God Respects Your "NO"

In the world of Theological thought and discussion, I suppose that nothing has done more to damage the effectiveness of the Evangelical Believer than the doctrine of Calvinism.  Now I know, right away upon reading these words, my good brethren on both sides of the issue are jerking their knees so hard they may need physical therapy.  Slow your breathing for a second and let us examine one essential element of Calvinism, the doctrine of Irresistible Grace.  This is a teaching that when God reaches out to those whom He has elected to be saved, they will not, they cannot say no to Him.  The doctrine of Irresistible Grace is essential for the doctrine of Calvinism to survive logically. 

For those blessed folks who have not yet entered the great debate of God's Sovereignty VS. Man's Free Will, let me clue you in on the discussion that keeps Bible College students up at night.  John Calvin postulated that although Salvation comes by Grace through Faith upon all who will believe, not everyone has the ability to believe.  Calvinism teaches that only the Elect, those chosen by God before the world began, will have the ability to believe.  The thought is that God will impart faith only to those whom He has chosen, and once God calls the elected individual, they will have no choice but to accept the free gift of salvation.

The verse that proponents of Irresistible Grace use is this:

John 6:44 (AV)

⁴⁴ No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The purpose of the our discussion today is to examine this doctrine of Irresistible Grace.  Is it true that once God calls us, we have not choice but to believe?  Is it true that if God has chosen us for salvation and then starts to draw us, that we cannot tell Him no?

When examining this subject, we find that God wants all men to repent and trust Jesus as Savior.  God does not want to send anyone to Hell!  Calvinists claim that only if it is God's will can the sinner find Grace.  This kind of thought is an assault on the kindness and character of God.  Look at the plain teaching of scripture:


2 Peter 3:9 (AV)

⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Not only does God desire all men to come to Him, He commands it!

Acts 17:30 (AV)

³⁰ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

So in spite of what the Calvinists teach, we have learned that God does want everyone to come to Him.  It is His will that all men come to repentance and He has commanded all men to come to Him.  Now on to the most important point in this discussion.  Some men chose to reject the call of God, and God does not force them to believe, He respects their "NO".  Look at the lamentation that Our Savior gives over the unrepentant folks who have lived in Jerusalem.


Matthew 23:37 (AV)

³⁷ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

It was God's will that these folks come to Him.  He sent prophets after them.  He wanted to gather them.  The only thing that prevented them from coming to Jesus was their rejection of His advances.  Yes you can say no to God.  Sure, He is powerful enough to make us believe, but He has chosen to allow us to make that choice of our own free will.  He respects our "NO". 

Without the doctrine of Irresistible Grace, the whole structure of Calvinism falls like a house of cards.  What does this mean for the everyday Christian?  We need to understand that we can resist the will of God.  Sometimes we misbehave then blame sovereignty.  We assume that if God did not want me doing such and such then He would not have allowed it.  This is a dangerous assumption.  You see, perhaps God has sent His pastors, Bible teachers, Godly friends, and maybe your spouse or parents to warn you and give you wise counsel.  He has sent His Holy Spirit to prompt you through the reading of His word, yet you choose to ignore Him.  Remember that He allows you to choose your path.  Yes, He will try to guide, direct, and lead you but ultimately if you resist, God respects your "NO".


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