Canons of Dort Introduction and Study Guide

When folks hear the names "Calvinism" or "Canons of Dort," far too often their minds conjure up phrases like "religious fundamentalism," "pulpit pounding," "Bible-thumping," "fire & brimstone," or other unpleasant caricatures. The general idea seems to be that anyone who, in our enlightened age, still holds to the doctrines of Calvin and the Reformers must be hopelessly out of touch – both with the world, and with the God of Love.

But those extreme (and wrong) ideas show only that the ones proclaiming them have never truly examined the doctrines at hand, particularly in the clear light of Scripture. To be sure, these doctrines are not easily received by those not raised in them, and they can be hard to understand and accept when first encountered. But it is with confidence that we of the Reformed Churches hold to them, convinced that any who study the Scriptures faithfully and with an eye to what God truly says in His Word will, of necessity, come to accept and love these doctrines so commonly referred to as Calvinism, as set forth in the Canons of Dort.

This study guide is not intended to be a doctoral course on the Canons of Dort. Dort did that well enough on its own, and it should be read – along with large chunks of John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion – by any who wish a more full, rich understanding of God’s dealings with man.

Rather, it is my prayer that this guide might serve as a primer on Reformed theological distinctions – that is, an introduction of definitions and explanations intended to make clear the basics and excite the reader to study further on his or her own. You will notice quite a few Scripture references; please use them. If our doctrines and beliefs are not grounded properly in Scripture, they are worse than worthless and must be removed.

The careful reader may well note that the errors explained under the headings of "Some Contrary Teachings" often seem similar and closely related among the various topics. Given some thought, this will not be surprising, as all of the errors mentioned in this primer stem from the common sin of setting man’s "wisdom" over the true wisdom of God. Whenever this is done, the result is certain: the raising up of man in his apparent ability and goodness, with a corresponding decrease in understanding of the holiness, justice, and sovereignty of God. Such errors are spiritual poison. Hence, we do well to know and understand such errors, that we may recognize them when they confront us, allowing us to respond accordingly, by God’s Spirit and in light of His Word.

As a final note of explanation, you will find that the study is arranged under five topics, commonly referenced as "TULIP." This is an old acronym (doubtless from the Dutch!) that stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. It’s a handy way to remember the topics and arrange your own thought process.

Please feel free to use this as best suits you and to pass it on if you felt it was helpful.

To God be the Glory,

Rev. Doug Barnes
Pastor, Hills United Reformed Church

TULIP – Total Depravity

Definition:

Total Depravity is the phrase that describes man’s natural state, separated from God in his sins. In essence, total depravity is a shorthand description for the reality that man is so fallen – or "depraved" – through the sins of Adam that he is totally unable and unwilling to seek God. As the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, "I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor."

Thus, in our natural state and by our own power, we have neither the desire nor the ability to seek – much less to please – the God who created us. We are destined for eternal punishment for our sins, and that of our own doing.

Some Contrary Teachings:

Some hold to a higher view of man than is expressed by Total Depravity. Thus the Pelagians, who hold that man actually has a measure of goodness at his core and is not only willing, but able, to seek and to please God on his own.

The Semi-Pelagians, not wishing to go quite so far, believe that man is mostly unable to please God, but affirm that man can seek God and can add the finishing touch that makes salvation truly his – that is, by inviting Jesus into his life and affirming that the work done on the cross truly was for him. While we agree that these elements must be present for salvation to be real, we would disagree with the Semi-Pelagian that they come from within the man himself, of his own will and ability.

What Does Scripture Say?

The book of Romans deals extensively with the matter of man’s depravity, particularly in the first three chapters. For instance, here the Holy Spirit tells us through Paul that men naturally see and understand God’s presence and attributes, but they intentionally turn from the light of that wisdom (Rom.1:18-22), leaving them inexcusable (2:1). Not only this, but no one is exempt from this rebellion against God. Stringing together a list of citations from Psalms, Proverbs & Ecclesiastes, Paul explains that there is no one who is righteous, no one who seeks God, none who does well or fears God – but rather, the whole world is guilty before Him (3:9-20).

Indeed, if we say we have no sin, John wrote, we only deceive ourselves and show that God’s truth is not in us (1 John 1:8-10). And this is man’s natural state, for as we learn through Jeremiah, man’s heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer.17:9). Thus Paul, again, wrote that the carnal mind – that is, the natural mind – is hostile to God, neither submitting to God’s Law nor pleasing God. Why? Quite simply, because it cannot (Rom.8:7-8). All those born in the line of Adam are sinful (Rom. 5:12), and so all – even after the world was cleansed through Noah’s flood – have evil hearts (Gen. 8:21).

