The ''Five Articles of Remonstrance'' or the ''Remonstrance'' were theological propositions advanced in 1610 by followers of

Jacobus Arminius Jacobus Arminius (10 October 1560 – 19 October 1609), the Latinized name of Jakob Hermanszoon, was a Dutch theologian during the Protestant Reformation period whose views became the basis of Arminianism and the Dutch Remonstrant movement. H ...

who had died in 1609, in disagreement with interpretations of the teaching of John Calvin then current in the Dutch Reformed Church. Those who supported them were called " Remonstrants".

Background

Forty-six preachers and the two leaders of the

Leyden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

state college for the education of

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as ...

s met in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

on 14 January 1610, to state in written form their views concerning all disputed

doctrine Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief syste ...

s. The document in the form of a remonstrance was drawn up by Jan Uytenbogaert and after a few changes was endorsed and signed by all in July. The Remonstrants did not reject

confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

and catechism, but did not acknowledge them as permanent and unchangeable canons of

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

. They ascribed authority only to the word of God in Holy Scripture and were averse to all formalism. They also maintained that the secular authorities have the right to interfere in theological disputes to preserve peace and prevent schisms in the Church. The Remonstrants' ''Five Articles of Remonstrance'' was met with a response written primarily by Festus Hommius, called '' The Counter-Remonstrance of 1611''. ''The Counter-Remonstrance of 1611'' defended the '' Belgic Confession'' against theological criticisms from the followers of late Jacob Arminius, although Arminius himself claimed adherence to the '' Belgic Confession'' and '' Heidelberg Catechism'' till his death. Finally, the ''Five Articles of Remonstrance'' were subject to review by the Dutch National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618–19 (see the Synod of Dort). The judgements of the Synod, known as the

Canons of Dort The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, is the judgment of the National Synod held in the Dutch city of Dordrecht in 1618� ...

(Dordrecht), opposed the Remonstrance with Five Heads of Doctrine, with each one set as an answer to one of the five Articles of the Remonstrance. It was this response which gave rise to what has since become known as the

Five Points of Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...

. Modified to form the acrostic TULIP they covered the soteriological topics within Calvinism, summarizing the essence of what they believe constitutes an orthodox view on each of the following points: #

Total depravity Total depravity (also called radical corruption or pervasive depravity) is a Protestant theological doctrine derived from the concept of original sin. It teaches that, as a consequence of man's fall, every person born into the world is enslav ...

: the sin that we are bound to # Unconditional election : the basis of God's choice of the saved # Limited atonement : the application of the benefits of the atonement # Irresistible grace : how the Holy Spirit brings man to repentance and faith # Perseverance of the saints : the assurance that the saints will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit.

The five articles

Article 1 – Conditional election

This article rejects the concept that election into Christ is unconditional. Rather, this article asserts that election is conditional upon faith in Christ, and that God elects to salvation those He knows beforehand will have faith in Him.

Article 2 – Unlimited atonement

This article rejects the concept of limited atonement, which asserts that Christ only died for those God chooses to be saved. This article asserts that Christ died for all, but that salvation is limited to those who believe in Christ.

Article 3 – Total depravity

This article affirms the

total depravity Total depravity (also called radical corruption or pervasive depravity) is a Protestant theological doctrine derived from the concept of original sin. It teaches that, as a consequence of man's fall, every person born into the world is enslav ...

of man, that man is unable to do the will of God, and cannot save himself, apart from the

grace of God Divine grace is a theological term present in many religions. It has been defined as the divine influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptat ...

Article 4 – Prevenient grace

This article rejects the concept of irresistible grace, contending that mankind has the

free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...

to resist to the prevenient grace of God.

Article 5 – Conditional preservation of the saints

This article rather than outright rejecting the notion of perseverance of the saints, argues that it may be conditional upon the believer remaining in Christ. The writers explicitly stated that they were not sure on this point, and that further study was needed. Sometime between 1610, and the official proceeding of the Synod of Dort (1618), the Remonstrants became fully persuaded in their minds that the Scriptures taught that a true believer was capable of falling away from faith and perishing eternally as an unbeliever. They formalized their views in "The Opinion of the Remonstrants" (1618), and later in ''

Remonstrant Confession The ''Remonstrant Confession'' or literally the ''Confession or Declaration of the Remonstrant Pastors'' refers to the confession of faith of the Remonstrant brotherhood, published in 1621. Historical context By the decrees of the Synod of Dort ...

Background

The five articles

Article 1 – Conditional election

Article 2 – Unlimited atonement

Article 3 – Total depravity

Article 4 – Prevenient grace

Article 5 – Conditional preservation of the saints

Notes and references

Citations

Sources

Further reading