Tulip - Part 1 (Introduction) — John Piper

Isaiah’s Vision of God’s Unsearchable Greatness

Let me begin tonight with a passage of scripture and then pray with you before we move into our topic. I'm going to read some verses from the end of Isaiah 40 which many of you are Reading these days because it's part of our through the year plan.

Verse 28. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary and Young men shall fall exhausted. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary.

They shall walk and not faint. Father we join you and Isaiah in affirming that your understanding is Unsearchable. Your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And so as we undertake in these next ten weeks together to Tackle some of the way here matters of the scriptures.

I pray that the Holy Spirit would come and Enable us to grasp in measure your mind. That which you have revealed and intend for us to know may we be able to know and may it not only grip our minds, but Ravish our hearts so that we become a people of authentic worship and utterly Devoted obedience and great allegiance to Jesus Christ the King Lord let none of our labor be in vain.

I pray. I Pray for every person in the room right now that there would be a heartfelt longing to know you to love you. To follow you to delight in you to rest in you to hope in you to treasure you. And May that longing be satisfied week by week as we study together guard us.

I pray now from The tempter and the deceiver who is a great Confuser of minds who does not want these things to be known or understood. Would like to keep your people in the dark. Unable to delight in who you are.

So I pray that you would frustrate his designs tonight. And that you would fill us with all the fullness of yourself and Jesus name. I ask it amen. This class is called tulip. The pursuit of God's glory in salvation.

It's one of the several Component seminars of a class in practical theology, which the track two guys are taking for seminary credit. So I'll read the aim of and scope of this course here. Who initiates faith who sustains faith through the afflictions of this life.

Who gets all the glory and salvation? This seminar is designed to communicate in a sensitive and pastoral way The essence of the Calvinistic view of the doctrine of salvation and to show how the reformed understanding of this precious doctrine is Rooted in the careful study of Scripture and is valuable in the life and ministry of the church.

Our interest is not so much in what John Calvin thought about predestination. But first and foremost what Jesus and Paul and Moses and Isaiah and Peter and Luke and the rest of the biblical writers taught in Scripture.

No difficult texts will be avoided at least not intentionally the Armenian side. Those are strange words to you are many in Calvinist. Okay, we'll talk about that in a minute. The Armenian side of the argument stressing free will of man will be fairly represented.

The seminar will include a presentation time as well as time for questions and answers. Then come some required texts a good literal version of the Bible. For all the track one folks everybody I hope would bring one the one in the pew.

There is a good one. We think the new American Standard. I Hope that all of you will get and read This booklet called tulip. This was written I did the first draft of it back in 1985 then the staff that was here in those days Worked hard with me to refine it and we've called it what we believe the we there's the staff.

What we believe about the five points of Calvinism we don't require that everybody at Bethlehem Either understand or believe this however, we carry out our ministry in such a way as to Try to persuade you to believe it and to convince you that it's biblical.

And so a lot of people hundreds of people are in process About these things and what this course is as part of that process. We believe it's true. We believe it's beautiful. We believe it's helpful. We believe it helps you live and helps you die and We would like you to understand it and embrace it not because we think it or Calvin thought it but because the Bible teaches it then.

The book my book the pleasures of God has two chapters in it, which I think are very Pointedly relevant for this class chapters two and five. Okay I'd like to begin the substantive part of this seminar with some assumptions.

The Bible as the Supreme Authority

Everybody has assumptions presuppositions and you need to know mine. Number one is a quote from our affirmation of faith. The Bible is the Word of God fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and.

And That it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct should taken out the word that I dropped a phrase at the beginning. It has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. Now if that assumption feels like a far-out Leap into the dark to you and you don't see any warrant for it.

You're here visiting tonight. You're not part of this commitment that we have at Bethlehem. There is going to be a seminar you'll notice number four under the top page three why we believe the Bible that'll be in the spring.

I Taught that two years ago here and so it's not something we just dangle out there and leap into without thought and reflection and prayer and honesty. But it's not something I'm going to defend here.

