Imagine you have to tell a total stranger about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What's the first thing you would say to him or her?

How about God loves you and he sent his son to die for you so that you could be saved from

sin and have eternal life.

It's one reason people hold up posters that say John 316 at football games

and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebo wore the verse on his face during games.

For God so love the world that he gave his only

son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Whoever is watching this episode, I can confidently tell you that your existence is not an accident.

God planned for all eternity that you would be alive because he loves you and wants you to have eternal happiness in him. If you're a Christian

you should be able to tell anyone you meet that same basic truth, unless you're

a Calvinist. If you are an honest, consistent Calvinist, then you cannot

tell a complete stranger God loves you. Because Calvinism teaches that God does not love

everyone. Under Calvinism, God does not love everyone.

Under Calvinism, God alone decides who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.

The people God loves go to heaven, and the people God does not love go to hell. People go to hell not because they reject God, but

because God rejects them. However, if your theology prevents you from sharing a basic part of

the Christian message to someone, i.e. that

God loves them, then maybe your theology is the problem and it's the thing that needs

to go. So let's dive deeper into this depressing aspect of Calvinism.

One way to do that is with an acronym called Tulip developed in the 20th century

that summarizes the decisions of the 17th century Calvinist Synod of Dort. It goes like this.

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