The Historical Tracings of the Doctrines of Grace | Part 2

November 1st, 2025

The Biblical Foundation – God’s Sovereignty in Salvation

Key Scriptures

Ephesians 1:3–6 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace.”
John 6:37, 44 – “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out… No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”
Romans 8:29–30 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Before there was a Reformation, before there was Augustine or Calvin, there was Scripture. The doctrines of grace are not the product of councils or controversies; they are the consistent teaching of God’s Word. The Reformation did not invent these doctrines—it simply rediscovered them.

If we want to understand the doctrines of grace, we must start where the Bible starts: with God Himself.

From the first verse of Genesis to the final amen of Revelation, the Bible reveals a God who reigns absolutely. “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). Creation itself is the theater of His sovereignty. He spoke, and light existed. He commands, and worlds obey. This same divine authority extends to salvation. God does not merely offer grace; He effectually applies it.

Total Depravity – The Problem of the Human Heart

The story of grace begins with the problem of sin. Adam’s rebellion in the garden left mankind spiritually dead, not morally neutral. Scripture is painfully clear: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God” (Romans 3:10–11).

The doctrine of total depravity doesn’t mean man is as evil as he could be; it means that sin has corrupted every part of his being—mind, will, and affections. Man cannot come to God because he will not. His will is enslaved to sin.

Jesus affirmed this when He said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). That phrase “no one can” speaks not of permission but of ability. Sinners are not merely unwilling; they are unable. Spiritual death leaves us blind to God’s beauty and deaf to His call. Grace, then, must be more than an opportunity—it must be a resurrection.

Unconditional Election – The Initiative of God

If man cannot save himself, then salvation must begin with God. Ephesians 1 tells us that God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world.” Notice the timing—before creation—and the purpose—“that we should be holy and blameless before him.” God’s choice was not based on foreseen faith or human merit. It was according to “the purpose of His will.”

Election is God’s eternal decision to redeem a people for His glory. It’s not arbitrary; it’s loving. Paul says, “In love he predestined us… to the praise of his glorious grace.” Election magnifies mercy because it removes boasting. As Paul writes in Romans 9:16, “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”

When God saves, He acts. He doesn’t wait for permission. He doesn’t look down the corridor of time to see who might choose Him. He ordains salvation according to His sovereign purpose.

Limited Atonement – The Accomplishment of Christ

The Son’s work is the outworking of the Father’s decree. Jesus did not die to make salvation possible; He died to make it certain. “You shall call his name Jesus,” the angel told Joseph, “for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” He didn’t die for an undefined mass of humanity, but for His flock—His chosen people. This is the doctrine of Limited Atonement, sometimes called definite or particular redemption. Christ’s cross didn’t merely open the door to salvation; it purchased redemption for those the Father gave Him.

That’s why Jesus could say with triumph, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The debt was paid, the wrath satisfied, the ransom complete. The atonement is limited in its design but unlimited in its power—it perfectly accomplishes everything it was meant to accomplish.

Irresistible Grace – The Power of the Spirit

If the Father elects and the Son redeems, the Spirit applies. Salvation becomes ours through the sovereign call of the Holy Spirit. Paul describes this in 2 Timothy 1:9: [God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace.

When the gospel is preached, the Spirit works internally to awaken the heart. He doesn’t merely invite; He regenerates. The same power that spoke creation into existence speaks life into dead souls. “Let there be light,” God said in Genesis—and there was light. So too, when the Spirit says, “Live,” the sinner lives.

That’s why Paul says in Romans 8:30, “Those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified.” The call of God is not a suggestion; it’s a summons that brings about the very faith it commands. Grace is irresistible not because it violates the will, but because it renews the will. The sinner comes freely because he has been made free.

Perseverance of the Saints – The Certainty of Glory

Finally, the God who begins salvation finishes it. Philippians 1:6 promises, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” The perseverance of the saints is not about our strength to hold on to God—it’s about His faithfulness to hold on to us.

Jesus declared, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27–28).

From start to finish, salvation belongs to the Lord. The Father planned it, the Son accomplished it, and the Spirit applies it. To understand the doctrines of grace is to see the triune God in perfect harmony, accomplishing one glorious purpose—the redemption of His people to the praise of His glory.

Before we turn to history, we must be convinced that the doctrines of grace are not theological preferences but divine revelation. They are the gospel explained. They are grace defended. And every faithful church, from Augustine’s time to our own, has stood or fallen on this truth: God saves sinners.

Posted in Articles, Church, TULIP
Posted in TULIP