What is Calvinism?

Calvinism, named after the 16th century Reformer John Calvin, is a word used for five biblical doctrines summarized in the acrostic TULIP. They include Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. These are also called the Doctrines of Grace, biblical teaching which glorifies the sovereignty of God in salvation.

In the 17th century, a pastor named Jacob Arminius preached a series of sermons that seemed to contradict the Belgic Confession, the statement of faith adopted by the church in the Netherlands. After Arminius died, his students wrote a letter to the Dutch government asking permission to preach Arminius's objections freely. This was called the Remonstrance, meaning protest.

They summarized five doctrines from Arminius, such as: God chooses to give eternal life to those whom He knows beforehand will choose to believe in Jesus; Jesus died for everyone, but only those who believe are saved; Human beings are born in sin and must be born again; Anyone can choose to reject God's gift of salvation; and a Christian can lose their salvation.

Reformed ministers responded with these doctrinal points: God's choice of whom He will save is not conditioned upon what a person will do; Jesus died for everyone whom God has chosen to save; all are born in sin and unable to choose to believe in Jesus unless they are born again by the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit; all whom God means to save will come to Christ in faith; and once saved, no one will snatch them from His hand (John 10:28-29).

This response known then as the Canons of Dort, would later be called Calvinism, and the teaching summarized by Arminius's students was called Arminianism. John Calvin did not start a new belief system called Calvinism. It's what the Bible teaches summarized in a concise list called the doctrines of grace, or as most know them TULIP.

Romans 3:10-12 says no one does good and "no one seeks for God." Jesus said, "All that the Father gives me will come to me" (John 6:37), "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44), and "No one will snatch them from my hand" (John 10:28). 

Ephesians 1:11 says, "In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the council of His will." And that's Calvinism, when we understand the text.