I = Irresistible Grace 

Irresistible Grace and the Philosophical Foundations of Calvinism

Calvinists teach that God’s saving grace overcomes the resistance inherent in fallen humanity. By this they claim not to mean that God forcibly drags unwilling sinners into His kingdom against their will. Rather, they maintain that God graciously intervenes in the lives of His elect by changing their hearts, renewing their wills, and enabling them to come willingly and joyfully to Christ in faith.

To fully understand this doctrine of Irresistible Grace, however, it is necessary to examine the broader theological and philosophical framework in which it operates. 

Theistic Determinism

Within much of Reformed theology, God’s sovereignty is understood in a comprehensive sense that includes His eternal decree over all events. According to this view, God did not merely foresee history or passively permit it to unfold. Rather, before the foundation of the world, He ordained whatsoever comes to pass according to His sovereign will.

This understanding encompasses every event in history, including the beliefs, decisions, desires, actions, and ultimate destinies of human beings, as well as the actions of angels and demons. Nothing occurs outside the scope of God’s eternal decree.

The classic expression of this doctrine appears in the Westminster Confession of Faith, which states:

“God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass…“

The Confession immediately qualifies this statement by denying that God is “the author of sin” or that violence is done to the will of His creatures. Nevertheless, one must question how these affirmations can be reconciled. If God eternally ordains every event without exception, including every human choice and action, in what sense can He be said not to be the author or ultimate cause of sinful acts?

This tension has been recognized even within the Reformed tradition itself.

John Calvin wrote:

“It is a quite frivolous refuge to say that God permits them, when Scripture shows Him not only willing but the author of them.“

Likewise, theologian Mark R. Talbot, writing in Suffering and the Sovereignty of God—a volume edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor—argues that God does not merely bring good out of evil but sovereignly ordains even the evil events of history for His own glory and His people’s ultimate good.

These statements illustrate the extent to which many advocates of meticulous providence understand God’s sovereign decree to encompass every event, even those involving profound moral evil.

Necessitarianism

Closely related to this view is what philosophers commonly describe as necessitarianism—the idea that every event occurs necessarily because it has been determined by prior causes or by divine decree.

Applied to human nature, this means that fallen people invariably act according to their sinful disposition and are incapable of choosing otherwise apart from God’s supernatural intervention. Under this framework, sinners cannot independently turn to God because their nature determines the choices they make.

Compatibilism

To explain how human beings can still be held morally responsible under such a deterministic system, Reformed theologians frequently appeal to compatibilism. Compatibilism argues that determinism and moral responsibility are compatible because people act voluntarily according to their desires, even if those desires themselves are ultimately encompassed within God’s sovereign decree. In other words, a person is considered free so long as he acts according to what he most wants to do, even if he could not have chosen differently under the circumstances.

While this philosophical model seeks to preserve both divine sovereignty and human accountability, it is difficult to reconcile with both the practicality and the commonsense understanding of moral freedom. After all, if an individual is unable to choose otherwise because every desire and decision has already been determined, then the practical distinction between voluntary action and genuine freedom becomes difficult to maintain.

Why This Matters for Irresistible Grace

These underlying assumptions help explain why Calvinists insist that Irresistible Grace does not involve God coercing unwilling people into salvation. According to their own framework, the elect do not resist because God has sovereignly renewed their wills so that they freely desire Christ. Likewise, the non-elect continue in unbelief because they freely act according to their fallen nature.

The concern is that, when combined, the doctrines of theistic determinism, necessitarianism, and compatibilism leave little room for meaningful alternative possibilities. If every desire, decision, and action is ultimately determined by God’s eternal decree, then the claim that individuals freely choose in any robust sense appears difficult to sustain.

Consequently, while Calvinism rejects the image of God dragging sinners to Himself against their will, it does so because it teaches that God has already determined and transformed the will of those He intends to save. In practical terms, the elect cannot finally resist His saving grace, while those who are not granted that grace cannot ultimately embrace it.

As Walls pithily sums it up, “For the elect, God makes them an offer they literally cannot refuse, but those who are not elect receive an offer they literally cannot accept.”

It is this understanding of human freedom and divine sovereignty that forms the foundation of the Calvinistic doctrine of Irresistible Grace and distinguishes it from views that affirm a genuinely universal call to salvation and the necessity of a faith response available to all who hear the gospel.

