Why saving grace must be irresistible

The fourth point of Calvinism is Irresistible Grace.  This doctrine says that when God calls us to faith in Jesus he calls effectively, always succeeding in his purpose to save us.

The Bible distinguished between the general call of God to all sinners to come to Jesus (e.g. Jesus saying “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”) and the specific call or summons God gives to his elect (e.g. Romans 1:6…you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ…)

John Piper writes: Irresistible grace refers to the sovereign work of God to overcome the rebellion of our heart and bring us to faith in Christ so that we can be saved. If our doctrine of total depravity is true, there can be no salvation without the reality of irresistible grace. If we are dead in our sins, totally unable to submit to God, then we will never believe in Christ unless God overcomes our rebellion.

God the Father elects us before the creation of the world. God the Son dies to accomplish our salvation and God the Holy Spirit calls us to himself; we simply respond in repentance and faith, and enjoy all benefits of that salvation.

A great link to C J Mahaney's testimony of God's irresistible grace in his conversion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYVO2-2ndg4

Why I believe in Limited Atonement

Who did Jesus die for? What did Jesus’ death actually achieve?

These two questions point to the heart of the third point of Calvinism, Limited Atonement. Most Christians would say that Jesus died for all the sins of every person in the entire world. Jesus paid the price for each sin of every person and we apply that forgiveness to us personally when we put our faith in Jesus.
Limited Atonement, however, says that Jesus died to actually save those God elected. When Jesus was crucified on the Roman cross he did not simply make salvation a possibility, but rather he actually redeemed God’s elect (“many”, Mark 10:45), propitiated God’s wrath (Romans 3:25), made atonement for God’s people (Hebrews 2:17) and reconciled them to God (2 Corinthians 5:18). The New Testament does not speak of potential possibilities that Jesus’ death may achieve, but rather the definite salvation Jesus did achieve for those God had chosen. Jesus’ death saved and redeemed (past tense) God’s people.

Jesus himself said he would lay down his life for his sheep, not the goats.

Double jeopardy
The opposite of Limited Atonement in the theory of General Ransom (i.e. Jesus paid the price for every person’s sins). But this can logically also not be true. How could a just God punish an unbeliever for his or her sins if Jesus has already received their punishment? You cannot be prosecuted for the same crime (or parking ticket!) twice.

When God the Son died on that Roman cross in the first century AD, he accomplished the eternal salvation of those whom God the Father had unconditionally elected.

To plan or not to plan?

Most of us don’t have a plan. No plan for our life, no plan for our finances or health and no plan for our spiritual growth. Proverbs says that we are acting foolishly. Proverbs tells us that we should plan ahead. Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

We should plan because God has a plan. God has a plan for each of our lives (Psalm 139:16), Jesus was part of God’s plan (Acts 4:26-27) and even our salvation is included in God’s master plan (Ephesians 1:11). God is a planner and we strive to be like him.

The first part our plan should be to follow Jesus, as Proverbs tells us “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”.  Next, as we plan, we should ask ourselves four questions:

1. What does the Bible say about this?
This is a question or righteousness. To make a plan contrary to biblical principles or in disobedience to what the Bible says, would be sin. What does the Bible say about earning money or who to marry. As you begin your plan, chech out biblical principles.

2. What does wisdom say?
This is not a question of right or wrong, but of wisdom and foolishness. Just because a plan may not be sin, does not mean that its wise. It may not be a sin to plan to accept a particular job offer, but it may not be wise.

3. What do other mature Christians say?

Proverbs 15:22 says “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.”

4. What do I prefer?

When you’ve answered out all the above questions (and spent time in prayer), the last issue is your preference. If what you are doing is not a sin, if its wise and you have the backing of other Christians, you are free to use the natural preferences and likes God has given you. E.g. you might prefer a Toyota to a Honda after planning that buying a car in this price bracket would be the wisest thing to do to get to work to earn some money to provide for your family.

Do you have a plan? If not: Submit to God, study the bible, speak to others, pray, and use your God-given brain to plan!

Free Will vs. Total Depravity

Can we choose God? Would we ever want to choose God? Do we have free will?

These questions have caused controversy amongst Christians throughout church history. The reformed doctrine of Total Depravity speaks to this.

Total depravity is the teaching that contends that, since the Fall of Man (Genesis 3), every area of a human beings live is fallen and scarred by sin; no area is left untouched. Sin has tainted our wills, our emotions, our minds, and even our physical beings. The result is that, as Romans 3 says, no-one is righteous before God or understands spiritual things. We naturally seek religion or seek to run our own lives or seek gods of our own making that approve of our sinful lifestyles.

Do we have free will? Martin Luther would say no. Luther would ask you, “Does a lion have free will?” You might answer that he does: the lion could choose to hunt a warthog, or an antelope, or not to hunt at all. But take that hungry lion and put a pile of meat to his one side and a pile of vegetables to the other. Which food will the lion eat? Does the lion have free will to choose either pile? The lion, you see, does not have free will. His will is in bondage to his nature. His will is in bondage to his pre-programmed disposition. You may hypothetically argue that the lion could choose the veg, but in reality he never will. Thus, Luther wrote his book: The bondage of the will.

Human beings since Adam have a prior disposition towards sin, and evil and a prior biased away from God. Our wills are not free. Our wills are in bondage to sin and our fallen state. Romans 3 also says that no-one seeks God. The truth of this doctrine should not lead to pessimistic fatalism, but rather (as God intends) should lead to the sinner flinging him or herself onto the grace of God ultimately demonstrated at the cross; or in the words of the old hymn writer, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling”.