TULIPThe "Five Points of Calvinism" were not formulated by Calvin, but rather by the Synod of Dort in 1618-1619, which was a gathering of many great leaders and teachers of the reformed churches throughout Europe. This Synod, in response to the heresies of James Arminius, then spreading throughout the Dutch churches, released "The Canons of Dort," which addressed five major doctrines then in dispute. Since then these doctrines, as asserted at Dort, have been summarized and labeled as the "Five Points of Calvinism." Although Calvin himself never set forth such a system of five points, these teachings are a compendium of what John Calvin and others (such as Martin Luther, Augustine, the Apostle Paul, & Christ himself) taught regarding salvation and are all founded on the holy Scriptures. Often the "Five Points" are referred to as "TULIP":
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints
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Total Depravity" refers to the doctrine that, man in his fallen nature is wholly fallen,—he is "flesh". It does not mean that man is as wicked as he could possibly be, but that he is corrupted and wicked in every member of his body and every faculty of his soul. Not only his body is inclined to sin, but his understanding is darkened, he is blinded in his mind, and his will is inclined to sin. Because his will is inclined to sin, even it is in rebellion against God. Man therefore does not have a "free-will" to do good or evil as he pleases, the way that he did before the fall, because he DOES NOT will to will good. To assert that a sinful will is free to will good is to assert that it is able to will not to will what it does in fact will. Therefore, being in rebellion, and not being inclined to turn from that hatred against God to love to God, man can only be restored by being reborn by the spirit of God as a new creature. Thus, man is in need of salvation not only from the wrath of God due for the sins he is guilty of, but is also in need of being saved from his own sinfulness and rebellion. "There is none that seeketh after God." (See Romans 3, John 8:34.)
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Unconditional Election" is the doctrine that man's salvation flows completely from God's grace—it is not conditioned upon man's good works or faith, but is wholly unmerited. The fact that some persons are saved and that others are not, together with the fact that God is the one that does the saving and that he in his infiniteness is able to save all, clearly indicates that God chooses to save some and not to save others. The Bible refers to this often by the term "Election". Thus his people, both in the Old and the New Testament are called his "Elect". The Bible presents this election as part of God's eternal decree, wherein he chooses whom he will save before all time (Eph. 1, 2 Thes. 2.13...) The Bible also teaches that God does not choose BECAUSE of anything in us or anything that we do (or will do), but rather he chooses according to his own good pleasure. God did not look into the future to see what man would do or what man would believe, but fixed what He would do with HIS creation before anything was even created. Thus, "it is not of him that wills, or of him that runs, but of God who showeth mercy." Paul in Romans 9 clearly indicates this when he discusses the fact that mercy was shown to Jacob and not to Esau so that the purpose of God according to election might stand. At the same time he insists that the decision of election was made before either of the brothers had done any good or evil.
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Limited Atonement" is the doctrine that Christ has died for all those who have been elected to Eternal Life in Christ Jesus and that all those for whom Christ has died have been perfectly atoned for. Their ransom is complete. The debt of their sins has been paid off. By the blood of Christ the forgiveness of their sins has been purchased, as well as the gift of the Spirit, which works in them faith and repentance unto life, whereby that purchased forgiveness and the righteousness of Christ are made theirs as they through faith rest in Jesus Christ and his work of Redemption. Salvation has been fully accomplished by Jesus Christ for his people and his alone. He has not died to make salvation possible for all so that those who will choose by their own "free will" (which none have since the fall into Sin) to improve upon what he has done may be saved, but he has completely perfected salvation for his people. He is the good shepherd who gave his life for the sheep—His sheep. (Rom. 5.8-9, John 6.35-40, 10.11, 14-18, 24-29.)
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Irresistible Grace" is the doctrine that Christ has sent his Spirit to effectually apply salvation to his flock. Man may resist the "common operations" of the spirit such as convictions of conscience, but the Irresistible Grace of God is the powerful working of his Spirit whereby he does always effect without failure the conversion of his elect from being sinners, fallen with the rest of the seed of Adam, to being saints, the seed of Christ the Second Adam. This work of Irresistible Grace is referred to as the Birth of the New Man. Christ refers to it as being "Born of the Spirit" (John 3) and thus teaches that Conversion is just as much a Divine work as Creation, and that, as "Spirit is born of Spirit", so no unconverted man (who is "Flesh") can do anything to Convert himself into a Spiritual man. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me."—John 6:44, 45.
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Perseverance of the Saints" is the doctrine that, as God changes a man's soul in His effectual calling by irresistible grace, and not just the man's outward life, so those who are truly saints, being given the Spirit of God to work in them "to will and to do according to his good pleasure" (Phil. 2.13) are turned away from their sins and do advance in mortification of sins and vivification of the new man, continuing all their days in the faith. And although they may fall into sin at times as the "Flesh lusteth against the Spirit," yet God by his grace does continue to uphold them and gives them repentance and forgiveness whenever they fall so that they never finally and totally fall away from the faith. This doctrine of the Bible is contrary to the teaching that man can fall away from the faith and "lose his salvation," for it affirms God's infinite power to accomplish his will in saving his people so that "he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" who is not only the author but also "finisher of our faith." This is also contrary to the antinomian (anti-law) teaching of "eternal security" which teaches once a man "accepts Jesus as his personal saviour" he will never go to hell, even if he lives like the devil himself. Instead, Calvinism teaches that a man who is truly saved, and so united to Christ in faith, is united through the Spirit of Love dwelling in him and so, out of love to God, is compelled to live a life of loving obedience to his heavenly Father.
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Pembahasan tentang doktrin TULIP juga dapat dilihat di thread berikut ini:
http://forumimankristen.com/index.php/topic,77.0.html