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In Order to Respond, One First Needs Something to Respond To

That fallen humanity is completely unable to save itself apart from God’s gracious initiative in revealing Himself and drawing sinners to Christ is a truth with which all Christians should wholeheartedly agree. Salvation begins with God, not with man. Left to ourselves, we would neither know God nor seek Him. It is only because God has graciously revealed Himself—through creation, conscience, Scripture, and the proclamation of the gospel—that we become aware of His existence, our own sinfulness, and our need for redemption.

In other words, before anyone can respond to God, there must first be something to which they can respond. God’s revelation always precedes man’s response.

Where I part company with Reformed theology and Calvinism is not over God’s initiative but over the claim that His saving work is accomplished entirely apart from any meaningful human response of receiving and believing the gospel. Faith does not earn salvation, nor is it a meritorious work that places God under obligation. Rather, Scripture consistently presents faith as the God-ordained means by which individuals receive the grace freely offered in Jesus Christ.

This disagreement raises several significant concerns.

The Power of God’s Word

First, when the doctrines of Total Depravity and Irresistible Grace are combined, they appear to diminish the practical role of Scripture and the preached gospel as God’s appointed means of bringing sinners to faith.

If an unregenerate person is incapable of responding to God’s revelation through creation, conscience, or the proclamation of His Word unless first regenerated by a separate and irresistible act of grace granted only to the elect, then those ordinary means of revelation seem unable, in themselves, to bring anyone to saving faith.

Yet Scripture repeatedly attributes extraordinary power to God’s Word. It is described as “living and active,” “God-breathed,” and “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. The Holy Spirit does not operate independently of God’s revelation but works powerfully through it to convict, enlighten, and call sinners.

For this reason, I believe the preached gospel is not merely information awaiting a separate inward miracle before it can be effective. Rather, the gospel itself is the Spirit-empowered means by which God graciously reveals Christ and calls people to faith.

If Grace Is Irresistible, Why Is It Not Given to All?

A second question naturally follows.

If salvation depends entirely upon God’s unilateral bestowal of irresistible grace and is not meaningfully conditioned upon a person’s response of faith, why does God not extend that same grace to everyone?

Because Calvinists generally embrace a compatibilist understanding of human freedom—maintaining that God’s sovereign determination of events is compatible with genuine human responsibility—it would seem that God could sovereignly and effectually bring every person to saving faith without violating that person’s will as compatibilism defines it.

Yet both Scripture and Calvinist theology acknowledge that this does not occur.

This raises important questions concerning the character of God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture.

The Bible consistently portrays God as:

• Omnibenevolent.
• Perfectly just.
• Impartial.
• Sincere in His invitations to repentance.
• Taking no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
• Desiring that people come to repentance.
• Commanding that the gospel be proclaimed to every nation and every creature.

Taken together, these affirmations are difficult to reconcile with the claim that God grants the grace necessary for salvation irresistibly to some while withholding that same grace from others by eternal decree.

Does Unconditional Election Imply Partiality?

Reformed theologians rightly emphasize that all people deserve condemnation because all have sinned. On this point there is no disagreement. If God were to judge every human being according to strict justice, He would remain perfectly righteous in doing so.

However, this observation does not fully resolve the question at issue.

The concern is not whether God is free to show mercy but whether granting irresistible saving grace to some while withholding it from others who stand in the same condition is compatible with Scripture’s repeated affirmation that God “shows no partiality.”

Partiality ordinarily means showing favoritism or preference between persons where no relevant distinction exists. Under the Calvinistic understanding of unconditional election, the distinction between the elect and the non-elect is not grounded in foreseen faith, repentance, or any quality within the individual. Both groups are equally fallen, equally undeserving, and equally incapable of saving themselves.

If that is the case, then one may reasonably ask whether selecting some to receive irresistible grace while passing over others constitutes a form of preferential treatment that appears difficult to reconcile with the biblical declaration that God is impartial.

Romans 9 and the Mercy of God

At this point, many appeal to Romans 9:14–16:

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

I do not believe this passage should be understood as teaching that God acts arbitrarily or partially.

In its historical context, Paul addresses Jewish objections to God’s sovereign dealings with Israel and the inclusion of the Gentiles. The issue is not that God is unfairly withholding mercy from deserving people, but that no one can demand mercy as though God owed it to them.

