The Strand Study Bible

MATTHEW MATTHEW acronym TULIP . These five points are the sum and substance of the Calvinistic system: the distinguishing mark which separates Calvinists from all other Christians, and though Calvin himself did not formulate the Five Points, they are truly representative of his theology: T – Total Depravity -Many Calvinists believe man is in complete rebellion to God (which is true), and by his free will cannot and will never make a decision for Jesus even when presented with the Gospel (which is false). Whereas it is true that all men are in complete rebellion to God (Rom 3:10-12), it is not true that men cannot respond positively to the Gospel when it is presented to them. Thus, when a Calvinist says that he believes in Total Depravity, he is giving you a smoke screen, however true it may be, to cover up the fact of what he really believes. Laurence M. Vance in The Other Side of Calvinism notes: 1564

The problem we have is not with the doctrine of depravity itself, for it is a biblical doctrine. Our disagreement with the Calvinists is with what they mean when they say they believe in Total Depravity. Terms must be accurately defined before they can be profitably used. The first article of faith for a Mormon is: We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. Sound orthodox? But a pretense of orthodoxy is just that: a pretense . Anyone who knew anything about Mormonism would recognize immediately that their profession was in direct contradiction to everything they really believe. Likewise, when a Jehovah’s Witness claims to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he is not denoting the same belief of the Deity of Christ held by any Christian. 9

Fact: Men can choose to respond positively to the Gospel when it is presented to them. Why else would we be commanded to preach the Gospel (Mt 28:18-20), if men could not respond positively to it? According to John 12:32, every man is drawn by the power of the Gospel and can be saved if he so chooses. That is why salvation is a “whosoever will” salvation (Rev 22:17, Jn 3:14-16 & 4:14 & 11:25-26 & 12:46, Acts 2:21 & 10:42-43 & 13:26, Rom 9:33 & 10:9-11,13 and I Jn 5:1). U – Unconditional election - Many Calvinists believe man obtains salvation because God choose him for salvation before the world began. They believe that God has “chosen” (elected) some people for Heaven and the others to Hell. John Calvin in Institutes of the Christian Religion notes: However, to say that God saves some and sends others to Hell would make God a respecter of persons, which the Scriptures declare He is not (Lev 19:15, Deut 1:17, Mt 22:16 and Jms 2:1). According to Acts 2:36-40, Peter pleaded with the Jews to “save yourselves” from the Hell to come. Men do have a choice in salvation because it was offered to all (Mt 28:19, Lk 2:8-11, Jn 3:16 and II Pet 3:9). To say that God chooses some to go to Heaven and others to go to Hell is to breach the very nature of God (Ezk 18:23). L – Limited Atonement - Many Calvinists believe Jesus only died for those who would be chosen (elected) for salvation. Nevertheless, this too is unscriptural. Michael Carino in an internet article entitled ‘ Did Christ Die for All People or Only for A Selected Few? ’ notes: For all are not created in equal condition; rather, eternal life is foreordained for some, eternal damnation for others. Therefore, as any man has been created to one or the other of these ends, we speak of him as predestinated to life or death. 19

Amidst all the theological debates regarding the extent of Christ’s death on the cross, many Christians are left wondering whether we still can do an honest proclamation of the gospel – inviting all people to come to faith and repentance – while being bothered by the thought that Christ may not have actually died for the person we are evangelizing because he may not be one of the elect (those who were chosen to be saved) after all. Is the gospel “good news” for all who are lost or only for some who are lost but chosen? Can an evangelist sincerely tell an individual that Jesus Christ dies specifically for him, and not doubt the honesty of his message? 20

According to John 1:29, John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the SIN (singular) of the world.” Christ died for the SIN OF THE WORLD, not just the elect. David McCasland in The Quotable Oswald Chambers notes:

The next thing we have to learn by contact with Jesus Christ is this, that if the whole human race–everybody, good, bad and indifferent–is lost, we must have the boundless confidence of Jesus Christ Himself about us; that is, we must know that He can save anybody and everybody. 21

Salvation is not limited to a few, but is freely offered to all (I Jn 2:1-2, I Tim 2:1-4-6 & 4:10, Titus 2:11, II Pet 2:1 & 3:9, II Cor 5:14-15,19, and Mt 14:20 ). Laurence M. Vance in The Other Side of Calvinism notes:

The biblical Gospel is the good news about what Jesus Christ has done on the cross respecting our sins. The gospel of Calvinism is likewise good news–but only if you are one of the “elect.” 9