There is any number of books available today that serve as introductions to Calvinism or the doctrines of grace. While some of these leave much to be desired, many of them are excellent and do justice to the topic. One might ask, then, why someone would want to write (or read) yet another one, and that would be a fair question.

English-speaking Reformed believers have long been taught the acronym TULIP as a memorization aid to the doctrines of grace. In classic Calvinist terminology, the letters stand for:

T - Total Depravity
U - Unconditional Election
L - Limited Atonement
I - Irresistable Grace
P - Perseverance of the Saints

Recently many authors and theologians have realized the shortcomings with trying to make theology fit into nice acronyms. In the case of TULIP, several of the terms have not received the most appropriate names in order to make them fit the acronym. Here are a few I have found that have chosen to rename them.

In The Doctrines of Grace, James Boice and Philip Ryken have chose to go with:

Radical Depravity
Unconditional Election
Particular Redemption
Efficacious Grace
Persevering Grace

R.C. Sproul in Chosen By God choose to use:

Radical Corruption
Sovereign Election
Limited Atonement
Effectual Grace
Preservation of the Saints

Finally, In his book Putting Amazing Back Into Grace Michael Horton goes with a Message-like adaptation of the terms:

Rebels Without A Cause
Grace Before Time
Mission Accomplished
Intoxicating Grace
No Lost Causes

It seems there is widespread disillusionment with the old classic TULIP. Having read the arguments, I tend to agree that it would be worth losing the acronym.

Does anyone know of other adaptations of the doctrines of grace? Do you agree or disagree with dismantling TULIP?

James White is a Reformed apologist who specializes in defending the faith against the doctrines of Roman Catholics and Mormons - two groups which deny the doctrine of sola scriptura or Scripture Alone. He is uniquely qualified to write such a book as he is intimately familiar with the arguments against the Bible's sufficiency. The book comes at a time when much of Protestantism has lost sight of this doctrine and has been slowly denying it. White defines this doctrine as "Scripture alone as the sole infallible rule of faith for the church." Thus he teaches that Scripture has been given to govern and guide what we believe and why we believe it and is the only guide that can do so infallibly. He has written this book to "lay a foundation for all Christians who desire a deeper understanding of biblical sufficiency" (from the back cover). The book is targeted not at theologians and apologists, but at laypeople who are interested in being able to defend their faith and have firm convictions regarding the Scriptures.

Revelation, inspiration and illumination are three critical concepts for Christians to understand. While most believers are at least vaguely familiar with the concepts surrounding revelation and inspiration, it seems far fewer understand illumination. We will seek to remedy that today.

It is important that we keep these concepts apart in our minds. We must not confuse them, for they are in no way synonymous. We will look at revelation and inspiration briefly and then turn to illumination.

Revelation

God has revealed Himself to humans in two ways. The first way is known as "Natural Revelation." The word "natural" speaks about nature, so the first way God has revealed himself is through nature - through what He has created. Since we cannot see God, to learn about Him we must see Him indirectly in what He has made. For example, if I am a being that God created, I can surely learn something about God by looking at myself. Similarly I can learn about God from nature. I see that the universe is orderly and not chaotic and this teaches me about God's character. If God created the universe, I can deduce that He is a God of order and not chaos. Similarly, I can learn from nature that God loves beauty and variety.

The second way God has revealed Himself is through "Special Revelation." This includes direct verbal communication such as Adam and Eve enjoyed before the fall, prophecy, God becoming man through Jesus Christ and finally, the Bible. Most of what we learn about God is contained in The Bible. The Bible tells us much about God that natural revelation does not - who He is, what He has done and how He interacts with humans. While we may know of God's existence through natural revelation, we can only be saved by what we learn through special revelation.

Inspiration

The Bible was written by humans under the direct inspiration of God. To understand inspiration it is good to examine what this does not mean. First, it does not mean that it was written in a clever way or by a brilliant person. We may say that Dickens' A Christmas Carol is an inspired story, but this is not what we mean when speak of the Bible being inspired. Second, this does not mean that God gave people thoughts and ideas that they then expanded upon and wrote down. Third, this does not mean the words are the words of men and only become God's words as we read them and as He helps us understand them. Fourth, it does not mean that the people acted like robots are wrote down God's words without thought or feeling. If that had been the case we would not be able to explain the different styles and personalities that are evident in the various authors.

So what does it mean that God inspired men to write the Bible? To understand this, we must understand (as we spoke about in a previous day) that God is eternal and all powerful. God arranged and formed the lives of the people who wrote the Bible so that he was in control of their backgrounds and their personalities. It means that God used people; their thoughts, experiences, backgrounds and personalities, to write His words. If they spoke in simple words it was because God had dictated that they would not be highly educated. If they spoke in complex words and argued their points with great clarity, it was because God had dictated that they would be highly educated. The words they chose were the words God had determined from eternity that they would use. The author's words were their own, yet at the same time, because God had so directed their lives, they were His words too.

