Calvinism (5)

Back to the Basics:

Calvinism

We’re Not Going Back to the Basics of Calvinism…

But Back to the Basics of What the Scriptures Say…

On the Topics that Calvinism Addresses

I’m No Expert on Calvinism

I’ve Never Studied it Deeply

But, I’ve Listening to Several Calvinists Explain Their Positions/Beliefs…

And I Think We’ll Be Able to Discuss this Topic…

Without Doing Too Much Straw-Manning it’s Teachings

So We’re Going to Try to Approach this with Grace & Humility

Calvinism is All about the Sovereignty of God…

And How His Sovereignty Relates to Our Salvation

Essentially, is God Completely in Control of All Things?

And How Does that Effect Our Salvation?

The 5 Main Teachings of Calvinism are Often Summed Up with the Acronym:

T.U.L.I.P.

Total Depravity

Unconditional Election

Limited Atonement

Irresistible Grace

Perseverance of the Saints

Irresistible Grace

LearnReligions.com:

“Irresistible grace is the belief that God brings his Elect to salvation through an internal call, which they are powerless to resist. The Holy Spirit supplies grace to them until they repent and are born again.”

Allen Parr:

“God’s gift of grace and salvation is irresistible for those who are elect. At some point, if you are of the chosen elect, you will eventually submit to that grace and salvation, no matter what.”

GotQuestions.Org

Simply put, the doctrine of irresistible grace refers to the biblical truth that whatever God decrees to happen will inevitably come to pass, even in the salvation of individuals. The Holy Spirit will work in the lives of the elect so that they inevitably will come to faith in Christ. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit never fails to bring to salvation those sinners whom He personally calls to Christ (John 6:37-40). At the heart of this doctrine is the answer to the question: Why does one person believe the gospel and another does not? Is it because one is smarter, has better reasoning capabilities, or possesses some other characteristic that allows him to realize the importance of the gospel message? Or is it because God does something unique in the lives of those whom He saves? If it is because of what the person who believes does or is, then in a sense he is responsible for his salvation and has a reason to boast. However, if the difference is solely that God does something unique in the hearts and lives of those who believe in Him and are saved, then there is no ground for boasting and salvation is truly a gift of grace. Of course, the biblical answer to these questions is that the Holy Spirit does do something unique in the hearts of those who are saved. The Bible tells us that God saves people “according to His mercy…through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). In other words, those who believe the gospel and are saved do so because they have been transformed by the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of irresistible grace recognizes that the Bible describes natural man as “dead in his trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1; Ephesians 2:5; Colossians 2:13), and, because man is spiritually dead, he must first be made alive or regenerated in order to understand and respond to the gospel message. The doctrine of irresistible grace accurately summarizes what the Bible teaches about the nature of saving faith as well as what must happen to overcome man’s depraved nature. Since natural man is dead in his trespasses and sins, it stands to reason that he must be regenerated before he can respond to the outward call of the gospel. Until that happens, man will resist the gospel message and the grace of God; however, once he has been “born again” and has a heart that is now inclined toward God, the grace of God will irresistibly draw Him to put his faith in Christ and be saved. These two acts (regeneration and faith) cannot be separated from one another. They are so closely connected that we often cannot distinguish between them.

In Other Words:

Humanity is Totally Depraved, Dead in Sin, & Unable to have Faith in God

Therefore God has Unconditionally Elected Certain Individuals to Be Saved

God’s Holy Spirit Works will Begin Transforming Those Who’ve Been Elected By God…

So that They’ll Be Born Again & have Their Hearts Turned to God

They can Try to Resist the Holy Spirit’s Transformation & Persuasion Toward God…

But They’ll Eventually Lose to Him & have Faith in Christ & Be Saved

Passages “in Favor” of Irresistible Grace:

John 6:44 (NASB95)

44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

Jesus is Saying that Only Those Who God Draws…

Can Come to Faith in Jesus & Be Saved

But How Does God Draw People to Jesus?

Through the Regeneration & Transformation of the Holy Spirit?

Or Through the Gospel Message?

Read the Very Next Verse:

John 6:45 (NASB95)

45 “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.

In Verse 44, Only Those Who are Drawn By the Father…

Come to Faith in Jesus

In Verse 45, Only Those Who’ve Heard/Learned from the Father…

Come to Faith in Jesus

Heard/Learned What from the Father?

The Message about Jesus

The 2 are Synonymous

God Draws People to Faith in Jesus Through the Message of the Gospel

Then They can Either Choose to Accept it or Reject it

2 Corinthians 4:3–6 (NASB95)

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Let’s Break Down this Passage to See What the Calvinist Sees:

Paul Says the Gospel is Veiled/Concealed to Those Who are Perishing

Why is it Veiled?

