Edwin H. Palmer, in his book The Five Points of Calvinism, wrote "one easy way to remember [the five points] is by the memory crutch T-U-L-I-P; Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints." (1)

In this brief paper I wish to explore these five points as they are held by Calvinistic teachers and then present a contrasting point of view. First of all, the Scriptures clearly teach that all humanity is depraved - totally depraved. But we are also impressed from Scripture to note that death and condemnation came upon all men, not solely because of Adam's sin, but most definitely because of each person's individual sin and guilt (Romans 5:12). This means personal responsibility before a holy God and the necessity for each individual to personally repent before Him. The Scriptures also clearly teach the election, or predestination of God. The issue we will need to uncover from Scripture, however, is whether that election is unconditional or conditional. Likewise, on the issue of the atonement provided by our Lord Jesus Christ, we will need to discover from Scripture whether it is a limited or an unlimited atonement - available to some or available to all. Concerning the perseverance of the saints, the scriptural bottom line is that true saints do persevere; and those who do not persevere are not true saints. We will need to probe the issue, however, of what could happen if a believer should fall away from the grace of God. These are the issues which will become the focus of this brief paper.

On the matter of total depravity, the issue is raised by Calvinists concerning the total inability of man to trust God. Edwin H. Palmer, from that stance, writes: "The unsaved, the unregenerate, is spiritually dead. He is unable to ask for help unless God changes his heart of stone into a heart of flesh … The question [then] is: Is God the author of redemption alone or also of faith? Does God contribute the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, and man contribute his faith? Or is faith also a gift of God (Eph. 2:8)? Does salvation depend partly on God (the giving of Christ on the cross) or wholly on God (the giving of Christ to die for us, plus the giving of our faith)?"

To these questions we would clearly answer that God is not only the author of redemption but also the author of the faith which enables us to receive His redemption. Man is so utterly depraved, so totally unable to do anything of, or on, or from his own to turn to God, that unless God first comes to him and creates within him the ability to believe, he would forever perish.

The way in which the Scriptures differ from Calvinism is in the scope of God's coming to mankind. Theologians speak of prevenient grace - grace which is "antecedent to human action," grace which comes to us first, before we ever could believe in Jesus, grace which then enables us to receive Jesus Christ. And this is true. But to whom does "prevenient grace" come? Scripture speaks of Jesus being "the true light, which enlightens EVERY MAN coming into the world" (John 1:9, NASB). Paul declares that God's gracious salvation and the faith that receives it, "is the gift of God," (Ephesians 2:8-9) but also that "God hath dealt to EVERY MAN a measure of faith" (Romans 12:3). In Acts 17:30, Paul further declares that God commands ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE to repent"; and from Acts 11:18 we learn that this repentance, like saving faith, is also a "gift" from God - "God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life." It is also clear that "God our Savior…wants ALL MEN TO BE SAVED and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:3-4, NIV). To this end, "Christ Jesus…gave Himself as a ransom FOR ALL" (2:6). Consequently, the invitation remains open to everyone: "For God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His one and only Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV).

To keep ourselves from the dangers of sophistry ("misleading but clever, plausible reasoning"), we must be honest in accepting all these clear statements of Holy Scripture for what they say. Would Jesus bother to "enlighten every man," if He did not intend for every man to respond to that light? Would God command everyone, everywhere to repent if He did not intend to offer to everyone that gift of repentance? Would God really "want all men to be saved" and yet not make available to everyone the means whereby they could be? Would Jesus "give Himself as a ransom for all," and yet not make that ransom available to all? Could God invite "whosoever will" to believe, and yet not enable "whosoever will" to believe?

