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A Free Grace Critique of Irresistible Grace by Timothy R. Nichols

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A Free Grace Critique of Irresistible Grace by Timothy R. Nichols A Free Grace Critique of Irresistible Grace1 By Timothy R. Nichols Introduction Calvinism has a demonstrated tendency to take an extra step beyond the biblical evidence. The Bible says the unregenerate are unable to please God; Calvinists infer from this that the unregenerate are unable to believe. The biblical evidence shows that believers are selected for glorification and deliverance from Tribulation wrath; Calvinists infer that unbelievers are selected for regeneration. The Scripture says that believers ought to walk worthy of their high calling; Calvinists infer that believers will inevitably do so. One defense against the Calvinist position is the simple fact that the biblical evidence does not go far enough to support the system fully. Since Scripture is sufficient for both faith and practice, one should not accept a system that has insufficient support from Scripture. Another defense is the argument that the passages adduced to support Calvinism do not say what Calvinists suppose they say. Both of these defenses are essentially negative in character. They do not necessarily prove any position; they are designed only to disprove a Calvinist position. This article will focus on a third type of defense: an affirmative case for a different view, framed in its own—not Calvinist—terms. As long as Free-Grace theologians continue to frame their position as non-Arminian anti-Calvinism, they will be a step behind. Scripture does not frame its discussion of soteriology in terms of the five points of Calvinism; thus, there is no reason why we ought to, if our presentation is to mirror Scripture. At best, TULIP2 presents Free Grace with a useful foil, a heuristic for communicating where we stand in relation to other beliefs. However, we need to make a positive case as well as a negative case. While TULIP may be a perfect foil for the negative case, there is no reason to prefer it for the positive one. A Third Position, Not a Mediate Position The idea of not framing the Free Grace position in terms of Arminianism and Calvinism only makes sense, of course, if the following propositions are true: 1 This paper was originally presented at the Chafer Theological Seminary Teaching Pastors’ Conference, March 10, 2005, in Santa Ana, CA. 2 TULIP is an acronym for the five points of Calvinism: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints.. A Free Grace Critique of Irresistible Grace 53 1) Free Grace is neither Arminian nor Calvinist. 2) Free Grace is not a mediate position between the two “extremes” of Arminianism and Calvinism. The first proposition is generally recognized in Free Grace circles; the second is not. How could it be that Free Grace is not a mediate position? By definition, a mediate position moderates the extremes of Arminianism and Calvinism on areas where they disagree. Free Grace does not do this; it rejects a premise that both Arminianism and Calvinism accept—the essential unity of justification and sanctification. Arminians teach that a believer who loses sanctification also loses justification. Calvinists teach that a believer who loses sanctification has never had justification. In both cases, the rationale is that sanctification and justification cannot be separated. Free Grace, by contrast, teaches that sanctification and justification ought not to be separated but often are. That particular difference is a defining element of the Free Grace position. Calvinism and Arminianism share other premises that Free Grace advocates often reject. Arminians and Calvinists both accept the idea that unregenerate man is constitutionally unable to believe the gospel (although Arminians go on to suggest that prevenient grace rescues man from this position). A number of Free Grace advocates hold that unregenerate man is constitutionally able to believe the gospel (for reasons discussed below). Arminians and Calvinists both hold that scripture teaches individual, soteriological election to eternal life; they differ only on the basis of that election. A number of Free Grace advocates reject the idea that election to eternal life is individual at all. There are other examples as well. The point in cataloging these differences is to demonstrate that the Free Grace position described in this article, is not a mediate position that falls somewhere on the continuum between Arminianism and Calvinism. It is not between them—it is other than they are, a legitimate third position. Total Inability and Irresistible Grace The Nature of Irresistible Grace The nature of Irresistible Grace is such that if Total Inability is true (i.e., unregenerate man cannot believe the gospel), then Irresistible Grace must be true. If unregenerate man cannot believe but can only resist God’s saving grace, then he can only be saved by a grace against which his resistance means nothing, i.e., by an irresistible grace. Consequently, in order to clear the way for an attack on Irresistible Grace, one must first dispense with Total Inability. A full treatment of the subject is beyond the scope of this paper, so this discussion will address a single passage that makes a determinative case against Total Inability. 