For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, - Titus 2:11-13
For the past few weeks, as a part of our series on Calvinism and Arminianism, our sermons have focused on the recipients of salvation. We have talked about election and predestination which deal with the manner by which God chooses particular people to be saved. Is His election conditional or unconditional? We’ve also discussed how and to whom the atonement that Christ secured on the cross is applied. Is it limited or unlimited?
Starting with this morning’s message we’ll move on to a new topic, though we’ve already touched on aspects of it during our earlier conversation about mankind’s depravity. How should we properly describe and understand the grace that God bestows upon sinners that produces salvation? As we seek to answer this question, we will delve into the 4th fundamental points of Calvinism and Arminianism. They are “Irresistible Grace” and “Resistible Grace”.
I. UNDERSTANDING GRACE
Before we begin debating the competing viewpoints of God’s grace, let’s begin by simply defining what it is. The most common definition of grace used by many Christians is simply, “God’s unmerited favor towards mankind.” The LORD extends His kindness and generosity to sinful humanity in spite of the fact that we don’t deserve it and have not earned it. The Bible describes God’s grace as a gift, which we receive freely, without any strings attached (Ephesians 4:7). His merciful and abundant blessings upon us are an act of His grace.
It is important to note that God’s grace is endowed with His almighty power. It enables us to overcome obstacles in our lives (Zechariah 4:7). It sustains and strengthens us as we endure persecution, hardship, and/or affliction (2 Corinthians 12:9). Grace gives us hope for tomorrow and comfort for today (2 Thessalonians 2:16). It provides us with access to God and help in times of need (Hebrews 4:16). These are just some of the many positive effects of God’s grace in and on our present lives.
God’s grace extends beyond this passing world. It is central to the gospel message (Acts 20:24) and is exceedingly greater than our sin (Romans 5:20). By His grace, we as sinners are justified before God (Romans 3:24; Titus 3:7). Jesus, our wonderful Savior, is the very embodiment of grace and truth (John 1:14). Most importantly, it is the power of God’s grace that saves us from the just penalty of our sins giving us the promise of eternal life (Ephesians 2:4-5).
II. TYPES OF GRACE
Christians of various denominations and backgrounds have identified several different types of grace. For the purposes of this series, we are going to highlight 3 of them. First, there is common grace, which refers to God’s kind benevolence upon all people up to, but short of, salvation. Common grace includes God’s earthly, temporal blessings which are experienced in this life. Since all people receive common grace, even the wicked may and often do experience the blessings of God. By this grace, the LORD patiently withholds His judgment against fallen sinners and society - for a while.
Second, prevenient grace is that which assists or enables a sinner to be saved. It is often associated with Holy Spirit conviction, and allows an otherwise spiritually blinded person to see God and exercise their free will unto salvation. Prevenient grace does not actually bring about salvation, but rather makes it possible should the sinner choose to receive it.
Third, there is efficacious or saving grace which actually regenerates the spiritually dead person causing them to be born again. It is a special grace, bestowed by God specifically on certain people, not everyone. This grace always and infallibly results in the salvation of the person to whom it is granted.
Calvinists focus primarily on common grace and saving grace, but not so much on prevenient grace. Arminians emphasize all 3 forms of grace, though there are differing perspectives among them. We will make this distinction in the upcoming discussion…
III. WHAT IS IRRESISTIBLE GRACE?
“Irresistible Grace” is the Calvinistic belief that those whom God has chosen or elected to be saved will inevitably come to salvation by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. Such an outcome is unavoidable and irresistible - it is a foregone conclusion. Whenever God conveys His grace upon a chosen sinner, the Holy Spirit instantly affects regeneration and justification in their lives. Once they have been made spiritually alive, the newly saved person immediately encounters the glorious wonder of God and cannot help but to joyfully and immediately make a profession of faith in Him.
