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Understanding Calvinism One Tulip At A Time

by joemueller

Some of the main points of Calvinism, or Reformed Theology, can
be summarized in the acronym TULIP.  The letters of the acronym
stand for what has become know as the five points of Calvinism. 
These points help to succinctly describe the fundamental
theological assertions of the Reformed faith and were
crystallized in the Cannons of Dort, which were issued in 1618-19
as a response to Arminianism.

The first letter of the TULIP acronym stands for 'total
depravity.'  This is the notion that man is completely and
utterly hopeless in his pursuit of self-made righteousness.  At
conception, the sin of Adam hangs over the head of the new person
condemning them to death and life of complete and utter God
rejection.

They are incapable of faith and thereby barred from pleasing God
in any way.  Even though actions may appear to have merit or
praiseworthiness, these actions have none and only serve to
condemn the individual to death since they are born of a complete
disregard for God and his splendor.  In sum, man is in a very
deep pit of his own making with absolutely no way for him to get
out under his own power.

But there is hope in the second letter of the TULIP acronym,
'unconditional election.'  God, in his great mercy and love, has
chosen to save men from the greatness of their sin and misery. 
This choosing certain men to receive this benefit is called
'election.'  It is 'unconditional' because there is nothing in
the object of the election that somehow moved the subject to make
that particular election.

Instead, it is despite the condition of the object that God
chooses to elect any given man.  The fallen nature of man puts us
at war with God so this act of God is one where he brings
reconciliation and peace between himself and his enemy. 
Calvinism asserts that he does this freely and without respect to
the individual whom he elects.

This election is done to a certain number of individuals, a
principle summarized in the third point of Calvinism 'limited
atonement.'  What Calvinists mean by this is that Jesus Christ,
the means of salvation to all who believe, died only for those
that God has elected unconditionally.

His death is only atones for the sins of the elect because that
is the only group of people that Jesus died for.  Christ did not
die for those that will eventually spend eternity in hell for the
rejection of the glory of God because that would mean that
Christ's death was insufficient to save those individuals.

The next point of Calvinism is that the call of Christ is an
'irresistible grace.'  When God elects you, you are unable to
resist that election.  God is so beautiful and so marvelous that
when he wills that we should perceive a portion of him as he
truly is that our human hearts, so starved of true life and
beauty in this sin infested world, are forever locked to him in a
bond of affection and devotion.  Momentary lapses in sin are not
able to keep us away from the all encompassing love of God.

This leads to the final point of Calvinism - the 'perseverance
of the saints.'  What a Calvinist means by this is that all those
that God has truly elected will persevere in the faith despite
momentary setbacks of sin or suffering.

They will continually be transformed more and more into the
image of Christ and become more and more obedient to the law of
God, not as a way to justify themselves before him, but because
they know that sin hinders their experience of joy in Christ and
because it dishonors the God that saved them.  The true believer
will stop sinning and act righteously.

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