54 CTS Journal 11 (Fall 2005) Ephesians 2:1–9 and the Case Against Total Inability The following six sets of syllogisms set forth the logic of a particular strand of Paul’s argument in the text of Ephesians 2:1–9. The conclusions develop from the eight points of data it contains. The biblical case for these points is solid; moreover, the degree of agreement in the commentary literature on these eight points of data is nothing short of remarkable. Nearly everyone agrees. However, the conclusions which necessarily follow from these eight points are rarely acknowledged. (The data points are marked with an asterisk.) 1–1* All believers were once dead. 1–2* Dead refers to spiritual death. 1–3 Therefore, all believers were once spiritually dead. 2–1* All believers were made alive. 2–2* Made alive refers to spiritual life (regeneration). 2–3 Therefore, all believers received spiritual life (regeneration). 3–1* By grace you are saved (2:5) is parenthetical to made alive (and raised up and seated). 3–2* The parenthetical relation indicates that made alive (and raised up and seated) is equated with, or a subset of, by grace you are saved. 3–3 Therefore, made alive (and raised up and seated) is equated with, or a subset of, saved (2:5). 4–1 Made alive (and raised up and seated) is equated with, or a subset of, saved (2:5). 4–2* By grace you are saved (2:8) resumes the topic of discussion from 2:5. 4–3 Therefore, made alive (and raised up and seated) is equated with, or a subset of, by grace you are saved (2:8). 5–1* Through faith indicates the instrumental cause3 of by grace you are saved (2:8). 3 It may be helpful to distinguish the terms instrumental cause and effectual cause. An effectual cause brings about an effect by its own power; an instrumental cause brings about an effect by another’s power. For example, when someone flips a light switch, resulting in the lights coming on, flipping the switch is the instrumental cause; the electricity is the effectual cause. In Paul’s discussion here, grace is set forth as the effectual cause of salvation, and faith, as the instrumental cause. A Free Grace Critique of Irresistible Grace 55 5–2 Made alive (and raised up and seated) is equated with, or a subset of, by grace you are saved (2:8). 5–3 Therefore, through faith is the instrumental cause of made alive (and raised up and seated). 6–1 Through faith is the instrumental cause of made alive (and raised up and seated). 6–2 Instrumental cause necessarily precedes its effect. 6–3 Therefore, faith precedes being made alive (regeneration). Defining spiritual death in terms of inability to believe falls utterly flat in this passage. Sadly, the vast majority of Reformed commentators agree with the data at issue (the asterisked points above) and yet fail to draw the correct conclusion. This passage removes Total Inability from consideration, because it says plainly that dead men must believe in order to be made alive. Nor do Arminians emerge totally unscathed. While Paul does not directly refute prevenient grace in this passage, neither does he feel the need to adduce the concept to explain how dead men could believe. For Paul, the idea that dead men believe requires no further comment. Grace Resistible, but Unresisted: Selected Passages With Total Inability out of the way, it is now possible to address Irresistible Grace directly. As discussed in the introduction, three possible avenues appear: 1) Defensive: to demonstrate that Scripture does not fully support Irresistible Grace 2) Defensive: to demonstrate that the passages that are thought to support Irresistible Grace do not in fact do so 3) Offensive: to demonstrate the truth of a competing view This paper will take the third course. “Lest They Believe”: Matthew 13:19 // Mark 4:15 // Luke 8:12 and 2 Corinthians 4:3–4 The parable of the sower is much debated among commentators and theologians, but most of the debate centers on the disposition of the stony and thorny soils.4 Virtually everyone acknowledges that the first soil, the hard 4 For an excellent treatment of this issue, see Brad McCoy, “The Parable of the Sower,” CTS Journal 5 (July–September 1999): 2–13. 56 CTS Journal 11 (Fall 2005) ground by the wayside, indicates an unbeliever—and so it does. Jesus’ explanation of the hard ground appears in all three synoptic Gospels: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.
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