picture source: dreamstime.
A friend of mine asked me to show solely from the Bible that the TULIP is wrong. For time sake (of the author and the reader) I’ve only created a short rebuttal with a few Bible verses. There are many more Bible verses to prove my point but I believe these are enough to make you think through these doctrines so that the TULIP will wither in your mind.
T – total depravity
U – unconditional election
L – limited atonement
I – irresistible grace
P – perseverance of the saints
T – Total Depravity
“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”
– Ezekiel 18:20
U – unconditional election
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
– John 3:16
The condition is faith and faith is a choice:
‘But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’
– Mark 4:40
L – limited atonement:
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.”
– 2 Peter 2:1
Here we see that there were people that were bought by the Lord Jesus Christ but they deny Him and therefore go into destruction.
I -irresistible grace:
“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”
– Acts 7:51
“But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.”
– Luke 7:30
So clearly the will of God of giving grace to everyone (2 Peter 3:9) is resistible and nowhere does the Bible say that that resisting was actually the will of God. That was only in the heads of calvin and luther so they do “Bible+”. They add to the word of God in all audacity.
P – Perseverance of the Saints:
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.”
– Hebrews 6:4-8
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
– 1 Corinthians 10:12
People say: you can’t fall but Paul just warns. That is utter insanity. I don’t warn you: “Don’t jump, because you might get stuck in the clouds!” Why? Because it is impossible! So Paul would not warn someone if there is no genuine possibility of losing your salvation.
There are many more Bible verses to prove my point but I believe these are enough to make you think through these doctrines so that the TULIP will wither in your mind.
Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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