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THE BIBLICAL T.U.L.I.P. BY RYAN HICKS |
T.U.L.I.P. is the acronym used by Calvinists (followers of the teachings of John Calvin) to teach the five main points of Calvinism. It was not made by John Calvin as it is commonly assumed, but by his followers. The following chart shows what the T.U.L.I.P. stands for and gives a brief explanation of each doctrine.
T |
Total Hereditary Depravity |
Babies inherit the sin of Adam. They inherit both his guilt and pollution from sin; thus they are totally depraved. Being totally depraved makes one wholly unable to respond to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
U |
Unconditional Election |
(Also called "Predestination") God chose in the beginning who would be saved and who would be damned. Personal responses to God and His grace have nothing to do with God's choice. It was solely a choice of His Divine Will. |
L |
Limited Atonement |
Christ did not die for all men, rather only for those that were "elected" or "predestined" in the beginning. Thus His atonement is limited only to those chosen by God, and all others God has predestined for hell, regardless of their desire for salvation. |
I |
Irresistible Grace |
God, by the Holy Spirit, recreates those He elected and gives them the ability to believe. Thus God saves them before they believe or even desire the gospel and salvation. God's grace is irresistible and sinners are saved without any action or belief on their part solely because God elected them. Those elected may be no different from others He damns, but His Will alone determines their fate. |
P |
Perseverance Of The Saints |
Once one is saved they are always saved. This is also called "Unconditional Eternal Security." The child of God will persevere unto full redemption, and no amount of sin, rebellion, or hatred of God and His ways can stop it because it is God's Will. |
Biblically, each and every one of these doctrines is false. There is no reconciling these teachings with the Bible, but the acronym and the titles are Biblical as long as the right teaching is behind it. A Biblical T.U.L.I.P. would look like this:
T |
Total Hereditary Depravity |
No one inherits the sin of Adam or anyone else's guilt and/or pollution for sin (See Original Sin). We could call some men's depravity "hereditary" in the sense that they become spiritual children of the devil after they commit sin and they inherit the sin nature from the devil's family upon their first choice to sin. They inherit both guilt and pollution from their own sin; thus they are totally depraved. This must be limited to their inherited sin natures (not at birth, but at their first choice to sin) and not expanded to their ability to make wise decisions (such as the decision to be saved from their sin). |
U |
Unconditional Election |
(Also called "Predestination") God chose in the beginning who would be saved and who would be damned. By His choice, anyone who chooses to obey the gospel and repent will be saved. All who refuse the gospel and salvation will be damned. Thus God predestined that all can be saved if they will simply believe. His Election is unconditionally offered to all men (John 3:16; Romans 10:13; Titus 2:11; 2 Peter 3:9) |
L |
Limited Atonement |
Christ died for all men. His atonement is unlimited in relation to its availability to all men, but is limited in that only a few will choose it (Matthew 7:13-14; 20:16; 22:14). |
I |
Irresistible Grace |
God's grace is irresistible to those who are seeking the Lord and His ways. It is not irresistible to hardhearted sinners (Acts 7:51). |
P |
Perseverance Of The Saints |
As long as one perseveres and remains in Christ and His love by keeping His commandments they will stay saved (Matthew 10:22; John 14:15; 1 John 2:3-6). |
As you can see the Bible's teaching is a stark contradiction of the false teaching of Calvinism's T.U.L.I.P. A few clear points are:
1. Calvinism makes God into a respecter of persons, while the Bible says He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; 1 Peter 1:17).
Let us always put the Bible first and be quick to reject any of man's traditions and theology that is not backed up by two or three plain Scriptures (Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1). You will find that most of men's theories cannot even be backed up by one Scripture taken out of context, much less two plain Scriptures. You will always be on safe ground in your spiritual knowledge if you prove and test everything by the Bible. If two or three plain Scriptures do not teach a certain theory, the theory is wrong. It does not matter who teaches it, it is WRONG!
2. Calvinism teaches that God's grace is available only to a chosen few, while the Bible plainly teaches it is available to all men (John 3:16; 6:37; Romans 10:13; 1 Timothy 2:4; Titus 2:11; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 22:17).
3. Calvinism teaches that God's grace is 100% irresistible, while the Holy Spirit, through His word, teaches that not only can His grace be resisted, but even the Giver of the grace can be resisted (Acts 7:51).
4. Calvinism teaches that Christ died for a few called the elect, while the Bible teaches that Christ died for all.
5. Calvinism teaches that man is totally depraved and cannot even choose to be saved, while the Bible teaches that man must choose of their own will to be saved (Matthew 16:24; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 13:3, 5; John 3:15-16; 6:37; Revelation 22:17).
6. Calvinism teaches that one can never forfeit their salvation, but will remain saved no matter what wickedness and hate for God they have in their hearts, while the Bible teaches that men can, and have, forfeited their eternal salvation by committing sin (Deuteronomy 32:15-25; Psalm 51; Ezekiel 18; John 15:6, 10; Galatians 5:4; Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31; 12:14; 2 Peter 2; 2 John 9; Jude 12-13; Revelation 3:5).
Put the Bible and God first. The Lord will bless you greatly and will be pleased if you do this continually. If you have problems understanding the Bible it may be because you are using a dumbed-down "bible" and not the proven King James Bible. Get a King James Bible today if you are using other pretend "bible translations" and you will be blessed. Pray and ask the Lord to illuminate His word to you, and memorize as much Scripture as you possibly can. You will find great joy and peace in such a godly practice.
