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phantasma

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Take a look at this:

http://www.mslick.com/tulip.htm

Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability and Original Sin)
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement (also known as Particular Atonement)
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved)

These five categories do not comprise Calvinism in totality. They simply represent some of its main points.

Total Depravity:
Sin has affected all parts of man. The heart, emotions, will, mind, and body are all affected by sin. We are completely sinful. We are not as sinful as we could be, but we are completely affected by sin.
The doctrine of Total Depravity is derived from scriptures that reveal human character: Man’s heart is evil (Mark 7:21-23) and sick (Jer. 17:9). Man is a slave of sin (Rom. 6:20). He does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12). He cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). He is at enmity with God (Eph. 2:15). And, is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3). The Calvinist asks the question, "In light of the scriptures that declare man’s true nature as being utterly lost and incapable, how is it possible for anyone to choose or desire God?" The answer is, "He cannot. Therefore God must predestine."
Calvinism also maintains that because of our s fallen nature we are born again not by our own will but God’s will (John 1:12-13); God grants that we believe (Phil. 1:29); faith is the work of God (John 6:28-29); God appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48); and God predestines (Eph. 1:1-11; Rom. 8:29; 9:9-23).

Unconditional Election:
God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21).

Limited Atonement:
Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect. Support for this position is drawn from such scriptures as Matt. 26:28 where Jesus died for ‘many'; John 10:11, 15 which say that Jesus died for the sheep (not the goats, per Matt. 25:32-33); John 17:9 where Jesus in prayer interceded for the ones given Him, not those of the entire world; Acts 20:28 and Eph. 5:25-27 which state that the Church was purchased by Christ, not all people; and Isaiah 53:12 which is a prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion where he would bore the sins of many (not all).

Irresistible Grace:
When God calls his elect into salvation, they cannot resist. God offers to all people the gospel message. This is called the external call. But to the elect, God extends an internal call and it cannot be resisted. This call is by the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts and minds of the elect to bring them to repentance and regeneration whereby they willingly and freely come to God. Some of the verses used in support of this teaching are Romans 9:16 where it says that "it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy"; Philippians 2:12-13 where God is said to be the one working salvation in the individual; John 6:28-29 where faith is declared to be the work of God; Acts 13:48 where God appoints people to believe; and John 1:12-13 where being born again is not by man’s will, but by God’s.

Perseverance of the Saints:
You cannot lose your salvation. Because the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation, those thus saved are eternally secure. They are eternally secure in Christ. Some of the verses for this position are John 10:27-28 where Jesus said His sheep will never perish; John 6:47 where salvation is described as everlasting life; Romans 8:1 where it is said we have passed out of judgment; 1 Corinthians 10:13 where God promises to never let us be tempted beyond what we can handle; and Phil. 1:6 where God is the one being faithful to perfect us until the day of Jesus’ return.
 
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BBAS 64

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IHaveQuestions said:
Can some one please explain this to me in simple terms.

Thank you
Good Day, IHQ

[size=+3]T [/size]-- total depravity. This doesn't mean people are as bad as they can be. It means that sin is in every part of one's being, including the mind and will, so that a man cannot save himself.

[size=+3]U[/size] -- unconditional election. God chooses to save people unconditionally; that is, they are not chosen on the basis of their own merit.

[size=+3]L[/size] -- limited atonement. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross was for the purpose of saving the elect.

[size=+3]I [/size]-- irresistible grace. When God has chosen to save someone, He will.

[size=+3]P [/size]-- perseverence of the saints. Those people God chooses cannot lose their salvation; they will continue to believe. If they fall away, it will be only for a time.

Peace to u,

Bill
 
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Bro. Gabriel

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If you're really interested in Reformed Theology, you can't just get a quick easy answer to beginning to understand God's providence and sovereignty in Salvation. It requires a deep, rich, and fulfilling love for studying the Bible in context and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you through your studies.

If you want a relatively easy-to-understand outline of Reformed Theology and the Five-Points of Reformed Salvation (TULIP), try reading Grace Unknown by R.C. Sproul. It's a great book!


With that all said, here's my summary:

T - We're born spiritually dead in sins, with no hope in and of ourselves to escape. Nor do we have the capability to desire to escape.
U - Before time began, God chose his elect children who would receive Salvation, for no other reason than His own unknown-to-us purpose and will, for the end of His Glorification, which we have no right to question.
L - God's Grace is totally sufficient and effective for the Salvation of the Elect, as a result of Christ's work, not ours.
I - Regeneration, that brings faith and repentance, is a freely-given gift from God to His elect children, and is different from any "outward calls or promptings" of God by the Holy Spirit. It is nothing we can resist, as it's very nature is a removal of our resistance to God Himself.
P - God will continue to perfect and improve His work of Salvation in us until the end of time.
 
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5solas

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Source: http://www.prca.org/fivepoints/index.html

THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM

The Five Points of Calvinism by Herman Hanko, Homer Hoeksema, and Gise J. Van Baren, Copyright 1976 by Reformed Free Publishing Association. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reprinted in any form without permission from the publisher, except in the case of a brief quotation used in connection with a critical article or review. For information address: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 4949 Ivanrest Avenue, S.W., Grandville, Michigan 49418-9709.
FOREWORD

The five cardinal doctrines expounded in the chapters of this book are known to many as the Five Points of Calvinism, and to others as the "doctrines of grace." While these doctrines, though certainly not originated by John Calvin, were re-emphasized and taught anew by him at the time of the Reformation, it remained for the Synod of Dordrecht, 1618-19, which was convened to settle the Arminian controversy in the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands, to formulate these truths with great clarity and in painstaking detail. This official formulation was accomplished in a creed which represented the consensus of all Reformed churches of that day, the Canons of Dordrecht.


To this day, these doctrinal declarations have remained unaltered; and they continue to be a mighty bulwark against the heresy of Arminian free-willism, the danger of which is as great and greater than it was in the days of Jacobus Arminius himself.

The format of these chapters is accounted for by the fact that they were originally five popular lectures, delivered in 1966-67 in Grand Rapids, Michigan under the sponsorship of the Protestant Reformed Churches of that area.

The three authors are ministers in the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. Herman C. Hanko is professor of New Testament and Church History at the Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches; he has written Chapters 1 and 2. Homer C. Hoeksema is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament at the same Theological School, and is the author of Chapter 3. Gise J. Van Baren is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and he is the author of Chapters 4 and 5.

May the lord our God use these chapters for the instruction and enlightenment of many.
(As of 1997, Homer C. Hoeksema is deceased; Herman Hanko continues to teach in the Theological School; Gise J. Van Baren currently pastors the Loveland, Colorado Protestant Reformed Church.)
CONTENTS:

Return to the literature index
Return to the Protestant Reformed Church page
Last modified, 2-Apr-1997
 
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