In a Q&A session at the end of week 13
while teaching through Colossians chapter 1, A former Roman Catholic priest and
now a pastor and member of our church who trains pastors in South America asked a question
on how to witness using TULIP.
Total
Depravity
Unconditional
Election
Limited
Atonement
Irresistible
Grace
Perseverance
of the Saints
First We Must Recognize Our Fallen
Condition:
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural
man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can
he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.
Matt 13:15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and
hear with their ears, Lest they should
understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.
Second We Must Recognize Who God Is:
Salvation is accomplished by the almighty
power of the Triune God. The Father chose a people, the Son
died for them, and the Holy Spirit makes Christ’s death effective by bringing the elect to faith and repentance, thereby causing them to willingly obey
the gospel. The entire process of
election, redemption and regeneration is the work of God and by His grace
alone. Thus God, NOT man,
determines who will be the recipients of the gift of salvation.
John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He
gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God.
Rom 9:15-16 For He says to Moses, "I will have
mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I
will have compassion." 16 So then
it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Eph 1:2-14 This passage was read several times during
the Colossians study.
So now a little humor relating the TULIP
to how some people think and then say or describe their salvation theology – oh
and by “deadneck”, I mean dead from the neck up (since God describes them that
way) – apologies to Jeff Foxworthy
If you say
or think the following, you might be a deadneck believer….
T People (we) are basically good;
No one is all bad;
There is a little good in everyone
U I’m doing my best;
I try to keep the law;
L God is a loving and forgiving God (Joel
Osteen as an example)
God loves everyone;
Everyone has faith;
I God gives grace to the believers and
unbelievers
I can choose God anytime; I have free will
P I acknowledged Jesus so now I can live like
I want because I have eternal security;
I believed at a meeting so I have eternal life;
Christ paid it all;
Once saved always saved
TULIP Defined
(short version):
Total Depravity – God says - No good thing in me; this is
my nature – my being – not my acts. Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is,
in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to
will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
Unconditional Election – God does the choosing not me – I can do
nothing – this is because of my nature/being. Eph 1:4-5 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to
adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of
His will.
Limited Atonement - because
He chose me He secured atonement for all those given to the Son. John 17:9 "I pray for them. I do not
pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
Irresistible Grace – because He secured my atonement God
effectively calls me by means of the Holy Spirit, gives me faith - all I can do
is respond. John 6:37 All that
the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the
one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
Perseverance/Preservation of the saints – Because He has done these things for
me, He can ensure I will be with Him eternally. Phil 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will
complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
For those who
like more information, here is the long version:
Total Depravity – Man’s
depravity, as a result of the fall, is total.
All men are born into this world spiritually dead, blind, deaf and
ignorant to the things of God; the sinners heart is desperately corrupt. His will is NOT free; it is in bondage to his
evil nature. Therefore, he has lost his
ability to choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. It takes more than the Spirit’s assistance to
bring the sinner to Christ – it takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes
the sinner alive and gives him a new nature.
Faith is not something man contributes to salvation but is itself a part
of God’s gift of Salvation – it is God’s gift to the sinner, not the sinner’s
gift to God. Psa 51:5; Isa 53:6, 64:6;
Jer 17:9; Matt 13:10-15; John 3:3; Eph 2:2-3; 1 Cor 2:13-14.
Unconditional Election – God’s choice of certain individuals
unto salvation before the foundation of the world rested solely on His own
sovereign will. His choice of particular
sinners was not based on any foreseen response or obedience on their parts,
such as faith, repentance, etc. On the
contrary, God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom He
selected. These acts are the result, not
the cause of God’s choice. Election,
therefore, was not determined by or conditioned upon any virtuous quality or
act foreseen in man. Those whom God
sovereignly elected He brings through the power of the Spirit to a willing
acceptance of Christ. Thus, God’s choice
of the sinner, not the sinner’s choice of Christ is the ultimate cause of salvation. Ex 4:21; Dt 7:6-7; Prov 16:4; Isa 55:11; Lk
2:34; Jn 6:44, 9:39, 12:36, 15:16; Acts 2:23, 13:48; Rom 8:28-39, 9:11-24; Eph
1:4, 5, 11; 2 Thess 2:13-14; 2 Tim 1:9-10; 1 Pet 2:4 ff; 2 Pet 2:10; Jude 4.
