A prominent system of thought in many Protestant denominations today is Calvinism. People define themselves as 5-point Calvinists, 4-point Calvinists, and so on based on how many of its tenets they believe; and many churches include Calvinistic teachings in their articles of faith. Strong (or extreme) Calvinism is defined by five points, forming the acronym TULIP. Moderate Calvinists typically hold to three or four of these points, and marginal Calvinists hold to only one (typically eternal security).

• Total Depravity
• Unconditional Election (Predestination)
• Limited Atonement
• Irresistible Grace
• Perseverance of the Saints (Eternal Security; or Once Saved, Always Saved)

Calvinism is based on the idea that nothing can override God’s sovereignty – not even man’s free will; therefore, salvation is entirely a work of God involving no human effort. This teaching says that mankind is completely depraved to the point that an unsaved person cannot do anything pleasing to God (total depravity). Before the foundation of the world, God arbitrarily chose who would be saved and who would not (unconditional election). As a result, Christ’s death was sufficient only for the elect (limited atonement). When God presents His grace to a person, the offer is so irresistible that the person will have no choice but to accept (irresistible grace) and will be incapable of falling away (perseverance of the saints).

If a system of thought is Scriptural, we should be able to trace it back to the time of the apostles and early Christians, since it would have been taught in the churches founded by the apostles. Was TULIP the historic faith? What did the early Christians believe about each of these points?

Total Depravity

According to the teaching of total depravity, the unsaved are fallen and depraved to the point that they cannot do anything pleasing to God, much less make any advancement towards salvation, unless God empowers them to do so.

The early Christians did teach that man’s nature is tarnished because of the fall:

• “It clearly appears that all men are inclined to sin by nature – and some not only by nature, but by practice.” – Origen (c. 248)
• “‘Unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God’ [John 3:5]. In other words, he cannot be holy. Every soul, then, by reason of its birth, has its nature in Adam until it is born again in Christ. Moreover, it is unclean all the while that it remains without this regeneration. And because it is unclean, it is actively sinful.” – Tertullian (c. 210)
• “While the body still lives, . . . sin must also live with it, for it has its roots concealed within us. This is so, even though it is outwardly held in check by the wounds inflicted by corrections and warnings. Otherwise, we would not do wrong after baptism, for we would be entirely and absolutely free from sin. However, even after believing and after the time of being touched by the water of sanctification, we are oftentimes found in sin.” – Methodius (c. 290)
• “No one can be without defect as long as he is burdened with a covering of flesh. For the infirmity of flesh is subject to the dominion of sin in a threefold manner: in deeds, words, and thoughts.” – Lactantius (c. 304-313)
• “Jesus was baptized by the prophet John in the river Jordan so that He might wash away in the spiritual bath – not His own sins (for it is evident that He had none) – but those of the flesh that He bore.” – Lactantius (c. 304-313)

Although the nature of man is tarnished because of the fall, it is not completely depraved. A person, whether saved or unsaved, is still capable of choosing good or evil:

• “Fallen as the soul is, it is the victim of the great adversary’s machinations [schemes]. Yet, it does not forget its Creator.” – Tertullian (c. 197)
• “Still, there is a portion of good in the soul, of that original, divine, and genuine good, which is its proper nature. For that which is derived from God is obscured, rather than extinguished. It can indeed be obscured, because it is not God. However, it cannot be extinguished, for it comes from God. . . . Thus some men are very bad, and some are very good. Yet the souls of everyone are all of one nature. Even in the worst person, there is something good. And even in the best person, there is something bad. . . . Just as no soul is without sin, so neither is any soul without seeds of good.” – Tertullian (c. 210)
• “Therefore, the prophets used to exhort men to [do] what was good, to act justly, and to work righteousness . . . because it is in our power to do so.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “He who is bad (having become sinful by nature, because of evil) becomes depraved. He has what he has chosen. And, being sinful, he sins also in his actions. Likewise, the good man does right.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “We . . . maintain that no one has been created evil by the Author of all things. Rather, many have become wicked through education, perverse example, and surrounding influences.” – Origen (c. 248)
• “Now, who is so faultless among men, that God could always have him in His choice, and never be able to reject him? On the other hand, who is so void of any good work, that God could reject him forever, and never be able to choose him? Show me, then, the man who is always good, and he will not be rejected. Show me, too, him who is always evil, and he will never be chosen.” – Tertullian (c. 207)
• “There is no rational creature that is not capable of both good and evil.” – Origen (c. 225)
• “Entire freedom of will, therefore, was conferred upon man in both tendencies – so that, as master of himself, he might constantly encounter good by spontaneous observance of it, and evil by its spontaneous avoidance. . . . But the recompense for good or evil could not be given to the man who is found to have been either good or evil through necessity, and not choice.” – Tertullian (c. 207)
• “It is evident from all this that no one is pure either by essence or by nature. And no one is polluted by nature. The consequence of this is that it lies within ourselves and in our own actions to either possess happiness and holiness, or by sloth and negligence to fall from happiness into wickedness and ruin.” – Origen (c. 225)

