The Doctrines of Grace: TULIP Revisited
by Carol Berubee
http://www.tonyabetz.org/MSM/Product/doctrinesofgrace1.htm
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How is it that anyone is saved? Who is in control of
salvation? Do you have free will to choose God?
Many of the Reformers were martyred for proclaiming their adherence to the Biblical truth
concerning these questions, but
today, most professing Christians cannot answer these questions. We will delve into the doctrines
of grace to uncover the truth.
In this series, we will follow the acronym, TULIP:
We will, however, state that we are neither Arminian nor Calvinist; nor are we "Calminian." We
firmly believe in the "five points of Calvinism" as put forth by Calvin; however, we do not ascribe
to much of any of his other teachings. We believe that the five points as summed up in TULIP are,
as Spurgeon said, simply the Biblical truth, no matter who summarized them.
We will begin with the doctrine of Total Depravity and, as you will notice, we cannot help but touch
on the next section, Unconditional Election. Then we will continue on with Limited Atonement
(Particular Redemption), Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.
Total Depravity, Part I
A Scriptural Basis Here, we learn that man is conceived in iniquity. David does not mean that his parents had conceived
him of some illicit affair. He is not saying that his mother had committed some particular sin
concerning his conception. Rather, he is saying that man, from birth, is sinful.
Psalm 58:3 Again, David says that from birth, people are wicked and speak lies. Is he saying
that only those who are wicked are the ones who go on into adulthood as wicked, while other
people are born with goodness and do not speak lies? As we will see as we continue on, all have
sinned and all are wicked.
Job 15:14-16 Here, Job
proclaims that man -- that is, the whole human race -- is not pure or righteous, but is abominable
and filthy.
Jeremiah 17:9 Jeremiah declares that the human heart is desperately wicked. Again, this points to man's
sin nature and it's manifestation of sinful deeds.
God set apart a people -- the Jews -- to whom He would reveal Himself; and through whom He would
make Himself known even to the Gentiles. As we study His dealings with the Hebrew nation, and His
relationship with the Jewish people, we see that He was showing them their depravity. For example,
the Old Testament command to circumcise an 8-day-old newborn shows us that even at that age, the
infant's flesh must be cut away, for it is corrupt. And the rituals concerning the purification of
the mother in child-birth show us that humanity, at birth, is corrupt and defiled. These rituals were
designed to show us our spiritual condition.
The Limits of Depravity Total depravity does not mean that man has no qualities that
are pleasing to men or to this world system. When we compare one person to another, we inevitably
find some people to be "good" when judged by human standards. The problem for the depraved sinner
is that God does not judge by human standards. In His eyes, man is depraved because there is no part
of man that meets God's standard of perfection. Total depravity refers to the extent of original
sin (the fact that no part of man is unscathed by Adam's sin), but does not mean that every person
exhibits sinful behavior to the depth or degree to which a sinful nature is capable of plunging a man.
The Will is Bound Jesus is saying that a corrupt soul cannot do good; that is, the unregenerate
sinner cannot please God, nor can he choose God. The sinner sins and brings forth evil fruit. This is
not to say that all saved people never sin and that all unsaved people never do "good" things. It's
just that "good" is all relative. To God, no one is good.
John 3:6 Jesus says that it is the Spirit who brings forth life unto the corrupt flesh. When
the flesh is born, does the flesh have control over that birth? Likewise, when the spirit is
awakened, it is the work of the Holy Spirit.
John 3:3 The natural man cannot even see the Kingdom,
much less be a member of it. He must be born again of the Spirit, which is a work of the Spirit.
John 6:64-65 No one
can come to Christ unless it is the will of the Father. Why is that? The natural man, whose will is
bound in sin, cannot understand the things of God, nor can he see the Kingdom of God. It is only by
God's will that a man can be awakened to the truth.
1 Corinthians 2:14 The will
does not operate independent of man's sinful nature. The will is part of man and is subject to man's
sin nature. We will always act according to our nature. Consider that God is perfect and there is no
sin in Him. He cannot sin; it is impossible. God's will is always perfect and good, and He cannot
operate outside of His nature. God has "free will" to make decisions and do as He pleases, but
because His nature is good, He cannot do evil. He is always free, but His freedom is always in
accordance with His nature. Likewise, man is free to make choices and do as he pleases, but because
his nature is sinful, he cannot do good. The unregenerate man is free only insofar as his sin nature
will take him. He is bound by his sin nature and cannot choose God, for "the natural [unregenerate]
man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God...nor can he know them because they are
spiritually discerned."
Matthew 11:27 In other words, no one can
choose God, much less know Him, unless the Son wills. No one knows the Son or the Father except
those to whom revelation is given. If man is depraved and cannot know the things of God, it becomes
clear that his will is not going to help him. Only the Son can sovereignly choose to whom He will
reveal His Father.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 All men are
under the rule of Satan until God intervenes. All men have been taken captive by Satan to do his
will (2 Timothy 2:26). How can a man whose will is bound by sin, and whose very soul has been taken
captive by Satan, possibly "choose God of his own free will"? We are all born with a will, but
this will never wants God (Romans 3:11, 8:7), unless and until God intervenes and sets us free.
John 8:34 says, "whoever commits sin is a slave of sin." All have sinned (Romans 3:23); therefore,
all are slaves of sin who actively practice sin. All of us are born with a sin nature and do sin;
all of us are, by nature, children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
Total Depravity,
Unconditional Election,
Limited Atonement,
Irresistible Grace,
Perseverance of the Saints
We will not go into the origins of the
acronym or the details of the debate between Arminius and Calvin, so if you are not familiar with
that, you may want to do some reading elsewhere on that particular subject. Or, you may choose to read
this series first and then get into the detailed history of the Reformation afterward.
Psalm 51:5-10
"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear
joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot
out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me."
"The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born,
speaking lies."
"What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he
could be righteous? If God puts no trust in His angels, And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water!"
"The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know
it?"
Some have begun using the term "total inability" rather than
total depravity, fearing that "depravity" is too strong a word that may offend people or keep them
from investigating any further. The problem with "total inability" is that is does not accurately
convey the fallen state of man. It implies that the only problem with man is that he is unable to do
something; yet, we know that a simple inability to do something does not necessarily indicate
sinfulness. In addition, inability is but a subset of depravity. "Depravity" more clearly conveys
the proper state of man: His sinful nature, his sinfulness, his separation from God, and his
inability to reconcile himself to God.
Matthew 7:17-18
"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth
forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit."
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit."
"Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"
"'But there are some of you that believe not.' For Jesus knew from the
beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, 'Therefore said
I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.'"
"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit, for they are
foolishness to him; neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned."
"No one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal Him."
"And if our Gospel is veiled it is veiled to them that perish; in whom
the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the
Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them."