Irresistable Grace
by Rod Jackson
All verses are quoted from the NASB anything in [square brackets] is added by me for clarity.
What does the 'T' in T.U.L.I.P. stand for?
SHOW CARD - TOTAL DEPRAVITY
What does "Total depravity" mean?
Total Depravity means that all people are fallen in all aspects of their being (mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally) so that we do not even desire to be saved from our depraved state.
What does the 'U' in T.U.L.I.P. stand for?
SHOW CARD - UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
What does "Unconditional election" mean?
It means that God has chosen some or all people for salvation not conditioned on any goodness or faith in these people but is conditioned by God's will.
What does the 'L' in T.U.L.I.P. stand for?
SHOW CARD - LIMITED ATONEMENT
What does "limited atonement" mean?
It means God did not elect everyone but Jesus' atoning death is sufficient in power for all people but effective only for the elect.
Romans 11:6 - Grace is not grace if it is by works. Grace means "favour" or "kindness", it is an undeserved gift.
Romans 4:4-8 - If I have a job and do my job then on payday I get some money. This is money I have earned by working for it. If on the other hand I met a stranger on the street and they promise to give me some money and they give me the promised money - this is grace, an undeserved gift. I did nothing to earn the gift but the gift was given in accordance with the promise.
"BLESSED ARE THEY WHOSE TRANSGRESSIONS ARE FORGIVEN; WHOSE SIN IS COVERED [ATONED]. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NEVER COUNT AGAINST HIM."
SHOW CARD - IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
Today's lesson is on the 'I' in the acronym T.U.L.I.P. and it stands for "Irresistible grace". This is God's giving ˇ®new life to a person.
We have seen that people are totally depraved, that is, spiritually they are dead.
We have seen that people are unconditionally elected, that is, God chose the dead body to become alive, the dead body did not choose to become alive.
God's choice is limited in atonement, that is God did not choose all the dead bodies to become alive.
And today we will see that God's irresistible grace is that God acts to make the dead bodies alive.
Acts 7:51 & Romans 10:21 - Israel has a history of resisting God
SHOW CARD - X NOT - IRRESISTIBLE TO ALL PEOPLE
A dead body naturally resists life. This is the external call of God's grace and is always resisted by people who are totally depraved.
Ephesians 4:30 & 1 Thessalonians 5:19 - The elect can resist sanctifying grace. Sanctification is the process of becoming a "saint". It is the process of becoming more Christlike.
SHOW CARD - X NOR - THAT ALL TYPES OF GRACE CANNOT BE RESISTED
Christians can resist the Spirit's work in their lives. But this is not what Calvinists mean by irresistible grace.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 - These verses are talking about the new covenant. God will put His law on our minds and on our hearts.
John 6:44 & 65 - In verse 65 Jesus quotes what He said in verse 44. But as the Jews are not very scientific or precise in their speech it is not an exact quote. In verse 44 Jesus talks to those "drawn" to the Father, but in verse 65 Jesus talks of those "enabled" to come to the Father. In verse 45 it explains what this drawing/enabling is. It is "being taught by God". In Jeremiah 31:34 we saw that "no longer will each teach his neighbour saying 'know the LORD' for they will all know Me."
Romans 10:17 - Faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ
1 Peter 1:23 - We are born again through the Word of God (Jesus). So God puts His law/Word in our hearts and this is the drawing/enabling us to come to/believe in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3:3 - A letter from Christ = Corinthian Church. This letter is written on human hearts, not tablets of stone (like the 10 commandments).
Ezekiel 11:19-21 - God does spiritual open heart surgery on us. He takes out the heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh.
John 3:6-8 - We must be born again, born of the Spirit. When a baby is being born, we may imagine it resisting, maybe climbing up the umbilical cord. The resistance will ultimately be futile for the birth will occur.
Acts 16:14 - God opened Lydia's heart. This is a practical example of irresistible grace.
SHOW CARD - ULTIMATELY IRRESISTIBLE FOR THE ELECT
This is the internal call of God which is irresistible. The heart of stone becoming a heart of flesh. Being born again/ Born from above. The spiritually dead becoming spiritually alive.
NOTE - Philippians 2:12-13 & 1 Corinthians 15:10 - These verses seem to suggest that from a practical point of view, one may not be able to distinguish between God's sanctifying grace and our own labours or works.
OBJECTION -
God would not externally call people unless they could obey.
Exodus 9:34-35 - Pharaoh hardens his own heart against obeying God.
10:1-2 - God says that He hardened Pharaoh's heart so that God's miracles could be done and Israel would know that Yahweh is God.
10:3-4 - God commands Pharaoh to let His people go or HeˇŻll send a plague of locusts.
10:16-20 - Locusts come, Pharaoh "repents" and God hardens Pharaoh's heart.
Therefore God commanded Pharaoh to obey a command that he could not obey.