Calvin and TULIP

[Ask Mr. Religion]

Many may not realize that the Calvinistic acrostic, TULIP, did not originate with Calvin. Soon after the death of Jacob Arminius his followers organized a Remonstrance (a formal protest), presenting five points to the Church of Holland seeking to have its catechism and Belgic Confession revised. Those five points were:

1. God elects or reproves on the foreseen faith or unbelief.
2. Christ died for all men although only believers are saved.
3. Man is so depraved that divine grace is necessary to bring man unto faith.
4. This grace may be resisted.
5. Whether or not all who are truly regenerate will certainly persevere requires further investigation.​

Fifty-four years (!) after the death of Calvin a synod was held (1618) to address the Arminian position. The synod of Dort was unable to reconcile with Scripture the five points put forth by the Remonstrance. To counter the Remonstrance points the following five points were developed as a response:

1. God unconditionally elects, from the foundations of time, some unto salvation.
2. Christ’s Atonement was intended to be efficacious only for the elect.
3. Man is so depraved that divine grace is necessary and sufficient to bring man unto faith.
4. This grace can not be resisted.
5. All who are truly regenerate will certainly persevere.​

These five points were later fit (in the 1900s) to the acrostic, TULIP, as an easy way to remember the five points immediately above:

Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistable Grace
Perseverance of the Saints

When these five points are investigated in depth and TULIP is not just used as a slogan, they accurately capture the essence of Calvinism and Reformed theology regarding the doctrines of grace.

TULIP describes the doctrines of grace as follows:

T = Grace Needed
U = Grace Conceived
L = Grace Merited
I = Grace Applied
P = Grace Preserved​

Yet another way of looking at TULIP is as follows:

T = The Problem
U = The Remedy
L = The Means
I = The Application
P = The Result​

The complete text of the response to the Remonstrants can be read at the link below. It is an excellent Scriptural defense of the items described by TULIP.

The Canons of Dordt

AMR