The early Christians believed that man’s nature has been tainted because of the fall, yet not to the extent that it is unable to choose what is good.

Unconditional Election

The teaching of unconditional election states that God arbitrarily predestined certain people to be saved (and, consequently, others to be condemned) before the foundation of the world, and that He made this choice not based on foreknowledge but through sovereign choice.

In contrast, the early Christians believed that God’s election of individuals to eternal life is not arbitrary or unconditional. Rather, it is based on their own choices to accept Jesus Christ and follow His teachings. They believed that man possesses the free will to either accept Him or reject Him:

• “This also is clearly defined in the teaching of the church, that every rational soul is possessed of free will and volition and that it has a struggle to maintain against the devil, his angels, and other opposing powers. For those powers strive to burden it with sins. Yet, if we live rightly and wisely, we can endeavor to shake ourselves free of a burden of that kind.” – Origen (c. 225)
• “Man is free, with a will either for obedience or resistance.” – Tertullian (c. 207)
• “‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds’ [Matt. 5:16]. . . . And ‘Why call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I say?’ [Luke 6:46] . . . All such passages demonstrate the independent will of man. . . . For it is in man’s power to disobey God and to forfeit what is good.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “God, wishing men and angels to follow His will, resolved to create them free to do righteousness. But if the Word of God foretells that some angels and men shall certainly be punished, it did so because it foreknew that they would be unchangeably [wicked], but not because God created them so. So if they repent, all who wish for it can obtain mercy from God.” – Justin Martyr (c. 160)
• “It is our responsibility to live virtuously. God asks this of us as being our own doing – not as being dependent on Him, nor on any other, nor on Fate (as some think). The prophet Micah proves this when he says: ‘If it has been announced to you, O man, what is good, or what does the Lord require of you, except to do justice and to love mercy?’ [Mic. 6:8] Moses too, said: ‘I have placed before your face the way of life and the way of death. Choose what is good and walk in it’ [Deut. 30:19].” – Origen (c. 225)
• “Man was made with a free will . . . on account of his capacity of obeying or disobeying God. For this was the meaning of the gift of free will.” – Methodius (c. 290)

While God foreknew who would accept or reject Him, His foreknowledge in no way implies that He ordained their choices. The early Christians universally opposed the idea that God or any other force has predetermined a person’s choices or eternal destiny:

• “I have proved in what has been said that those who were foreknown to be unrighteous, whether men or angels, are not made wicked by God’s fault. Rather, each man is what he will appear to be through his own fault.” – Justin Martyr (c. 160)
• “If the Word of God foretells that some angels and men will be certainly punished, it did so because it foreknew that they would be unchangeable [i.e., would remain wicked]. However, this is not because God had created them so. For all who wish for it can obtain mercy from God if they repent.” – Justin Martyr (c. 160)
• “We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions. Now, if this is not so, but all things happen by fate, then neither is anything at all in our own power. For if it is predetermined that this man will be good, and this other man will be evil, neither is the first one meritorious nor the latter man to be blamed. And again, unless the human race has the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions.” – Justin Martyr (c. 160)
• “Neither praises nor censures, neither rewards nor punishments, are right if the soul does not have the power of inclination and disinclination and if evil is involuntary. . . . In no respect is God the author of evil. But since free choice and inclination originate sins, . . . punishments are justly inflicted.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “I venture to declare that as he is predestined through what he shall do and what he shall obtain, so also has he predestined himself by reason of what he knew and whom he loved.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “Let us use the following illustration from the Gospel. There is a certain rock with only a little surface soil. If seeds fall upon it, they quickly spring up. But not having any root, when they spring up, they are burned and withered when the sun rises. Now, this rock is a human soul, hardened on account of its neglect. It has become stone because of its wickedness. For no one receives from God a heart created of stone. Rather, it becomes such a heart because of wickedness.” – Origen (c. 225)
• “Man received power and enslaved himself – not because he was overpowered by the irresistible tendencies of his nature. . . . For if he had been made as any of the elements of creation, . . . he would cease to receive a reward befitting deliberate choice. Instead, he would be like an instrument of the Maker. And it would be unreasonable for him to suffer blame for his wrong-doings. For the real author of them would be the one by whom he is used.” – Methodius (c. 290)
• “Those who decide that man is not possessed of free will, and affirm that he is governed by the unavoidable necessities of fate, . . . are guilty of impiety toward God Himself, making Him out to be the cause and author of human evils.” – Methodius (c. 290)

