Thoughts on "TULIP"...

Calvinism is one of the most hotly debated topics. I am Reformed and am so also a 5-point Calvinist but there is a lot of misunderstanding about what these five points mean. Now I am no expert in theology but here is my rambling thoughts on them and this is how I understand them...

Total Depravity:
Does mean: Every part of our being (spirit, mind, will, intellect, emotions, capacity for reason, body, etc...) is depraved. We are unable to do any works which merit toward our salvation.

Does not mean: We are absolutely wicked without any sense of right vs. wrong. Even unbelievers retain a sense of right and wrong called the ‘light of nature’ in the Canons of Dort.

Unconditional Election:
Does mean: God selected various people to be saved before the foundation of the world without any regard to their works. He did not look into the future and see who would “be a good boy/girl” and elect people based on foreseen “good works”.

Does not mean: People in the covenant (covenant children) or born into CanRC families are saved because of their pedigree. Also does not negate (or make unnecessary) our responsibility to respond and accept the Gospel with a believing heart. Does not remove the need to tell our neighbor about Jesus Christ!

Limited (particular) Atonement:
Does mean: Jesus died for me! Jesus died for sinners. Jesus death is abundantly sufficient to erase the sins of the entire human race thought all of history including the sins of people who never repent. People who end up in hell do so because they didn't repent and didn't believe in Jesus Christ. NOT because Jesus didn’t die for them. Jesus paid for your sins!

Does not mean: We need to first figure out if Jesus died for us before we can respond to the message of the Gospel which is clear and simple “...if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9

Side note: I feel a lot of people in the CanRC get hung-up on this and worry about if the “possibility” of salvation exists for them. Instead we must take what God tells us at face value, trust it! and place our hope firmly and squarely in Jesus Christ.

“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

Irresistible Grace:

Does mean: That everyone whom God chose to elect (see unconditional election) will irresistibly and unfailingly be saved. God does not start something and then leave it unfinished because man was too stubborn and resisted God. “...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6b

Does not mean: That we can’t sometimes be stubborn and resist God’s work in our lives. It also does not mean that we can’t sometimes resist doing what we know God wants us to do.

Preservation (perseverance) of the Saints:
Does mean: That once someone becomes a true born-again believer he or she will always be a true believer. Although true believers can fall into serious sins they will never fall beyond God’s grace and God will always bring them back to repentance (see David & Bathsheba). A true believer will never loose their salvation.

Does not mean: That everyone who ever looked like a Christian is necessarily a true Christian. Also does not mean that we can be careless about falling into sin because after all God will “force” us to repent. Also does not mean that being a member of the CanRC (or other Reformed church) means that we are necessarily a true believers simply because we say and know (in our heads) the “right stuff”.