Without Doing Violence to Man's Free Agency

The following is a portion of a sermon I preached concerning the issue of how God can effectually call a person to salvation without doing violence to that person’s free agency as a human being. Some critics of Reformed theology claim that if Calvinists believe in irresistible grace then God must be forcing people to get saved against their will, virtually turning men into robots. But that is not what we Calvinist believe or teach. Let me explain:

Jn 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.

By virtue of original sin and depravity, all people including the elect are incapable of responding to the Gospel unless there is a Divine intervention.

1 Co 2:14 - But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Sinners must be regenerated by the Spirit of God and given the ability to trust Christ by the gift of faith and repentance.

But some may ask, Do not the many passages in the Bible such as, "If thou shalt obey," "If thou turn unto Jehovah," "If thou do that which is evil," and so forth, at least imply that man has free will and ability? It does not follow, however, that merely because God commands then man is able to obey. Oftentimes parents play with their children in telling them to do this or that when their very purpose is to show them their inability and to induce them to ask for the parents' help. The law of God is a schoolmaster teaching us that we are incapable of saving ourselves and are in need of a Savior.

Mt 22:14 - “For many are called, but few are chosen.” They are two aspects of the one summons of God to salvation. God’s call is universal. When the Word is preached everyone within earshot is summons to God but no one is capable of responding. But the Spirit of God empowers the call in the heart of the pre-converted elect and it becomes effective. The General Call is ineffective on the spiritually dead ears of the reprobate. But the special call is effected by the Holy Spirit’s secret work on the heart of the elect. The Father’s Spirit enlightens the heart of the elect, frees stubborn wills, and inclines contrary affections toward Christ.

Does God only enlighten the hearts of some and not of others? Consider Matthew 13:10-11 - And the disciples came and said to Jesus, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given."

What if you had to feed a lion and a horse? The horse eats hay; the lion never even considers eating any hay… he eats the horse. You could not convince the horse to eat the lion or convince the lion to eat the hay. Why? because it is not in their nature.

Man needs a new nature. Man needs to be made into a new creation. Man left to his free agency alone will never trust Christ. Faith is an act of righteousness, and no man does good, no not one! But in regeneration, when a man is born from above, man is inwardly changed by a supernatural power. The immediate and important effect of this inward, purifying change of nature is that the person loves righteousness and trusts in Christ for salvation. He is immediately given the gifts of faith and repentance. Whereas his natural element was sin, it now becomes holiness; sin becomes repulsive to him, and he loves to do good.

This effective and irresistible grace gives man an appetite for spiritual things… a new nature. The holy and thorough submission to God's will, which the convert before dreaded and resisted, he now loves and approves. The man now finds himself loving what he once hated. He longs for God.

This change is not accomplished through any external compulsion but through a new principle of life which has been created within the soul. Paul called it a spiritual law in Romans 7.

THERE IS NO VIOLATION OF MAN'S FREE AGENCY!

It is a common thing for opponents to represent this doctrine as implying that men are forced to believe and turn to God against their wills, or that it reduces men to the level of machines in the matter of salvation. This is a misrepresentation.

Scripture teaches no such thing. Nor do Calvinist, nor do Reformed Baptist.

The power by which the work of regeneration is effected is not of an outward and compelling nature. It is a work of God on a person’s heart. It is an inward compulsion. It is Spiritual work.

Consider Lydia in Acts 16:14 - Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

She was a lost “worshipper of God.” She was a religious person who was not saved. But God “opened her heart.”

Man is not dealt with as if he were a stone or a log. Neither is he treated as a slave, and driven against his own will to seek salvation. There is no outward force or compulsion or that would be forcing man to do something against his will. Rather, by God's Spirit and the gospel the mind is illuminated, and the entire range of conceptions with regard to God, self, and sin, is changed. God sends His Spirit in a way which shall forever rebound to the praise of His mercy and grace. The regenerated man finds himself governed by new motives and desires, and things which were once hated are now loved and sought after. And just ask any true Christian, there are no regrets!! In fact, thanksgiving floods one's soul as one realizes that the most loving thing anyone has ever done for a man is for God to give him a desire to be saved.

Again, this change is not accomplished through any external compulsion but through a new principle of life which has been created within the soul.

Tasha and I met years ago when I was preaching in Texas. She immediately fell in love :) I was older and lived 12 hours away in Zachary, Louisiana. So we never dated until about four years later. By the time we started dating I had already went through a few bad experiences and had become meaner than a striped snake. In fact, after dating me for several months she couldn’t stand me.

About a year later I came to my senses and decided I would win her back. One day we were at the same place and I asked her to take a walk with me. I put the charm on her, promised her I had changed, told her I would call her and wanted to start dating again. She said, “I don’t believe you. We’ll see.” Long story short, within a year we were married.

My point: Tasha was not changed through external compulsion, force. She did not marry me against her will (maybe against her dad’s will) but she willingly committed her life to me. By my goodness and love her heart was changed. I did not give that attention, that love, that effort to others, JUST TO THE ONE I WANTED TO MARRY – TO MY BRIDE.

Christ is winning the hearts of His bride today. The Goodness of God will lead them to repentance. And they, who once hated God and His law, willingly and thankfully come. No one forces them to get saved; in fact, I don’t think an army of adversaries could keep them from getting saved!! To God be the Glory for His irresistible and effectual grace.