An Offer We Can’t Refuse?

Can man resist the grace of God? Yes. We do it all the time. In fact, as a result of the Fall (Genesis 3), we are by nature inclined away from God’s grace…and everything else about God. Our desires are contrary to God and we act according to those contrary desires. Necessarily.

So what do we mean by the phrase “Irresistible Grace,” the I in TULIP? Simply speaking, it means that God can and does override our resistance to his grace with his grace in order to change us from being enemies of God to being children of God. In fact, if we are to become children of God, it is necessary that he overcomes our deadness and hatred of him.

Who Put the “L” in TULIP?

I know a lot of people who would say, “I’m a 4-point (or a 4 ½-point) Calvinist.” The point that hangs them up is the “L” which stands for Limited Atonement. This point is the most disputed of the doctrines that comprise the TULIP, even amongst Calvinists. In this post I will attempt to give a brief synopsis of Limited Atonement, provide some alternative language that may be more helpful, present a logical defense of the doctrine, and point to some of its limitations — all in fewer than one thousand words. Here goes.

Mouw on Unconditional Election

“Now, I understand how people can say that this pattern of God’s selectivity does not seem fair. Why does he choose this person and not that one? Doesn’t this make it all seem quite arbitrary? I understand this complaint, and I take it seriously. But frankly, it does not seem to be a complaint that is properly lodged against Calvinism in particular. It is better understood as a complaint about the facts of life. When a non-Calvinist Christian friend asks me how I can believe that God favors some people over others, it seems to me sufficient in many cases simply to point to the person’s own life. Let’s say that she was born in 1950 in Illinois, and that from her earliest days she was nurtured by the Christian community: they provided her with teachers and books and friends who encouraged her growth in the faith. In all of this, her life is much more privileged spiritually than, say, a person her own age who lives, say, in an isolated rural village in North Korea. And when my friend testifies to the grace of God in her life, she has no qualms about thanking the Lord for the special blessings that have been directed her way - blessings that are, in fact, missing in the life of her North Korean counterpart. Has Calvinism invented the notion of divine selectivity, or are we simply acknowledging something that seems to be really there in the way we experience our lives?”

                                  (Richard J. Mouw, Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport, p.33)

On What Grounds?

The word “election,” or some form of it, is all over the Bible. God’s people are often spoken of as “chosen,” “foreknown,” “called out ones” (or saints), and “elect.” To argue against God’s choosing a people for himself is simply to deny what is plainly presented in Scripture.

Just How Bad Is It?

We often think of our need for a Savior in terms of our own sins. What I mean by this is that we tend to recall the “bad things” we’ve done and see this collection of misdeeds as the reason we need forgiveness. It isn’t that we don’t need to be forgiven of these things (we certainly do!) but there is something deeper, something more wicked than the sum of all of the worst things we’ve done. In fact, it isn’t our “sins” that are our primary problem. Something darker, deeper and deadlier is at work in us.