Firming Your Foundation
Lets Check It Out:
The T in TULIP
by George Sinkie
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As
I mentioned in the last article there are numerous religious
doctrines in this world. As we look at them we must check
them out and hold to those that are good (1 Thessalonians
5:21). When we check out these doctrines, we need to
use the Scriptures to determine what is right (Acts 17:10-11).
Remember that we pointed out, just having a Scripture doesnt
prove the doctrine is right (Matthew 4:5-6), the doctrine
has to agree with all Scripture (Matthew 4:7). Jesus
proved Satan had misused Scripture by using Scripture.
In the 1500s, there was a French
reformer named John Calvin. He worked for many years in
France and Switzerland trying to reform Catholicism,
by protesting against it. While he dealt
with numerous topics, we are going to look at a series of doctrines
that became known by the acronym TULIP.
The T in TULIP,
refers to the doctrine of, Total Hereditary
Depravity. Basically this means that when a little
baby is born, they are totally corrupt, incapable of any good.
How did that little baby get to be in such a bad spiritual
condition? According to them all babies inherit
the guilt of Adams sin. In other words this is just
another name for the doctrine of Original Sin.
Remember that for a doctrine to
be true, it has to harmonize with all of Scripture. If
even one verse contradicts it, then it is false doctrine. Consider
Romans 5:12, Therefore,
just as through one man
[Adam, GAS] sin
entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread
to all men, because all sinned...
Does Paul say death spread to all men because they inherited
the guilt of Adams sin? NO, death spread
because all
sinned. Sinned is an active verb, that means
it is something that all men did.
Paul, being a Jew, knew very clearly
that God did not hold children accountable for their fathers
sin. Clear your mind of preconceived ideas and read Ezekiel
18. God clearly pointed out that each person is accountable
ONLY for their own sins.
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