Inspiration, then, is what God used to transmit to us the special revelation contained in the Bible.

Illumination

These concepts lead to one further concept which receives far less attention than the other two. Illumination refers to God's work in the lives of believers to make us able to believe and understand the words of the Bible. This does not mean the Spirit gives us new revelation - rather He applies to our lives the truths contained in His existing revelation. While illumination depends on prior revelation, it must be differentiated from it. You and I cannot expect God's direct special revelation in our lives. Instead we have the privilege of looking to his full and final revelation in the Scripture and having assurance that the Spirit will illumine those words for us. Many Christians confuse these. When they suddenly come to understand a deep truth in Scripture, they may believe that God has spoken to them, seemingly indicating a type of revelation. What has happened, though, is that God has illumined their hearts to understand a truth from His word.

We see many examples of God's illumination in the Bible. King David, in writing Psalm 119 asked the Lord "Give me understanding, that I may observe your Law." In the twenty fourth chapter of Luke Jesus, when appearing to the disciples after His resurrection, "opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures." Following His ascension, He sent the Holy Spirit to be our guide and to illumine the Scriptures for us. Paul referred to this many times, often praying that his readers would experience it. Perhaps the clearest example is in Ephesians 1:17-18 where we read "…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…" Today we continue to experience the privilege of having the Holy Spirit work through us to bring light to the Scriptures.

Illumination is what separates believers from unbelievers when we read the Bible. An unbeliever may read the word and view it merely as a religious or historical document, much like I would read the Koran or the Book of Mormon. But when a Christian reads the Bible, the Spirit guides him to see not merely history and religion, but the very words of God. And even more important, He allows the person to apply the great truths of the Bible to his life. He initiates change through the words of the Scripture. Being a Christian, then, is a necessary prerequisite for the Spirit's illumination.

I would like to address a couple of misconceptions regarding illumination. It would be easy to think that with the Spirit's help we can understand everything the Bible contains, but this is not necessarily so. We know there are some concepts that are too great for us and that God has chosen to remain hidden to us. For example, with the Spirit's illumination we can see the Trinity in the Bible, but we can never truly understand the inner workings of the godhead and truly comprehend how three can be one. Similarly we may not ever know why God allows certain events to happen while keeping other ones from ever taking place.

We might also wistfully think that the illumination of the Spirit precludes us from doing thorough, carefully study of the Bible, but again, this is not so. While we trust the Holy Spirit to guide us as we study His word, we must still labor to fulfill the Bible's commands to "cut it straight" - to accurately handle the word. In this way we can have assurance that the Spirit has, indeed, helped us to see truth and not error. As with most other things in life, God still commands us to work hard and to dedicate ourselves to the task. Just as we would not sit back and expect God to provide for us financially when we refuse to do useful labor, in the same way we should not expect Him to illuminate the Word for us when we are not diligent in seeking the truth.

Conclusion

So let's make this practical. What does the concept of illumination really mean to the average layperson?

First, it gives us assurance that God can and will speak to me through His word. I do not need to rely on my own intellect, but can have confidence that God Himself is working in and through me to bring light to the words of the Scripture. I do not need to rely on experts to tell me what the Bible says, but can rely on God Himself to tell me.

Second, I must seek the Spirit's illumination when I study the Scripture. I should invite Him to guide me as I read and continually turn to Him, asking Him to help me when I am stuck or perplexed.

Third, I must be diligent in my studies. The Spirit works through my efforts, not apart from them. If I am not properly engaged in studying the word, I can not expect Him to help me.

Since its publication in 1986, Chosen By God has become a classic introduction to Calvinism, for it is clearly one of the best introductions to Calvinism available. R.C. Sproul, ever the theologian but one with a gift for making the complex simple, begins with an introduction to God's sovereignty and then moves to free will before tackling the 5-points of Calvinism (as summarized in the acronym TULIP). He changes several of the terms, so the acronym eventually reads RULEP, but provides good justification for doing so. Not being one to back down from a fight, Sproul also tackles the subject of double predestination and assurance of salvation. The book closes with a Questions and Objections section which answers some of the most common objections to Calvinism, such as "Is predestination fatalism?" and "What does predestination do for the task of evangelism?"

It is important to note that this book is only an introduction to Calvinism, so does not provide exhaustive commentary on any single topic, each of which could easily become a book of its own. While 200 pages is plenty to introduce topics, it certainly does not allow for in-depth discussion.

