Calvinism

Calvinism is a system of Christian theology named after John Calvin (July 10, 1509 - May 27, 1564). His Institutes of the Christian Religion is one of history's seminal works of Christian theology.

Calvinism is usually defined by its five points, represented by the acronym, TULIP. TULIP stands for:

T: Total depravity - the doctrine that man in his natural state can do nothing pleasing to God, and depends completely on God for salvation, unable to earn it on his own
U: Unconditional election - the doctrine that man is elected (chosen) to salvation by God, and that salvation is unconditional (i.e. does not depend on the actions of man, but is totally dependent on God's prerogative).
L: Limited atonement - not all will be saved, only God's elect. God's salvation is limited in nature, not universal.
I: Irresistable grace - God's call is unavoidable. If He chooses you for salvation, you will be saved - you cannot resist it. See Romans 8:28-30
P: Perserverence of the saints - Once saved, always saved. You cannot lose your salvation. This logically follows from the other points since your salvation depends on God and not you, and since God's call is irresistable and God does not change his mind.

A doctrine associated with Calvinism is "predestination". The doctrine of Predestination states that God chose some people to be believers and have salvation from before he made the world -- that our salvation is not contingent upon what we do in our lives, but was chosen for us before we were born (and before the world was even made). Predestination logically follows from TULIP.

Some distinguish betweeen "single" and "double" predestination. Single predestination indicates only that God predestined some for salvation. Double predestination indicates that God chose some for salvation and also chose the rest for damnation. Most Calvinists, I believe, hold to double predestination, as is appropriate, both from the testimony of Scripture and because it follows from single predestination and TULIP.

Resources

• Catholic Encyclopedia on John Calvin

Page last edited: February 11, 2005 (utc)