Limited Atonement – Christ’s death was a substitutionary
endurance of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. Christ’s redeeming work was intended to save
only the elect (those whom the Father had given Him) and actually secured
salvation for them. Christ’s redemption
secured everything necessary for the elect’s salvation, including faith which
unites them to him. The elect are the
sole object of God’s saving grace. Matt
1:21, 20:28; Jn 10:14-18, 17:9; Acts 20:28; Rom 5:8-9; Titus 2:14; Rev 5:9.
Irresistible Grace – In addition to the outward general call to salvation which is made
to everyone who hears the gospel, the Holy Spirit extends to the elect a
special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. The external call (made without distinction)
can be and often is rejected; whereas the internal call (made only to the
elect) cannot be rejected; it always results in conversion. By means of this special call, the Spirit
irresistibly draws sinners to Christ. He
is not limited by man’s will or dependent upon man’s cooperation for
success. The Spirit graciously causes
the elect sinners to cooperate, to believe, to repent, and to come freely and
willingly to Christ. God’s grace,
therefore, is invincible; it never fails to result in the salvation of those to
whom it is extended. Ezek 11:19-20; Jn
6:37,44; Rom 8:30; Col 2:13; James 1:18; Titus 3:5 (HS work).
Perseverance/Preservation of the Saints –All who were chosen by God, redeemed by
Christ and given faith by the Spirit are eternally saved. They are kept in the faith by the power of
Almighty God and, thus, has willed to save those whom He gave to His dear Son. Their salvation can never be lost. The elect
are kept by God’s power through faith, and nothing can separate them from His
love. They have been sealed with the
Holy Spirit who has been given as the guarantee of their salvation, and they
are thus assured of an eternal inheritance.
This doctrine does not maintain that all who profess the Christian faith
are certain of heaven. Many who profess
belief and then “fall away” do not fall from grace; they were never in grace. True believers fall into various temptations
and commit grievous sins, but these sins do not cause them to loose their
salvation or separate them from Christ.
Isa 43:1-3; Jer 32:40; Jn 10:28; Matt 10:22; Rom 8:35-39; Eph 1:13-14;
Phil 1:6; 1 Thess 5:23-24; Jude 24-25.
A few related sections from the Westminster
Confession of Faith:
TOTAL DEPRAVITY
WCF Ch 6
Section 4. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed,
disabled, and made opposite to all good,(a) and wholly inclined to all
evil,(b) do proceed all actual transgressions.(c)
a.
Rom 5:6; 7:18; 8:7; Col 1:21. • b. Gen 6:5; 8:21; Rom 3:10-12. • c.
Mat 15:19; Eph 2:2-3; James 1:14-15.
Ch 9 Sect. 3. Man, by his fall into a
state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good
accompanying salvation;(a) so as a natural man, being altogether averse
from that good,(b) and dead in sin,(c) is not able, by his own
strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.(d)
a. John 15:5; Rom 5:6; 8:7. • b. Rom 3:10, 12. • c. Eph
2:1, 5; Col 2:13. • d. John 6:44, 65; 1 Cor 2:14; Eph 2:2-5; Titus
3:3-5.
LIMITED ATONEMENT
Ch 8 Sect.
8. To all those for whom Christ hath purchased redemption he doth certainly and
effectually apply and communicate the same;(a) making intercession for
them,(b) and revealing unto them, in and by the Word, the mysteries of
salvation;(c) effectually persuading them by his Spirit to believe and
obey; and governing their hearts by his Word and Spirit;(d) overcoming
all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom, in such manner and ways as
are most consonant to his wonderful and unsearchable dispensation.(e)
a.