Putting Amazing Back Into Grace is the first book I have read by Michael Horton. It will certainly not be my last. On the cover of the book J.I. Packer declares the book "a breaktaking workout" and his praise is justified. This book points us back to the Reformation and ultimately to the Bible itself as the source of an amazing grace that much of modern Christianity seems to have lost. He presents timeless truths as being as relevant to us today as they were when they were first discovered.

Horton redraws the standard TULIP acronym using modern terms. Total Depravity becomes Rebels Without A Cause, Unconditional Election becomes Grace Before Time, Limited Atonement becomes Mission Accomplished, Irresistible Grace becomes Intoxicating Grace and Perseverance of The Saints becomes No Lost Causes. While the terms may have changed, the truth behind each is defended and, perhaps best of all, made relevant to life. More than a theological treatise, this book contains an element of intense practicality where Horton shows how these doctrines are relevant to everyday life.

There have been several times over the past few weeks when I have been challenged on my Calvinist theology. People have not been confrontational, but I believe by-and-large have been honestly seeking answers and have asked my opinion on various matters. They generally come from an Arminian background and truly want to discover the truth on matters of God’s sovereignty, presdestination and so on. These conversations have given me ample opportunity for reflecting on what I believe.

I’ve decided that Calvinism is wrong and am immediately converting to Arminianism.

Just kidding, of course.

The time I have spent reflecting on the doctrines of grace has done much to reinforce my beliefs in Calvinist theology. Above all, I believe Calvinism allows God to be God - it raises Him to His rightful place, while not exalting man above what he deserves. Allow me to give a brief analogy.

When my family was visiting Georgia last week my son, my mother and I visited a small museum in Cartersville, a few miles from Atlanta. The museum had a glass elevator to move people between the two floors and the basement. Because the elevator was glass, we were able to see the mechanisms that drove it. As we went from the main floor to the second floor we saw the huge counterweight go by our window. As we went up, the counterweight had to move down to provide the energy to raise us. Later, when we went back down to the main floor, the counterweight passed us in the opposite direction. When we moved, the weight moved in proportion to our movement.

Now think of yourself and God replacing the elevator and the counterweight. As one is raised up, the other must necessarily be lowered down. There is a constant relationship between how we view ourselves and how we view God. In order to view God as He reveals Himself in Scripture, we must humble ourselves. It is my conviction that the doctrines we know as Calvinism raise God to the highest heights. Arminian beliefs begin to slowly raise man, never making him equal to God, but pulling God down from His rightful position. Arminianism raises man too high, thus pulling God too low.

Calvinism rightly views man as being in the lowest possible position. To exalt God to His rightful place, we must lie prostrate on the ground, faces pressed firmly into the dust. When we can get no lower, God is raised to the place He deserves.

That view of God - a God who is truly sovereign and who stands exalted in the highest - that is the starting point for the doctrines of grace.

I am hoping to have plenty more to say about this in the coming days!

"Getting The Gospel Right" is R.C. Sproul's sequel to the popular book "Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification" and is a thorough treatment of the subject of Christian unity. It is essentially a response to a document that tested the boundaries of unity between Roman Catholics and Evangelical Protestants: "The Gift of Salvation" (also known as ECT II) which was released subsequently to the original "Evangelicals and Catholics Together." These documents were both written and signed by leading members of Evangelical and Catholic churches as a means to promote unity between the churches. They chose to find common ground and unite on that basis rather than focus on the differences that separated them. Sproul and several other prominent Reformed Christians stood against this document, insisting that it did not form an adequate basis for unity with the Roman Catholic Church.

"Hard to Believe" is another hard-hitting, no-holds-barred strike against the modern church. Much as he did years ago in "Ashamed of the Gospel", MacArthur takes aim at easy-believism and a watered-down, seeker-friendly gospel. In particular, he criticizes the influence of those who preach self-esteem, a health and wealth gospel and aim to be overly seeker-friendly. This book forceful - so much so that there were several places where the force of his words and his anger at the perversion of the gospel shocked me and stopped me short. MacArthur's righteous indignation reminded me of Spurgeon who wrote many similar books and essays in his day. In case you are wondering more specifically who he is writing about, the only person he mentions by name is Robert Schuller and his infamously antibiblical book "Self Esteem: The New Reformation." However, it is easy to see shades of many popular Bible teachers if one reads between the lines.

Today I will be writing about how redemption is applied to the lives of believers. An obvious prerequisite to this article would be one about how redemption was accomplished. I will not be writing about that at this time, so we will have to consider it sufficient to say that redemption was accomplished through the death of Christ. Without Christ's atoning and substitutionary death, there could be no redemption.

