What is TULIP?

Sometimes referred to as the doctrines of grace, we are going to spend today’s post learning about the reformed tradition of TULIP.  Let me preface with telling you that I have been a Southern Baptist all my life. Some of this differs from the little theology teaching I had growing up; I did not even hear this acronym until I was about 25 years old. Thankfully I have been blessed to have had some conversations on this doctrine and to have read a book by John Piper summarizing what he refers to as the “Five Points”. If this post interests you and you want to go deeper, I would encourage you to check this book out. Another great resource that explains these in simplicity can be found here.

Neither of us here at Fulfilling the Ministry claim to have it all figured out; we are dedicated to having a theology that is purely Biblical. We are simply trying to explain this topic as best as possible so that you are able to come to your own conclusion about each of the 5 parts. 

Eww, DeeDee, theology. Why? Because theology matters. Go check out our post explaining the reasons why it matters. Thinking about these 5 points or TULIP help us to dwell on and articulate our view of God, ourselves, sin, and grace; this is true whether we agree wholeheartedly with each doctrine or not. TULIP stands for total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. 

Before we go through each one, a brief history: 

Back in the 1500s there were a few men who sought to reform the Christian church. At the time, there was only the Roman Catholic Church in the west and the Eastern Orthodox Church in Eastern Europe. Martin Luther started what we would call today the Protestant Reformation as he nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church in Germany. (Go back and reread our post on Reformation Day for more about Martin Luther.) He wasn’t alone, another impactful reformer and theologian, John Calvin, had a lot to say about the Christian Religion. 

A different party arose in the early 1600s who disagreed with many of Calvin’s teachings and would go on to challenge them. There were five main things this Arminian party disagreed about, which led to the followers of Calvin to plainly and definitively state their beliefs on those five points. So these five points are not a concise summary of the reformed theology of Calvinists, but a consensus of the five disagreements between them and the Arminians. Later those points were made into an acronym referred to today as TULIP. 

(Side note that I think is humorous- some other theologians throughout history wanted to change the acronym or wording of the five points. One guy preferred ROSES.  Maybe because this guy was allergic to tulips and instead preferred roses, so he needed his version to match his favorite flower? Why did I laugh at that? Hehehe.)

T

Let’s start with the bad news- Total depravity.

For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. Romans 7:18

Basically this point says that without God, we are naturally sinful. Totally and completely. Like as soon as that beautiful baby is created, he or she is sinful. This one can be hard for us to grasp sometimes because we may see “good” things being done in our world. I would challenge you to change your thinking of the word “good” to mean only things from God or done for His glory. The outwardly seeming “good” and “moral” things that we do, like not killing or giving to the poor aren’t being done as an outpouring of God’s glory and love, and thus are a sin. 

as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one. Romans 3:10-12

Sin is the total rebellion of God and His ways. We, as mere humans, are unable to submit to God and do good, and our total rebellion of God deserves eternal punishment. This is sad news for us.  But we have to recognize this point in its entirety to fully understand the loving grace and long-suffering that God has for us.

U

U is for Unconditional election.

Now, let me be completely honest with you- this is the part I probably struggle with the most. But let’s start by looking at this scripture from Romans: 

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:28-33

Here we see the word “foreknew” and “predestined”. They are synonymous with the elect that this point speaks of. One way to define these terms are "God pre-knowing all choices – and doing so without pre-determining (requiring) them" (G. Archer). 

So the election is whom God chose to save. And it is described as unconditional because there is no condition man must meet prior to God’s choosing. Faith is not a prerequisite for election. God’s election is a prerequisite for faith.

I love the way that Ligonier Ministries states it: “election rests on God’s sovereign decision to save whomever He is pleased to save.”

Jesus confirms this idea of election in John 10: 

But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:26-28

If we are true believers, then He elected / chose us before the foundation of the world. While we have free will to follow Him, none who choose to follow Him would not be amongst the “called”. 

L

L stands for Limited atonement, sometimes referred to as particular redemption.

Atonement is achieved by Christ’s death on the cross, by Him taking on our punishment for sin.So why is it limited? Is Christ’s power limited? Absolutely not. When Jesus died on the cross, He secured the gift of irresistible grace and repentance and new life for His chosen, for His sheep. That is why we refer to it as “limited” atonement. 

Christ’s blood is powerful enough to save all men, and it made salvation available to all who do believe, but He chose to purchase salvation and faith to those who were chosen to be called a child of God. As with unconditional election, this doctrine says not every human being on earth is chosen to be part of the family of God.

We see elsewhere in Scripture that the church is called the bride of Christ. While Christ loves all, He loves His bride in a special and particular way. This analogy helps us understand this concept a little better as we understand that a man may love all women, but he loves his wife in a special and particular way. Jesus Christ’s death was particularly for His bride.

I

I brings me so much comfort. I stands for God’s Irresistible grace.

Because of total depravity and our complete inability to submit to God because our natures are selfish and sinful, it is only by God’s sovereignty and irresistible grace. He, when He chooses, overcomes our rebellion to bring us to faith in Jesus. 

The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:7-8

Romans 8:7-8 remind us that due to our flesh and natural sin nature, we physically cannot accept God’s calling and obey Him. So it is simply not by our actions that we are converted to believers, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is a gift. The willingness to repent is a gift. These are blood-bought gifts that Jesus paid for with His death.

I love the way John Piper explains irresistible grace in his book: “If a person becomes humble enough to submit to God, it is because God has given that person a new, humble nature. If a person remains too hard-hearted and proud to submit to God, it is because that person has been given such a willing spirit.” 

So my natural question to this point was that if God’s grace is impossible to resist, basically He is forcing us to believe in Him. But again John Piper puts it beautifully to remind us that these gifts involved in irresistible grace are not forced upon us. “Irresistible grace does not drag the unwilling into the kingdom, it makes the unwilling willing. It does not work with constraint from the outside, like hooks and chains; it works with power from the inside, like new thirst and hunger and compelling desire.” 

Believing in Jesus is the result and evidence of God’s gift of being a new creation. It all comes back to God’s ultimate sovereignty.

P

P is the final point of the flower and it stands for Perseverance of the saints.

Who are the saints? They are the chosen ones (refer back to the unconditional election if needed).

In the Southern Baptist world, we’d refer to this as “once saved, always saved.” Meaning that God’s elect cannot be lost. God will cause His chosen people to have faith that perseveres to the end. We must keep fighting the faith battle to be glorified. 

Just like with Jesus’s parable of the seed falling on different soils, some “believers” may fall away from the faith. This sadly shows that their faith wasn’t genuine to begin with. Our faith is genuine if we persevere. We may face seasons of doubt, and that is okay, but not renouncing the faith and forgiving power of God. Once truly saved, we should show that we have been morally changed and walk in the newness of life. Our obedience to the Word shows evidence of our faith (and we can’t be obedient to something we know nothing about, which is why we must be in prayer and reading the Bible).

God is faithful. He is always with us. Because of His ongoing work, we will persevere to the end.

He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:8-9

An interesting take-away that John Piper shared at the conclusion of his book is how studying TULIP leads him into a realization of and disdain for our God-less culture. I can agree with him on this sad reality. If we allow these challenging topics to be ignored because “it’s too complicated for me” or “it doesn’t really matter”, then are we indulging in this God-less culture?

While some of these teachings and doctrines are hard to understand, it is helpful to read about them and seek to wrap our minds around them. One major take-away I have from studying this topic is just to marvel at God’s sovereignty and grace. I am so grateful for historical and current teachers on issues of theology, and those who write books about these topics that allow my brain to grapple with them.