John 6:37, 39; 10:15-16. • b. Rom 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2. • c.
John 15:13, 15; 17:6; Eph 1:7-9. • d. John 14:16; 17:17; Rom 8:9, 14;
15:18-19; 2 Cor 4:13; Heb 12:2. • e. Psa 110:1; Mal 4:2-3; 1 Cor
15:25-26; Col 2:15.
Ch.10 sect
1. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, he is
pleased, in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call,(a) by
his Word and Spirit,(b) out of that state of sin and death, in which
they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ;(c)
enlightening their minds, spiritually and savingly, to understand the things of
God;(d) taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart
of flesh;(e) renewing their wills, and by his almighty power determining
them to that which is good,(f) and effectually drawing them to Jesus
Christ;(g) yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his
grace.(h)
a. Rom 8:30;
11:7; Eph 1:10-11. • b. 2 Cor 3:3, 6; 2 Thes 2:13-14. • c. Rom
8:2; Eph 2:1-5; 2 Tim 1:9-10. • d. Acts 26:18; 1 Cor 2:10, 12; Eph
1:17-18. • e. Ezek 36:26. • f. Deut 30:6; Ezek 11:19; 36:27; Phil
2:13. • g. John 6:44-45; Eph 1:19. • h. Psa 110:3; Song 1:4; John
6:37; Rom 6:16-18.
Ch 10 Sect.
2. This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from
anything at all foreseen in man;(a) who is altogether passive therein,
until, being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit,(b) he is thereby
enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in
it.(c)
a. Rom 9:11; Eph 2:4-5, 8-9; 2 Tim 1:9; Titus 3:4-5. • b. Rom 8:7;
1 Cor 2:14; Eph 2:5. • c. Ezek 36:27; John 5:25; 6:37.
Ch 8 Sect
4. This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake,(a) which,
that he might discharge, he was made under the law,(b) and did perfectly
fulfill it;(c) endured most grievous torments immediately in his soul,(d)
and most painful sufferings in his body;(e) was crucified, and died;(f)
was buried, and remained under the power of death, yet saw no corruption.(g)
On the third day he arose from the dead,(h) with the same body in which
he suffered;(i) with which also he ascended into heaven, and there
sitteth at the right hand of his Father,(k) making intercession;(l)
and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world.(m)
a. Psa 40:7-8
with Heb 10:5-10; John 10:18; Phil 2:8. • b. Gal 4:4. • c.
Mat 3:15; 5:17. • d. Mat 26:37-38; 27:46; Luke 22:44. • e.
Matthew 26-27 throughout. • f. Phil 2:8. • g. Acts
2:23-24, 27; 13:37; Rom 6:9. • h. 1 Cor 15:3-4. • i. John 20:25,
27. • k. Mark 16:19. • l. Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; 9:24. • m.
Mat 13:40-42; Acts 1:11; 10:42; Rom 14:9-10; 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 1:6.
PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS
Ch 17 Sect.
1. They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and
sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the
state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be
eternally saved.(a)
a.
John 10:28-29; Phil 1:6; 1 Pet 1:5, 9; 2 Pet 1:10; 1 John 3:9.
Sect. 2.
This perseverance of the saints depends, not upon their own free will, but upon
the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and
unchangeable love of God the Father;(a) upon the efficacy of the merit
and intercession of Jesus Christ;(b) the abiding of the Spirit and of
the seed of God within them;(c) and the nature of the covenant of
grace:(d) from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility
thereof.(e)
a. Jer 31:3;
2 Tim 2:18-19. • b. Luke 22:32; John 17:11, 24; Heb 7:25; 9:12-15; 10:10,
14; 13:20-21; Rom 8:33-39. • c. John 14:16-17; 1 John 2:27; 3:9. • d.
Jer 32:40. • e. John 10:28; 2 Thes 3:3; 1 John 2:19.