Clearly stated, man cannot do anything of himself to come to God, no less do anything of himself to receive from God His eternal salvation. Repentance is God's gift to us; faith is God's gift to us; but God stands at the very ends of the earth as a shining sun, drawing all to the light, as the leaves of a plant are drawn to the sunlight, offering to all His amazing, sovereign grace. Even on the consciences of those who have never yet heard the Gospel, God has written "the requirements of the law" (Romans 2:15) in hopes that they might sense their deep lostness and thus begin their quest for Him. He establishes their very geographical locations; "so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him" (Acts 17:27). In His infinite wisdom, He has further sovereignly endowed all men with a will to either accept or reject His light; to either receive or refuse His calling; to either respond to or turn away from His drawing, thereby making them utterly responsible for their responses. And should they turn away from the light, He deeply mourns over their refusals as He did over Jerusalem: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but YOU WERE NOT WILLING!" (Luke 13:34) Only in the Scriptural light of man's personal responsibility before God can we understand aright the truth of his total depravity.

Parallel to this issue of man's total depravity and personal responsibility before God, it is important for us to note the Calvinist's position concerning evil, which leads the Calvinist to a horrific conclusion. Quoting John Calvin, author Edwin H. Palmer states: "Evil, which is in itself contrary to the will of God, is not done without the will of God, because without God's will it could not have been done at all." In his Consensus Genevenis Calvin asserted that SIN IS IN THE ETERNAL DECREE OF GOD. Edwin H. Palmer consequently declares: "Sin and unbelief are ordained by God. Just as Christ's crucifixion was determined by God, so David's SIN WAS DETERMINED BY GOD. IT WAS DECREED BY GOD. Nothing - not even Satan's evil plans - are outside the decrees of God." Well may we ask at this juncture of Calvinistic thinking, what ever happened to James' understanding: "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me!' For God cannot be tempted by evil, NOR DOES HE TEMPT ANYONE…." (James 1:13)?

Clearly, our holy God is not the author of moral evil.(3) His "eyes are too pure to look on evil" (Habakkuk 1:13). Satanic and human falleness are the causes of all moral evil, but we may be well assured that our Lord Jesus "must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet…so that God may be all in all" (I Cor. 15:24-28) If words mean anything, evil shall ultimately exist no more in God's moral universe!

Scripture does reveal that we who believe are "the elect," but also that our election is "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (I Peter 1:2).

Calvinism, according to Edwin H. Palmer, defines foreknowledge in these terms: "the word translated by the older versions as 'foreknow' is a Hebrew and Greek idiom meaning 'love beforehand'. When the Bible says that Adam 'knew' Eve…it means that Adam loved Eve." Palmer also then goes on to state: "God knows everything and everyone." We must agree with both statements - foreknowledge includes God's perfect and complete knowledge of everything and everyone and everything about everyone from eternity to eternity. Also, when Scripture says God knew us beforehand, this also means that He set His love upon us beforehand. These are the twin elements which activate His holy election and predestination.

Robert Bleich defines the awesome and comprehensive foreknowledge of God is these words: "Not only does God know the future perfectly, He is also able to tell what would occur under all possible circumstances, whether or not they take place. Jesus said, 'woe to you, Chorazin. Woe to you, Bethsaida. For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes' (Luke 10:13). Thus an event need not occur for the Lord to righteously judge what would have happened." This awesome kind of all-inclusive foreknowledge issues into God's divine election and predestination. So also does His abounding love and affection. Of Israel He said: "The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples…but it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers…." (Deut. 7:7-8). O, how overwhelming that we are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God" (I Peter 1:2).

Paul declares: "those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son" (Romans 8:29). Paul further declares that we have been "chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." (Ephesians 1:11). We have already uncovered what is His glorious purpose and plan and will. Simply stated, God "will have all men to be saved, and to come into the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:4). God's predestination is therefore always in conformity to the purpose of His will, which is to have "all men to be saved." So, from eternity past, God - who knows everything - foresaw those who would respond to His calling over all mankind; these He predestined, according to His awesome foreknowledge, "to be conformed to the likeness of His Son." The Greek word for "foreknowledge" is prognosis, and simply means "to know beforehand." (Our medical term "prognosis" is a transliteration of this same Greek word.) Robert Bleich comments in Foundations of Theology: "We are 'elect according to the foreknowledge of God'… If we fail at something in the future He doesn't hold a re-election! Our futures, still unknown to us, were known to Him in eternity past…man's free will does not restrict God's knowledge in any way; and God's foreknowledge does not restrict man's free choices."