It's something I'm going to assume. Number two. Right thinking about what the Bible teaches about God and man and salvation really matters. The TBI exists because we believe that right thinking really matters bad theology.

You don't need to stumble over that word. You are all Theologians in the making a theologian is simply a person who starts thinking about God and either does so well or badly and We want to do it. Well so there are professional theologians and then there are lay theologians and everybody who's a Christian is a Theologian either doing it badly or doing it.

Well, and this course is designed to help you do it better. Bad theology dishonors God and hurts people. Churches that sever the root of truth May flourish for a season. We transplanted a tree when we did this parking lot over and you'll notice we planned translated two trees.

We to pull up the roots big trees been there for about eight years and Move the other one down there one is still green. The other one's all brown and I'm wondering is it going to survive? And their church is like that.

It looked for weeks like it was going to make it. The leaves are still green and and that's what happens in a church if you if you wreck the connection with the source. It'll stay green for a while a lot of churches around the country flourishing for a while, maybe a decade maybe 20 years and then They'll either die or they'll cease being evangelical churches and become very liberal.

Nominally Christian churches, so I'm assuming right thinking is very important. Number three the work of the Holy Spirit and the pursuit of his work in prayer that is his help is Essential for grasping the truth of Scripture.

So this is to help balance point number two. It is not mere thinking that enables us to grasp the Bible. It is the work of the Spirit and even though I'm calling this an assumption. I want to give you a text to support it.

We impart this in words not taught by human Wisdom Paul says but taught by the Spirit. So when Paul writes he says he's imparting words that are taught by the Spirit interpreting Spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit the unspiritual man.

That's the person who doesn't have the Holy Spirit helping him does not receive the gifts the Spirit of God. For they are folly to him and he is not able Not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

The spiritual man judges all things but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord or who? Has so as to instruct him quote Romans so as to instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ.

So the key phrases here are He is not able to understand The things that God gives us in the word that Paul teaches because they are spiritually discerned. We saw a lot of the Reason for that last Sunday as we said if there is unrighteousness in our heart if we have a love affair with Independence if we have a love affair with some sin if we have a love affair with our own Self-determination and we want to stand on our own two feet and do what we think is right and think what we think is True without submission to the authority of God what will happen when the Bible arrives in our lives?

Is that it will be folly to us? We will either reject it outright and say the Bible is not true. Or if for some social reason or some religious reason we feel like we can't do that. We will twist it to fit what we already Believe and feel comfortable with in either case in either case.

We will not understand and we will be left Without light. To overcome that we need the Holy Spirit. We must be not unspiritual people but spiritual people so pray. Pray before you come in here. I love worshipping before this class.

I love Worshiping and I don't know When I when I sing more love more power I have some things in mind more love more power. Those are not throwaway words for me. I Need more of the love of God. I need to love people more.

I need to be a more loving person because if I'm not a loving person That is if I don't have the fruits of the Holy Spirit at work in my life I will wreck the Bible when I try to interpret it. Because it has so much to say about love that if I'm not in sync with it at my own heart I will manipulate it to get it in sync with me and So when we worship think of all the crying out that we're doing for help.

For this class as well as for your lives in general thus giving God the credit for everything. He's going to do number four. Thinking is essential for grasping biblical truth. I Said at the beginning Maybe I need to distinguish what I have between two and four here when I said right thinking is important.

I'm it getting your doctrine right is important here. I mean the exercise of the hard work of reflecting on the meaning of words and sentences is Important. 1st Corinthians 1420 brethren do not be children in your thinking.

Yet in evil be infants. But in your thinking. Be mature in your thinking be mature so be babes. In evil, but don't be babes when it comes to thinking. Put away childish things when you become a man. When I was a child I thought like a child when I became a man.

I thought like a man. There is a mature way to think and We need to do it second. Timothy 2 7. Think over what I say Timothy for the Lord will grant you understanding and everything if you split this up and like this one or like this one.

You will fail. There are a lot of people who just think and there are a lot of things people who say it's just a gift. Understanding is just a gift of God and others say it's just a fruit of thinking and look how Paul thought.

