Introduction:

In this article I would like to have a look at the doctrines of grace. We will have a detailed study of the five points of grace as well as its contemporary the five points of Arminianism.

There are two systems of beliefs in the religious world that are totally opposite each other in their doctrinal stand. These systems deal with our whole attitude and relationship with Christ. The two systems are - Arminianism and Calvinism.

Let's look into the history of these systems before getting into their meanings and scripture to support our beliefs. Remember - Neither system is new - it's just that these two men put the already existing beliefs into an organized system for easier study and teaching and remembering. And even then - it was not the man themselves that started calling them by these names - it was their followers - those that came later and put a name to the system of doctrines each man so strongly believed in.

It was a Dutch theologian named Jacob Hermann who lived from 1560 to 1609 (he was better known by the Latin form of his last name - Arminius) that, although he was brought up in the Dutch reformed tradition - which held to Calvinistic views although at that time that term was not in use, he leaned toward the humanist doctrines of Erasmus - an Arminian type of system already in use. He had serious doubts about sovereign grace as taught by the reformers.

His followers - called Arminians and Remonstrants, expanded his teachings and shortly after his death in 1609 put together his doctrines into a system of five points that would become known as the five points of Arminius. Note that it was Jacob Arminuis' followers that actually systemized their beliefs. They then took these five point to the government of Holland hoping to have these doctrines established as the doctrines of the state church.

The churches of the Netherlands, along with other major Protestant churches of Europe followed to the Reformed Doctrines of the Belgic and Heidelberg Confession - which were more Calvinistic in their beliefs, even though these doctrines had not yet officially been formulated into that named system. Remember - this was shortly after the Protestant reformation when most Protestant churches were very sound in most doctrines - with the exception of church doctrine for one. In fact it was this rise of Arminianism as an organized system that infiltrated the truths taught in most churches of that time and over the years since has all but destroyed all of them, and has seriously damaged many Baptist churches.

The Arminians were determined to present to the Dutch Parliament with a Remonstrance.

So a carefully written protest of the reformed faith was submitted to the state of Holland. In 1618 a national synod of the church was convened in Dort to examine the teachings of Arminius in the light of scripture.

There was 154 sessions studying these doctrines over a period of 7 months. So there was a very thorough, detailed study of each point. Nothing was overlooked. Much to their credit they found the five points of Arminius contrary to scripture and declared them heretical. They reaffirmed the doctrines already held to by their own church as well as most of the Protestant Reformers.

At the same time the church reaffirmed the position held by the Protestant Reformers as consistent with scripture, they formulated a system known as the five points of Calvinism in honor of the great French theologian - John Calvin. Note here: John Calvin himself had nothing to do with the formulating the system called by his name - although in his teachings he did stress these very five points. John Calvin himself had been dead for many years.

It also must be noted that these men made this system of five points of Calvinism in direct answer to the five points of Arminianism. In other words - if there had been 7 points of Arminianism then when they formulated the doctrines of Calvinism they would have found 7 points of Calvinism to answer the 7 points of Arminianism!!

The reply of the synod of Dort to the heresies of Arminius have been set forth in the form of an acrostic - forming the word Tulip. The five points of Calvinism is thus:

T - Total depravity of man
U - Unconditional election
L - Limited atonement
I - Irresistible Grace
P - Perseverance of the saints

As you note we take the first letter of each point and put them together to form the word T.U.L.I.P.. This is just for convenience sake for ease of remembering.

Since we will be studying in detail what the reformation theologians of Dort meant by these five points - let's first take a look at a summary of the five points of Arminianism - which these same people rejected to their credit - as heresy. Here they are:

1. Free will -
2. conditional election
3. universal atonement
4. obstructable grace
5. falling from grace

Let's look at the definitions of each point as stated by those who made them up.

But before getting down to that I would like to make some comments. As I mentioned before, these five points of Arminianism does have verses that people do use to back them up - and in a few cases seem hard to refute until you understand two things.

One - the three basic rules of interpreting scripture. That is -

(1) Never interpret one verse on a given subject in a way that contradicts what the Bible as a whole says about that subject.

(2) Never interpret an obscure verse on a subject to contradict other much clearer verses on the same subject.

(3) Never take a verse out of the context of it's surrounding verses.

Two - we must understand that many times the Holy spirit inspired Bible is talking to unsaved people - or newly saved people. If He is - then in the Bible's own words it uses "milk of the word" (which typifies easy to digest or understood words) instead of "meat" (which typifies harder to digest or understand words) which would be used for a more mature Christian. Even many Christians who have been saved for years do not mature much in Christian knowledge. Some never get beyond the "baby stage" in spiritual knowledge - while others progress on to childhood or beyond - or is of "full age" as the Bible terms it. Just like in physical life there are a number of stages, so is there in our growth in spiritual matters. These stages are - A babe in Christ, childhood as one matures and learns more, adolescence and on to adulthood. Only the fully mature - or the adults will understand the solid meat of scriptural matters. Most of the Bible is written to those not yet very mature in scriptural doctrines so uses easy to understand words that appear very "Arminian" at first. But then there are other places in scripture that talks to the more mature Christian and these scriptures are very "Calvinistic" in their doctrine. So unless one wants to stay a "babe" in Christ all their life they should consider all scripture not just those with an "Arminian" slant to things.

Later In this study I will show how these Arminians take scripture out of context to support what they believe, telling us it is saying what it is not saying at all although on the surfaceit may seem to be saying what they claim. To do this, they must leave all the teachings of man's depravity and all the rest of these truths found in what we refer to as the "five points of Calvinism" out, as well as the influence of the Holy spirit in our heart which in return influences our thinking which in turn influences our lifestyle. They do not have any understanding of God's work in us motivating us to do His will - why? Is it because they don't have God in them?

This level of knowledge is all according to the measure of faith God gives each individual. Let's look at some scripture to make thatclear. First concerning the milk of the word for immature Christians. Let's take a look at these scriptures to see what they say about the milk of the word verses the solid meat.

1 Corinthians 3:2 -- have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Hebrews 5:12-14 -- for when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

we read about the different measures of faith different people get in:

Ephesians 4:7  --  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ

There are many people who never grow beyond the infant stage spiritually - hence they must be spoken to as a babe with simple words(doctrines) easy to be understood - Not in meat (hard doctrines) that only a mature Christian can understand. And that is what Christ and his disciples did in much of the Bible. In other places he spoke to those who are mature and only those God gives that maturity will ever accept what is said in those places.

This is why we should never say flatly that a person who does not see things as we do are not saved, Even though there are scripture to point in that direction - like:

ISAIAH 8:20 -- To the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them.

That is pretty plain. And yet we do have the verses we read above about God giving knowledge in different measures to different people. So we cannot come to a solid conclusion to just who is saved and who is not. We must just leave that to God - who is saved and who isn't. HOWEVER - I have stated before and will repeat this - Birds of a feather should flock together. In other words - robins should flock with robins - crows should flock with crows. In our Christians flocks a Pentecost should flock with the Pentecost and Baptist should flock among their own kind - whichever kind that is since there is so many different flock of Baptists even. In searching out a church we must be very careful which flock we get involved with. But still We have no business condemning or lashing out at those who do not believe all we do. At the same time we should not condone them either. We all can be friends - but not buddies around the word. To do that we would have to comprimise our own beliefs. Let them alone - but don't join them in fellowship or study. God does order us "to come out from among them and be ye separate". And we should. We should teach against their heresy, but leave them personally alone. If we went to them and admonished them too often and too strongly for their belief they could claim that we were persecuting them. Something a Christian should never be guilty of.

We will end this chapter with this thought and next chapter we will get down to studying what Arminians believe and some scripture they use to support that belief. Then we'll see how those who coined the Calvinistic system did so to counter the harm done by the five points of Arminianism.