TULIP is the classical definition of Calvinism. Actually real Christians have disagreements on the TULIP and on election.
T = Total Depravity
U = Unconditional Election
L = Limited Atonement
I = Irresistible Grace
P = Perseverance of the Saints
Actually election is God's Work. Our work is to believe, though belief is not a work, a resting from works.
(As the Lord Jesus said, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."
Faith is the work which the Lord requires of us for salvation, though it is not a work, except in a rhetorical sense.
So why do people get in such a tizzy over election? The Bible says, "Whosoever believes," and it calls Christians elect.
T = Total depravity: Man is sinful by nature, nothing man does is righteous, as it is an expression of the Adamic nature. Man does not have in his menu of possibilities good works. It is not thus follow that man has no ability to believe. Neither is it necessary to call believing in Jesus a good work; belief is contrasted with works. Persons can endorse the T and believe in conditional election.
U = Unconditional Election: Election is not conditioned upon God foreseeing good works. The question here is, could it be that God chooses by foreknowledge, seeing in advance who would believe. Generally along with that POV goes the idea that by God's common grace, all men have the ability to believe in Christ.
I don't find this POV about common grace in the Bible, but it is a POV that genuine Christians may have. And I see no reason to despise a brother for holding this POV, to sneer at him, or call him a heretic. Thiessen's one Volume Systematic Theology takes this POV.
One thing is for sure, election is according to God's foreknowledge. I am not sure that I understand that.
I know that sometimes "know" is used as in Amos for entering an intimate relationship, not for objective knowledge. But I am unaware of any proof that when fore- is used, the knowledge is anything other than objective knowledge. If anyone has a Greek reference to proginosko (classical progignosko) used for intimate relationship, I would like to see the reference.
Aside from foreknowledge, I don't know of any explanation of why God should choose one and not another. Is the idea of rolling dice or flipping coins appropriate in describing God's election? The fact that God elected does add to our humility.
L = limited atonement. Scripture is clear that Christ died for all (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2).
J.O. Buswell's solution to this problem (Systematic Theology writer) is that the dispute is invalid:
1) Christ's death was sufficient for all.
2) Christ's death was efficient for only the elect (only they are actually saved in the end).
I favor the explanation that both Christ's atonement and our belief are necessary for salvation, though He paid for all men.
However, scripture (Rom 6, etc.) indicates that by the baptism of the Holy Spirit Christians were put on the cross with Christ when He died (co-crucifixion) causing the Old Man of the Christian to have been crucified.
Since only Christians who are elect are in the Body of Christ, that indicates to me at least one aspect of Christ's death is limited to the Church. He died for all, paying for all men's sins, but only Church members can say, "I have been crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20).
I = Irresistible grace. This is the concept that when God elects a man for salvation, the grace God extends to Him results in man's salvation; the unsaved man can't stop himself from being saved on this POV.
P = perseverance of the saints (they cannot lose their salvation).
Rom 8 ends:
"28 And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them who are called according to his purpose. 29
For whom he foreknew,
he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: 30
and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and
whom he called, them he also justified: and
whom he justified, them he also glorified.
[This is like jumping off a 10 story building from which one is pushed,
10th floor: foreknew
9th: foreordained
. . .
bottom: smack! glorified.
Once you get pushed off, nothing stops before glorified.
Interestingly, believe, is not mentioned here.]
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God who justifies; 34 who is he who condemns? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written,
For your sake we are killed all the day long;
We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I don't see how anyone can be a Christian without believing perseverance, as believing Christ is your Savior is essential to being a Christian. And how can you really believe that He is your Savior and then not know that you have real salvation, not just a chance to be saved?