The early Christians universally taught that mankind has a free will to either choose or reject God, and they opposed the idea that God or any other force has predetermined a person’s choices or eternal destiny.

Limited Atonement

Limited atonement, the third point of Calvinism, refers to the belief that Christ’s death paid for the sins – not of the entire human race – but only of the elect (those whom God foreknew or predestined to be saved).

In contrast, the early Christians clearly taught that Christ died for all mankind, including those who choose to reject Him:

• “Christ suffered for all [and] rose again for all. But if anyone does not believe in Christ, he deprives himself of that general benefit. . . . Christ came for the salvation of all, inasmuch as He brought a remedy by which all might escape, although there are many who are unwilling . . . to be healed.” – Ambrose (c. 380)
• “It was needful that the Lamb of God should be offered for the other lambs whose nature He assumed, even for the whole human race.” – Eusebius (c. 325)
• “[Jesus] gave Himself as a redemption for those who had been led into captivity.” – Irenaeus (c. 180
• “Such great things, then, He is – the Paraclete, the atonement, the propitiation, the sympathizer with our weaknesses, who was tempted in all human things, as we are, without sin. And as a result, He is a great High Priest, having offered Himself as the sacrifice which is offered once for all. . . . He tasted death for everyone. . . . Now, whether He tasted death for everyone without God: He died not for men only but for all other intellectual beings too. . . . He died for all without God, for by the grace of God He tasted death for everyone. What great things must be said of the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed for this very reason, that He might take away the sin not of a few but of the whole world, for the sake of which also He suffered?” – Origen (c. 248)

The early Christians taught that Christ’s atonement was not limited to the elect, but was sufficient for the entire human race.

Irresistible Grace

The doctrine of irresistible grace is the natural outflow of the Calvinist teachings of total depravity and unconditional election. If the unsaved are incapable of choosing anything good on their own, God must compel them to salvation. When He presents His grace to them (the Calvinist argument says), they find it irresistible and accept His offer of salvation.

In contrast, the early Christians clearly taught that people can and do resist the grace of God because they possess the free will to do so:

• “Choice depended on the man as being free. But the gift depended on God as the Lord. And He gives to those who are willing, are exceedingly earnest, and who ask. So their salvation becomes their own. For God does not compel.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “Into the impure soul, the grace of God finds no entrance.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “God made man a free [agent] from the beginning, possessing his own soul to obey the commands of God voluntarily, and not by compulsion of God. For there is no coercion with God. . . . And in man as well as in angels, He has placed the power of choice (for angels are rational beings), so that those who had yielded obedience might justly possess what is good, given indeed by God, but preserved by themselves. . . . If then it were not in our power to do or not to do these things, what reason had the apostle, and much more the Lord Himself, to give us counsel to do some things and to abstain from others? But because man is possessed of free will from the beginning, and God is possessed of free will in whose likeness man was created, advice is always given to him to keep fast the good, which thing is done by means of obedience to God.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “Men . . . have freedom of choice as to both virtue and vice. For you would neither honor the good or punish the bad unless vice and virtue were in their own power. Some are diligent in the matters entrusted to them, and others are faithless.” – Athenagoras (c. 175)
• “There are, indeed, innumerable passages in the Scriptures which establish with exceeding clearness the existence of freedom of will.” – Origen (c. 248)
• “The liberty of believing or of not believing is placed in free choice. In Deuteronomy, it says: ‘Look! I have set before your face life and death, good and evil. Choose for yourself life, that you may live’ [Deut. 30:19]. Also in Isaiah: ‘And if you are willing and hear me, you will eat the good of the land’ [Isa. 1:19].” – Cyprian (c. 250)

The early believers understood that people can and do resist the grace of God because they have free will.

