When did Calvinism crystallize? “The official Calvinistic response came from the Synod of Dort which was held November 13, 1618, to May 9, 1619, to consider the Five Articles.” Source: John Piper, Five Points, p.12. “The Synod wrote what has come to be known as the Canons of Dort. These are still part of the church confession of the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church.” Source: John Piper, Five Points, p.12.
Calvinism’s Five Points “Somewhere along the way (nobody knows for sure where or how), the five points came to be summarized in English under the Acronym TULIP. T – Total depravity. U – Unconditional election. L – Limited atonement. I – Irresistible Grace. P – Perseverance of the saints.” Source: John Piper, Five Points, p.12.
Calvinism’s Five Points “I make no claim that these five points exhaust the riches of Reformed Theology.” Source: John Piper, Five Points, p.13. “…in general I am willing to be called a Calvinist on the five points because this name has been attached to these points for centuries and because I find this Calvinist position to be faithful to Scripture.” Source: John Piper, Five Points, p.15. “The five points of Calvinism are closely related. One point presupposes the others.” Source: Gise J. Van Baren, The Five Points of Calvinism, p.91.
(T) – Total Depravity Quotes #1 “Our sinful corruption is so deep and so strong as to make us slaves of sin and morally unable to overcome our own rebellion and blindness. This inability to save ourselves from ourselves is total.” Source: John Piper, Five Points, p.15. “Natural man has a mindset that does not and CANNOT submit to God.” Source: John Piper, Five Points, pp.21-22. “Total depravity means that our rebellion against God is total, everything we do is in rebellion is sinful, our inability to submit to God or reform ourselves is total .” Source: John Piper, Five Points, p.22.
(T) – Total Depravity Quotes #2 “Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the gospel. The sinner is dead, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free . It is in bondage to his evil nature. Therefore, he will not – indeed he cannot – choose good over evil in the spiritual realm.” Source: Steele & Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism (Updated and Expanded), p.5.
(T) – Total Depravity Quotes #3 “Consequently it takes much more than the Spirit’s assistance to bring a sinner to Christ – it takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes the sinner alive and give him a new nature.” Source: Steele & Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism (Updated and Expanded), pp.5-6. Regarding counselors, he said, “Their work is to confront unsaved men with the universal offer of the gospel . This offer is genuinely made to every man , but only God can bring life to dead souls to enable them to believe .” Source: Jay Adams, Competent to Counsel, p.70.
(T) – Total Depravity Quotes #4 “Reformed theologians… place regeneration before faith , pointing out the that the Holy Spirit must bring new life before the sinner can by God’s enabling exercise faith and accept Jesus Christ .” Source: Allen R. Killan, The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, vol.2, p.1449. “A cardinal point of Reformed theology is the maxim: Regeneration precedes faith.” Source: RC Sproul, Chosen by God (Revised and Updated), p.55. “The Reformed view of predestination teaches that before a person can choose Christ his heart must be changed. He must be born again…one does not first believe, then become reborn …” Source: RC Sproul, Chosen by God (Revised and Updated), p.54. “It is a myth man in his natural state is genuinely seeking God … Apart from conversion, no one comes to the light of God.” Source: John Piper, Five Points, p.19.
(T) – Total Depravity Scripture #1 “16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 “12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” John 1:12 “31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:31 “16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him FOR everlasting life .” 1 Timothy 1:16.
(T) – Total Depravity Scripture #2 “48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:48 “46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it , and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life , behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 "For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'" 48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:46-48
(U) – Unconditional Election Quotes #1 “God's choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world rested solely in His own sovereign will . His choice of particular sinners was not based on any foreseen response or obedience on their part, such as faith, repentance , etc. On the contrary, God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom He selected. ” Source: Steele & Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism (Updated and Expanded), p.6. “God could have chosen to save all men (for He had the power and authority to do so) or He could have chosen to save none (for He was under no obligation to show mercy to any) - but He did neither. Instead He choose to save some and to exclude others . His eternal choice of particular sinners unto salvation was not based upon any foreseen act or response on the part of those selected, but was based solely on His own good pleasure and sovereign will. Thus election was not determined by, or conditioned upon, anything that men would do, but resulted entirely from God's self- determined purpose.” Source: Steele & Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism (Updated and Expanded), p.27.
(U) – Unconditional Election Quotes #2 “Those therefore whom God passes by he reprobates, and that for no other cause than he is pleased to exclude them from the inheritance which he predestines to his children.” Source: John Calvin, Institute of the Christian Religion, book 3, chap 23, sec 1, p.225. “We say, then, that Scripture clearly proves this much, that God by His eternal and immutable counsel determined once and for all those whom it was His pleasure one day to admit to salvation, and those whom, on the other hand, it was His pleasure to doom to destruction .” Source: John Calvin, Institute of the Christian Religion, book 3, chap 21, sec 5, p.206. “We believe that from all eternity God has intended to leave some of Adam's posterity in their sins , and that the decisive factor in the life of each is to be found only in God's will .” Source: Lorraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctine of Predestination, p.104. He was asked “ Why does God only save some?” and he wrote , “The only answer I can give to this question is that I don't know. I have no idea why God saves some but not all. I don’t doubt for a moment that God has the power to save all, but I know that he does not choose all . I don’t know why.” Source: RC Sproul, Chosen by God (Revised and Updated), p.25.
(U) – Unconditional Election Scripture #1 “3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4 “9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 “16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
(U) – Unconditional Election Scripture #2 “32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"” Ezekiel 18:32 – Also see Ezekiel 33:11. “28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."” Matthew 11:28-30 “…sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 9 'Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” Matthew 22:3-9 “…many are called, but few chosen.” Matthew 20:16b & 22:14b
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