We must not forget the Calvinistic basics!

For most Christians who enter into a biblical path in pursuit of solid doctrine, they often encounter the acronym TULIP. This can also be labelled the five points of Calvinism and it stands for:

T = total depravity
U = unconditional election
L = limited atonement
I = irresistible grace
P = perseverance of the saints

This is a summary in the English speaking world for the theology of the Synod of Dort which sought to handle the claims of the false teaching of Arminius. Arminian thinking today has spread like a worldwide plague through the church. This is because it packages Christianity in a way that is appealing to the natural man but Arminianism is not a biblical system.

While it is true that Reformed doctrine is far more than the so-called five points of Calvinism, we must not forget these five points. We must catechise our children and teach them to the next generation. We must teach the church about them also. When they are rightly understood their biblical truth will enable the church to resist Arminianism in the guise of Calvinism. One of the challenges of the growth of reformed doctrine is that some people claim to hold to reformed doctrine while their practice is more akin to Arminian teaching.

When the concern of the church is to start with man, the tables have turned. It is not unbiblical for a church to ask how we can reach the lost. However, when we give the lost what they want in order to reach them, then we can be in danger of losing our focus on the living God. In the Book of Acts, the apostles never sought the use of worldly methods to win souls. They did not hire the local theatres and use Greek dramas to draw a crowd.

For those who would like further reading, may I recommend James White "The Potter's Freedom" or Boettner "The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination".

The church has to maintain her purity of doctrine. Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet".