Introduction to TULIP

I. A Brief History and Definition: 10 Minutes

Now we believe these doctrines can be gathered through the proper interpretation of the Scriptures, and that is what we will show in future episodes. However, the five points were hammered out in the midst of historical controversy. This shouldn’t surprise anyone because most doctrines of our faith have been hammered in the wake of controversy, when what was assumed to be true is rejected by those who are within the faith family or those who are outside of it. The Doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation were clarified and formulated in the midst of several controversies. One example would be the Arian Controversy which took up most of the fourth century. So before getting into the nitty-grittyof these doctrines, it will help any student of theology—which should be every Christian to one degree or another—to know some of the historical context in which these doctrines were formulated. So lets get after it.

A pastor and professor in the Dutch Reformed Church, by the name of Jacob Arminius (1560-1609) is seen by most historians as the main figure behind the controversy that gave birth to the doctrines of grace. Arminius was a skilled theologian and highly educated, including some schooling in Geneva under John Calvin’s successor Theodore Beza. Arminius was asked to refute a critique Beza from Dutch Catholic, but after reading the critiqueArminius was repulsed by Beza’s Calvinism, specifically His understanding of predestination, and sympathetic towards the views of the Catholic. Over time Arminius became less and less convinced of the views of Calvin and others in the Dutch Reformed Church. He eventually rejected them and argued against them when he became a professor of one of the great Dutch universities. His colleague at the school was his hashish critic, but Arminius won over many followers, including students, nobility, and politicians. Before the debate could get too heated Arminius suddenly died. However, his followers took his mantle. They came to be known as the Remonstrants (1610). His followers issued five points, outlining their understanding of fallen humanity and God’s grace. The five points are as follows:

1. In the decree of election, God has purposed to save those whom He foreknows will believe and persevere in faith to the end.

2. Christ by His death has purchased salvation equally for all, but this salvation is enjoyed only through faith.

3. Fallen human beings are enslaved to sin, and have no innate power to think, will, or do anything spiritually good, unless they are first regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

4. Divine grace alone enables fallen sinners to think, will, or do anything good; yet this grace is always able to be resisted. The difference between the righteous and the unrighteous is that the former cooperate with grace, butthe latter resist it.

5. Believers are given all the help of grace to persevere to the end; but whether a true believer can reject this grace, return to his sin, and be forever lost, is a question requiring further investigation.

41 Dutch Pastors and 2 Professors at pastoral training centers signed the document containing these five points. The mixture of church and politics played a large role in how this controversy turned out. Due to time restraints, though, our time would be better spent discussing the response. Less than a decade after the five points of the Remonstrants were published, a synod was called south of Holland at a place called Dort. This synod was made up of 56 Dutch pastors, 5 Dutch professors, and 23 delegates from the Reformed churches elsewhere in Europe, including Germany, Switzerland, and Britain. These delegates issued a five-point response to the five points of the Remonstrants. It is these that are called the five points of Calvinism or the Doctrines of Grace. Nick Needam summarizes them accurately in the following way:

1. Predestination is God’s eternal purposes to give saving faith to some sinners out of the mass of fallen humanity. It is unconditional—not based on God’s foreknowledge of anything in the chosen.

2. The death of Christ is sufficient to save the whole of humanity, but by God’s sovereign will it is effectivein actually saving the elect, by enlivening them to a true, justifying, sanctifying, persevering faith.

3. The synod agreed with the third point of the Remonstrance—the spiritual inability of the fallen human will apart from divine grace. However…

4. The synod rejected the Remonstrant view that grace is always resistible. On the contrary, the grace that regenerates is sovereignly efficacious.

5. This grace also ensures that the elect will persevere to the end and enter glory at last. True saving faith can never be entirely lost, and a person can attain an assurance that he or she has this faith, and will therefore persevere.

These five points later came to be known under the acronym T.U.L.I.P. T is for total depravity, U is for unconditional election. L is for limited atonement. I is for irresistible grace. P is for the perseveranceof the saints. These have never been the whole of Reformation theology, but instead are an aspect of the doctrine of salvation. They have been held by Anglicans, Presbyterians, Free Churches, Non-Denominational Churches, and in our case Baptists. All of the historic Baptist confessions held by the Baptist Churches that would and did make up the Southern Baptist convention until 1925 taught these doctrines. The confessionof our flagship Seminary still enshrines these glorious doctrines. Unlike some, even some higher-ups in our convention have said you can’t be a Southern Baptist and a Calvinist. In fact, you would be in agreement with the Baptist dating back to the late 1630s and 1640s in England. As I said earlier, all three of us hold to these doctrines. After a coffee break and a commercial break for you, we will share our testimony of how we came to embrace them and how they have impacted our lives and ministry.

II. Coffee and Commercial Break, promoting the Website/Blog: 1 Minute

III. Testimonies of Our Embrace of these Doctrines and How They Have Impacted our Lives and Ministries: 20 Minutes

We are back to discuss our interactions with the Doctrines of Grace. We will each answer three questions: 1. When did you embrace the Doctrines of Grace? 2. What lead to your acceptance of the doctrines? How have they impacted your life and ministry?

1. Justen: 7

2. Jimmy: 6

3. Ryan: 7

IV. Conclusion: Justen

Doctrines of Demons or Doctrines of Divine Revelation? We say doctrines of Divine revelation. In doing this series, we also want to give two free books to a blessed listener of the Made New Podcast: 1. is Chosen by God by the late R.C. Sproul a book that played a part in Ryan’s embrace of the Doctrines of Grace and 2. The Sovereign Grace of God by James White, who has been influential in my understanding of the Doctrines of Grace. Instructions for entry will be posted on our Facebook page, twitter page, and show notes. Please share our content on social media, leave us a review on iTunes, and visit our website. Until next time, grace and peace.