Unconditional Election – The U of “TULIP”

Unconditional Election – The U of “TULIP”

What the Calvinist says about Unconditional Election: (Taken from: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/1985/1487_What_We_Believe_About_the_Five_Points_of_Calvinism/#Grace)

If all of us are so depraved that we cannot come to God without being born again by the irresistible grace of God, and if this particular grace is purchased by Christ on the cross, then it is clear that the salvation of any of us is owing to God's election.

Election refers to God's choosing whom to save. It is unconditional in that there is no condition man must meet before God chooses to save him. Man is dead in trespasses and sins. So there is no condition he can meet before God chooses to save him from his deadness.

We are not saying that final salvation is unconditional. It is not. We must meet the condition of faith in Christ in order to inherit eternal life. But faith is not a condition for election. Just the reverse. Election is a condition for faith. It is because God chose us before the foundation of the world that he purchases our redemption at the cross and quickens us with irresistible grace and brings us to faith.

The TULIP of Calvinism is a single “flower”. I recognize there are five “petals” making this flower but they are inter-related. If you have one, you have them all. If you remove one, you invalidate them all.

I have said it before, and I will say it again here, there are no “4 point Calvinists” or “3 point Calvinists.” There are Calvinists or non-Calvinists, you are, or you are not, there is no ground in between. It is the same with the Arminian perspective, either you are or you are not. If you are not in either camp, like me, why not claim to be a Biblicist or a Bible-ite or a Biblican or even a Biblocrat, but don’t try to claim parts of an inseparable doctrine.

If you are claiming to be something other than a “5 point Calvinist” you must have changed the their definition of the points. Either you have made it something more palatable for your theology, or you have redefined the terms in order to find some “common ground” where there is none.

Calvinism is a single “flower”, take away any of the “petals” and the flower wilts into a pile of dust. John Piper has successfully added two leaves to this “flower” which are logical assertions to TULIP, but nothing can be taken away with sacrificing the structural integrity of the whole.

Unconditional Election is made of two parts: God does not use any criteria for choosing those He has chosen, and God does the choosing then comes faith. Notice again how the Calvinist uses the term unconditional: “We must meet the condition of faith in Christ in order to inherit eternal life. But faith is not a condition for election. Just the reverse. Election is a condition for faith.”

Do you see what they are saying here? 1) Faith is the condition to salvation; 2) Faith comes after election; 3) If there is no election, there is no faith; 4) Election happened before the world began. Now put that together with two points from the previous post about Total Depravity: “Depravity affects every human.” and “Man’s inability to submit to God and do good is total.”

So, let’s put together everything we have so far:
A) A person is elected before the world begins;

B) When that person is born they are Totally Depraved although they are elected; (If you are elected to become saved, how can you be TOTALLY Depraved?)

C) Because of their election, they grow in their understanding and faith, but they are still Totally Depraved and they are unable to submit to God and do good; (Again there must either be a violation of Total Depravity or a violation of their statement, “We must meet the condition of faith in Christ in order to inherit eternal life.”) (Remember, in Unconditional Election our faith is the fruit of God’s election so in effect we don’t meet any condition, God meets the conditions.)

D) Eventually this person comes to faith, a faith they can not resist, because of God’s effectual call and election. When this person finally, and eventually, comes to saving faith he is not doing anything good, because salvation has its beginning and ending in God and not man.

Are you confused yet? In Calvinism, prior to the act of salvation, the entire race of man is totally depraved, even the elect. The elect may gain in their knowledge and understanding of God, and the salvation available through Jesus Christ, but this is not considered a good act because of Total Depravity.

The second half to the position of Unconditional Election is the belief of Reprobation. (John Piper’s sixth point of Calvinism) Reprobation is the logical understanding coming from the idea that since God elected some to salvation and Heaven, then those unelected are “elected” to be forever lost and burn in Hell.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) in Chapter 10, article IV says it this way: “Others, not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word, and may have some common operations of the Spirit, yet they never truly come to Christ, and therefore can not be saved: …” (Chapter 10, Article IV)

The Westminster Confession of Faith also states: “Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who worketh when, and where, and how he pleaseth.” (Chapter 10, Article III) This recognizes the effect of being elected prior to birth means some infants, dying while an infant, are elected to Heaven while the rest are elected to burn in Hell. This is a painfully sad misunderstanding of God and the Scriptures.

This stands in stark contrast to the Word of God in several verses:

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2Peter 3:9

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Titus 2:11

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:15-17

Finally, if Unconditional Election is taught by God’s Word as the Calvinist describes, how can one make his election either more or less sure as in 2 Peter 1:10-11? Or what about Romans 4:13 or 10:1-15?

In Calvinism these passages make no sense.

God’s Salvation is available to all. God does call people, draw people and choose people to be saved, but the choice takes place after man calls on the Lord. How else could 1Timothy 2:4 be true when it says, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”