As with many isms, acronyms are developed to help people remember their beliefs. The same principle applies to things like prayer—people may use the ACTS procedure, wherein A = Adoration (of the Lord), C = Confession (of sins), T = Thanksgiving, and S = Supplication (praying for personal and corporate requests). Within the framework of Calvinism (more recently referred to as Reformed Theology), an acronym is used to denote its beliefs. In Calvinism, TULIP sums up the main teachings of John Calvin’s theology.
John Calvin was a sixteenth-century reformer who broke from his Roman Catholic upbringing at 21 years old. After years of intensely studying the Bible, he derived his theology which we now know as Calvinism. The main points are outlined below.
What Does TULIP Stand for?
The meaning of each letter is listed below, with further brief explanations from R. C. Sproul’s book, What is Reformed Theology?
T - Total depravity: Humanity’s radical corruption
U - Unconditional Election: God’s sovereign choice
L - Limited atonement: Christ’s purposeful atonement
I - Irresistible grace: The Spirit’s effective call
P – Perseverance of the saints: God’s preservation of the saints
What Is Total Depravity in TULIP?
Sometimes a word in an acronym hits the general idea but misses the complete meaning. The word total advocates that man’s condition is one of absolute (and therefore unredeemable) wickedness. But even the most heinous person we can imagine has at least one positive quality. For instance, Vlad the Impaler was an evil Romanian provincial ruler whose wicked nature inspired the fictional character Dracula. Yet the Romanians considered him a good leader because he protected them from invading forces.
The doctrine of total depravity does not teach that humans are as bad as they can be. It teaches that the effects of the original sin are total. Sin can (and does) affect every part of a person, from the heart outward. R.C. Sproul coined a substitute phrase that better describes Calvinist theology: Radical Corruption. Jesus described it this way, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person” (Matthew 15:18). We humans are in danger because of our radically corrupt sinful nature. (see also Jeremiah 17:9)
The Apostle Paul said there is not one who is righteous (Romans 3:10). Left in that condition, we have no hope but God. Romans 7 is an excellent passage to consider our actions because of sin. But Paul adds, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25a). Our only hope is the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8), which leads to the next letter in TULIP.
What Is Unconditional Election in TULIP?
The phrase unconditional election screams predestination to opponents of Calvinism and comforts its proponents. Unconditional election is faith that God has predestined those who have and will surrender to the Lord Jesus. Calvinists hold a firm stance on this, and our first task is to define the word predestination so that this point of unconditional election makes sense.
According to the Lexham Bible Dictionary, predestination is “God’s foreordination of persons to a particular end, most commonly to a particular eternal destiny and less commonly to a particular vocation or to a particular task.” Destiny according to God’s purpose is the burden here. We are all headed somewhere, and that particular location is our destination. Therefore, adding the prefix pre to destination means something happens before we reach our destination, and the matter is time. When and by whom does something happen which alters or fixes our destination. God controls our decision by virtue of His divine decree.
Regarding predestination, then, God is the One who determines who we will be and where our life’s journey will end (Psalm 139:16; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:4; Galatians 1:15). God chose to save some for heaven and some He chose to abandon to the consequence of their sins, in hell.
Calvinists base this view on Scripture, specifically but not limited to:
Ephesians 1:3-12. Here, the Apostle Paul uses the word predestination twice and once says, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
John 6:44. It’s by God’s will that we who are saved are indeed saved. It’s not by our will because no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. Election comes under the premise of predestination, and God elects those He knows will surrender to Jesus.
What of free will? We choose according to the disposition created in us by God. Again, He is sovereign over all.
What Is Limited Atonement in TULIP?
Limited atonement is one of the most contentious points of Calvinism listed in TULIP because it strikes at the nature of Jesus’ work on the cross. Did Jesus die for everyone or only for the elect? If He died to atone for every human’s sins, that displaces God’s sovereign role in predestination. Where is faith within this framework? The Bible says without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). God’s call, repentance, and faith act in concert to bring a person to salvation in Christ. To clarify the common misconception, it’s not a question of value but purpose—God’s purpose. Another term used instead is Definite Atonement, which better describes its nature.
Christ’s atoning sacrifice is sufficient to cover the sins of all humanity, yet it is efficient for only some. If, as some believe, Christ died for all human sin, why then do some people go to hell?
2 Peter 3:9 tells us the Lord is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” What does this mean regarding limited atonement? Let’s look at two key words in this passage: willing and any.
God’s will can be one of three definitions: decretive (cannot be opposed), preceptive (can be refused, but to refuse Him would be a sin of disobedience), and disposition (this matches the passage in Ezekiel 33:11 where God says He does not delight in the death of the wicked). The first, decretive will, is the definition ascribed to by Calvinists.
Any is our other word that clarifies the passage. Any may refer to people in general or specific people. Here it refers to believers specifically because Peter is speaking to the believers who had been scattered (1 Peter 1:1). Therefore, when Peter uses the word us, he speaks to already saved people—the elect. God is not willing that any of His elect should perish, and since His predestination (election) of people is a sovereign decree, He will bring about their salvation.
What Is Irresistible Grace in TULIP?
Romans 8:30 states, “And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.” Irresistible grace is the work of the Word (Romans 10:17) and of the Holy Spirit—His “effectual calling” in the hearts of those who will be His saints. If God has predestined a person to be His, then nothing and no one can thwart His plan. He is omnipotent. He is sovereign, and by His work, we who were dead in our trespasses are now raised to life in Jesus (Ephesians 2:1, 2:5).
What Is the Perseverance of the Saints in TULIP?
Our perseverance as saints is only possible through God’s preservative work in us. In His sovereignty, He brought His Spirit to seal Christians as His (2 Corinthians 1:22). Consequently, we are imbued with the same Spirit who rose Jesus from the grave. It’s His energy that He powerfully works in us (Colossians 1:29). God cannot fail His children and will bring them all safely to their eternal abode with Christ without failing. This means that God will ensure they possess a saving faith to the end. This is accomplished perfectly by His unfailing hand and His alone.
This perseverance (or preservation) also means we will never lose our salvation once we are saved. At the moment of conversion, we were justified (made acceptable to God because of Jesus). Sanctification is the process God instituted to conform us more and more into the image of Christ. Through His work in us (and our obedience), we are transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Some mature more slowly, but all believers will one day be in the presence of the Lord in heaven.
Some people believe a person can lose their salvation, but since God is sovereign, and His call is effectual, it’s impossible (John 10:26-30). Outward appearances and a false profession of faith may sway an undiscerning heart to believe a person is saved when, in fact, they aren’t. But we humans do not know the heart of a man. Only God does. A true Christian who has surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord is saved for the rest of eternity, led through life here by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
There are numerous books and articles devoted to Calvinism that explain the intricacies of TULIP. This article only scratched the surface. It is this author’s prayer that you will research and discover what the Bible has to say about the various points that Calvinism sums up with TULIP.
Further Reading:
Ten Effects of Believing in the Five Points of Calvinism
What Is the Difference Between Arminianism and Calvinism?
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