Paul is right to say that when we are in our natural state, following the world – as all men are at birth – we are quite literally dead in our transgression, sin and disobedience. "We were by nature children of wrath" (Eph.2:1-3).

And so the only way we might come to Christ and find forgiveness and salvation is if God Himself does it for us, in us, and through us. He must save us, for we are dead – and dead men cannot help themselves in the least. That’s why Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44); and "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. … Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my Father" (John 6:63&65).

TULIP – Unconditional Election

Definition:

Because all people are totally depraved, and because God is holy and calls all men to be likewise holy, all men rightly deserve eternal punishment. Nevertheless, God in His goodness has determined to save some men by justifying them through Christ.

Unconditional Election describes the decree God established before the world was created, naming those who were to be saved from the destruction they deserve. Those elected are called and equipped to accept the salvation made possible by Christ’s death on the cross. This calling of the elect is unconditional – it is made on the basis of God’s free grace and good pleasure alone, and not on the basis of any foreseen actions or goodness of their own.

We sincerely believe that all of those so elected will receive the salvation promised, while none who are outside of this eternal decree are able to accept the gift of salvation, dead as they are in their sins. What’s more, this decree is unchangeable and singular, which is to say that God does not adjust His plans according to what men do; nor has He established one decree for those before the Fall and another for those coming later, or one decree for those before Christ and another for those after. All who are saved from their sins are saved in Christ; and only those who have been chosen by God’s unconditional decree of election will be saved.

Some Contrary Teachings:

Some believe, contrary to Scripture, that God has not chosen any specific persons as the elect, but rather than the call comes equally to all. Thus they believe that all who choose to accept Christ of their own free will make themselves part of the elect.

Others believe, with the testimony of Scripture, that God has elected specific persons to be saved – but they believe God’s election was based on the fact that He knew beforehand that these would come to Christ of their own free will.

Still others believe God’s election extends to all people except a small group specifically mentioned in Scripture as being condemned, such as those who intentionally commit certain gross sins and those who attribute the works of Christ to Satan (the "unforgivable sin").

All of these contradict the clear teaching of Scripture that salvation is completely the choice of God, and is not in any way the product of our works – including the "work" of our faith. If our election could be based on any work we could do on our own (including making the free choice to have faith in Christ), we would rightly have a cause to boast.

What Does Scripture Say?

When the Gentiles at Antioch heard the preaching of Paul, they rejoiced. And we read, in Acts 13:48, "As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."

This is no strange testimony of one passage; the whole of Scripture declares that God has chosen a people from among this fallen world, freely and of His own good will, saving them by His power and not by or because of anything they had done. Thus when the Israelites were preparing to enter Canaan – where God had promised He would drive out the people’s before them, prefiguring His triumph over sin in preparing a heavenly home for His people – Moses warned the people not to think that God had given them the land because of their righteousness. As he would show in the next two chapters, they were anything but righteous or worthy (Deut. 9:4ff.). Rather, God would give the victory because the Canaanites were wicked and deserving of punishment, and because God had made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God had chosen them, as members of the covenant community; He would give them the promised reward despite their rebellion and sin.

We see this same theme throughout Scripture. For instance, after the exile, Ezekiel prophesied (34:22ff) that the Lord would restore His people to their land and remove the stain of their sins – not because of anything righteous they had done, for they were utterly sinful, but rather for the sake of His honor and praise.

Moving to Jesus, we hear Him repeatedly explain that not everyone is able to receive salvation through Him – but only those who have been chosen. Thus we hear Him say in John 6:38-39 that He has come to do the will of the Father, and the Father’s will is "that of all He has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day." He then goes on to clarify that what the Father has given is a people, which will believe on Him and therefore be saved. Moreover, He explains to His apostles in John 15:16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you …"

This process is explained in more concise terms throughout the New Testament letters. For instance, in 2 Tim. 1:9, we hear that the Lord "has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."

The first two chapters of Ephesians and Romans 8 are the classic example of this explanation. It would be proper to quote the entirety of Eph. 1:3-14 and 2:1-10, as well as Rom. 8:28-30. The careful Christian will do well to read, study and learn these well! For through them, we learn clearly the crucial truth that, "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, lest anyone should boast."

