Introduction To The Canons Of Dordt: Five Points Of Calvinism Reformed & Expository Preaching podcast

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Introduction to The Canons of Dordt: Five Points of Calvinism

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Introduction

This week, we began a new series on the Canons of Dort, exploring the five points of Calvinism. The goal of this message wasn’t to debate theology, but to give an overview of what Reformed Christians actually believe about God’s grace and salvation. I used various AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and even Grok to summarize what people think about Calvinists. I kept inquiring until I found five of the most common stereotypes against Reformed Christians. I found out that people believe Calvinists are arrogant intellectuals, harsh and judgmental, spiritually elitist, lacking evangelistic zeal, and fatalistic. Interestingly, the Canons of Dort end with a section meant to correct exactly those misunderstandings. The canons want us to produce humility, joy, and worship.

Total Depravity

The five points of Calvinism, often summarized by the acronym TULIP, are not five separate ideas, but five petals of the same flower. The first is Total Depravity, which teaches that sin has corrupted every part of human nature. This doesn’t mean that we are absolutely evil, but that every thought, desire, and action is tainted by sin’s influence. We still make choices, but our will is bound by sinful desires until God renews our hearts. As Ephesians 1 reminds us, every blessing of salvation flows from God alone, not from human effort.

Unconditional Election

The second point, Unconditional Election, teaches that God’s choice to save some people is not based on any foreseen faith, goodness, or merit. It is purely an act of grace. Scripture says that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world and works all things according to the counsel of His will. Election doesn’t make anyone superior; it magnifies God’s mercy. Salvation moves us, as one theologian put it, “from the courtroom to the family room.”

Limited Atonement

The third point, Limited Atonement, often confuses, but it simply means that Christ’s death was fully sufficient to save all, yet effectively applied only to those God has chosen. If God had desired to save every person, the power of Christ’s cross could have accomplished it. But in His divine plan, Christ’s atonement is applied particularly and personally to His people. It is not limited in power but in purpose. Ephesians 1:7 celebrates that in Christ “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

Irresistible Grace

Fourth is Irresistible Grace, the beautiful truth that God’s call is effective when God calls a sinner to Himself; that call is effective. His grace doesn’t force or coerce, but it transforms. The Holy Spirit renews the will so that the person freely and joyfully turns to Christ. This means salvation doesn’t rest on a preacher’s skill or on our emotional response, but on God’s sovereign work as he normally uses the preaching as a means to call his people to faith. Ephesians 1 says that God’s grace is not miserly but “lavished” upon us—abundant, overflowing, and irresistible.

Perseverance of the Saints

Finally, Perseverance of the Saints teaches that those who have been truly regenerated by the Holy Spirit will never finally fall away. Believers may stumble, doubt, or drift, but God’s preserving grace will always bring them back. The Canons of Dort beautifully describe this truth: even when a believer appears to fall, God’s Spirit continues to work within them, ensuring their restoration. The Holy Spirit is the “guarantee of our inheritance,” as Ephesians 1:14 says, sealing us until the day of redemption.

Conclusion

Reformed theology, then, is not cold, fatalistic, or prideful. The canons are just calling us to worship our gracious God. The Canons of Dort remind us that God is sovereign but never distant, and that human beings are responsible but never autonomous. Grace is not stingy—it is abundant and transforming. True Calvinism doesn’t make us arrogant; it humbles us. It doesn’t stifle evangelism; it gives us confidence that God’s Word will bear fruit. The Canons call us not to pride, but to praise God. We are called to lift our eyes from ourselves and fix them on the glory of God’s grace.

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