TULIP - Irresistible Grace

Irresistible Grace

Eze 36:24-27

New Testament people liked to use Old Testament verbiage to explain points

Jesus in John 3

Rom 8:5-8

We’re not able to please God

Theologians came up with different kinds of grace

Common grace - providential care over creation (Mt 5:45)

Prevenient grace - God’s grace that releases individual from bondage of sin so they can come to Christ BUT it doesn’t guarantee that the sinner will positively respond. Efficacy is determined by man, not God.

Not in the Bible

Saving grace - the grace God gives His elect so they may be saved

1 Jn 5:1

If you read it in Gk, it says, “If you are believing that Jesus is the Christ, you have been born of God.”

World: You believe in the truth and the result of that is that you are born of God

Problem (see 1 Jn 2:29)

Are you born again by practicing righteousness?

No, being born again is why you practice righteousness

When Jesus is says in John that “you do not hear my words because you do not belong to God”, He is saying that you need to belong to God then you can hear His words

World: you need to choose to hear God’s words then you can belong to God

People are constantly rearranging the order and, because we were taught this tradition, we tend to rewire what is being said to fit our understanding of Scripture

Set… traditions… aside...

What 1 Jn 5:1 is accurately saying is that God has caused something to work within you so you can believe thus be born again.

Faith is a gift from God

Phil 1:29

“Grant” means that God has given us the Gospel? No. Offered us something that we may choose to accept it? No.

“Granted” means that God has given us belief in Christ; a gift.

2 Pet 1:1

Faith received by God

Eph 2:8-9

Like we talked about before, faith is not of us but of God so we cannot boast

Many would agree that salvation is the work of God and God alone BUT they would also say, “all we did was respond to God’s election of us in eternity past.”

If something has NO merit in the success of something BUT is totally necessary for that success, how does that make any sense?

What about you is so special that you positively responded to the Gospel and not the guy next to you?

If you actually have an answer to that question besides “nothing”, you have just refuted your theology.

If you answer “nothing” while still believing you were chosen because of your future response, you’re not making any sense.

It’s either 100% grace or not 100% grace

Rom 3 says that no one seeks for God

If you find yourself genuinely seeking God, that means you already received a work of grace in your life

If not but you are still seeking God, that just means you’re seeking the benefits of God and not God Himself. Pretty common.

Like the idea of someone watching over them but don’t want to deal with things like holiness and dying to oneself.

Could Lazarus have denied Jesus’ command to come forth?

Could he have denied Jesus’ command to come to life and stay in his death?

Anyone who knows very well their spiritual state knows that they were in a desperate need of a resurrection. Praise Jesus for that!

Irresistible Grace is this: God changes our hearts from our natural sinful state to one that longs for Christ.

If God has His elect already out there, does that mean we don’t have to evangelize?

Mt 28:16-20

It’s a command

Rom 10:17

People need to hear the Gospel for faith to come

It’s the way God made it

Rom 10:14-15

It’s by God’s grace that people hear the word and believe. It’s not you. Remember that.

All glory belongs to God! Even the knowledge of the doctrines of grace!

If you think you have superiority over those who are not Reformed, check your heart.

This was God’s revelation to you. Don’t take His credit. Walk humbly.