It was not until the Dutch Remonstrants put forward their five articles of Arminianism that the Orthodox Reformed were forced to articulate what became known as the 'Five Points of Calvinism' in response at the Synod of the Dordt. The Canons of Dordt express these Five Points of Calvinism brilliantly, but the English translation of this document is not the source of the acrostic that is commonly associated today with the Five Points: TULIP. Nor is this acrostic to be traced directly to the famous tulip mania of the Dutch Golden Age which followed soon after the Synod of Dordt.
As Robert Dabney summarized the Five Points in the 19th century, they are: 1) Original Sin; 2) God's Election; 3) Particular Redemption; 4) Effectual Calling; and 5) Perseverance of the Saints. It is generally believed that Loraine Boettner was the first to coin the TULIP acrostic as a mnemonic device for easier memorization in his 1932 book, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination. As he put it:
The Calvinistic system especially emphasizes five distinct doctrines. These are technically known as "The Five Points of Calvinism," and they are the main pillars upon which the superstructure rests. In this section we shall examine each of these, giving the Scripture basis and the arguments from reason which support them. We shall then consider the objections which are commonly brought against them.
As will be shown, the Bible contains an abundance of material for the development of each of these doctrines. Furthermore, these are not isolated and independent doctrines but are so inter-related that they form a simple, harmonious, self-consistent system; and the way in which they fit together as component parts of a well-ordered whole has won the admiration of thinking men of all creeds. Prove any one of them true and all the others will follow as logical and necessary parts of the system. Prove any one of them false and the whole system must be abandoned. They are found to dovetail perfectly one into the other. They are so many links in the great chain of causes, and not one of them can be taken away without marring and subverting the whole Gospel plan of salvation through Christ. We cannot conceive of this agreement arising merely by accident, nor even being possible, unless these doctrines are true.
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The Five Points may be more easily remembered if they are associated with the word T-U-L-I-P; T, Total Inability; U, Unconditional Election; L, Limited Atonement; I, Irresistible (Efficacious) Grace; and P, Perseverance of the Saints.
And so a flower was born. Since then, some Calvinists have devised other acrostics which they feel better express the doctrines of grace in the Calvinistic system of theology which the Five Points are designed to convey (see Roger Nicole, Timothy George, Michael Horton, R.C. Sproul, Sr., James Boice and Philip Ryken, for instance). There is also an Arminian daisy (I have not attempted to trace this origin of this). But the TULIP, like a flower that bends yet does not break, continues to thrive.
As William Perkins, one of the authors of A Garden of Spiritual Flowers, put it, in his Golden Chain, the doctrine of the Reformed is "that the cause of the execution of God’s predestination, is his mercy in Christ, in them which are saved; and in them which perish, the fall and corruption of man; yet so, as that the decree and eternal counsel of God, concerning them both, hath not any cause beside his will and pleasure." And thus, as Paul wrote 2,000 years ago, our salvation is by grace: "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Rom. 11.6)
To God be the glory for his magnificent grace.
Interesting. I heard once the arminian daisy, was because we as Calvinist have our eternal security, and the arminians with their daisy go, "he loves me, he loves me not." :-)
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