(5) IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

Introduction 1) Calvinism is a theological system of interconnected doctrines which emphasizes divine sovereignty and and denies the of man to yield to ’s will 2) Five points of Calvinism (TULIP): Total Hereditary Depravity, , , Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints 3) This lesson will examine Irresistible Grace in the light of Biblical teaching

I) The Doctrine of Irresistible Grace Defined A) “All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, he is pleased, in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by his word and Spirit, out of that state of and death in which they are by nature, to grace and by Christ” (The Westminster Confession of ) B) “…the Holy Spirit, in order to bring God’s elect to salvation, extends to them a special inward call in addition to the outward call contained in the message. Through this special call the Holy Spirit performs a work of grace within the sinner which inevitably brings him to faith in Christ… “Although the general outward call of the gospel can be, and often is, rejected, the special inward call of the Spirit never fails to result in the conversion of those to whom it is made. This special call is not made to all sinners but is issued to the elect only! The Spirit is in no way dependent upon their help or cooperation for success in His work of bringing them to Christ. It is for this reason that Calvinists speak of the Spirit’s call and of God’s grace in saving sinners as being ‘efficacious,’ ‘invincible,’ or ‘irresistible.’ For the grace which the Holy Spirit extends to the elect cannot be thwarted or refused, it never fails to bring them to true faith in Christ!” (Steele and Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism, Defined, Defended, Documented, 48, 49) C) “Irresistible means that when God has chosen some to be saved and when He sends His Spirit to change them from being hateful to being loving, no one can resist Him. He is irresistible. He does what He sets out to do” (Edwin H. Palmer, The Five Points of Calvinism, 57)

II) Examining Bible Texts Used to Support Irresistible Grace A) Acts 16:14 – “ opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul” 1) Lydia was already a worshipper of God (v. 14), not born totally depraved of heart 2) When she heard Paul, the Lord opened her heart to “heed” [pay attention to] what he said a) Lord did not “open her heart” to directly save her, but to learn to what to do to be saved! 3) She and her household then responded and obeyed what was heard – (v. 15) a) The gospel is the “power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16) B) Romans 8:7 – “…the carnal mind…is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” 1) Calvinistic argument is that it is impossible for the carnal mind of an elect person (born depraved in sin) to turn to God without the direct operation of Spirit on his heart 2) But, we do not possess a carnal mind because we are born depraved in sin, but because of our manner of living (v. 5) a) Spiritual mind comes not by a miraculous operation of Spirit, but by living according to the Spirit – hearing and following the revelation of the Spirit (vv. 14-16; Eph. 3:3-5) C) :44 – “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him” 1) This “drawing” [to persuade, compel; cf. 12:32] is by the teaching of God (v. 45) a) Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to Jesus 2) The gospel message preached is God’s means by which He draws/calls men to Christ and saves those who believe (1 Cor. 1:18-21; 2 Thess. 2:14)

III) Bible Teaching that Refutes Irresistible Grace A) Man is a Free Moral Agent 1) Man can choose to accept or reject the call of God unto salvation (Acts 13:46, 48) 2) can be accepted or rejected (Titus 2:11-12; Eph. 4:30; Acts 7:51; Heb. 10:29) 3) Man will be held responsible for his rejection of God’s word (Jn. 12:48) a) How is this possible, or fair, if man cannot choose to accept or reject God’s word? B) Man must Believe to be Saved 1) Calvinism teaches that we believe because we are saved: “A man is not saved because he believes in Christ, he believes in Christ because he is saved” (Loraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination); teaches that faith is a gift that God gives when saved 2) This is backwards – in the Bible, faith always precedes salvation (Mk. 16:16; Acts 16:31) 3) Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:14, 17), and we are changed from slaves of sin to slaves of righteousness when we obey God’s word (Rom. 6:16-18) 4) This salvation is a gift of God, provided by grace and obtained through faith (Eph. 2:8)

IV) Calvinism Denies the Saving Power of the Gospel Preached A) “The gospel invitation extends a call to salvation to everyone who hears its message. It invites all men without distinction to drink freely of the water of life and live. It promises salvation to all who repent and believe. But this outward call, extended to the elect and non-elect alike, will not bring sinners to Christ. Why? Because men are by nature dead in sin and are under its power. They are of themselves unable and unwilling to forsake their evil ways and to turn to Christ for mercy. Consequently, the unregenerate will not respond the gospel call to repentance and faith. No amount of external threatenings or promises will cause blind, deaf, dead, rebellious sinners to bow before Christ as Lord and to look to Him alone for salvation. Such an act of faith and submission is contrary to the lost man’s nature” (Steele and Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism, Defined, Defended, Documented, 48) B) “God has given us no means by which the conversion of sinners, or the general revival of religion, can be effected, irrespective of the direct agency of the Spirit. The gospel itself will not do it” (J. W. Hayhurst, The Baptist Pulpit) C) The gospel preached is God’s means by which He draws/calls men to Christ and saves those who believe (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18-21; 2 Thess. 2:14) D) What the Calvinist needs… 1) One Bible passage that teaches that the Holy Spirit works apart from the word of God to produce faith in the heart of the sinner (see Rom. 10:17) 2) One Bible example of conversion to Christ in which the word of God was not preached, and not believed and obeyed by the one converted (see Acts 2, 3, 8, 10, 13, 16, 17, 18, 22)

Conclusion Irresistible Grace is a false doctrine that denies the free moral agency of man and the role of man’s faith in conversion. It is a continuation of the error of Calvinism found in the doctrines of total hereditary depravity, unconditional election, and limited atonement. Let us not be deceived by the doctrines of men, but humbly hear and respond to the free and gracious invitation of God (Rev. 22:17).