Because the God of this World/“Age” has Blinded Their Minds…

So that They Can’t See the Glory of Christ

The Only Ones Who can See the Glory of Christ…

Are Those Whom God Shone the Light…

Of the Knowledge of Christ’s Glory in Their Hearts

Essentially, God has Blinded the Minds…

Of Those Whom He Didn’t Elect for Salvation

And He has Shined the Light of Knowledge in the Hearts…

Of Those Whom He Did Elect for Salvation

Who is the God of this Age…

Who Blinds the Minds of the Unbelieving?

To My Knowledge, the True God is Never Referred to By that Description

Paul is Likely Referring to the Devil

He Blinds Our Minds Through His Masterful Ways of Tempting Us…

With Exactly the Things We Desire Most

He Lures Us into the Darkness…

Where We’re Blinded from Seeing the Glorious Light of the Gospel

All We Think, See, or Care about is Indulging Our Selfish Desires

But to Those Who aren’t Veiled/Blinded…

By the Temptation to Indulge Their Selfish Desires…

Have Their Hearts Open So the Light of the Gospel can Shine in Them

This Passage Doesn’t Teach that God Blinds Those He Chooses to Blind…

And Enlightens Those He Chooses to Enlighten…

And There’s Nothing the Elect can Do to Resist that Light

It Teaches the Simple Principle of:

Some are Too Tied Up with the Things of this Age…

To Open Their Eyes to the Glory of the Gospel

But Those Who are Willing to Open Their Hearts to the Gospel…

Will Be Enlightened with the Knowledge of the Glory of Christ

Acts 16:14 (NASB95)

14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

Luke Said, “The Lord Opened Her Heart to Respond”

That’s the Perfect Example of Irresistible Grace

Essentially, She wouldn’t & couldn’t have Responded to the Gospel…

Had the Lord Not Opened Her Heart to Do So

Does this Verse Teach Irresistible Grace?

1st Thing to Notice is:

This is the Only Place We Find this Language:

“The Lord Opened Her Heart to Respond”

No One Else in the Book of Acts is Said to Be Saved in this Way

It’s Never a Good Idea to Base a Doctrine Off One Unique Verse/Idea

Another Thing to Notice is that She was Already a Worshiper of God

This was Not a Heathen Who was Dead in Sin & Blinded By Darkness

She was a Righteous Woman

And, She was Already Listening to What Paul was Saying

When Paul Began Preaching the Gospel to Her…

The Lord Opened Her Heart to Listen to it

Her Heart was Already Open to Do that

The Lord Opened Her Heart to Respond to it

This is Probably Similar to Being Pricked in the Heart

When She Heard the Gospel…

The Lord Opened Her Heart to Accept it & Place Her Faith in Jesus

The Fact is, God’s Grace is Absolutely Resistible

The Calvinist Says that Those Who Resist Obviously aren’t Chosen By God

I Believe the Scriptures Say that Anyone can Resist God’s Grace

Paul Seemed to Believe that Too

1 Corinthians 9:22b (NASB95)

22 I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.

Paul Made Great Sacrifices in Order to Open People’s Hearts to the Gospel

He Became Like Them in Order to Relate to Them…

So that They would Be More Open to the Gospel

If Irresistible Grace is True…

All Paul Really Needed to Do is Present the Gospel to People…

And the Elect will Accept it, No Matter What…

And the Non-Elect will Reject it No Matter What

Why Go Through So Much Effort, if it Won’t Make a Difference?

Invitation

We are Looking at the TULIP of Calvinism in Class

Tonight We Looked at Irresistible Grace

That Simply Means:

Those Whom God has Elected/Chosen to Save…

Will Come to Faith in Jesus No Matter What

God’s Grace is Irresistible to Those Whom He has Chosen

Here’s How it Works:

The Holy Spirit is Said to Begin Transforming the Hearts of the Elect…

So that Whenever They are Presented with the Gospel…

They will Inevitably Accept it

One Major Problem with that Idea is:

People Don’t Receive the Holy Spirit…

Nor are They Transformed/Sanctified By Him…

Until After They Choose to Put Their Faith in the Gospel

Ephesians 1:13–14 (NASB95)

13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

The Holy Spirit is Given to Those Who Believe & Obey the Gospel

The Holy Spirit Begins His Sanctifying/Transforming Work on Believers

And Once a Person Gives Their Faith/Allegiance to Jesus…

They are Baptized into Christ & Receive the Holy Spirit

And, According to Paul, the Holy Spirit Not Only Sanctifies Us

(Makes Us Holy & Helps Us Live According to God’s Will)

He is Also the Pledge/Down Payment of Our Eternal Inheritance

He is the Promise of More to Come

He Transforms & Sanctifies Our Spirits in this Age…

And in the Age to Come…

He’ll Transform & Sanctify Our Bodies as Well

Those Who have the Holy Spirit…

Have the Down Payment of Their Resurrected Bodies to Come