Think because it's a gift to thinkers. Think because it's a gift to thinkers. This is this is right at the heart of how you understand Calvinism. Calvinism is a way of thinking that sees God behind everything.

God is sovereign over everything. From him through him and to him are everything to which people who will not submit to that respond. Usually so we'll do just do nothing, right? That's the mockery that comes out of many mouths.

When they say God is over everything God is in everything. God is doing everything. God enables everything. God is sovereign over everything. God governs everything. But if you're willing to think biblically.

You make these kinds of connections. Think over what I say, this is called means means of grace. Means of grace. This is grace. The Lord will give it. He will give it. There's no amount of thinking in the world that will get you what you need and No grace that'll give it to you if you're not doing the means and The means themselves are gifts of grace.

That's Calvinism one more assumption. God ordains that there be teachers in the church to help the body. Grasp and apply the truth of Scripture to help the body. That is the church. He gave some as Apostles.

Some as prophets some as evangelists some as pastors and teachers. For the equipping of the Saints for the work of the service to up build for the up building of the body of Christ. You might just take Point number four and say, okay I'm supposed to think over my Bible and the Holy Spirit is supposed to graciously and free me freely.

Give me understanding as I do the means of grace thinking so you're not needed John Piper. Thank you. I will just work with my Bible and God is gracious to us. But that would be unbiblical. It might be logical at one level, but it's not biblical.

And we're always going to be trying to take our heads and press them through the sieve of Scripture so that we sift out. All the wrong conclusions drawn from right premises. So many people draw wrong conclusions from scattered Premises.

I have in mind when I say teachers here both living teachers and dead teachers. Hebrews 13 7 remember those who led you. Remember your leaders. Who spoke this in past tense some they're gone now. They're dead.

Some of them who spoke the Word of God to you and Consider the result of their conduct and imitate their faith. That's people like Calvin or Edwards any number of other hundreds of Saints. Your parents maybe who are dead therefore we read books and We listen to teaching and we interact and we help each other.

Those are my five assumptions. Any questions about those. I Am tempted. In fact, I'm going to yield to the temptation. I think To ask you to turn with me to Its second Chronicles 30. I'm going to illustrate for you The means of grace being a gift.

I know I thought I'm going to throw out a lot of sentences like that because you got to start somewhere in a class, right? Unsupported sentences and If you press me I will probably support them at the moment.

But I hope I don't get pressed every time because we'll never ever get through this class if I don't do something in sequence. But that's okay. I'm gonna trust the Lord to govern these questions that come and We'll just go with the flow now in The Second Chronicles.

The Lord is Telling the people. Oh, let's start at verse 7. Do not be like your fathers and your brethren who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers so that he made them a desolation as you see do not now be Stiff-necked as your father's were but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary which he has sanctified forever and Serve the Lord your God.

That his fierce anger may turn away from you. So notice the conditions being laid down if you want the fierce anger of God to be turned away from you. You better serve the Lord you better yield yourselves to the Lord.

Verse 9 for if big if big condition big means. Means if you return to the Lord your brethren and your children will find compassion. So compassion is contingent upon the means of returning to the Lord you you do that and God will do this With their captors and return to this land for the Lord.

Your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you. If you see these means these conditions if you return to me. Okay. Now if you stop there Stopped reading you would say That's the way I understand the Bible.

God gives humans conditions. God tells them what they have to do when they do what they're supposed to do. He does what he does in response. That's human religion that makes sense to everybody you don't need a Holy Spirit to understand that.

That's the way everybody functions in the world. That's what the Bible says. So means are held out you must do this and then God responds and that's true. I believe what I just read. I'm not going to contradict it.

I'm gonna add just one thing verse 12. Whoo. I love the way your heads go down. Walk. Well, let's read 10 through 12 lest we Jump over anything. So the couriers took this message they went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulon but they laughed them to scorn so some people did not do the means they did not fulfill those conditions.

They laughed them to scorn mocked them only a few men of Asher. And of Manasseh and of Zebulon did what they were told to do namely humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. Now verse 12 the hand of God was also.

