Dr. Tony Badger, author of Confronting Calvinism, will be teaching a thirteen-week elective class on Calvinism starting January 25. Here is what he says about Irresistible Grace:
Not a single passage of Scripture in either the Old or New Testament expresses or teaches the notion that…the Holy Spirit imposes regeneration upon [anyone]…The Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit regenerates—gives eternal life to—anyone who personally believes in Jesus for it (p. 253).
In my book, Is Calvinism Biblical? (ICB) I made this statement about the fourth point and assurance of salvation:
While the fourth point might at least seem comforting for Calvinists, it is not. The problem is that Calvinism teaches that Calvinists may think they have been irresistibly drawn, when in fact they have not been. Many people profess faith in Christ. But, according to Calvinism, a large percentage of those who profess faith—even a large percentage of Calvinists!—are people who only think that they were drawn and chosen and were beneficiaries of Christ’s death.
Calvinism teaches that false professors attend Calvinist churches, get baptized, give money, and even serve as pastors, elders, deacons, and Bible study leaders. Many if not most of them will be sincere. They will look like born-again people. But if they were not actually drawn by God, then their profession will be shown to be false because they will not persevere (the fifth point), and they will spend eternity in the lake of fire, separated from the Lord Jesus and His kingdom.
If irresistible grace is true, then no one, not even a Calvinist pastor or theologian, can be sure that he has been drawn and elected and redeemed by God. Only persevering until death can show that. Thus according to Calvinism’s fourth point, only time will tell whether one has truly been irresistibly drawn to God’s grace by the Holy Spirit. After you die, you will find out where you are going. Before then, you can’t be sure (p. 78).
In ICB I consider two verses that disprove Irresistible Grace: John 12:32 and Matt 23:37.
John 12:32. The Lord Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John then added, “This He said, signifying by what death He would die” (v 33).
The Greek word for draw in John 12:32 is elkuō. That is the same word used in John 6:44.i Calvinists say that God is drawing only a small percentage of humanity to Christ. The Lord Jesus said that He is drawing all to Himself.
Calvinists claim that all refers to all kinds of people, such as Egyptians, Indians, Australian aborigines, Inuit, Mauri, Zulu, Slavs, Anglo-Saxons, Arabs, etc. However, that is not consistent with the context or the rest of the NT. In ICB I wrote:
The word peoples is supplied by the translators. A more literal translation would be, “I…will draw all to Myself.” Jesus was promising to draw all to Himself. Not 1% or 5% or 10%. All. However, while Jesus draws all,He does not indicate that everyone will come to faith in Him. Drawing makes faith in Christ possible, but not inevitable (cf. Matt 7:13-14; 23:37-39) (pp. 79-80).
Matthew 23:37. This statement by the Lord Jesus contradicts Calvinism’s Irresistible Grace: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
Notice the words “but you were not willing.” The Lord Jesus wanted to establish the kingdom in the first century for that generation of Jews: “How often I wanted to gather your children…” A hen protects her chicks. The Lord Jesus would have protected Israel against Rome and against all her enemies. But they were not willing and so the kingdom was postponed until a future generation of Jews will be willing! (Rom 11:26).
God’s grace is resistible. He is drawing all to Himself, but only some come to Him in faith. John 1:11-12 is another passage clearly indicating that though the entire nation of Israel was drawn to Christ, most rejected Him and His promise of life.
Keep grace in focus and you’ll not wonder whether you or your loved ones have been drawn to Christ.
i Calvinists mistakenly interpret John 6:44 to mean that only some are being drawn to Christ. However, the only other figurative use of drawing in John’s Gospel refers to all being drawn, not just some. The other uses of drawing in John refer to drawing a sword (John 18:10) and drawing or dragging fish in a net (John 21:6, 8).