Indeed, the point of Paul’s argument is that God remains free to extend mercy according to His sovereign purposes without being accused of injustice.

Nor should the passage be interpreted to imply that God shows favoritism. Elsewhere, both the Old and New Testaments explicitly affirm that God shows no partiality and judges without respect of persons.

Accordingly, I understand Romans 9 to teach that God is sovereign in the administration of His redemptive plan while remaining perfectly just and impartial. His mercy is freely given, never earned, but neither is it exercised in a manner that contradicts His own revealed character.

For these reasons, I believe the biblical picture is best preserved by affirming that God graciously initiates salvation, sincerely reveals Himself to humanity through the means He has ordained, and genuinely invites all people to repent and believe the gospel. Those who respond in faith do not merit salvation; they simply receive the gracious gift that God has made available in His Son.

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If the Gospel Has the Power to Save, Why Then is Not Everyone Who Hears the Gospel Saved? 

It is not because the word of God has failed or because God has rejected the individual but instead it is because the individual has rejected God and His word. Now that is an answer taken straight out of Romans 9 and it contextually denotes the fact that God’s grace is not irresistible. As the old saying goes, “practice makes perfect” and if you practice rejecting the word of God long enough, you will become perfect at rejecting it all together. This is what we would otherwise call a hardened heart, a heart that is no longer receptive, ears that no longer hear, eyes that no longer see and a mind that no longer reasons.  

These things did not come to us by chance but instead God provided them to us. He designed us knowing that we could use them and provided us with them so that we should use them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God is fair and just to condemn some to Hell and save others

For these reasons, I believe Scripture presents a different picture: God sovereignly initiates salvation, genuinely reveals Himself to all through the means He has ordained, and graciously calls every person to repent and believe. Those who respond in faith do not earn salvation but simply receive the gracious gift that God has made available in Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

General Calling: God’s general revelation and calling, Includes creation, Scripture, Church Ministry, Testimony and conscience.

Prevenient Grace: A Grace given by God that precedes a sinner exercising faith in Him. Reformists and Calvinists understand this is generally understood as an effectual calling / grace available to all.

Irresistible Grace: A Grace given by God that precedes a sinner exercising faith in Him. This is a term specific to Reform and Calvinism and this effectual calling / grace is given only to God’s Chosen or Elect.

My own perception is much easier to explain for I perceive God’s General Calling and Prevenient Grace as pretty much one in the same, but I will go into much more depth but for now I will say that apart from the Calvinist context of “Irresistible Grace” and “the Laws of Nature as it pertains to Human Nature”, I am in complete agreeance with the Scriptural concept of Man’s Depravity and that man could not even have notion of God, were it not for God first making Himself known. Any revelation from God to mankind that makes Himself known, that speaks to us through evidence of creation, through the human conscience, through Scripture and through the Church should be considered a Prevenient Grace (that which is said to operate on the human Will, as a precursor to its turning to God). The reason I say I am in agreeance apart from the Calvinist context of “Irresistible Grace” and “the Laws of Nature as it pertains to Human Nature” is because the significance behind the application of these two concepts means that the doctrine of Total Depravity does in all practicality render God’s revelation through creation, through the human conscience, through Scripture, and through preaching of the Church, powerless in bringing the unbeliever to salvation.

