The Five Points: Understanding the Doctrines of Grace Class 1: Introduction VERITASCHURCH January 21, 2018, 8:30am Introduction The name of this series is The Five Points: Understanding the Doctrines of Grace. We could also have called this series The Five Points of Calvinism, or TULIP, (which is a common acronym for these five points), or The Foundation of Reformed Soteriology (soteriology means the study of the doctrine of salvation). My Pilgrimage Historical Background Peter said in 2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. Paul said something very similar in 2 Timothy 4:3. Peter and Paul predicted that false teaching would make its way into the Christian church. Their predictions, of course, were correct and, historically, the church has responded to false teaching through the formal reaffirmation of Biblical truth. This is what happened at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, in response to the false teaching known as Arianism. This is what happened at the Council of Ephesus in 431, in response to the false teaching known as Pelagianism. And this is what happened, on a much larger scale, through the Protestant Reformation, which began in 1517, following a millennium of church corruption in life and doctrine. A German monk named Martin Luther initiated this Reformation in Germany, but it quickly spread throughout the entire church, so that 150 years later, the church had been reformed throughout Europe. Though these reformed churches did not agree on every point, they all agreed on the gospel. They all agreed in their protest to the Roman Catholic Church, and that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. J.I. Packer, in his historical and theological introduction to Luther s book Bondage of the Will said On other points [the reformers] had their differences; but in asserting the helplessness of man in sin, and the sovereignty of God in grace, they were entirely at one. 1 1
John Calvin John Calvin was born in 1509 and died in 1564, and was converted at the age of 21. He, most clearly and prolifically, put the doctrine of the reformers into writing, and this especially through his 1536 work The Institutes of the Christian Religion. Jacobus Arminius Jacobus Arminius was born in 1560 and died in 1609. He was taught and trained by Calvin s successor, Theodore Beza, but came to reject some key tenets of protestant doctrine. Calvinism and Armimianism By the early 1600 s, in the Dutch Reformed Church (Holland), there was theological controversy between the Calvinists (those who felt Calvin best expressed the meaning of Scripture on salvation), and a much smaller group, the Arminians, who felt that Arminius best expressed the meaning of Scripture on salvation. In 1610, a year after Arminius had died, the Arminians published The Five Articles of Remonstrance which articulated the Arminians points of disagreement with the Belgic Confession of Faith and the Heidelberg Catechism, which were the Dutch Reformed Church s doctrinal statements. The Synod of Dort The controversy and conversation continued for several years, and then finally a large group of church leaders (84), from Holland, Germany, Switzerland, England, and Scotland, gathered to formally consider The Five Articles of Remonstrance. This was called the Synod of Dort, which met in Dort from November 13, 1618 to May 9, 1619, at which end they unanimously rejected the teachings of Arminius as contrary to the Word of God, and then issued a response, reaffirming their understanding of Biblical truth, known as the Canons of Dort, which we know today as The Doctrines of Grace, or The Five Points of Calvinism. Charles Spurgeon, who was also a Reformed Baptist, said I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism, he wrote. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. 2 2
Summary of the Five Points Here are the Canons of Dort, as summarized by Michael Horton, in For Calvinism: Total depravity: Our bondage to sin in Adam is complete in its extensiveness, though not in its intensity. In other words, we re not as bad as we can possibly be, but original sin has thoroughly corrupted every aspect of our existence including the will. 3 Unconditional election: Out of his lavish grace, the Father chose out of the fallen race a people from every race to be redeemed through his Son and united to his Son by his Spirit. This determination was made in eternity, apart from anything foreseen in the believer. 4 Particular redemption (Limited atonement): Christ s death is sufficient for the whole world, but secured the redemption of the elect. 5 Effectual grace (Irresistible grace): The Holy Spirit unites sinners to Christ through the gospel and faith is the effect, not the cause, of the new birth. 6 Perseverance of the saints: All of those chosen, redeemed, and regenerated will be given the gift of persevering faith, so that not one will be lost. 7 Differences between Calvinism and Arminianism Here is the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism, as summarized by John Piper in his 6-part series called The Pursuit of God s Glory in Salvation: Depravity: Total depravity vs free will Calvinism: People are so depraved and rebellious that they are unable to trust God without his special work of grace to change their hearts so that all resistance is overcome and they willingly and gladly believe. Arminianism: People are depraved and corrupt, but are able to provide the decisive impulse to trust God with the general divine assistance that he gives to all people by the Holy Spirit through the gospel. 8 3
Election: Unconditional election vs conditional election Calvinism: God has chosen unconditionally whose rebellion he will overcome and whom he will bring to faith and salvation. Arminianism: God has chosen to bring to salvation all those whose faith he foresaw but did not decisively bring about. 9 Atonement: Particular redemption vs unlimited atonement Calvinism: In the death of Christ God provided a sufficient atonement for all, but designed that it be effective for the elect, meaning that it purchased for them the new covenant promise that God would successfully bring about in his people the grace of faith and perseverance. Arminianism: In the death of Christ God provided a sufficient atonement for all, and designed that it become effective by virtue of faith, meaning that the faith itself is not a gin purchased by the cross, but the human means of obtaining the gin of purchased forgiveness. 10 Grace: Irresistible grace vs resistible grace Calvinism: Irresistible grace is God s work in us by which he overcomes our resistance to God and unfailingly brings about the act of saving faith and through that faith infallibly supplies everything we need to live joyfully with God forever. Arminianism: Grace is not irresistible, but it is prevenient it precedes and makes possible saving faith, but we provide the decisive act of will that brings about saving faith through which God supplies everything we need to live joyfully with him forever. 11 Assurance: Perseverance of the saints vs potential security Calvinism: God works infallibly to preserve the saving faith all who are truly born again so that none is ever lost. If we are truly regenerate, we will never be lost. Arminianism: God works to preserve his people but does not always prevent some who were born again from falling away to destruction. If we are truly regenerate, we may shall be lost. 12 4
God Man God Man Recommended Series Resources Books What is Reformed Theology? by RC Sproul The Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson Desiring God by John Piper Hard Words, Easy Chairs by Douglas Wilson Chosen by God by RC Sproul Willing to Believe by RC Sproul For Calvinism by Michael Horton The Five Dilemmas of Calvinism by Craig R. Brown The Five Points of Calvinism by Edwin H. Palmer Five Points, Towards a Deeper Experience of God s Grace by John Piper A Defense of Calvinism by Charles Spurgeon All of Grace by Charles Spurgeon The Pleasures of God by John Piper Teaching Series The Pursuit of God s Glory in Salvation by John Piper Hands of God and Men Resurgence Conference, 2007 by Bruce Ware Tulip and Reformed Theology by Ligonier Ministries Film The Calvinist by Les Lanphere Historical Documents The Canons of Dort by the Synod of Dort (1618) The London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) 5
1 J. I. Packer, "Historical and Theological Introduction," in Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will (Westwood, NJ.: Fleming H. Revell, 1957), 58-59. 2 Charles Spurgeon, The Autobiography of Charles H. Spurgeon (Cincinnati: Curts & Jennings, 1898), 1:172. 3 Horton, Michael. For Calvinism (Kindle Locations 47-63). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 8 John Piper, The Pursuit of God s Glory in Salvation, (Bethlehem Baptist Church, 2013), session 1. 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 11 Ibid. 12 Ibid. 6