There is Biblical support for the doctrine of Irresistible Grace. The Bible teaches that when God calls, His people always listen to His voice and comply (John 6:37, 10:16). It states that God commands light to shine in the darkened heart, implying that this redemptive illumination is unstoppable (2 Corinthians 4:1-6). Likewise, He alone opens the heart - it can’t be prevented - so that a person can respond to Him (Acts 16:14). Paul wrote that those who are called by God are also justified and glorified (Romans 8:30). These things happen together. In other words, if and when God calls someone they are irresistibly saved.
One of the premiere illustrations of Irresistible Grace is the resurrection of Lazarus. Lazarus was physically dead, and therefore unable to see, hear, or do anything. Jesus came to the tomb where His friend had been buried, cried out “Come forth!”, Lazarus rose from the dead, and came out to Him (John 11:43). Now, how could Lazarus have heard and responded to Jesus’ calling unless He had already been brought back to life? The same principle is true spiritually. God first regenerates the person’s dead soul, thereby enabling them to hear and answer His call (John 3:3). This miraculous work of grace is always effective upon and cannot be refused by those to whom it is conferred.
CONCLUSION
In summary, Calvinism argues that God extends common grace to all people, even the non-elect, but saving grace only to the elect, inevitably leading to their salvation. In other words, a person cannot thwart or negate their election. Regenerating grace is irresistible. That said, why would anyone want to resist it?
Calvinists often refer to their teachings on salvation - that is, all 5 points collectively - as the “doctrines of grace”. I have purposely tried to avoid using this title for Calvinism during this series because I don’t want to imply that Arminians don’t also believe in grace. They most certainly do. They simply have a different understanding of how it works. Next Sunday, we will introduce the Arminian position of “Resistible Grace” and compare it to the Calvintistic view of “Irresistible Grace” which we've discussed today.
Let me close by reciting the final verse and chorus of a beloved Christian hymn. These lyrics warm my heart and offer a beautiful invitation to those who are lost. “Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, Freely bestowed on all who believe! All who are longing to see His face, Will you this moment His grace receive? Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin!”
For the past few weeks, as a part of our series on Calvinism and Arminianism, our sermons have focused on the recipients of salvation. We have talked about election and predestination which deal with the manner by which God chooses particular people to be saved. Is His election conditional or unconditional? We’ve also discussed how and to whom the atonement that Christ secured on the cross is applied. Is it limited or unlimited?
Starting with this morning’s message we’ll move on to a new topic, though we’ve already touched on aspects of it during our earlier conversation about mankind’s depravity. How should we properly describe and understand the grace that God bestows upon sinners that produces salvation? As we seek to answer this question, we will delve into the 4th fundamental points of Calvinism and Arminianism. They are “Irresistible Grace” and “Resistible Grace”.
I. UNDERSTANDING GRACE
Before we begin debating the competing viewpoints of God’s grace, let’s begin by simply defining what it is. The most common definition of grace used by many Christians is simply, “God’s unmerited favor towards mankind.” The LORD extends His kindness and generosity to sinful humanity in spite of the fact that we don’t deserve it and have not earned it. The Bible describes God’s grace as a gift, which we receive freely, without any strings attached (Ephesians 4:7). His merciful and abundant blessings upon us are an act of His grace.
It is important to note that God’s grace is endowed with His almighty power. It enables us to overcome obstacles in our lives (Zechariah 4:7). It sustains and strengthens us as we endure persecution, hardship, and/or affliction (2 Corinthians 12:9). Grace gives us hope for tomorrow and comfort for today (2 Thessalonians 2:16). It provides us with access to God and help in times of need (Hebrews 4:16). These are just some of the many positive effects of God’s grace in and on our present lives.
God’s grace extends beyond this passing world. It is central to the gospel message (Acts 20:24) and is exceedingly greater than our sin (Romans 5:20). By His grace, we as sinners are justified before God (Romans 3:24; Titus 3:7). Jesus, our wonderful Savior, is the very embodiment of grace and truth (John 1:14). Most importantly, it is the power of God’s grace that saves us from the just penalty of our sins giving us the promise of eternal life (Ephesians 2:4-5).
