Two Good Articles
Christianity Today has published two great articles about defining Calvinism and about the resurgence of Reformed Theology.
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Am I a Five-Point Calvinist?
The five points of Calvinism is as follows: Total depravity; Unconditional election; Limited atonement; Irresistable grace; Perseverance of the saints. Put as an acronymn, it is TULIP. However, I find the language to be a bit to archaic and too easy to misunderstand my personal position. My purpose here is not to so much defend the five points from Scripture but to correct them in such a way to make myself more understood. I haven’t so much run into a problem in being misunderstood but I rather want to prevent that misunderstanding.
Starting with Total depravity, or TULIP, I want to redefine as Radical depravity. The acronymn now is RULIP. The problem I have with “Total” is that it carries with it that I am at the utmost worst sinner when comparing degrees of sin. It indicates that I am as a total sinner with actions identical with Adolf Hitler or Nero Caesar. I am in totality, depraved. I don’t think that is adequate but actually goes to far. I am a law abiding citizen. I am a fairly nice person, although I have an Irish temper. I would never hurt a fly, mainly because I can’t kill one if I try. I am no Hitler or Sadam Hussein. However, I am a sinner and I, apart from God’s saving grace, am an enemy of God and resist him. Therefore my depravity is radical. my depravity affects me greatly. It has radically affected me, but not totally.
Next, Irresistable grace, or TULIP, I’d like to redefine it as Effectual grace or Effectual calling. This makes the acronymn to be RULEP. The word “irresistable” conjures up the false image that all non-calvinists throw at me that people come to salvation against their will. I do not adhere to that notion. Anyone who holds those views or argues that argument have in mind hyper-calvinism and doesn’t understand Calvinism. There is an external call by the preacher to faith given during an invitation. There is an internal call of God which effects salvation. He exercises his sovereign power to open the eyes of the heart to glory and goodness and desirability of the gospel of Jesus so that the person will desire to accept Christ in faith, freely. However he wouldn’t have known that until God opens his eyes. Once God begins that work, he sees it through to perfection. God does not fail at whatever he does. So his internal call effects faith because that is its purpose.
The next point I’d like to redefine is Limited Atonement, TULIP. I define it as Particular redemption which makes the acronymn RUPEP. I don’t like the term “limited” because again it conjures up false images. I do not deny the universal sufficiency of the atoning death of Christ. But I will say that the cross effects atonement only for those people who will believe in Christ. Therefore I affirm both he died for the world in that the cross has the ability to save anyone in the world. I also affirm that the cross only saves those who take it up in faith. The cross is particular to those who take it by faith. If anyone from anywhere at anytime comes to faith, the cross has the sufficeincy to atone for that person’s sin and effects atonement for that person’s sin.
Fourthly is Unconditional Election, or TULIP, which while I like that term in describing what I believe about election. But I don’t think it goes far enough. I prefer to describe it as Sovereign election. The term “sovereign” includes unconditionality but links it closer and more intimately with God. Election is the choice of God to save his people from their sins. God does not look at any distinction in man to determine what choice he will make. It is according to his sovereign will and purpose rooted in his desire to declare his glory. This makes the acronymn loose its coherancy as it becomes RSPEP.
Lastly there is Perseverance of the saints, or TULIP. I like what it says and I don’t want to change it. I could change it to Eternal security if I wanted to because it communicates the same idea. This would change the acronymn to RSPEE, but I will leave it as RSPEP–either are fine. I do believe that if God has effectually called those to himself, then he will effectually keep them. Those whom God has chosen to save he saves in total and finally. That means that God will see them through to the resurrection and will not lose any of them.
I am a Five-Point Calvinist but I prefer to redefine the terms so that the images these archaic terms conjures up is not what myself as a Calvinist believes. I hope that people will have these terms in mind when they read my posts and I hope that a level of miscommunication has been avoided by making this known.
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