What is Calvinism.
Calvinism is a system of false doctrine that is taught in most evangelical denominations.
There are 5 major points of Calvinism. These 5 points are known by the acronym: T.U.L.I.P.
None of the 5 point are taught in the Bible. All five points must be accepted or rejected as a unit. Refute any one element and the whole system falls!
The Five Points of Calvinism(TULIP formula)
Total depravity (Original Sin)
Unconditional election (God's Election)
Limited atonement (Particular Redemption)
Irresistible grace (Effectual Calling)
Perseverance of the Saints
The Five Points of Calvinism
基本介紹
- 中文名：加爾文主義
- 外文名：Calvinism
- 倡議者：加爾文
- 代表：鬱金香
主義五要點
from A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith
誠之譯
The Acronym TULIP represents the so-called five points of Calvinism, which are, in brief, as follows:
加爾文主義可以濃縮為下面五要點，由TULIP（鬱金香）來代表：
Total depravity (Original Sin)全然墮落
Both because of original sin and their own acts of sin, all mankind, excepting Christ, in their nature state are thoroughly corrupt and completely evil, though they are restrained from living out their corruptness in its fullness by the instrumentalities of God’s common grace. Accordingly they are completely incapable of saving themselves.
由於原罪和其罪行的緣故，所有的人，除了基督以外，在他們的天然狀態下是徹底墮落和完全邪惡的，雖然因著神普遍恩典的手段的限制，並沒有完全將他們的敗壞完全地表現出來。因此他們是完全無法拯救自己的。
譯按：完全敗壞的意思是我們整個人（心思、意志、情感、良心、身體）都受到罪的影響。
理智昏暗、意志被捆綁、心思想反對神、良心靠不住、身體會衰老死亡……
Unconditional Election無條件的揀選
Before the creation o f the world, out of his mere free grace and love, God elected many undeserving sinners to complete and final salvation without any foresight of faith or good works or any other thing in them as conditions or causes which moved him to choose them. That is to say, the ground of their election is not in them but in him.
創世以前，上帝出於他自由的恩典和愛，在不配的罪人中揀選了許多人，賜給他們完全和最終的救贖，不是因為預見他們的信心或好行為作為條件或原因，使神被感動而救他們。也就是說，他們被揀選的基礎，不在於他們，而在於神。
Limited Atonement有限的救贖
Christ died efficaciously, that is, truly savingly, only for the elect, although the infinite sufficiency of his atonement and the divine summons to all to repent and trust in Christ provide the warrant for the universal proclamation of the gospel to all men. I personally prefer the terms “definite atonement,” “particular atonement,” or “efficacious atonement” over “limited atonement,” both because of possible in misunderstanding of the word ‘limited’ and because every evangelical “limits” the atonement either in its design (the Calvinist) or in its power to accomplish it purpose (the Arminian).
基督的死是有功效的，也就是說，真的救了那些被揀選的人，他的贖罪（atonement）以及對所有要悔改信基督的聖召具有無限的充足性，因而為此福音給所有人的普遍宣告提供了合法性。我個人比較喜歡“確定救贖”（definite atonement），“特殊救贖”（particular atonement）或“有效救贖”（efficacious atonement），而不是“有限救贖”（limited atonement）。因為可能誤解“有限”這個詞，也因為所有的福音派都將贖罪加以“限定”，要不是在其設計上（加爾文主義者），要不就是在達成目標的能力上（阿米念）。
Irresistible grace不可抗拒的恩典
This doctrine does not mean that the nonelect will find God’s grace irresistible; indeed, God’s saving grace is not even extended to them. Nor does it mean that the elect will find God’s saving grace irresistible the very first time it is extended to them, for even the elect may resist his overtures toward them for a time. What it does mean is that the elect are incapable of resisting forever God’s gracious overtures toward them. At his appointed time, God draws the elect, one by one, to himself by removing their hostility and opposition to him and his Christ, making them willing to embrace his Son.
這個教義不是指未被揀選的人會發現上帝的恩典是無法抗拒的。確實，上帝拯救的恩典甚至沒有臨到他們身上。這也不是指被揀選的人會發現，當上帝的恩典第一次臨到他們時，他們是無法抗拒的，因為即使選民也可能暫時抗拒臨到他的恩典的序奏。它的意思是選民無法永遠抗拒上帝臨到他的恩典的序奏。在他預定的時間，上帝會吸引選民，一個接一個，到他身邊祛除他們的敵意和對他與基督的反抗，使他們願意擁抱他的兒子。
Perseverance of the saints
The elect are eternally secure in Christ, who preserves his own and enables them to persevere in him unto the end. Those professing Christians who have apostasized from the faith (1 Tim 4:1), as John states, ‘”sent out from us, but they did not really belong to us, For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 John 2:19)
選民在基督里是永遠穩妥的，基督會保守他自己的羊，使他們在他裡面能堅忍到底。那些認信卻離棄信仰的背道者（提前4：1），如同約翰說的，“他們從我們中間出去，卻不是屬我們的；若是屬我們的，就必仍舊與我們同在；他們出去，顯明都不是屬我們的。”（約壹2：19）
