TULIPS

For me in college, during my first Bible class with Steve Whiten, I remember being introduced to this new acronym called TULIP. I was very intrigued and as I began to continue my education journey I was constantly confronted with these five doctrines over and over again. I slowly began to understand the importance they had in my understanding of the Bible and all that surrounded as was a part of the Gospel. There are countless sermons and massive volumes written about what these five letters stand for. While I have been studying these doctrines for four years, and as I continue to study them today and will keep on till my last day, the truth that is discovered never really ends. Whether this is your first time hearing about these doctrines, or whether you have already begun studying the flowing blog posts will be a series of a total of 6 where we will briefly look at each one. R.C. Sproul, one of my favorite theologians and teachers has done such a series of mini posts where he discusses each doctrine and gives explanation, and scriptures to support each of them. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and learn even more. May the Spirit enlighten, reveal, empower your heart and mind to understand these blessed truths. 

TULIP and Reformed Theology: An Introduction

FROM R.C. Sproul Oct 31, 2012 Category: Articles

Just a few years before the Pilgrims landed on the shores of New England in the Mayflower, a controversy erupted in the Netherlands and spread throughout Europe and then around the world. It began within the theological faculty of a Dutch institution that was committed to Calvinistic teaching. Some of the professors there began to have second thoughts about issues relating to the doctrines of election and predestination. As this theological controversy spread across the country, it upset the church and theologians of the day. Finally, a synod was convened. Issues were squared away and the views of certain people were rejected, including those of a man by the name of Jacobus Arminius.

The group that led the movement against orthodox Reformed theology was called the Remonstrants. They were called the Remonstrants because they were remonstrating or protesting against certain doctrines within their own theological heritage. There were basically five doctrines that were the core of the controversy. As a result of this debate, these five core theological issues became known in subsequent generations as the “five points of Calvinism.” They are now known through the very popular acrostic TULIP, which is a clever way to sum up the five articles that were in dispute. The five points, as they are stated in order to form the acrostic TULIP, are: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints.

I mention this historical event because it would be a serious mistake to understand the essence of Reformed theology simply in light of these five doctrines—the Reformed faith involves many other elements of theological and ecclesiastical confession. However, these are the five controversial points of Reformed theology, and they are the ones that are popularly seen as distinctive to this particular confession. Over the next five posts, we are going to spend some time looking at these five points of Calvinism as they are spelled out in the acrostic TULIP.