Yeah, I know this will probably bring some responses... Please note this is my response to TULIP as it has been presented to me. This is not intended as a scholarly work striking against the estate of John Calvin. :smilewinkgrin:
With TULIP being so blatant and clearly being expressed in the scriptures...
Is it really so blatant and clearly expressed? If it were, why is there still such division over the ideas of TULIP? Why don't more people go along with its ideas?
Total Depravity/Inability - Depending on which term you use, this can actually have two different meanings. Total Depravity means that man is completely wicked and devoid of anything even remotely good. Total Inability means that man, regardless of his condition, cannot approach God in the act of seeking salvation.
Joshua 24:15a states "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve..." According to
Total Inability, man does not have the option to choose to serve the Lord.
Unconditional Election - Calvinism teaches that God chose those He would save, and He chose them unconditionally. If God saves us without condition, then why does the Bible list the condition of
faith as a requirement for salvation?
Ephesians 2:8a states "For by grace are ye saved through faith..." Romans 10:14-15 states "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" If God unconditionally saves people, then why list the condition of faith, and note that faith is predicated on hearing the preached gospel?
Limited Atonement - According to TULIP, Jesus dies only for the Elect. According to my reading of scripture, Jesus died for all mankind. Of course, here is where we venture into the realm of 'what does it actually mean.' Some Calvinists say that when the Bible says "ALL" it really means "the Elect."
1 John 2:2 states "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." Hebrews 2:9 states "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Jesus died in the place of all mankind as payment for their sin debt.
Irresistible Grace - Calvinism here states that when God draws one of the Elect unto salvation they simply cannot resist. The Bible does not bear this out. The Bible shows more than a few instances of God reaching out to His people and them refusing or denying Him. This does not, as some Cals have implied, weaken God. It simply reveals the sinfulness of mankind.
Matthew 23:37 states "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" This, to me, is the clearest evidence of resistible grace. Jesus Christ lamenting over the unwillingness of those in Jerusalem to turn to Him. Why would He lament that if the only reason they weren't turning to Him was because He hadn't given them the grace to turn to Him?
Perseverance of the Saints - This might be the closest point of TULIP to Biblical truth, from my study. While I don't necessarily believe we are capable of
persevering through everything, I believe we are
preserved in God.
Ephesisans 4:30 states "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Those who comes to God in salvation are sealed up until the day of redemption. If you study OT law for redeeming and inheritance, especially the couple chapters in Ruth, you can see a beautiful parallel to Christ.