TULIP – Limited Atonement

Definition:

Salvation from the penalty due for sin – deserved by all humans who have lived – can be possible only through the atonement, which has been made by the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. This atonement is limited, in that it serves to provide the payment only for the sins of those who are among God’s elect, chosen people. Those who have not been elected to salvation were not in Christ’s eyes as He hung on the cross; yet every soul God had chosen was in His view as He hung suffering, as this suffering was to be the payment for every one of their sins, without exception.

Through this process, Christ become the propitiation – the ransom – for the sins of the elect by taking their guilt on Himself and giving them the reward due for His righteousness. All those named in God’s eternal decree of election receive these benefits, which were earned specifically for them, and for no others.

Thus, it may be more clear to think of this doctrine by the name of "Particular Atonement." The atonement Christ made on the cross was particular, in that it served to pay the penalty for the sins of particular individuals who would be granted salvation through faith in Christ.

Some Contrary Teachings:

Teachings contrary to this doctrine are legion, unfortunately. Among them:

Some, greatly underestimating the worth of Christ and His sacrificial death, assert that His death and resurrection did not, of itself, purchase actual forgiveness or atonement for anyone. Rather, they claim, it merely gave God the right to establish a new covenant with fallen men, setting new conditions of works that would allow men to enter into salvation.

Others teach that Christ died on the cross without a definite decree to atone for the sins of any particular person and, therefore, that the worth of His atonement might have existed even if it had never been actually applied to anyone.

Closely tied with this latter error is that which claims that Christ’s death made eternal life possible for all, but that it was not, of itself, sufficient. Rather, the work of faith, chosen by man’s free will, must be added as the "finishing touch" that makes salvation real for the individual. So say the Semi-Pelagians and Arminians.

A variation of this error is that of traditional Roman Catholic theology, which holds that Christ’s death was sufficient to remove the stain of Adam’s original sin from all who are baptized, but that men must then avoid sin by their own strength, performing works of penance to purchase forgiveness for all sins committed after baptism.

And finally, others (generally called Universalists) believe that Christ’s death indeed bought forgiveness and salvation, but they claim that this work is applied equally and sufficiently to all men, without distinction – either all those who have lived since Adam, or all those who have lived since Christ rose from the grave.

What Does Scripture Say?

Scripture is relatively clear on the matter: Christ, our Shepherd, has been given certain sheep by the Father, and it is for these sheep – and these only – that He laid down His life (John 10:14-16 & 27-29).

Thus we read in Rom. 8, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (v.1) – not for all, but only for those in Christ. Later in this same chapter, we read that no charge can be brought against the elect, for God has justified them through the Christ who died, rose and intercedes on our behalf (vv.33-34).

And again, we read in John 15 that the greatest show of love is that a man lays down his life for his friends – and Jesus calls those His friends who follow His commands, and who are chosen by Him, and to whom He reveals the Father (vv.13-16). Indeed, Christ is the Mediator of a New Covenant, by which He has redeemed – purchased back – those who were His under the covenant with Moses and Abraham, as well as all those who are called to receive the eternal inheritance (Heb.9:15).

TULIP - Irresistible Grace

Definition:

When God has chosen to save a sinner, through His decree of election, He always follows through. There is not one soul named on that eternal, unchangeable decree that will fail to receive salvation through Christ. This is made possible and real by something we call Irresistible Grace – that is, the power of God’s Holy Spirit, who works in those who are to come to faith in Christ, and by whom the heart of an elect man or woman is changed (called regeneration), thereby enabling and drawing them to know God’s Truth, to see their sinfulness and need, and to call on Christ as their Savior.

We call this work of God within chosen sinners by the name grace because it is a gift freely given – not earned or somehow merited by the one who receives it. And we call it irresistible because when God has decided to call a person, his working of grace is not a mere invitation; but rather is an undeniable, insatiable pulling that will not fail at what God intends it to do: to call a specific sinner to the salvation He offers.

As we discussed under the topic of man’s Total Depravity, none is able to come to Christ, and therefore to be saved, absent this working of Irresistible Grace. Yet we may not call it unfair that God gives His grace only to those He has chosen as the elect, for all men deserve eternal condemnation and punishment. That God saves any is an amazing blessing of His goodness, somewhat akin to the captain of a passing ship saving some passengers of a sinking vessel, all of whom would otherwise drown.