Perseverance of the Saints

The final point of Calvinism is known as perseverance of the saints, eternal security, or “once saved, always saved.” This doctrine of eternal security teaches that those who are saved can never fall away or lose their salvation for any reason.

The early Christians firmly opposed this teaching. They believed that people could indeed lose their salvation through rejecting Christ or failing to keep His commandments:

• “Take heed, beloved, lest His many kindnesses lead to the condemnation of us all. [For thus it must be] unless we walk worthy of Him, and with one mind do those things which are good and well-pleasing in His sight.” – Clement of Rome (c. 96)
• “The apostates and traitors of the church have blasphemed the Lord in their sins. Moreover, they have been ashamed of the name of the Lord by which they were called. These persons, therefore, at the end were lost unto God.” – Hermas (c. 150)
• “And let those who are not found living as He taught, be understood to be no Christians, even though they profess with the lip the precepts of Christ; for not those who make profession, but those who do the works, shall be saved, according to His word: ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’ [Matt. 7:21].” – Justin Martyr (c. 160)
• “With respect to obedience and doctrine, we are not all the sons of God. Rather, it is only those who truly believe in Him and do His will. Now, those who do not believe and do not obey His will are sons and angels of the devil. . . . Those who do not obey Him, being disinherited by Him, have ceased to be His sons.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “These men of old time . . . for whom the Son of God had not yet suffered, when they committed any sin and served fleshly lusts, were rendered objects of great disgrace. Accordingly, what will the men of the present day suffer, who have despised the Lord’s coming, and have become slaves of their own lusts? Truly, the death of the Lord brought healing and remission of sins to the former. However, Christ will not die again on behalf of those who now commit sin, for death will no more have dominion over Him. . . . We should not, therefore, as that presbyter remarks, be puffed up, nor be severe upon those of olden times. Rather, we should fear ourselves, lest perchance, after [we have come to] the knowledge of Christ, if we do things displeasing to God, we obtain no further forgiveness of sins, but are shut out from His kingdom. And for that reason, Paul said, ‘For if [God] spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest He also not spare you’ [Rom. 11:21]. . . . It was not to those who are on the outside that he said these things, but to us – lest we should be cast forth from the kingdom of God by doing any such thing.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “It is neither the faith, nor the love, nor the hope, nor the endurance of one day; rather, ‘he that endures to the end will be saved’ [Matt. 24:13].” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “God had foreseen . . . that faith – even after baptism – would be endangered. He saw that most persons – after obtaining salvation – would be lost again, by soiling the wedding dress, by failing to provide oil for their torches.” – Tertullian (c. 213)
• “A man may possess an acquired righteousness, from which it is possible for him to fall away.” – Origen (c. 225)
• “Being a believing man, if you seek to live as the Gentiles do, the joys of the world remove you from the grace of Christ.” – Commodianus (c. 240)
• “It is a small thing to have first received something. It is a greater thing to be able to keep what you have attained. Faith itself and the saving birth do not make alive by merely being received. Rather, they must be preserved. It is not the actual attainment, but the perfecting, that keeps a man for God. The Lord taught this in His instruction when He said, ‘Look! You have been made whole. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you’ [John 5:14]. . . . Solomon, Saul, and many others were able to keep the grace given to them so long as they walked in the Lord’s ways. However, when they forsook the discipline of the Lord, grace also forsook them.” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “There is need of continual prayer and supplication so that we do not fall away from the heavenly kingdom, as the Jews fell away, to whom this promise had first been given.” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “A son . . . who deserts his father in order not to pay him obedience is considered deserving of being disinherited and of having his name removed forever from his family. How much more so does a person [deserve to be disinherited] who forsakes God? . . . Of what punishments, therefore, is he deserving who forsakes Him who is both the true Master and Father?” – Lactantius (c. 304-313)

The early Christians universally believed that losing one’s salvation was a very real possibility, and they taught the importance of heeding the commands of Christ in order to remain in the kingdom of God.

An ancient heresy

Although none of the five points of Calvinism were taught by the early Christians, at least three of the five points did exist during the first 200 years of Christianity. They existed – not in the Christian churches – but in a heretical movement called Gnosticism.

Gnosticism was a diverse movement consisting of many false teachers and ideas; but all Gnostic groups believed that they possessed knowledge superior to that of the Christian church, and they all denied that Jesus came in the flesh. The early Christians, the apostles, and Jesus Himself vehemently opposed the Gnostics, calling them “deceivers” (2 John 2:7) and warning true Christians to “hate the works” and teachings of these people (Revelation 2:6, 15). A significant portion of early Christian literature was written specifically to refute the teachings of Gnosticism.