Now, let me just tell you what that also means. That also refers to these these wonderful folks in verse 11. The folks from Asher Manasseh and Zebulon they humbled themselves. So those and also some others experienced verse 12 the hand of God was also upon Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

The means is given. God told them what they had to do. Repent humble themselves. Yield to the Lord and God will be compassionate to you and then God gave them the heart to do it now. We're way ahead of ourselves here.

Okay. Stop close parenthesis store your questions up come back for ten weeks and we'll be. Seeing more and more of these things. I will give you the opportunity to say whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, there's another way to understand this.

But right now I've got a lesson plan tonight and I want to get at least partway Through it. So We're coming back together. You're writing down your questions you can hand them to me afterwards if you want or Give you a chance to ask him next time, but let's go to my next purpose tonight that is to Show you the historical background of the issue of the five points and tulip and so on.

The Historical Origins of Calvinism and Arminianism

Historical background for the five points. Let's try to walk through this quickly. This is not hugely important, but I I think it helps to not just sling words around and not know where they came from.

John Calvin the great reformer of Geneva and author of the Institutes of the Christian religion died in 1564. He and Luther were the two big names Zwingli could be added in there the three big names of what we call the Reformation where the Catholic Church was begun to be reformed until the Catholic Church Excommunicated these men and the Protestant Church was born the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius Was born in 1560 and died in 1609.

So you see just a little overlap there. He was four years old when Calvin died. He came to disagree Stronger and stronger with the key tenets beliefs of Calvinist Doctrine his name is going to produce Arminianism and his name is going to produce Calvinism.

In the early 1600s a Controversy arose especially in Holland the Dutch reformed Church between the Arminians and the Calvinists the groups who bore the name of the person who most powerfully expressed their understanding of Scripture, what was the controversy in 1610?

The Arminians Presented the followers of Arminius presented five doctrinal positions called the remonstrance. To the state authorities. It was a state church. The Dutch reformed church was a state church.

These expressed the key areas where they disagreed with the Calvinists. Then eight years later from November 13 1618 to May 9 1619 Calvinists the Dutch reformed church met at the Synod of Dort. Anybody graduate from Dort College here.

It's named after this reformed church school over down in. This is the center. I'm thinking of Northwestern. Oh, yeah, same. Okay same denomination. I think or at least same theology. They met in the Synod of Dort to answer these five disputed points.

Their answers came to be called the canons of Dort now the canons of Dort Canons just simply means principles or rules beliefs. The canons of Dort the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism are the three Dutch reformed Statements of faith that govern today the Christian reformed church reformed church in America Calvin Christian school where dozens of kids from Bethlehem go to school and so on.

So this is the origin of these. These canons. These are the original expression of the five points of Calvinism. Thus The five points were not asserted by Calvinists as a summary of their doctrine. Calvinist didn't one day say let's put forward our system in five points.

They didn't do that. They were the Calvinist response To the Arminian Remonstrance who chose these five points with which to disagree? So I'm out of the total system that was being taught as Calvinism in the Dutch Reformed Church in those days they spotted five things that they really didn't like and believe were biblical and they labeled them and they asserted an alternative and.

Then the response to those five disagreements came to be the five points of Calvinism. Nevertheless, these five points are at the very heart of How we understand God and sin and grace and atonement and salvation and all the things that are touched namely everything.

By these great realities in short the five points are vital To understand and have a bearing on all of life and ministry. I'm not teaching this course because I think It's a curiosity. That the five points are a curiosity.

I'm teaching it because I think to what you believe about these five issues wherever you come down is Unbelievably vital for your faith your family how you raise your kids. I tell you if you've got kids in this church, and you don't like this you better leave.

Because the curriculum that is being developed here is massively God-centered. Massively weighted towards the sovereignty of God and your children are going to be taught a theology. That is awesome in its wonderful centrality of God number eight somewhere Along the way and I don't know the history of this and if any of you knows I would like you to tell me or knows where I can find out.

