Turning the T.U.L.I.P. On Its Side

Can the classic Five-Points of Calvinism, notorious for inspiring complacency and judgmentalism, actually cause relationships that are gracious, self-sacrificing, and long-suffering?

by Stephen Hess

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[Editor's Note: For those unfamiliar with the historical Five-Points of Calvinism (a.k.a. "TULIP"), click here for a quick guide, or here for a full article on it]

At Chapel time recently (every Tuesday and Friday at Covenant), I got the privilege to hear from Dr. Robert Petterson, a Covenant graduate and the Senior Pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Naples, FL. Out of John 13:34-35, he gave a message entitled, “Turning the Tulip on Its Side: The Sociology of Soteriology.”   This was the first chapel message for the year (my first ever as a Covenant student). This message was perfectly timed for me (and I am sure, for many others). Not to mention the passage that Pastor Petterson focused on was the biblical motivation for myself and four (then five) other brothers in Christ to meet together in college weekly. To this day, despite the changes over time and the different post-college locations, these guys are still my closest brothers in Christ.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Pastor Petterson’s main point: A soteriology of grace without a sociology of grace is illusionary.

In other words, “turning the TULIP on its side.” The biblical soteriology of Reformed theology is often captured in the acrostic TULIP. Dr. Petterson described the five truths in these ways: (1) there’s not a single molecule of my being that is not corrupted by sin, (2) God has chosen to love me unconditionally, (3) he loves me specifically, (4) his love for me is irresistible, and (5) his love will persevere to the end.

When Jesus says, “so you must love one another,” he is saying that it is not enough to have a vertical relationship with God. That same love relationship must become horizontal in the same way with others.

After such rich beautiful description of this soteriology, he went on to explain about an angry, old Dutch Calvinist that he recently counseled. This man had memorized the five points as a child in catechism classes. He would pound anyone who would listen with the doctrines of Sovereign Grace. But this man had been estranged from his daughter for over five years. His wife could barely tolerate him–they slept in separate rooms. And he kept blowing through churches that weren’t reformed enough for him–creating controversy all along the way.

Pastor Petterson took this man to John 13:34-35 and asked him if the TULIP acrostic captured the love of Christ for his elect. The man readily agreed. Then the pastor asked him, “If you were to love others the same way, wouldn’t that require that you love them with TULIP love?” The pastor went on to explain that in practical terms:

You would have to recognize that not a single molecule of their lives is without the corruption of sin. You won’t be shocked, or disappointed, or disillusioned, or angry when others mess up. You will will accept them for who they are: sinners, like you, desperately in need of God’s grace and your love.

As a result, you will have not other choice but to love them unconditionally. You won’t love them for who they are, what they do for you, or what you hope that they might become. You won’t reject them if they don’t measure up.

You will love them with definite or specific grace. It is easy to love all Christians in a general way. It is quite another thing to love specific people for what they specifically are, in spite of their particular weaknesses, weirdness, eccentricities, and shortcomings.

Your love will demonstrate irresistable grace. Such unconditional love will draw them irresistably to you, and then irresistably to Christ who has filled you with such irresistable love. It will have an irresistable force drawing others, who witness this love, to the same Christ.

And this TULIP turned on its side will persevere to the end. It will never forsake or abandon its commitments or covenants. it won’t run from those who frustrate, reject those who irritate, or wall off those who disappoint. In the words of St. Paul to the Corinthians, this love “…always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…” In short, it never fails.

Jesus ends his command by saying, “By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Our sociology (how we practically treat others–the horizontal dimension) is the proof of the pudding when it comes to our soteriology (how we truly understand God’s grace–the vertical dimension)!

Dr. Petterson then explained: “Ravi Zacharias says that this millennial generation is the first one to hear with its eyes. They won’t listen to our soteriology until they are convinced by our sociology. Unless the love of Christ has the power to transform marriages, families, and every other relationship it will be reject as illusionary, impotent, and irrelevant.”

The strong, but true, words of 1 John 3:20-21:

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

Praying for the ability to turn MY TULIP on its side!

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