If, therefore, a person perishes, they perish because, contrary to the heart cry of God, they will not come to the knowledge of the truth that they might be saved (II Thess. 2:9-10), and God's election is conditioned upon, and according to, this foreknowledge.

A surface reading of Romans 9:10-21 appears to support the Calvinistic view of unconditional election. It must be noted, however, that the election spoken of here is not an election to personal salvation, but an election to divine use and service. God chose Jacob and Israel above Esau and Edom to be His instrument in the earth. God chose Pharaoh and Egypt as an instrument through whom to display His awesome power. The bottom line in this passage is: "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" (Romans 9:21) When it concerns God using one vessel in a glorious way and another vessel in a ignominious way, Paul quotes the Lord saying, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy…" (Romans 9:15). But when it concerns God's eternal salvation, Paul states, "God has concluded them all in unbelief, that HE MIGHT HAVE MERCY ON THEM ALL (Romans 11:32)!

Edwin H. Palmer succinctly states the Calvanistic position: "Because there is a limited election, there is a limited atonement…Christ died for only the believer." The Scriptures on this subject, however, are clear. John declares of "Jesus Christ, the Righteous One" that "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD (I John 2:1-2). Jesus "really is the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD" (John 4:42). Jesus is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin OF THE WORLD" (John 1:29). Jesus "died for ALL…[Thus] God was reconciling THE WORLD to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sin against them" (II Cor. 5:14-21). Indeed, Christ Jesus…gave Himself as a ransom FOR ALL…." I Tim. 2:6). And to make these unlimited and all-inclusive statements into limited and exclusive statements, referring only to believers, I believe is grievous sophistry. Again, to quote Edwin H. Palmer: "In John 2:2, for example, we read that Christ 'is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world'. This means that Christ died for the sins not only of Jews, but also of Dutchman, Italians, and Swedes - in fact, for the whole world. It does not mean for every single Jew, Dutchman, Italian, and Swede (emphasis mine)." We must believe the Scriptures when they state that Jesus died for the sins of the believers, but we must, contrary to Edwin H. Palmer's statement, also believe them when they state that He died not only for our sins, "but also for THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD."

One of the basic principles of hermeneutics (sound biblical interpretation) is to define a statement in the Scriptures in the light of how the author uses that statement elsewhere. Twice in 1 John, John the Beloved used the expression "the whole world." The expression in Greek is: holos (all, the whole, the entire) kosmos (world-system). In I John 2:2, John declares that Jesus died not only for our sins but "for the sins of the whole world [holos kosmos]" In I John 5:19, John uses this same Greek phrase in the statement: "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world [holos kosmos] is under the control of the evil one." If the Calvinistic position is correct in I John 2:2, that not "every single Jew, Dutchman, Italian and Swede" is reflected in that statement "the whole world," then it must likewise be true in I John 5:19, and obviously that is impossible. I John 5:19 clearly could not teach that only a select group in the world are "under the control of the evil one" but rather that every man, woman and child in the whole wide world is "under the control of the evil one" until they become children of God! And so in I John 2:2 - Christ died for every man, woman and child in the whole world, in the hope that they would become children of God!

Christ's atonement is therefore unlimited; it is all-inclusive; it covers all the sin - past, present and future - of every person born of Adam's race. Only in this way, is God able to open the doors of salvation to "whosoever will." He declares: "whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (Rev. 22:17). And those who refuse to come and those who refuse to "take the free gift of the water of life" do not in any way invalidate nor diminish the power and glory of what has been provided for them by our mighty Savior on the Cross. The atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ is an unlimited atonement; only in that way could God make His salvation available to "all."