Loma was born in Gojna Gora, to father Joksim, who after the settling of new inhabitants, immediately after the birth of Arsenije, relocated to Dragolj, in the Rudnik nahija.

Arsenije took his nickname Lomo from the river Lovnica (formerly Lomnica), which lies in Gojna Gora.

[1] He had a sister, Pauna, who later married Milutin Savić-Garašanin, who together had three sons, one of whom was Ilija Garašanin, the Serbian Prime Minister 1861–1867.

He fought under the command of Milan Obrenović at the Battle of Rudnik, in which he showed heroic deeds.

At the end of February 1804,[2] at the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising, 500 rebels commanded by Arsenije Loma and Petar Trešnjevčanin besieged Rudnik which was under control of Sali Aga supported by Ali Aga Džavić from Užice and Pljako from Karanovac (modern-day Kraljevo) and their 500 Janissary.