This article will be brief, for like most theology, an entire volume would scarcely be sufficient to speak of such things. This is meant to serve merely as an outline.

In speaking about how redemption is accomplished we must consider a specific order, for God has seen fit to accomplish redemption in a certain way. The Bible is very clear that certain steps come before others. For example, John 1:12 says "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” We can infer from this passage that faith (which was necessary to receive Him) preceded adoption. Romans 8:30 is similar in that in lays out the order of several of the steps. "Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." Predestination preceded the call; the call preceded justification, which in turn preceded glorification.

Predestination

Before Creation, and indeed before time began, God chose some who would be His elect. Knowing these people would be sinners and no more deserving of His favor than the rest of humanity, He, from the good pleasure of His own will, through grace alone, chose some to be redeemed.

Effectual Calling

The effectual call is an act of God whereby He uses the preaching of the gospel and the power of the Spirit to bring His elect into union with Christ. This call is given as an act of God's grace, is His act alone and in no way involves the person being called. The word "effectual" is used to show that this is more than simply a calling which may either be heeded or ignored. This calling can only be effectual - man can not ignore or avoid it. The effectual call is the first manifestation of inward, saving grace in the life of the elect. The call effectually unites the elect with Christ so that they might become partakers in Him.

A call necessarily requires a response on the part of the person who is called. Can a person whose will is wholly corrupt answer the call of God to faith and a life of holiness? This is not possible. Therefore, God must first change the person's will so he is capable of responding to God's call.

Regeneration

Regeneration follows the effectual call and is the act of the Spirit in which the sinful nature of the elect is changed so that the person is capable of responding to God in faith. It is an act that originates entirely with God and in which man plays no part. J.I. Packer says "It extends to the whole nature of man, altering his governing disposition, illuminating his mind, freeing his will, and renewing his nature." Regeneration prepares a person to respond to God's call. God then does not just provide a call, but also makes a provision of grace so we are enabled to answer that call. In regeneration God makes us a new creation.

Prior to regeneration it is impossible for a person to believe in Christ. Once a person is regenerated it is impossible for a person not to believe in Christ. When the heart and mind have been renewed through regeneration they must act in accordance with their new nature.

Faith

Faith is an effect of regeneration, was provided for us by Christ and is wrought in us by the Spirit. Faith is an act of man, for God cannot believe in Christ on my behalf. It is an ability we have only through the grace of God, but still must be our act. Faith is a necessary effect of regeneration, for it is impossible that one who has been regenerated should have no faith. Similarly, it is impossible that one who is unregenerate should have saving faith.

Repentance

We do not know if repentance precedes faith or if faith precedes repentance. It does not matter, for they are inexorably linked. To echo the Shorter Catechism, repentance is a saving grace in which a sinner, out of a true sense of sin and understanding of the mercy of God in Christ, with grief and hatred of sin, turns from sin to God and endeavors to live in obedience to Him. Faith and repentance are interdependent because faith is faith in Christ for salvation from sin. We cannot untangle faith and repentance.

Justification

Justification is not an act of making a person holy, right or just. This is one of the great differences between Catholicism and Protestantism, for the Catholic Church holds that justification is an infusion of grace. Rather than being an act of making the elect right or holy, justification is a declaration by God that the elect are righteous in His eyes. He declares that the requirements of the law have been satisfied on behalf of that person. Justification is given to the elect on the sole basis of God's grace. We are given undeserved, unmerited, free favor.

Adoption

Adoption is the act in which the redeemed are adopted by God to become His sons and daughters. As with justification, adoption is not an act as much as it is a declaration. God declares that we have been legally adopted into His family and given full status as His children.

Sanctification

Sanctification is the process whereby the Spirit enters the redeemed and begins to work change in their hearts. The Spirit begins to put to death the old, sinful nature which loves sin and worldliness, giving instead a desire for God and holiness. J.C. Ryle says about the redeemed that "his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual-mindedness more marked. He feels more of the power of godliness in his own heart. He manifests more of it in his life. He is going on from strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from grace to grace…."

Sanctification is a lifelong work that will never reach perfection in this world. We are to continually strive to be perfectly holy in God's eyes, yet we will continually fall short.

Perseverance

Those who are redeemed in Christ will persevere to the end, for they can never lose their salvation. God will never allow their nature to become unregenerate, will never allow them to become unjustified and will never cast them out of His family. All saints will persevere to the end, and all who persevere to the end are saints.

Conclusion

As I said at the outset, this has been only a very brief explanation of how redemption is applied to the lives of believers. For further study I recommend Monergism.com which has thousands of documents to guide your studies. Also, there is an excellent book by John Murray entitled "Redemption Accomplished And Applied" which I highly recommend.