What are the Doctrines of Grace?

The phrase “doctrines of grace” describes the biblical soteriological (salvation) doctrines. These doctrines are often summarized with the acronym TULIP. The T in TULIP stands for Total Depravity, U for Unconditional Election, L for Limited Atonement, I for Irresistible Grace, and P for Perseverance of the Saints.

We believe that all five of the doctrines are derived directly and clearly from Scripture and that the acronym TULIP conveniently describes the Bible’s teaching on soteriology-the doctrine of salvation. We believe that the points are necessarily entwined from “T” to “P” and that it is logically and theologically inconsistent to pick and choose which points to believe. The following is a brief description of each of the letters in the acronym TULIP.

The central assertion of these points is that God saves every person upon whom he has mercy, and that his efforts are not frustrated by the unrighteousness or inability of humans.

Total depravity – As a consequence of the fall of man into sin, every person is enslaved to sin. People are not by nature inclined to love God, but rather to serve their own interests and to reject the rule of God. Thus, all people by their own faculties are morally unable to choose to trust God for their salvation and be saved (the term “total” in this context refers to sin affecting every part of a person, not that every person is as evil as they could be).

Unconditional election – God has chosen from eternity those whom he will bring to himself not based on foreseen virtue, merit, or faith in those people; rather, his choice is unconditionally grounded in his mercy alone. God has chosen from eternity to extend mercy to those he has chosen and to withhold mercy from those not chosen. Those chosen receive salvation through Christ alone. Those not chosen receive the just wrath that is warranted for their sins against God.

Limited atonement, also called “particular redemption” – Jesus’s substitutionary atonement was definite and certain in its purpose and in what it accomplished. Only the sins of the elect were atoned for by Jesus’s death. This does not mean that the atonement is limited in its value or power, but rather that the atonement is limited in the sense that it is intended for some and not all. This can be summarized as “The atonement is sufficient for all and efficient for the elect.”

Irresistible grace – The saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom he has determined to save (that is, the elect) and overcomes their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, bringing them to a saving faith. When God sovereignly purposes to save someone, that individual certainly will be saved. The purposeful influence of God’s Holy Spirit cannot be resisted, but that the Holy Spirit, “graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ.” This is not to deny the fact that the Spirit’s outward call (through the proclamation of the Gospel) can be, and often is, rejected by sinners; rather, it is that inward call which cannot be rejected.

Perseverance of the saints, also known as “preservation of the saints” – since God is sovereign and his will cannot be frustrated by humans or anything else, those whom God has called into communion with himself will continue in faith until the end. Those who apparently fall away either never had true faith to begin with (1 John 2:19), or, if they are saved but not presently walking in the Spirit, they will be divinely chastened (Hebrews 12:5–11) and will repent (1 John 3:6–9).  (The word “saints” is used to refer to all who are set apart by God, and not of those who are exceptionally holy or in heaven.)