TULIP of Scripture

Two Views of the TULIP

The TULIP is a weed in the field of scriptural truth, deceiving with its appeal to worldly values.

The TULIP should be a beautiful flower of God, spreading the points of its pedals above the bedrock of scripture from which it arose.

“T” stands for Total Depravity; mankind is unable to respond to the gospel unless his core fallen character is altered by the direct supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit.

“T” should stand for Totally in Adam; totally separated by our unholy nature, from God.

“U” stands for Unconditional Election; we were saved or damned from eternity past for all eternity without regard for our faith in Christ, our faith was given to us because of God’s choice, we are saved by election and not through faith.

“U” should stand for Unlimited Redemption; God reconciled all of fallen mankind to Himself by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus as propitiation for the sin of mankind.

“L” stands for Limited Atonement; Christ died only for the preselected elect, chosen as specific foreseen individuals before the foundation of the world, the opportunity for the salvation of those not preselected is non existent.

“L” should stand for Limited Atonement: All mankind has been reconciled to God, but not all men have received the reconciliation. We are individually set apart, chosen, elected and made “at one with God” when we are spiritually baptized into Christ based on God accepting our faith in Christ as sufficient for His purpose.

“I” stands for Irresistible Grace; the preselected elect are enabled and compelled to respond affirmatively to the gospel, by the direct supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit that both overcomes the preexisting Total Depravity and gives the gift of faith so that we think we trusted in Christ when in fact God did it all.

“I” should stand for In Christ; when we are spiritually baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit, we are converted, given a new heart with our faith hard wired into our soul, and with a clear conscience such that we arise from the baptism into Christ’s death a new creature in Christ, anointed for good works and then indwelt with the Holy Spirit as a helper and pledge to an inheritance of Eternal life.

“P” stands for Perseverance of the Saints; those individually chosen before the foundation of the world are compelled by Irresistible Grace to remain faithful to God, such that once a person is saved, they will never fall away from their inheritance of eternal life.

“P” should stand for Perseverance of the Saints; those set apart and converted have their faith protected by God such that will always love Jesus, and anyone who says they were saved but no longer loves Jesus was never saved. But once a person is saved, is “In Christ” nothing can snatch him or her out of God’s hand, and because their faith is protected, they would never want to leave the faith. Once saved, always saved.

It is time to put aside the TULIP of Calvinism and proclaim the TULIP of Scripture.

 

Well Jbh28, I do appreciate your effort to get Jesusfan to at least format his posts in a manner that does not scramble authorship.

His first statement actually simply restates what I said, but posted as if it differed. Here is what Jesusfan posted: The seperation as a direct result of the fall of Adam. the cause/basis of it, as we have now sinful natures, that willfully keep rejecting Christ!

So translating what he said: "The separation is a direct result of the fall of Adam. The cause/basis of the separation is we now have sinful natures that willfully keep rejecting Christ."

Next he makes the adsurd and irrational charge of universalism even though I said only those who receive the reconciliation by God individually electing them are saved.

Next Jesusfan makes a totally non-germane statement, sort of like I say Calvinism is fiction, and he responds some Calvinists like apple pie. Fiddlesticks.

And he follows this up with a second non-germane comment after my revision of the meaning of the "I" of TULIP.

And finally Jesusfan unintentionally makes a correct statement, we should abandon the man-made doctrine of Calvinism and edit it to reform its doctrine so it meshes with what the Bible actually says and teaches.

 

“T” should stand for Totally in Adam; totally separated by our unholy nature, from God.

Can we improve this: How about "Totally in Adam" totally corrupted with our "old man" (Adamic) nature and totally separated from God and thereore dead in our sinful state in Adam.

 

Apparently everyone, including the Calvinists trying to change the subject, agreed with the rewrite of "Totally in Adam."

"Totally in Adam" totally corrupted with our "old man" (Adamic) nature and totally separated from God and therefore dead in our sinful state in Adam.

 

Exhibit A in the scriptural support for the Revised "T" , Romans 6:6

BIBLE STUDY
ROMANS 6:6

Romans 6:6 reads “Knowing this that our old man was crucified with [him] in order that the body of the sin might be destroyed such that sin no longer is enslaving us.” Translations vary and try to present the message more clearly, but the above is quite close to Young’s Literal Translation and the KJV.

Knowing what? The question is answered in the next part of the verse.

The Greek word translated “old” means not only old but well worn indicating both a degraded state and a state in which we are comfortable, otherwise it would not be well worn. The word translated “man” literally means man face, or how we are distinguished from others, either plant or animal or divine. In our fallen state we are (1) separated from God, and (2) corrupted with a predisposition to sin, thus we are comfortable with sin.

Paul is using body in the sense of something that casts a shadow over us. Being “in Adam” means being separated from God and corrupted such that we are comfortable with sin. This shadow is destroyed when we are spiritually baptized into Christ and indwelt with the convicting Holy Spirit.

Since we are already in Christ and no longer in Adam, that legacy would not be continuing to enslave us. Therefore Paul is referring to the fact that once in Christ, our missing the mark and occasionally sinning does not pile up wrath against us, hence unlike Marley’s Ghost, we are free from the chains of the past and no longer adding to the chains of our former slavery to sin.

Here is a contextual look at the verse from the ESV.