Three of the five points of Calvinism – total depravity, unconditional election, and perseverance of the saints – originated not in Christianity but in the heresies of Gnosticism:

Total Depravity:

• “Certain ones of those [heretics] who hold different opinions misuse these passages. They essentially destroy free will by introducing ruined natures incapable of salvation and by introducing others as being saved in such a way that they cannot be lost.” – Origen (c. 225)
• “Is not [the doctrine of the Gnostics] from the beginning and everywhere an invective against the flesh? Their doctrine is against its origin, its substance, its casualties, and the invariable end that awaits it. According to them, it is unclean from its first formation of the dregs of the ground. . . . According to them, it is worthless, weak, covered with guilt, laden with misery, full of trouble.” – Tertullian (c. 210)

Unconditional Election (Predestination):

• “This heretic [Saturninus, one of the Gnostic teachers] was the first to declare that two kinds of men were created by the angels – one kind who are wicked and the other who are good.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “[The Valentinians, another Gnostic group] hold that they will be entirely saved for a certainty – not by means of their conduct, but because they are spiritual by nature.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “The teachings of both the Old and the New Testaments are unnecessary if a person is saved by nature (as Valentinus [a Gnostic heretic] would have it) and is a believer and an elect man by nature (as Basilides [another Gnostic] thinks).” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “[The Marcionites, a Gnostic group] say, ‘But God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants.’ Now those who allege such difficulties do not read in the Gospel the passage where the Lord replied to the disciples, when they asked Him, ‘Why do you speak in parables?’ He replied: ‘Because it is given to you to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven. However, I speak to them in parables so that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not hear.’ . . . So God knows the number of those who will not believe, since He foreknows all things. So He has given them over to unbelief and turned His face away from men of this character, leaving them in the darkness that they have chosen for themselves. So what is baffling if He gave Pharaoh and those who were with him over to their unbelief? For they would never have believed.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)

Perseverance of the Saints (Eternal Security):

• “Certain ones of those [heretics] who hold different opinions misuse these passages. They essentially destroy free will by introducing ruined natures incapable of salvation and by introducing others as being saved in such a way that they cannot be lost.” – Origen (c. 225)
• “[The Valentinians] hold that they will be entirely saved for a certainty – not by means of their conduct, but because they are spiritual by nature.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “Although they forsake the fountain of life, the [heretics] promise the grace of living and saving water. . . . Begotten of treachery, they lose the grace of faith.” – Cyprian (c. 250)

What changed?

The early Christians vehemently opposed the five points of Calvinism, yet these points are found in the articles of faith in many churches today. What changed?

For the first 350 years of Christianity, there was a clear distinction between true Christianity and Gnosticism. While some people were led astray into Gnostic groups, the true church continued to preach the pure gospel that was taught by Jesus and the apostles and preserved by the early Christians. By carefully avoiding false teachings, the church maintained a clear distinction between Christianity and Gnosticism.

However, this doctrinal purity began to fade around AD 400, due to the influence of a bishop named Augustine. Prior to his conversion to Christianity, Augustine lived a sinful lifestyle and joined the Manichaeans, a Gnostic group started by the heretic Manes (also called Mani) in the late third century. Augustine was a Manichaean for nine years before he converted to Christianity. Although he initially renounced his association with the Gnostic group, he later brought some of their ideas into the church, most notably predestination, eternal security, and the denial of free will. Augustine was a prolific writer, and his position as bishop of Hippo, North Africa as well as his large literary output made his writings immediately influential.

When the Reformers, most notably Martin Luther and John Calvin, tried to restore the church to the purity of early Christianity, they consulted the writings – not of the earliest believers – but of Augustine and his contemporaries. As a result, the Gnostic heresies that had infiltrated his writings once again infiltrated the Protestant church through the teachings of Luther, Calvin, and others.

Conclusion

In summary, Calvinism is not the historic faith, nor is it a modern invention. Rather, it is an ancient heresy, originating in the teachings of the Gnostics – a group condemned not only by the early Christians, but by the apostles and even Jesus Himself in the pages of Scripture. Will you follow the teachings of Gnostic heretics? Or will you learn from those who sat at the feet of the apostles, learned in first-century churches, and faithfully held to the teachings of Scripture?