Some Contrary Teachings:

Arminians and Semi-Pelagians teach that all people are able to freely choose God, if they so desire, and that regeneration follows this act of man’s free will. But this contradicts the teaching of Scripture that man is Totally Depraved, and thus truly dead in his sin and rebellion against God. A man in his natural, sinful state can no more choose Christ than a dead man can choose to come back to life.

Others teach that the truth of God is sufficiently revealed by nature itself that men are able to come to saving faith through what they see and understand, without the additional and special work of the Spirit within their hearts. Yet this contradicts what Paul writes in Rom. 3.

And still others – such as Wesleyan Arminians – take a middle road by agreeing that God must work in our hearts for us to choose him, but claiming that this work of God’s Spirit is not irresistible. Instead, they assert that the Spirit suggests and pleads, but that the final choice is ours to make; and therefore that the Spirit can be denied. Thus this, too, is in some sense Pelagian, believing man to be inherently good and in need only of a reasonable invitation, rather than an infusion of wholly new life.

What Does Scripture Say?

Throughout, as we have seen, Scripture paints a portrait of man being entirely unable and unwilling to turn to God on his own. For instance, Paul writes that death spread to all men through the sin of Adam (Rom. 5:12); Jeremiah teaches that the heart of man is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9); and the Lord said even of Noah and his offspring that "the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth" (Gen.8:21).

Therefore, we are in need of God’s work within us, which makes us alive by His love even when we are dead in sins and trespasses, making us to sit with Christ, our salvation (Eph. 2:4-6). This work is that which in the Old Testament times was given only to Israel (Ps. 147:19-20), and in the times since Christ has been given to men throughout the world (John 10:16).

By this work, Christ writes His Law on our minds and hearts (Jer. 31:33); entirely changes our hearts (Ezek. 36:26); making us to will and to do what is His pleasure (Phil 2:13). And so we see that we have no right to boast, for it is not our work which saves us, but that of the God who shows mercy (Rom. 9:14-18). "For who makes you differ from one another? And what do you have that you have not received? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7).

On a final, related point, it should be noted that it is true that many are called who are not empowered, through God’s working of Irresistible Grace, to accept Christ. We are told in Rom. 10:13-17, that faith comes by the hearing of the Word, and that through preaching – but not all who hear the Word will be saved. Thus we read that when Paul preached to the Gentiles at Pisidian Antioch, the Gentiles received the Word and were glad – "and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts. 13:48).

Not all who hear will believe, simply on the basis of that hearing. That internal work of regeneration by the Spirit in those who have been elected is required for them to believe. And so we read in Matt. 20:16 that "Many are called, but few are chosen." Thus too we read the parable of the wedding feast in Matt. 22: again, many are called to the feast, but only those who are prepared – that is, those who have been clothed with the wedding garments – will be allowed to remain for the feast.

TULIP - Perseverance of the Saints

Definition:

God has never lost a soul, and He never will. Perseverance of the Saints is the doctrine which confesses this truth.

In summary, it says that all those whom God has been pleased to elect, He has regenerated; and all those He has regenerated, He has called; and all those He has called, He has forgiven; and all those He has forgiven, He has welcomed as His people. Those so chosen and changed will never – can never – fall away from the faith, for the very faith which saves them is the work of God within them.

What’s more, within everyone God has elected, called and changed, He also gives His Spirit, who lives within that saint. (All Christians are saints!) And when the Holy Spirit lives within someone, He teaches them more and more of God’s truth, brings them to an ever-greater love of their Lord, and transforms them more and more – be it by great strides or small steps –into the image of Christ. This continues until the very moment of their death, when the flame of sin is finally extinguished.

The glory for this perseverance must, of course, be given to God alone. For it is God who preserves His people, neither allowing His work of calling by the Spirit to be done in vain, nor permitting His purposes to fail, nor seeing Christ’s work of redemption rendered ineffectual and useless.

A note of caution: To be sure, there are those within the visible Church who look and sound like Christians, and then later fall away into great sin, even rejecting Christ. Scripture repeatedly warns of such people, calling them wolves in sheep’s clothing. We must understand that such never were Christians. They may appear to "fall away," but in reality, they never loved Christ within their hearts, and their allegiance was always to themselves and to the world, rather than to the Lord.

