Ever since Loraine Boettner’s The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination Calvinism has been outlined by the acrostic TULIP:
- Total Depravity
- Unconditional Election
- Limited Atonement
- Irresistible Grace
- Perseverance of the Saints
Roger Nicole suggests the following replacements although it is not an acrostic:
- Radical and Pervasive Depravity
- Sovereign, Divine Election
- Definite Atonement (or Particular Redemption)
- Effectual, Saving Grace
- Perseverance of God with the Saints
and
- GRACE is:
- Obligatory (that is, indispensable)
- Sovereign (in choice)
- Particular (in redemption)
- Effectual (in operation)
- Lasting (that is, secure)
Phil Johnson’s outline of Calvinism given at Shepherd’s Conference 2007 was based on John 4:19 – “We love Him because He first loved us.” The outline is as follows:
- Perverseness of our fallen state – (we could not love Him first)
- Priority of God’s electing choice – (He loved us first)
- Particularity of God’s saving work – (He loved us)
- Power of His loving deliverance – (We love Him because)
- Perfection of His redemptive plan – (We love)
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Jason Robertson is a husband and a father and a pastor. He is dedicated to leading and equipping his the Church with God’s word and biblical theology for life ministry, using a combination of pastoral, church planting and evangelism experience. He holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is experienced in church planting, evangelism, missions, and the training of pastors and Bible teachers.
Jason has been preaching the gospel since 1985, serving the first ten years of ministry as a Southern Baptist itinerant evangelist out of Milldale Baptist Church in Zachary, LA which ordained him in 1993. He has preached in hundreds of churches in over 30 States and 4 countries. He planted churches in Siberia, Russia in the summers of 1993 and 1994. He founded Murrieta Valley Church in California, which he planted in cooperation with the SBC NAMB in 2001. He also teaches ministry students at California Baptist University.
You can hear his sermons and read his manuscripts on sermonaudio.com. Just follow the link to "sermons" at the top of this page.
Phil Johnson’s is more an alliteration than an acrostic.
This one switches the order but is my preferred acronym for the doctrines of G.R.A.C.E.
God’s Sovereign Election
Radical Depravity
Accomplished Redemption
Called Effectually
Endurance of the Saints
Are you the originator of this GRACE acrostic?
If not, do you know who is?
I want to reference it in a paper I am writing.
Thanks,
Geoff
Timothy George in “AMazing Grace” came up with this one:
R – Radical Depravity
O – Overcoming Grace
S – Sovereign Election
E – Eternal Life
S – Singular Redemption
CHRYSANTHEMUM, anyone? Just in case God’s salvation encompasses more than 5 points.
How many points does it encompass?
I have heard it referred to as ABC’s so there we have 3 points.
The Roman road which would include 6 or 7 depending.
I took class once title “50 ways to share your faith” but there were really only about 10. All of which had a nice way of helping you to remember.
Personally, I like TULIP as an acronymn. It encompasses the whole counsel of the Gospel in its five points. I can remember it and use it as a tool just like all other acronymns or initialisms or labels or titles or word pictures or any of the other things we use as tools to learn, teach and remember.
Total depravity, unconditional election, particular redemption, assured perseverance, and conquering grace.
That’s right:
-TUPAC.
David,
Hey brother, this post was about acrostics and outlines used to explain Calvinism, but you imply that “God’s salvation” encompasses more than 5 points. I agree the Gospel encompasses many points — indeed an innumerable amount of points — but that is a different topic
But your comment also implies that you equate “Tulip” and Calvinism with the Gospel. Do you believe that it does? Or do you not believe that the points of theology outlined above are true of God’s salvation?
Just thought I would ask since you equated the two in your comment.
I’m just being a ignorant, non-Reformed jerk. Jason and Scott, lunch is on me. Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Perhaps you can explain to me why it is important to categorize every minuscule aspect of theology to heck and back.
Unless you would not eat with such a one as me ;-p
David,
Just to prove that we love you, you can buy us lunch on Wed, Thurs, and Friday
Thursday would be great.
Looks like we missed each other. Let’s catch up soon anyway.
I like ROSES and GRACE, it doesn’t hurt to communicate truth in a new fashion.
TUPAC?
LOL!