I should also clarify that Reformists and Calvinists usually distinguishes between two kinds of gospel calls: the general call that goes out to everyone, and the effectual call which is meant only for God’s elect. Supposedly, such a distinction allows Calvinists to preach the gospel as a genuine offer, even if the unbelievers they preach to are not elect. What makes the effectual call irresistible is that it is God who opens the eyes of the lost, softens their hearts, restores their corrupted will, and gives them the faith to believe not so that they might be saved, but that they will be saved because God has chosen them and Willed it so. That we are completely helpless to save ourselves apart from God’s gracious initiatory work to reveal his salvation and draw us to himself, I can whole heartedly agree. However, the Reform and Calvinist teachings that God’s salvific work as being his alone, that man has no part to play in it as in receiving and believing in the Gospel of Christ comes with some problems. The first is that they in all practicality dimmish the concept of Scripture as God’s living Word. It is like saying the Holy Spirit is not in the Word or in the message but apart from it and this I do not agree with. Secondly, if salvation is accomplished by God alone and is in no practical way dependent upon human Will, what prevents God from granting everyone irresistible grace and thereby saving all? Since Calvinists hold to compatibilist forms of human freedom, which claim that theological determinism and human freedom are compatible, God could causally determine everyone to believe and be saved. The fact that both Scripture and Reform / Calvinism teach that this is not the case results in Reformists and Calvinists proclaiming the Character of God that seems quite foreign to the Omnibenevolent, Just and Sincere Character of God revealed in Scripture. Considering the magnitude of this debate, such a teaching can and has casts doubts upon the justice of God’s judgment, for if the reprobate refused a call that they could not have accepted because God did not grant them the irresistible grace needed to believe, how can God hold them morally accountable and justly judge them? As Walls pithily sums it up, “For the elect, God makes them an offer they literally cannot refuse, but those who are not elect receive an offer they literally cannot accept. To further clarify the nuances and significance of these various terms, Calvinism most often uses the term “Irresistible Grace” as opposed to “Prevenient Grace”. Although both terms are used to teach that because the humans are so corrupted by sin, that it can only be by the grace and by the work of the Holy Spirit (God) that the unbeliever can be enabled to pursue salvation. The difference between the two terms is that “Prevenient Grace” generally refers to or is generally understood as the enabling of all people to pursue God and Salvation, while “Irresistible Grace” refers to enabling only those that God has predestined and chosen for Salvation. Thus, Prevenient Grace affirms that the Holy Spirit can accomplish His enabling through the Human Conscience, the reading or hearing of Scripture and or the hearing of God’s Word through the Ministry of Christ’s Church, etc. Irresistible Grace on the other hand seems to give little to no credit or consideration to the idea that the Holy Spirit enables the unregenerate person through the afore mentioned methods, but instead separate of them. However, it should make logical sense that Reformists and Calvinists must render these revelations, provided by God as a Non-Prevenient “General Calling” and thus powerless, otherwise it would compromise the concepts of Laws of Nature and Irresistible Grace. Ultimately, it would compromise the Doctrine of Total Depravity and all other Doctrines Election are founded upon. For example, if Calvinism were to accredit Scripture as a prevenient grace as per the context of irresistible grace, then that would mean anyone who received God’s Word through Scripture (Be it they read it, heard it preached or spoken) would have to be saved. Everyone, including Calvinists understand this is not the case and so Calvinists cannot attribute Scripture to having any power in leading the unregenerate to Salvation. However, Scripture would adamantly disagree with that concept:

• John 6:63: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life”.
• Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart”.
• Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek”.
• 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”.
• Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”.
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”.
• 1 Peter 1:23: “since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God”.
• Isaiah 55:11: “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it”.
• Jeremiah 15:16: “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts”.
• 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:13: “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers”.
• Psalm 107:20: “He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.”
• John 6:63: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life”.

Now I need to clarify my claim because Calvinists would say that the Holy Spirit can indeed work through Scripture to provide Irresistible Grace. What I am saying however is that it is NOT a matter of if the Holy Spirit can use Scripture but that the Holy Spirit is in Scripture. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Scripture is God breathed and Supernatural. That Scripture has come directly to us from God the Father through the Holy Spirit. That God has arranged it so that we can actually hold His Word in our hands, see it with our eyes, listen to it with our ears, meditate on it with our minds, and so that we can live it, memorize it, and share it with others. No, the life that I am speaking of, the Holy Spirit is not the physical book nor even the ink formed words but instead it is the Miracle in God’s life-giving message. It’s God’s words themselves, His message that we read, hear, see, and share that is anointed by the Holy Spirit Himself and that has the power to transform any unbeliever who will just but hear and listen. Then again, the Doctrine of Irresistible Grace is founded on the Doctrine of Total Depravity, that teaches Man cannot hear or listen without first receiving Irresistible Grace. In the world of Computer Programming we would call this a Circular Reference Formula, a formula that must circle back to itself. These were things that we tried to avoid because just like the Chicken and the Egg scenario, the formula could run in an endless loop and never be able to compute an answer. Now I don’t suggest throwing the baby out with the dirty bath water but If we can recognize the problems with the Doctrine of Total Depravity and refer back to Scripture, Isaiah 45:19: “I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right”. Matthew 5:13-16: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6: “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”.

