According to John Calvin, “Augustine is so entirely within me that if I wanted to compose a confession of my faith, I might do so out of his works with all fullness and satisfaction to myself.” [3] “This explains why John Calvin referenced Augustine every four pages in the Institutes of the Christian Religion. For this reason, Calvin would consider himself an Augustinian rather than a Calvinist. […] Should they be classified as an Augustinian-Calvinist rather than a Christian Calvinist?” [4] Therefore, Calvinism in particular is occasionally referred to as Augustinianism, agrees Cary. [5]
The acronym TULIP, which stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints, sums up the five basic beliefs of Calvinism. Following Calvin’s passing, these were outlined at the Second Synod of Dort in 1618–1619 in opposition to the Five Articles of Remonstrance, which upheld Jacobus Arminius’ doctrine. These five Calvinist tenets are still held by contemporary Reformed theology[6] as a concise statement of the soteriological beliefs that Calvin upheld and attributed to Augustine.
What does the U stand for in TULIP?
Total depravity: This viewpoint effectively reinforces the notion that everyone is a sinner who is unable to save themselves. (Pretty gloomy, huh?) This idea is a clear example of how much Augustine, one of the early Christian church founders, affected Calvin. This theory does not necessary imply that all people are completely evil and devoid of all goodness. It really merely means that people are unable to choose to follow God on their own. It makes the erroneous assumption that individuals will, by nature, just care about themselves and have no concern for upholding God. This is a point of contention amongst several protestant groups and relates to the larger theological issue of original sin.
Unconditional election: Tulip’s concepts are interconnected. Therefore, the theory of unconditional election only holds true if man is seen to be wholly wicked. Unconditional election’s primary tenet is that God determines who will be saved and who will not. Again, no one is ever good enough to be saved, thus there is nothing anyone can do to be saved on their own. A person can only be rescued if God elects them to do so. In other words, God already knows and has always known who will be saved and who will spend eternity in hell. The people he intended to save are referred to as the “elect. This is a major cause of contention, including the predestination controversy.
Limited atonement: You must first understand the definition of the word “atonement” in order to comprehend the implications of this concept. In general, the phrase “atonement” refers to a compensation for harm or crime. The act of reconciling God and humanity via Jesus Christ is known in theology as atonement. In essence, Jesus took the punishment for the evil that we, as humans, had done to God.
This principle is combined with the notion of God’s sovereignty in the concept of limited atonement. It basically comes down to asking for whom Jesus paid a price. Was it open to all humans? If so, was it just for the “who has God preselected to be saved? Since the majority of Calvinists hold that none of Jesus’ suffering was in vain, his atonement was only made on behalf of the elect. Additionally, they make sure that the atonement is solely intended for those who are supposed to be rescued and not because he was unable to die for everyone.
Irresistible grace: The absolute depravity of man, which states that we are attracted to sin and always will be, is one of Calvinism’s central tenets. Our natural tendency is to rebel against Christ and lead a sinful life, not to follow Him. According to this theory, no one can resist turning toward God because of how strongly the grace of God draws them all. Basically, someone will be rescued if it is in of God’s plan for them to do so. Augustine, who believed that God had irresistibly called on him to surrender his life to God, was a major influence on this thought as well. This reinforces the notion that God’s sovereignty is emphasized and the idea that He has predetermined who will be saved.
Perseverance of the Saints: According to this Calvinist doctrine, once someone has attained salvation, they are unable to lose it. A person will always be a member of the elect if they are currently a member. A Calvinist would assert that someone was never genuinely saved if they claimed to have turned their lives toward God and then stopped doing so. Given that this aspect of Calvinism holds that there is nothing a person can do to become saved or unsaved, it is also a promise against salvation based on works. A Calvinist would contend that it all depends on what God has in store for you.