II. TYPES OF GRACE
Christians of various denominations and backgrounds have identified several different types of grace. For the purposes of this series, we are going to highlight 3 of them. First, there is common grace, which refers to God’s kind benevolence upon all people up to, but short of, salvation. Common grace includes God’s earthly, temporal blessings which are experienced in this life. Since all people receive common grace, even the wicked may and often do experience the blessings of God. By this grace, the LORD patiently withholds His judgment against fallen sinners and society - for a while.
Second, prevenient grace is that which assists or enables a sinner to be saved. It is often associated with Holy Spirit conviction, and allows an otherwise spiritually blinded person to see God and exercise their free will unto salvation. Prevenient grace does not actually bring about salvation, but rather makes it possible should the sinner choose to receive it.
Third, there is efficacious or saving grace which actually regenerates the spiritually dead person causing them to be born again. It is a special grace, bestowed by God specifically on certain people, not everyone. This grace always and infallibly results in the salvation of the person to whom it is granted.
Calvinists focus primarily on common grace and saving grace, but not so much on prevenient grace. Arminians emphasize all 3 forms of grace, though there are differing perspectives among them. We will make this distinction in the upcoming discussion…
III. WHAT IS IRRESISTIBLE GRACE?
“Irresistible Grace” is the Calvinistic belief that those whom God has chosen or elected to be saved will inevitably come to salvation by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. Such an outcome is unavoidable and irresistible - it is a foregone conclusion. Whenever God conveys His grace upon a chosen sinner, the Holy Spirit instantly affects regeneration and justification in their lives. Once they have been made spiritually alive, the newly saved person immediately encounters the glorious wonder of God and cannot help but to joyfully and immediately make a profession of faith in Him.
There is Biblical support for the doctrine of Irresistible Grace. The Bible teaches that when God calls, His people always listen to His voice and comply (John 6:37, 10:16). It states that God commands light to shine in the darkened heart, implying that this redemptive illumination is unstoppable (2 Corinthians 4:1-6). Likewise, He alone opens the heart - it can’t be prevented - so that a person can respond to Him (Acts 16:14). Paul wrote that those who are called by God are also justified and glorified (Romans 8:30). These things happen together. In other words, if and when God calls someone they are irresistibly saved.
One of the premiere illustrations of Irresistible Grace is the resurrection of Lazarus. Lazarus was physically dead, and therefore unable to see, hear, or do anything. Jesus came to the tomb where His friend had been buried, cried out “Come forth!”, Lazarus rose from the dead, and came out to Him (John 11:43). Now, how could Lazarus have heard and responded to Jesus’ calling unless He had already been brought back to life? The same principle is true spiritually. God first regenerates the person’s dead soul, thereby enabling them to hear and answer His call (John 3:3). This miraculous work of grace is always effective upon and cannot be refused by those to whom it is conferred.
CONCLUSION
In summary, Calvinism argues that God extends common grace to all people, even the non-elect, but saving grace only to the elect, inevitably leading to their salvation. In other words, a person cannot thwart or negate their election. Regenerating grace is irresistible. That said, why would anyone want to resist it?
Calvinists often refer to their teachings on salvation - that is, all 5 points collectively - as the “doctrines of grace”. I have purposely tried to avoid using this title for Calvinism during this series because I don’t want to imply that Arminians don’t also believe in grace. They most certainly do. They simply have a different understanding of how it works. Next Sunday, we will introduce the Arminian position of “Resistible Grace” and compare it to the Calvintistic view of “Irresistible Grace” which we've discussed today.
Let me close by reciting the final verse and chorus of a beloved Christian hymn. These lyrics warm my heart and offer a beautiful invitation to those who are lost. “Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, Freely bestowed on all who believe! All who are longing to see His face, Will you this moment His grace receive? Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin!”