TULIP (Part 5) Irresistable Grace

5 Points of Calvinism

TULIP

Okay so man is totally depraved, he has no ability within himself to turn to God. In fact he has no desire to do so. (The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. Psalm 14:2-3) or ("There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understand, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, there is not even one." Romans 3:10-12)

So then understanding that you must ask, just as the apostles did, "Who then can be saved?"
And as Jesus Says. "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:25-26).

And so this leads us to the next point of the TULIP, the "I" or "Irresistable Grace."
Irresistible Grace teaches that when the Spirit of God is sent to change a person's heart, that person cannot resist the change. This is when the Spirit of God applies the work of Christ to the soul.

As a Christian our salvation was accomplished on the cross, but then how do we receive it? Or when do we receive it? And that is when God "Calls" us. To be called is the same as being "elect".

1 Corinthians 1
9God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

23but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christthe power of God and the wisdom of God.

The fact is God chose you before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4)
Christ purchased your redemption on the cross. (Ephesians 1:14)
But since you were totally depraved. (Psalm 14:3)
God must call you "irresistably" and "effectually". (1 Corinthians 1:9)

But this is not to say that there are not those who reject the Bible, that is plain to see in the world today. And that God's elect will not possibly for a time resist the gospel. But eventually those that God calls will come. The call is effectual, or this is to say that when God calls one into fellowship with His son it will not be resisted, its purpose will be fufilled.

Romans 8
28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

2 Timothy 1
9who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

This call is simply God showing His mercy and glory, keep in mind that if it had not been for God's call, you would have never come to His Son.

Romans 9
23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,

We should be thanking God for His call, not arguing against this call as many do, saying it is a terrible thing, that God is violently forcing those that do not wish to come to Him.

1 Thessalonians 2
12so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

1 Peter 2
9But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own posession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Chapter 5:
10After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

2 Peter 1
3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

God's "call" is not His general "invitation" to "whoever will." It is His specificand compelling activity whereby His elect are brought into saving relationship to Christ.

Romans 8
30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Revelations 17
14"These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."

John 6
37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.
39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

Not "some might" come , but "all will" come. And not by their own power. Same chapter and book...
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."

It must be clear that it is not by man's worthiness or by his work's does he become justified. It is effectual work of God in him.

When Paul was teaching in Phillipi at a ladies prayer meeting. There was one lady Lydia who responded to his teaching.

Acts 16
14One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.

Obviously it is not the preaching of man that saves or opens the eyes of a man/woman to the word. It must be God. Why is it that some people hear a message and react to it differently than the person sitting next to him listening to the same message. Perhaps one is opened to the message and the other is not. It can't be the message obviously or else both most likely would have reacted the same way, but it was the Spirit moving within one and not the other.

Philippians 2
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

This certainly does not reject faith and deem it unnecessary but even the faith itself is God working within us. (Romans 5:1-2)
Faith is not something worked up from within us by ourselves but it is given by God.

Conclusion

This point of the TULIP is not something to be taken lightly. The new-birth these days has become the work of man. Too often people think that it is a simple act of walking down the aisle to have the preacher pray for them and then sign a card or fill out a box that says "I accepted Jesus today." It has become all the faith of the person who worked it up into himself, but it is not just the faith that saves us, it is clearly by God's mighty grace that we are saved.

Ephesians 2
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9not by works, so that no one can boast.

You were saved "By Grace" through "Faith". Faith was merely the tool that God chose to use in order to bestow His grace upon us. And this was a gift of God, both faith and grace, that no man can boast.

Romans 9
16So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man whoruns, but on God who has mercy.

Honestly though, to build up faith into ourself, is our own work and then salvation becomes our own doing, and not the doing of God. (John 3:5-6) It robs God of His mercy and grace. All the glory that is meant to be directed to Him, then becomes the glory of the person that performed the act by himself apart from God.

God's grace is truly one of the most beautiful things about Him. Meditate on His grace, it will blow you away. Its hard to express in words all that God has done for believers, I would be writing for a real long time.

You cannot look on this effectual calling as if it is something evil. For I assure you, had it not been for God's awesome grace, you would never have found Him. Praise God that your salvation is in His hands and not your own. Your heart can rest easy in knowing that, no matter what occurs to you in this life, your soul is in the hands of God.


"The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?" (Psalm 118:6)

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

"and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

"These things I have Spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

I would recommend checking out Jonathan's site on salvation by Grace through Faith, it somewhat related to this issue. Check his out in my Links.

citation:
*www.biblemaster.com
*www.biblebb.com
*www.desiringgod.com