TULIP - Puritan Beliefs

Relevant History

  • Great Schism (1054) : Over disagreements abt iconoclasm & the authority of the pope
  • Protestant Reformation : Began when Henry VIII breaks off from the Church to form the Anglican Church/Church of England so that he could divorce his wife
  • Faith vs. Religion : Belief vs. Practices/Worship
  • Separatism : Separate from the Church
  • Puritanism/Puritans : Wanted to purify/reform Church of England/Anglican Church b/c believed it was too similar to Cath. Church
  • So Puritans left England and traveled to Massachusetts Bay so : that they could have religious homogeny
  • John Winthrop : 2nd Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony
  • Scarlet Letter takes place during… : English Civil War when Puritans had power over England for a little bit

John Calvin, Calvinism, & Puritanism

  • God communicates through : the Word of God/Bible and when a minister preached behind a pulpit
  • Puritans valued education but… : Believed that ppl don’t know anything abt God unless God tells them, and shouldn’t try to know/figure out/comprehend anything that God didn’t reveal like the natural sciences
  • Predestination : NOT the same as Fate, God saves every person upon whom He has mercy. Before time began, He chose who would earn salvation/heaven, nothing humans can do to change that, not even wrongdoing or repentance; Can’t work your way into heaven, your actions cannot help you get into heaven, God has already chosen where you’’ll go
  • Elect : People God chose to save
  • Justification : Gift of God’s Grace given to the Elect
  • Sanctification : Holy behavior that results when one is saved
  • Ppl know if they’re an Elect by : How they act
  • Actions don’t earn you Salvation, but : Actions let you know whether or not you’re an Elect

TULIP : Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints

Total Depravity : Rooted in the story of Adam in Eve in the Garden of Eden; everyone is inherently evil and wicked; all people morally unable to choose to follow God (no one deserves God’s Grace and Forgiveness); Everyone is totally corrupt, as a whole and as individuals

  • Rooted in the earliest origin story of Xtian faith
  • Adam and Eve in Garden of Eden
  • Starts w/Adam being created b/c men were thought to be above women (patriarchy)
  • God told them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
  • A snake (Satan) tells/tempts Eve to eat fruit from the tree of knowledge
  • He tells them that if they eat from it, they’ll obtain God’s knowledge
  • Eve eats the fruit and gives some to Adam (women are more easily influenced)
  • Satan tempts women and women tempt men
  • When Adam and Eve eat the fruit, they’re naked, and God finds out they disobeyed him so they’re banished from the Garden of Eden and suffer
  • When they were banished, sin was introduced to the world and as a result suffering
  • Original sin : Eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, bringing sin, suffering, and death into the world; Sin affects every part of us
  • No choice on whether you’ll believe in God or not, it is determined before time began (predestination)

Unconditional Election : God has chosen from eternity those who will have salvation and who won’t; not based on virtue, merit (accomplishments), or faith, but God’s mercy alone

  • Puritans believe in salvation by : Faith as opposed to salvation by merit/works

Limited Atonement : Puritans believed that original sin happened but it was forgiven when Jesus was crucified and forgave all sin (only happened once and only applied to some ppl and some circumstances); Atonement not for all

  • Moment of crucifixion : Sufficiency vs. Efficiency
  • Sufficiency vs. Efficiency : Sufficient for all (should’ve been enough) but not effective for all (didn’t save all of humanity)

Irresistible Grace : Undeserved forgiveness and mercy is irresistible/unavoidable to ppl

  • For the Elect, Grace overcomes : Resistance by obeying call of Gospel; outward call (words, appearances) can be rejected but inward call cannot

Perseverance of the Saints : Saints/Elect succeed no matter what; those whom God has called into communion with Him will not fail, if they do, they never had true faith. If they are saved but not presently walking in the spirit, they will be divinely chastened and will repent