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Doctrines of Grace
DOCTRINE OF IRRESISTABLE GRACE
“WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF IRRESISTABLE GRACE”
2 Timothy 1: 9
Sermon by:
Rev. P. den Butter
Published by the
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA.
(May 2003)
LITURGY:
Votum
Psalter 71: 3, 4
Law of God
Scripture: 2 Timothy 1
Psalter 428: 8
Text: 2 Timothy 1: 9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
Congregational Prayer
Offering
Psalter 62: 1 – 4
Sermon
Psalter 56: 2, 3
Thanksgiving Prayer
Psalter 236: 2, 3
Benediction
Doxology: Psalter 183: 2
DOCTRINES OF GRACE – SERMON # 17
THE DOCTRINE OF IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
“What are the Characteristics of Irresistible Grace?”
In our two previous studies in our fourth doctrine of grace, the Doctrine of Irresistible Grace, we have seen in the first place, that there is that call which we may call the universal call – the general call which comes to all that are under the gospel. And by calling sinners the Lord invites them most earnestly, desiring that all those that are called, will indeed accept the invitation and come. But we have also seen that this call is met by many obstacles in the sinner’s life. When the gospel comes, the sinner is not willing to comply with the invitation. There are many things in the sinner’s life that obstruct the call and that make it impossible for the sinner to accept the invitation and go to the Lord. Therefore the Lord Jesus has said in John 6 that no man can come to Him except something is done to him. Not by another man, not by another creature, - No! What must be done to man is that man must be drawn by the Father. No man can come to Me, Christ says, except the Father draws him. There must be an activity of the Father. There must be an irresistible work of grace performed upon the sinner, other wise the sinner will remain in his sins. In spite of all the well-meant invitations from the gospel, the sinner will harden his heart. He will continue to reject the gospel and he will turn away from the Lord and from His grace.
We have seen that there are these difficulties in man’s heart – these difficulties in coming to Christ. There is the condition of man’s heart, which is against God, which is a condition of disobedience. There is a tendency in man’s heart to doubt, to question, to criticize the Word of God. There is pride in our human mind, which is the cause that we are not willing to surrender unto the Lord and to bow under the scepter of Christ. There is an unwillingness in the heart of the natural man to become poor in spirit and to become humble, and to honestly confess his sins. There is a fear that we will lose our importance and position in the eyes of the world when we become Christians, and when we seek and serve the Lord. So there are many things that keep us away from the Lord which make it simply impossible for man to turn from darkness to light. God must do an irresistible work of grace, and only when He does it, the sinner will be drawn unto Christ.
But we have also seen that the Lord is doing that work. And I illustrated that with the example of Lydia, that woman in Phillipi to whom the Gospel was preached. Paul came to her, and that in itself is already an interesting story, because Paul was not intending at all to go to Phillipi and to preach the gospel there, but the Lord directed him to that city. To bring him to the city of Phillipi, in Macedonia, in Greece, the Lord first had to close a door here and to prevent Paul from going there, and finally by way of a vision in Troas, Paul saw that Macedonian man who called him, and thereby he concluded that the Lord called him to go there. Then he found those few women somewhere outside of the city and to them he preached the gospel faithfully. He preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. But Paul, with all his preaching and with all his persuading power and with all his eloquence was not able to change the heart of Lydia. The Lord opened Lydia’s heart! The Lord drew her irresistibly and when He operated upon the heart of that woman, she believed. She attended to the words which were spoken by Paul. She listened to the same message as the other people that were present at that particular occasion. They heard the same truth. They heard the same message. They heard the same words. But in Lydia’s heart there was the irresistible work of grace and therefore she became a true believer. She was drawn irresistibly from darkness to light, whereas the other people listened to the truth, and the truth came to their ears and there it stayed. Well, we have seen that a work of irresistible grace is necessary, but we also saw that the Lord is doing this work.
Let us now continue our study in this doctrine and finish it, and then we will concentrate particularly on ‘what are the characteristics of this irresistible grace or this effectual call?’ What is the Lord really and actually doing when He calls a sinner unto Himself in that special way? Let me give you a quotation from John Flavel in his book which was originally called, ‘England’s Duty’ and which was again published under the title ‘Christ, Knocking at the Door of Sinners’ Hearts’. Flavel says, that there is the general call and there is also the special call. There is an external voice of Christ, which we may call his ministerial voice in the preaching of the gospel. The Scriptures are His word, and ministers His mouth. Then Flavel quotes Jeremiah 15:19. He that heareth them, heareth Christ. That is the external voice of Christ. There is also an internal voice of Christ, consisting not in sound but in power; and between these there are two remarkable differences. First, the external or ministerial voice of Christ is but the organ or instrument of conveying His internal and efficacious voice to the soul: in the former He speaks to the ear, and by that sound conveys His spiritual voice to the heart. The second difference is that the external voice is evermore ineffectual when it is not animated by that internal spiritual voice. It was marvelous to see the walls of Jericho falling to the ground at the sound of ram’s horns. There was certainly more than the force of an external blast to produce such an effect: but more marvelous it is, to see at the sound of the gospel not only weapons of iniquity falling out of sinners hands, but the very enmity itself falling out of their hearts. Here you see, Flavel says, is a voice within a voice, an internal efficacy in theexternal sound, without which the gospel makes no saving impression. - A voice within a voice!
