Calvinism
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
加尔文主义五要点
from A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith
诚之译
The Acronym TULIP represents the so-called five points of Calvinism, which are, in brief, as follows:
加尔文主义可以浓缩为下面五要点，由TULIP（郁金香）来代表：
1. Total Depravity. 全然堕落
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.
由于原罪和其罪行的缘故，所有的人，除了基督以外，在他们的天然状态下是彻底堕落和完全邪恶的，虽然因着神普遍恩典的手段的限制，并没有完全将他们的败坏完全地表现出来。因此他们是完全无法拯救自己的。
译按：完全败坏的意思是我们整个人（心思、意志、情感、良心、身体）都受到罪的影响。
理智昏暗、意志被捆绑、心思想反对神、良心靠不住、身体会衰老死亡……
2. Unconditional Election无条件的拣选
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.
创世以前，上帝出于他自由的恩典和爱，在不配的罪人中拣选了许多人，赐给他们完全和最终的救赎，不是因为预见他们的信心或好行为作为条件或原因，使神被感动而救他们。也就是说，他们被拣选的基础，不在于他们，而在于神。
3. Limited Atonement有限的救赎 （特殊救赎)
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，也就是说，真的救了那些被拣选的人，他的赎罪（atonement）以及对所有要悔改信基督的圣召具有无限的充足性，因而为此福音给所有人的普遍宣告提供了合法性。我个人比较喜欢“确定救赎”（definite atonement），“特殊救赎”（particular atonement）或“有效救赎”（efficacious atonement），而不是“有限救赎”（limited atonement）。因为可能误解“有限”这个词，也因为所有的福音派都将赎罪加以“限定”，要不是在其设计上（加尔文主义者），要不就是在达成目标的能力上（阿米念）。
4. 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.
这个教义不是指未被拣选的人会发现上帝的恩典是无法抗拒的。确实，上帝拯救的恩典甚至没有临到他们身上。这也不是指被拣选的人会发现，当上帝的恩典第一次临到他们时，他们是无法抗拒的，因为即使选民也可能暂时抗拒临到他的恩典的序奏。它的意思是选民无法永远抗拒上帝临到他的恩典的序奏。在他预定的时间，上帝会吸引选民，一个接一个，到他身边祛除他们的敌意和对他与基督的反抗，使他们愿意拥抱他的儿子。
5. 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)
选民在基督里是永远稳妥的，基督会保守他自己的羊，使他们在他里面能坚忍到底。那些认信却离弃信仰的背道者（提前4：1），如同约翰说的，“他们从我们中间出去，却不是属我们的；若是属我们的，就必仍旧与我们同在；他们出去，显明都不是属我们的。”（约壹2：19）