Jesse, I hear you loud and clear Buddy. Calvin's TULIP was not his idea, someone later gave it that nickname. I have studied the works of Calvin in his book "Institutes of the Christian Religion" of which I became very familiar with, and why he held to such a controversial doctrine. At first, I felt much like you. I only looked at the nickname and compared it to my Baptist heritage and was quite unsettled. It wasn't until I purchased the book and became familiar with his teaching, that I decided that he was right on, except "Limited Atonement".
For you to better understand this doctrine, I suggest that you purchase the book because Calvin backs up his theology with Scripture. I don't mean that he takes verses out of context, no, he validates everything he believes from passages, not just one verse. By not knowing why he believes what he believes, it's to easy to just take "pop shots" at his doctrine. It's almost as if folks who just take pop shots, they are judging the man, which I feel is not good Christian responses.
I actually don't know any Calvinists that abuse God's grace by living like the world and depending on that same grace to advance them to eternal life. Romans 6:1 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
As a Calvinist, I myself am acutely aware of the danger of abusing God's Grace!
Actually, Jesus' death was for all mankind, but each one must make the decision to be born again, otherwise Jesus' death has no effect on that person. Remember, the remnant elect of God will saved because of Jesus' shed Blood, and also those who come to Christ thru the "General Call" of the Gospel. Calvin did not include anyone other than the elect to be saved. That is why I add the "General Call" Calvin, IMO, was so captivated with Ephesians 1:3-6 that he perhaps concentrated to much on that theme to the abandonment of those outside of the elect or remnant. Some call the elect, the Bride of Christ, of which I agree. Another good and important read beside the book that I have mentioned, which has 1059 pages, is a small paper back book called "The Five Points Of Calvinism by, David N. Steele and Curtis C. Thomas. which has only 95 pages.
I do wish you and others would read up on Calvin's works instead of so much criticism. I think that one of the reasons that Calvin was so negative towards people who were not of the elect was the Roman Catholic Church and its Pope. He knew spiritually, that the Pope and his Priests were not a choice of God for His remnant. Because he could find no room in Christendom for these imposter's, he threw out the baby with the bath water.
