Unconditional Election

This is the third in the series.

As a result of the belief that man is born in a sinful state, another false teaching called Unconditional Election arose. This is our “U” in the TULIP doctrine. They believe that since man is born in such a sinful state, there is nothing that an individual can do in order to be saved. They say that salvation is solely the work of God, not man. After all, we are saved by grace and not works (Romans 3:24). Furthermore, they say that God chooses those who will be saved and those who will be lost.

To answer this doctrine, we have to remember that God’s Word is never going to contradict itself. Having said that; there are to many places that show that man must play a part in his salvation. Peter preached on Pentecost that those present must “save themselves” (Acts 2:40). Further, the Lord said that only those who “do” the will of the Father will see the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). The Bible teaches that we are going to be judged by our “works” on the last day (2 Corinthians 5:10; John 12:48; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). If this Unconditional Election were true, there would not need to be a judgment, for God has already decided. Finally, this doctrine makes God unjust because he would be condemning some having never given them a chance to serve him, even if they desired to do so.

Total Depravity

I've been examining an article I read some years back entitled "Refuting the False TULIP Doctrine". Last time I introduced the subject and this time I'd like to address his take on Total Depravity.

Total Hereditary Depravity

“T” stands for Total Hereditary Depravity. This is the core belief of the TULIP doctrine. As a result of this belief all of the other doctrines are created. Put simply, this is the belief that the human soul is born corrupt. As soon as a baby is born, according to this doctrine, it is in sin and in need of a redeemer. In an attempt to support this doctrine they go to Psalm 51:5 and Psalm 58:3 among others. However, notice that in Psalm 51:5, David is not saying that he was born a sinner but rather that he was born into a sinful world. What if the verse read this way, “Behold I was shaped in a potato patch and in a field of spuds did my mother conceive me?” Would this mean that David was born a potato? No, it simply means that he was born in the presence of potatoes. Also, notice that in Psalm 58:3 it says that one goes astray from the mother’s womb. One is not born astray but has to go astray. That verse proves that we are born sinless not sinful!

The Dreaded TULIP...What More Can They Say?

A few years ago, someone sent me an article they had found on the internet dealing with Calvinism in an attempt to refute the Doctrines of Grace. The article, which was written by Mike Riley (a church of Christ minister, but of whom I know nothing more), set out to, first tell the reader what Calvinism is (using the famous acrostic TULIP), and then to tell us why each of the doctrines that are ascribed to each letter are wrong. Unfortunately, I think you’ll see that the effort not only suffers from a woeful lack of scholarly investigation and knowledge, but also it is characterized by an amazing lack of understanding as to what Calvinism truly is.