I looked and don't know where to find it. Somewhere along the way the Calvinistic view the five points came to be summarized under the acronym Tulip, I mean it is such an incredible Providential accident that tulip is Dutch and in English in English it works.

This is really strange. That tulip works, and it works in theological order. I mean this is really strange. I Wouldn't begin to argue that that's the reason to believe it. So it's strange. It's just a helpful way to remember the five points they deal with.

T total depravity. Our condition. You unconditional election. L limited atonement. We could do better than that phrase. I would I wish it were to dip for definite atonement, but more on that later tulips not a word and wouldn't help anybody.

I Irresistible grace. P the perseverance of the Saints. Now note a Person may embrace these five points because they think they're biblical while not embracing other things that Calvin and the Dutch Reformed Church endorsed for example One may embrace believers baptism as I do.

We're a Baptist Church and I'm glad and One may renounce the idea of a state church, which I do think that's unbiblical and unhelpful and there are other things that John Calvin believed and and Did that I would find wrong?

So Should we call ourselves Calvinist. Should we even use terminology like that? Well, we do not belabor it. When you read my books You will not find The word Calvinist in any chapter title at all anywhere.

It's a rare word to be found anywhere in the books. Because I think it just is neither here nor there. With regard to the labels just doesn't matter. What matters is is it biblical. Is the Bible teach it?

And so a lot of people stumble over the words Armenian and Calvinist and to say why you would have an allegiance to a man. Well, we don't and so We don't make a lot out of that. However, if you were to ask me, are you a Calvinist or an Armenian?

I would not hesitate to say I am a Calvinist so depending on the group you're in and the and the The people you want to communicate with you need to be careful and you need to qualify. Let's always stress at least if you buy my assumption number one we want to be a biblical people more than we want to be a Calvinistic people question on the history.

I Don't know much about history. I just study enough to feel my way around and and Get my bearings and know where my roots are. But if you press me on details, I'll probably be ignorant kid the truth in that.

Namely that the Reformation was fought over Election or the sovereignty of God. I mean that that's a pretty bold statement in view of the fact that indulgences the issue of indulgences the issue of the worship of Saints the issue of the authority of the Pope the issue of the math and What happens to the body of Christ at the Lord's table?

I mean those were massive issues of dispute plus others. For Sproul to say that which I think I agree with. Is a massive claim to say that beneath all of those other disputes? Was the issue of the sovereign grace of God?

He doesn't he doesn't leap into the dark when he says that Luther says that Calvin says that when Luther died He affirmed that of all the 53 volumes of Luther Verket that he had written The bondage of the will was the most important book so go back and look at the bondage of the will and you'll see what he thought the issue in the Reformation was David Comment Kendall argues that way namely that Calvin was not a Calvinist that is Theodore Beezer who took up the chair and taught and formulated and systematized went beyond Calvin in some of the five points, especially point number three limited atonement the L now I Doubt that.

But it doesn't Exercise me and I don't spend a lot of time trying to figure that out because if it were so it wouldn't affect anything In my system at all since I'm trying to find it in the Bible and not in Calvin.

If if Calvin didn't believe it and the Bible teaches it then so much the worse for Calvin or if Biza says he didn't and he did and poor Biza, but just know that that dispute exists that Calvin some people think is getting a bum rap by being called the Calvinist.

Which just shows you why we mustn't put too much in our system or our heroes. I have heroes like Jonathan Edwards and Dan Fuller and others and and I I don't presume to think they're infallible. Okay.

Comparing the Five Points of Calvinism and Arminianism

We only have a few more minutes and I'm I'm almost afraid to begin this but it might be helpful to. To read it through this will be very frustrating for you. But some of you might need this just to tantalize you to come back what my last three overheads are a summary of the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism on each of the five points a sentence for each one.

So I'll read them to you. It'll raise huge questions. Some of them will not make sense to you because they're complicated. But in other words, this is what the ten weeks are about. So If you feel frustrated after I do this, please I'll try to help you with that frustration in the weeks to come but it might be helpful just to get the overview.

