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.
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 them to realize the importance of the Gospel message? Or is it because God does something unique in the lives of those that He saves?
If it is because of what the person who believes does or is, then in a sense they are responsible for their salvation and they have 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”. In other words those who believe the Gospel and are saved do so because they have been transformed by the Holy Spirit.
8 responses so far ↓
abunakhli // May 24, 2008 at 9:05 am |
There are similar statemenst to this in Islam. The question arises there: If it is God who saves people, as you said the saved would not have the right to boast as it is a divine gift, but what about the people who are not saved? Not being saved means you will face eternal punishment for something that was not in your hands to begin with. That does not seem fair. I would like to hear what Christianity says about this matter.
conga joe // May 24, 2008 at 9:17 am |
Amen Thank you for reminding me of God’ grace in our lives
conga joe // May 24, 2008 at 9:31 am |
Why Jesus Christ:
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
It is only through Jesus Christ that we can have a relationship with God.
Why Did Jesus Christ Have To Die:
“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).
Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins, so we might be forgiven
Why Did Jesus Christ Rise From The Dead:
Jesus Christ rose from the dead to prove He could give us eternal life.
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures . . . He was buried . . . He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures . . . He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time . . .” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
abunakhli // May 25, 2008 at 7:26 am |
Thank you for those Bible verses Conga, not what I was looking for though.
conga joe // May 26, 2008 at 7:00 am |
what are you looking for then?
aslansmane // May 26, 2008 at 4:02 pm |
Abunakhli– Thanks for your question–Sadly, there are still parts of the world with absolutely no access to the Bible, to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or to any means of learning Christian truth. The question that you are asking?, what happens to these people when they die? Is it fair for God to condemn a person who has never even heard the Gospel, nor heard of Jesus Christ, nor even heard that there is a God? Some propose a solution to this dilemma in the idea that God judges those who have never heard based on how they responded to general revelation. The presumption is that if a person truly believes what can be known about God through general revelation, God will judge the person based on that faith and allow the person entrance into Heaven. Is it possible that such a concept is true?
Before we address that question, a key assumption must be dealt with. Some make the assumption that those who have never heard the Gospel are searching for God, seeking for truth, practically begging for someone to come and deliver the message of salvation. The problem with this assumption is that Scripture declares the exact opposite. The Bible exclaims, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” According to Scripture, people take the knowledge of God available through general revelation and pervert it to their own liking. God answers that in is word, “For although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God nor give thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” According to Scripture, the “status” of those without God is not one of seeking salvation, but rather one of rebellion, darkness, and idolatry.
Back to the question at hand – can a person be saved through general revelation? The Bible nowhere gives any hope that those who have never heard the Gospel are fully believing the truth about God available through general revelation. Again, the Bible describes the lost as being in rebellion against what they already know about God, not seeking for more truth about God. However, there is always the question, “What if?” IF a person who has never heard the Gospel truly and fully believed what can be known about God through general revelation, would that person be saved? IF such a person did exist, it would seem consistent with the love, mercy, and grace of God that such a person would be saved. Again, please understand, this is a hypothetical that Scripture does not support.
Acts records the story of Cornelius. Cornelius is described as “devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly”. Did God save Cornelius because of his devotion to God based on the limited knowledge he had of God? No. God sent an angel to Cornelius with instructions for Cornelius to contact the Apostle Peter and have him come to Cornelius’ home. Cornelius obeyed, and Peter came and presented the Gospel to Cornelius and his family. Cornelius and his family believed and were therefore saved. This is a clear example of how we are not saved by believing certain truths about God, or by obeying God in certain respects. The only way of salvation is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The fact that the lost reject general revelation is the reason why it is so important for us to proclaim the Gospel throughout the whole world. God declares, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” God commands us to present the Gospel because of the fact that “there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God”. Rather than hoping some people are being saved by believing what can be known about God through general revelation, God calls us to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel. Believing in the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ is the only method of salvation the Bible mentions.
Warm Regards,
Robin
conga joe // May 26, 2008 at 5:50 pm |
First of all I am not here to debate. I believe we have a responsible to proclaim the good new though out the world. Second of all I am not a good writing. The answer to you question is I believe is that a person must believe and confess with there mouth that Jesus is the way to there salvation. and that they are sinners. and then repet of there sin and follow Jesus with all there hearts We are saved by grace not by works.
abunakhli // May 31, 2008 at 8:01 am |
Thank you for your answers aslan and conga. The question that you answered is a very interesting one that is also discussed in Islamic theology. We say that if the person, who does not have any ability to hear the word of God, acts according to his conscience (he knows that murder is bad so he does not commit it) then he will be saved.
The question I wanted to ask was something else though. You said that God is the one who guides people – he chooses who he wants to be on the right path. If this is the case then the people who go to Heaven are going there because God choose them – not becuase of something that they did. And, the people going to Hell are going there because God did not choose them – not because of something they did or did not do. Of course, there are answers to this problem, I just want to hear what Christianity says in regards to it.
Thank you for all of the time you are spending on giving me these answers.