final Thoughts

We didn’t choose Reformed Arminianism to be “middle of the road” or avoid controversy. We chose it because:

• It aligns with the teaching of the early church.

• It is grace-centered and Christ-exalting.

• It emphasizes the call to holy living.

• And most importantly, it reflects what we believe the Bible teaches.

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We're Not Dividing the Body

We love our Calvinist brothers. We share 90% of the gospel essentials. But on the questions of how grace works, we believe Reformed Arminianism is more faithful to Scripture and the early church.

At the end of the day, we want to preach:

“Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And that grace calls you to follow Jesus—not because you must earn salvation, but because you have freely received it.”

That’s why we’re Reformed Arminians.

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If you want to dig deeper, we recommend:

• Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities by Roger Olson

• The Works of Arminius (3 Volumes)

• Arminian and Baptist by J. Matthew Pinson

• Grace, Faith, Free Will by Robert Picirilli
  

For more inquiries, contact us:

Email: formeradventist.ph@gmail.com

Website: formeradventistph.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/formeradventistph

Phone: 09695143944