 It is no different than when we evangelize and speak God’s Word, His Message to someone who simply wont listen. True, you might find the most people will smile at you, humor you and pretend they are listening when in reality, the only thing they are hearing is blah ba blah ba blah and the only things they are thinking are:

1. That you must be a Jehovah Witness
2. How did they not see you coming, probably because you were alone
3. And how can they get away from you without sounding too rude.

However, this does not diminish the power of God’s Word for even Paul in Roman 9:3 cried out that were it possible, he would give up his own life and suffer Hell to save those Jews who were blind to the truth, but this was not something possible of him. I can only assume that many within the crowd were concerned like Paul and looking for ways that they too could convince their fellow man, maybe even their own family members of the truth. Here Paul says not to worry about how to manipulate the Gospel but to instead speak God’s Word just as God has revealed it. God’s Word is sufficient all on its own that those who will hear it, will hear it and those who will not, will not, God needs not anyone to manipulate His Word.

I for one find it not such a difficult concept to understand, of a God who creates all that has been created by simply speaking it into existence, from nothing, a God who can form a man from dust and with a breath from His nostrils, bring life into him, can bring what is dead to life, through His word. A Calvinist must disagree with this statement because the Doctrine of Total Depravity claims that it is impossible for the unregenerate to hear the Word of God without the Holy Spirit. I completely agree, but the Holy Spirit is in the words and in the message of Scripture that God has spoken and given to ALL men (Through the Bible, Church, Conscience etc) , who will listen and hear. 1 Timothy 2:1-7: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [3] This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, [4] who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. [7] For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle ( I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth”.

Likewise, Scripture clearly indicates that all those mentioned in the New Testament, as having been saved, first heard the message of the Gospel, then repented of their sin and confessed faith in the crucified and risen Christ by water baptism:

• Acts 2:36-41: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” [40] And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” [41] So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls”. Acts 8:26-36,38: “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. [27] And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship [28] and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. [29] And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” [30] So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” [31] And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. [32] Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. [33] In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” [34] And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” [35] Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. [36] And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” NOTE: Verse 37 This verse is not found in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts. [38] And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him”.
• Acts 10:44-48: “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. [45] And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. [46] For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, [47] “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” [48] And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days”.
• Acts 16:13-15: “And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. [14] One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. [15] And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us”.
• Acts 16:25-34: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, [26] and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. [27] When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. [28] But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” [29] And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. [30] Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” [31] And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” [32] And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. [33] And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. [34] Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God”.

Not only are there more than these verses that express this method, there are no examples in the New Testament of people having called on the name of Jesus to be saved before having first heard the Gospel message. Surprisingly, I have read of some Calvinists, who will quote Acts 10:2: “a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God”, as evidence of a person (Cornelius) who was right with God before ever hearing the Gospel. However, it is but just a few verses later that where Scripture tells us that Cornelius was filled with the Spirit and baptized in the name of Jesus AFTER hearing and responding to the message of the Gospel:  Acts 10:34-48: “[34] So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, [35] but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. [36] As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), [37] you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: [38] how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. [39] And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, [40] but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, [41] not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. [42] And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. [43] To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” [44] While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. [45] And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. [46] For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, [47] “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” [48] And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days”..

While Calvinists claim the unbeliever cannot perceive the revelation of God through evidence of Creation, we are told differently in Romans 1:20: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse”, Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”. It is important to note that the word “Nature” is used in reference to the “Divine Nature” and are together treated as one word and identified as the one-word (G2305) in Strong’s Concordance. Thus, it is important to recognize that Paul did not say “his eternal power and nature” but included and clearly signified God’s nature as “Divine Nature”, as in His “perfect nature”. Likewise, the word nature as used in Scripture and when in reference to man, does not denote the “philosophical laws of nature” but was in most cases used to signify the difference in mindset between man focused on things versus Spiritual things. The natural man was for example considered to be the man whose mind was focused on earthly gain, in status, money, power etc rather than on Spiritual things focused on God and desire of how we should think, live and act.

