James Arminius is one of the most maligned and misunderstood theologians in church history. In an era of major debate over predestination, free will, and related concepts, Arminius was accused of being Pelagian, Semi-Pelagian, or a heretic of all sorts. This is a trend that started in his time and has continued to this day. The truth is that he was a brilliant theologian who shook the foundations of Calvinism to the core. Yet he was quite orthodox in his thinking, as he had come right out of the Protestant Reformation, though he sought to reform some ideas of Calvin and Luther. Contrary to common belief, Arminius believed in the utter depravity of man and that a major work of grace, i.e., prevenient grace, is necessary to bring a person to repentance. He also emphatically rejected Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism. He thoroughly answers every accusation against him and masterfully refutes William Perkins, a major Calvinist writer of that time. How do we ultimately understand what he thought? By carefully reading his writings. Until now, this was not an easy task. The only way has been to wade through his three-volume "Works," totaling 2, 300 pages. Hence the need for a compendium of some of his best writings, edited for modern readers. Our hope is to help a new generation of Christians understand this much-misunderstood theologian, an understanding especially needed in an era in which Calvinism is experiencing a major resurgence.

Offering a strong alternative to Calvinism, the first book in this three volume set starts to show another view on the Bible that challenges the works of John Calvin, Martin Luther and others. The aspect of self-determinism and the role of sin in a believer's life are dominant in Arminius's thinking while the other theologians in his time were focusing on the idea of determinism in the role of Biblical theology.

With special attention to the academic context and sources of the Leiden debate, this book examines Jacobus Arminius's doctrines of salvation and the assurance of salvation, demonstrating the decisive role that assurance played in his dissent from Reformed theology.

Jacobus Arminius (1560 -1609), the Latinized name of the Dutch theologian Jakob Hermanszoon from the Protestant Reformation period, served from 1603 as professor in theology at the University of Leiden. He wrote many books and treatises on theology, and his views became the basis of Arminianism and the Dutch Remonstrant movement. Arminius wrote that he sought to teach only those things which could be proved from the Scriptures and that tended toward edification among Christians (with the exception of Roman Catholics, with whom he said there could be no spiritual accord). His motto was reputed to be "Bona conscientia paradisus," meaning, "A good conscience is a paradise." Arminius taught of a "preventing" (or prevenient) grace that has been conferred upon all by the Holy Spirit and this grace is "sufficient for belief, in spite of our sinful corruption, and thus for salvation." Arminius stated that "the grace sufficient for salvation is conferred on the Elect, and on the Non-elect; that, if they will, they may believe or not believe, may be saved or not be saved." William Witt states that "Arminius has a very high theology of grace. He insists emphatically that grace is gratuitous because it is obtained through God's redemption in Christ, not through human effort." Arminius referred to even faith as being received from God as a gift.

Jacobus Arminius (aka Jacob Arminius, James Arminius, and his Dutch name Jacob Harmenszoon), was a Dutch theologian, best known as the founder of the anti-Calvinistic school in Reformed Protestant theology, thereby lending his name to a movement which resisted some of the tenets of Calvinism-known popularly as Arminianism. "Let scripture itself come forward, and perform the chief part in asserting its own Divinity. Let us inspect its substance and its matter. It is all concerning God and his Christ, and is occupied in declaring the nature of both of them..." -- James Arminius, Oration III: "The Divinity of Scripture" "With regard to the certainty [or assurance] of salvation, my opinion is, that it is possible for him who believes in Jesus Christ to be certain and persuaded, and, if his heart condemn him not, he is now in reality assured, that he is a son of God, and stands in the grace of Jesus Christ." -- James Arminius, A Declaration Of The Sentiments Of Arminius: "The Assurance of Salvation"

A definitive biography of the intriguing and controversial Dutch thinker of the late sixteenth - early seventeenth centuries. Not merely a biography in the traditional sense, the book involves much intellectual history as well as a short history of Amsterdam.