Some Contrary Teachings:

Some falsely teach that the perseverance of believers is solely the response of those same believers, who by their own power must continue to hold to the faith and show the fruits of Godly living in order to continue in Christ. Thus salvation in Christ becomes a salvation by human endurance.

Others, such as the Roman Catholics, believe that Christians must add to their faith Godly works, done by their own power and will, through which salvation is made real and complete. In contrast to this, Scripture teaches that true faith must, indeed, be accompanied by an increasingly Godly walk – but this Godly walk is not a condition of salvation, but rather is a confirmation of the Spirit’s work in believers, as promised by Christ (see, for instance, John 14:12 & 15:5-6).

Some also teach – even among congregations that call themselves Reformed (generally including the Netherlands Reformed) – that those who think themselves believers can commit the "unpardonable sin," or the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, thereby cutting themselves off from salvation. But this sin involves attributing to Satan the works of God in Christ and the Spirit, something which no believer is ever able to do. It stands to reason, in the light of Scripture and simple logic, that anyone who worries that he has committed the unpardonable sin has not committed this sin, for any who would commit this sin would hardly think it worth worrying about; they care not whether God or Christ or the Spirit even exist, much less whether God has been offended.

Often joined with this above-mentioned error is that which claims that certainty of future perseverance can be experienced only by those who have had a special revelation or experience assuring us of our salvation. But this removes the certain comfort of believers, which is to be based on the promises of God’s Word, and not our subjective and fickle senses.

Many are those who deny the Perseverance of the Saints, falsely claiming that those who truly come to faith in Christ can and do fall away, losing their salvation and returning to a state of condemnation. But consider this: any salvation that truly is made ours by the work of God cannot fail to stand firm to the end – else it is not of God, but of human effort, and as such it offers us no comfort whatsoever.

What Does Scripture Say?

Scripture is by no means silent on the subject of the Perseverance of the Saints. On the contrary, time and time again, God assures us that His Word is true and His promises do not fail (e.g., Isa. 55:10-11; 2 Sam. 7:28; Rom. 3:4; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

And so we read that those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion – absolutely unmovable and unshakable – and as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people forever (Ps. 125:1-2).

This is so because we are the sheep chosen of the Father to follow Christ, our great Shepherd. For Christ tells us that we shall never perish nor be snatched from His hand, for the Father is greater than all, and He and the Father are one (John 10:28-29). This is so because we have been born again – but not of a corruptible seed, but of an incorruptible seed, through God’s Word (1 Peter 1:23).

Paul tells us that Christ "will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" – that is, the Day of Judgment – "for God is faithful, by whom you were called …" (1 Cor. 1:8-9). And again, in 1 Thess. 5:23-24, Paul writes that God Himself will sanctify us and preserve us, blameless, until Christ comes again. Even though we are tempted, God will restrain the temptation, allowing us to face nothing that we cannot overcome in Him (1 Cor. 10:13).

Romans 8 speaks of this perseverance. Consider this passage, starting at verse 28. "All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (v.28). In other words, He watches over us and protects us, preserving us faithfully in all that comes to pass. Look to verse 30: those He predestined, He called; and those He called, He justified; and those He justified, He glorified. Even before we loved God – even before we were born! – we were already justified and glorified in God’s sight, through Christ and by the certainty of God’s will for us.

Read verses 31-35 of Romans 8. How, indeed, can any be against those whom God is for? Who will make a charge against those justified through Christ’s blood? What shall separate us who have been bought at the cost of the very life of the Son of God? Nothing! "I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (vv.38-39). What a glorious assurance that we will, indeed, persevere until the end!!

Conclusion

At the conclusion of the Canons of Dort, the Godly men who wrote them added a marvelous explanation of their significance and proper use. They urged that we conduct ourselves piously and carefully in handling these doctrines – using them to God’s glory to encourage one another to holy living, and to comfort those afflicted with a knowledge of their sinfulness and unworthiness.

And they wrote: "May Jesus Christ, the Son of God – who, seated at the Father’s right hand, gives gifts to men – sanctify us in the truth; bring to the truth those who err; shut the mouths of [those who utter false charges against] sound doctrine; and endue the faithful ministers of His Word with the spirit of wisdom and discretion, that all their discourses may tend to the glory of God, and the edification of those who hear them."

To this, we would add: Yes and Amen! May God be glorified, and may we be made ever more aware of His Truth and the glory of His marvelous works of salvation and sanctification for, and within, each of His people. Amen!