It is equally important to understand that the term “Divine Nature”, has nothing to do with “Laws of Nature”, but instead is used as John MacArthur wrote: “describes His eternal power. The Creator, who made all that we see around us and constantly sustains it, must be a being of awesome power. Divine nature, that is, His faithfulness (Ge 8:21, 22), kindness, and graciousness (Ac 14:17). through what has been made. The creation delivers a clear, unmistakable message about God’s person (cf. Pss 19:1–8; 94:9; Ac 14:15–17; 17:23–28). they are without excuse.”. God holds all men responsible for their refusal to acknowledge what He has shown them of Himself in His creation. Even those who have never had an opportunity to hear the gospel have received a clear witness about the existence and character of God—and have suppressed it. If a person will respond to the revelation he has, even if it is solely natural revelation, God will provide some means for that person to hear the gospel”.  Interestingly, what Reformist, John McArthur dances around, is the answer to the question: “Why is man without excuse? That answer is right there in Romans 1:20 where it explains the revelation of God in Creation: “have been clearly perceived”. The word “Perceived” and or “Seen” in this verse comes from the Greek word “kathorao” identified as G2529 in Strong’s Concordance and is derived from G2596 and G3708, meaning “to behold fully that is (figuratively) distinctly apprehend and clearly see”. Thayer’s definition includes it to mean “to see thoroughly, perceive clearly, understand”. Even beyond the forementioned evidence, God has revealed Himself in His Law, that at minimum He has imprinted on the hearts of every man, woman and child, the quasi-homing beacon we call the conscience, Romans 2:15: “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them”. He has revealed Himself in His Powerful Holy and living Word that is as a light to the world, a light that the darkness cannot overcome, John 1:4-5,9: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world”, John 8:26: “I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him”, Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart”,  Psalm 98:2: “The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations”. God has revealed Himself in and through the Church that testifies of the Word of God, that testifies of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and through sharing of God’s message with both the believer and the unbeliever, Titus 1:3: “and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior”. Were it not for any of these afore-mentioned things and more, that God purposely chose before time itself to reveal to humans, humans would be oblivious to God’s existence, oblivious to their sinful condition, oblivious to their need for God’s gracious gift of salvation through Christ and oblivious to God Himself. In this context how can anyone not but agree with the Calvinist teaching that God must take the initial steps in leading the unbeliever to salvation. Then again this is the teaching of all true Christian Church’s and believers. All credit must be given to God for our understanding, our desire or even our mere notion of God’s existence. All that is good comes from God! Were it not for God then we would not know and we could not do as He commands in Acts 17:26-34: “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ 29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. Our God is a God that speaks, that breaths life into lifelessness. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through our conscience, and it was the Holy Spirit who breathed life into the scriptures, that they be supernatural, the living Word of God so that those who might hear could be saved. The church is the body of Christ appointed to speak the Words of God throughout the world.  Paul said that we were not to worry about putting our own spin on Scripture but to speak it just as God has said it. For those who will not hear the Word, does not imply there is anything wrong with the Word, it implies only that there is something wrong with the person who will not hear it. Thus, by no means do I imply that everyone who looks to the Universe will accept the evidence of God, that all humans will accept and consider His design in all things, or all will listen to their conscience, to His Word or to the testimony of the Church for we all know men supress the truth, John 3:19-21: “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God”. Some men are angry and hardened of heart, stiff necked, proud, and some are simply too afraid or too trusting of the darkness and prefer to remain in darkness but as Jesus has clearly said, some do come to the light, “whoever does what is true comes to the light”.

However, Calvinists would seemingly give little to no regard to the aforementioned revelations of God in bringing the unbeliever to Christ. According to Calvinism, Total Depravity keeps man blind to all these revelations, unable to perceive them, without understanding of them, unable to choose God and thus the only way for an individual to choose Christ is for the Holy Spirit to selectively persuade certain individuals to do that. Short of that, neither the Conscience, Scripture, the Church communicating God’s Word in Scripture, evidence of Creation and or Life itself has no revealing power. In other words, Calvinism seems to be claiming that the Holy Spirit does not work through these things so that all who were to See or Hear and Listen to these revelations could possibly turn to Christ, but instead that the Holy Spirit must work separately of them. As mentioned earlier, it becomes questionable if Calvinism is teaching that an individual could be saved without ever having heard a single word of Scripture. Calvinists claim that the reason an unbeliever cannot see or hear is because they cannot go against their sinful nature and choose God. The reason for this is because Calvinists have adopted into their Doctrines and thus applied the Philosophy of Platonistic-Augustinism’s “Law of Nature”, to humans.