Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism

1. A tape or CD of this message will be available (free of charge) following the service Steele and Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism United Methodist Book of Discipline, Discipline 46 Irresistible Grace: "Although the general outward call of the Gospel can be, and often is, rejected, the special inward call of the Spirit never fails to result in the conversion of those to whom it is made. This special call is not made to all sinners but is issued to the elect only. The Spirit is in no way dependent upon their help or cooperation for success in His work of bringing them to Christ." Prevenient Grace: "We acknowledge God's prevenient grace, the divine love that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and all of our conscious impulses toward God. This grace also awakens in us an earnest longing for deliverance from sin and death and moves us toward repentance and faith." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

2. Lorraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination "As the bird with a broken wing is 'free' to fly but not able, so the natural man is free to come to God but not able." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

3. Irresistible Grace verses: Rom 9 ~ 20But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"21Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? Ps. 115 ~ 3But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Dan. 4 ~ 35All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?" John 6 ~ 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. Eph. 1 ~ 11In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will… 1 Cor. 1 ~ 23but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. John 1 ~ 12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 64"But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.65And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

4. John Piper, What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism "The doctrine of irresistible grace does not mean that every influence of the Holy Spirit cannot be resisted. It means that the Holy Spirit can overcome all resistance and make his influence irresistible… More specifically 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… NOTE: It should be obvious from this that irresistible grace never implies that God forces us to believe against our will. That would even be a contradiction in terms. On the contrary, irresistible grace is compatible with preaching and witnessing that tries to persuade people to do what is reasonable and what will accord with their best interests." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

5. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion "If this frigid fiction is received, where will be the omnipotence of God, by which, according to his secret counsel on which every thing depends, he rules over all?" Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

6. Lorraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination God "creates the very thoughts and intents of the soul" Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

7. R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God, pg. 34 R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God, pg. 75 "The Calvinist view of predestination teaches that God actively intervenes in the lives of the elect to make absolutely sure that they are saved… "Fallen man is still free to choose what he desires, but because his desires are only wicked he lacks the moral ability to come to Christ. As long as he remains... unregenerate, he will never choose Christ." Of course the rest are invited to Christ and given the "opportunity" to be saved if they want to..." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

8. George Bryson, The Five Points of Calvinism "If Christ did not die for the unelect, and if the unelect are not called efficaciously, and if only those called efficaciously can respond to the gospel with saving faith, how could the offer of salvation to the unelect be in good faith?" Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

9. Steele and Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism "The gospel invitation extends a call to salvation to everyone who hears its message. It invites all men without distinction to drink freely of the water of life and live. It promises salvation to all who repent and believe. But this outward general call, extended to the elect and unelect alike, will not bring sinners to Christ. Why? Because men are by nature dead in sin and are under its power. They are of themselves unable and unwilling to forsake their evil ways and to turn to Christ for mercy. Consequently, the unregenerate will not respond to the gospel call to repentance and faith. No amount of external threatening or promises will cause blind, deaf, dead, rebellious sinners to bow before Christ as Lord and to look to Him alone for salvation. Such an act of faith and submission is contrary to the lost man's nature." Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

10. Prevenient Grace verses: John 17 ~ 20"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;" Acts 4 ~ 4However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. Rom. 1 ~ 16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Acts 11 ~ 13b"Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,14who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved." Act 18 ~ 4And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. 8b…And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. Jam. 1 ~ 18Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. 21b…Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 1 Cor. 15 ~ 1Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. Luke 8 ~ 11"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God." 15"…But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." John 20 ~ 30And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;31but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. Rom. 10 ~ 17So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

11. Dave Hunt, The Five Points of Calvinism (with James White "The Bible teaches what daily experience proves: Man has a will he must exercise for or against God, and his will does not impinge upon God's sovereignty. If God's work in man "to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13) is all of God and nothing of man, why doesn't every Christian live a perfect life? If God irresistibly works His grace in the elect to regenerate them while they are totally depraved, why doesn't He do as good a job after they are His born-again children?" Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

12. I T U L man is so totally reprobate that he needs to be regenerated before he can trust in Christ IF… But IF NOT… God chooses those whom He wants to save and rejects those whom He doesn't THEN… THEN… Christ's sacrifice could not have been for those He did not elect THEN… those whom He did elect will irresistibly be drawn by His saving grace Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"

13. Is "faith" a work? Rom. 11:5-6 ~ 5Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.6And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. Rom. 3 ~ 27Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Eph 2:8-9 ~ 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,9not of works, lest anyone should boast. Shedding Light on Calvinism and Arminianism Part Five, "Simply Irresistible"