So let's take them and I'll read you a Calvinism. This is my effort. I didn't quote this from anybody else. These are out of my own head as I understand Calvinism and Arminianism and the first sentence will always be what I believe is true and the other one I hope to be a fair statement so that if there are minions here you would say that's exactly what I believe and you wouldn't feel.

Like I've put it in a bad light. Depravity Calvinism. People are so depraved and rebellious That they are unable to trust God without his special work of grace to change their hearts so that they necessarily and willingly believe.

Arminianism. People are depraved and corrupt But are able to trust God with the general divine assistance that he gives to all people. In other words, the help is not decisive. Election. Calvinism. God has chosen unconditionally whom he will bring to faith and salvation out of their sin and depravity.

Arminianism. God has chosen to bring to salvation all whose faith he foresaw. Atonement. Calvinism in the death of Christ God provided a sufficient atonement for all But designed that it be efficient for the elect.

Meaning that it purchased for them the new covenant promise that God would work in his people the grace of faith and Perseverance, that's probably the most complicated sentence you'll hear In this and we'll take This is the one where most people stumble.

Limited atonement is the one and I'm carrying on a dialogue with a professor over Bethel these days on email and Trying to work through. What it means? Arminianism with regard to the atonement in the death of Christ God provided a sufficient atonement for all same up to this point and Designed that it become efficient by virtue of faith.

Meaning that the faith itself is not a purchased gift but the human means of Obtaining the gift of purchased forgiveness also complicated Needing explanation and defense so we will spend time with those The last two and then we'll be done for tonight.

Grace or new birth. Calvinism new birth is God's work of renewal in our hearts which Necessarily brings about the act of saving faith. Just a word about irresistible. It's an irresistible grace. I mean you could whip out immediately act 7 where Peter says to the stubborn Sanhedrin you always resist the work of the Holy Spirit.

There it is. See you're obviously wrong and go home and so so much for Calvinism. I have a long article at home by Jimmy Swaggart on the heresy of Calvinism. And that's the way he treats it just you know text here text there.

Well, it's obviously wrong because it says right here they resist it. Well. Irresistible grace does not mean that God cannot be resisted. It means If God chooses he can in any given person overcome the resistance that he has suffered for many years.

That's what it means. So, of course you can resist God and if he wills he can let you resist him right into hell. But he can also overcome the resistance. That's why any of you is saved. He overcame your resistance.

He helped you stop resisting. New birth is God's work. This is our minionism. No new birth is God's work of renewal in our hearts in response to our act of saving faith. So in Calvinism New birth precedes faith and in Arminianism faith precedes the new birth.

Number five perseverance. Calvinism. God works infallibly to preserve in faith all who are truly born again. So that no one is ever lost that is none of those is ever lost. Arminianism God works to preserve his people.

But does not always prevent some who were born again. From falling away to destruction. In other words There is no eternal security in the Arminian system for those who are Born again, you can be born again and then be finally destroyed father in heaven.

Closing Prayer for Faithful Understanding and Evangelism

We begin together. Knowing that these are huge and awesome things. They have caused many of your people to go separate ways on issues and We don't want Lord to highlight differences. We want to win agreement in the Holy Spirit and learn how to live together in the truth.

And so I pray that you help us to that end. So everything that we've presented tonight. That's true. Confirm it. I pray In people's minds and hearts and if anything's been amiss correct it and Enhance the truth for them and bring us back together Lord on the Lord's Day.

And next Wednesday in such a way that we would be filled overflowing with worship and readiness to grow. And Lord I ask That you not let this become the kind of exercise that inhibits our witness during the week.

I Pray that as I'm walking home tonight In a hour or two. And there's somebody on the street. That you would let me know and give me the burden for their salvation. And I pray that everybody in this room would feel that way as they get up tomorrow morning on Thursday and go to work or go To school or hang out in the neighborhood that they would be praying.

Oh God Evangelism is the means by which people are saved Sovereignly by the Spirit use me use me in these means. I pray in Jesus name Amen. Thank you for being here and dismiss.