Let us look at that particular aspect. However, before we do so, we must first establish who the people are, that are so called. The general call, you will remember, comes to all that are brought into contact with the gospel. The general call then, comes to all that hear the word. But to whom does that special call come? Not to all, but to some only. It came to Lydia. It did not come at that particular time to the other listeners. The general call came to all that were present when Paul preached, but the special call came to that one woman alone.
Now, to whom does the special call come? Who are they? How does the Bible describe them? Then it is very instructive, congregation, to see that the Scriptures teach us that this effectual call is on the one hand connected with election and on the other hand with glorification. And it is right between these two, that there is the effectual calling. Let me show you. Please turn with me to Romans 8:28 and following. Here is one of the classic passages in the word of God where we are informed about calling, and then particularly in its connection with the other links in the chain of salvation. Paul doesn’t mention all the links in the chain of salvation. He mentions only a few, but the first two that he mentions are invisible. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified. You see, the apostle is first speaking in verse 29 about those that were foreknown and that were predestinated. There are two links in the chain of salvation – the first being, foreknowledge and the second being, foreordination. But these links are invisible. They are hidden and clouded in eternity. God has revealed something of it by speaking about it in His word, but we cannot see these links of the chain of salvation. But the first link of that chain that becomes visible is what the apostle says in verse 30, Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called. And then those that have been called, they are also justified. Then the apostle goes again into eternity by saying that those that have been justified also have been glorified. So, you see that the chain of salvation connects eternity with eternity. Part of it is there – that side of eternity. The other part is there on that side of eternity and there are also some of the links which are made visible and which are experienced here in this life on this earth. But what I want to prove from this text is that the number of those that are effectually called, is exactly the same number as those who have been foreknown and foreordained. And that is again the same number as those who will ultimately be glorified. So you see that calling stands somewhere in the middle between election and glorification. And this calling covers the same number of people that are elected and that will be glorified.
This is not the only place in the word of God where we see this connection. We see it also in the text which I announced which we will give special attention to in 2 Timothy 1:9. Let me read that word from Paul again. Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose. First of all, there was a purpose. There was a design. God planned to save a people, and when He planned to save a people, He determined to whom that grace of Christ would come. And according to that eternal purpose and design, the Lord has foreordained, but also called them. You see, it all rests on what the Lord has done in His eternal decree of election. And in that eternal design, nothing entered which can be contributed to man; therefore the apostle says, emphatically that it was not according to our works. It is not like this, that God sees someone who has a little bit of hunger for the spiritual things, - someone who has a little bit of love for God and for His ordinances, and that God then says, Him I will choose - Him I will call. - No, not at all. This is not what the Bible teaches. Not according to our works! Why then are Lydia and other people called? Why then are God’s people called with a holy calling? Because it was in God’s eternal plan and design. It was according to His eternal purpose - and grace. And grace! When God effectually and irresistibly calls a sinner, it is a manifestation of His grace.
Now you see that in the light of this and other words of Scripture, it becomes a very important thing to know whether we are part of these ‘called ones.’ For that is going to be one of the designations of the people of God. You can call them the elect. You can call them the believers. You can call them the children of God, and that is all true and right. God describes His people as His children and as the believers, but they are also called the ‘called ones’. That is very clearly brought out in the book of the Revelations. In Revelations 17:14, we find three characteristics of the people of God. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him (they that are Christ’s, they that belong to Him) - His people are who? They are called, and chosen and faithful. Three designations! Three words to describe who are with Christ! They are called – inwardly, irresistibly, because they were chosen and because they are chosen and called, they are given grace to be faithful, as we hope to see when we study the fifth of the doctrines of grace, - the perseverance of the saints. The chosen ones are the same as the called ones and the called ones are the same that will be ultimately glorified in the way of the preservation of the saints and their perseverance.
Well, then after having seen who are the ones that are called and who are the ones that receive this special benefit and this great grace, let us now enter into a study of what this internal call really is. As Flavel said, it is a voice within a voice. Now what are the characteristics of that voice within a voice? What happens in a sinner’s life? How does God effect this change? How does He bring them out of darkness into light?
I’ll give you six characteristics of this internal call. It is in the first place a secret work. It is a work which doesn’t happen in public, but which happens very privately, very secretly, very inwardly. It is something that the Lord does not in the marketplace, visible for all men and audible to all. It is something that happens in private. It is a voice with no sound to others, but it is very intelligible to the soul to whom it is spoken. To return again to the illustration of Acts 16, the story of Lydia; - the other people may not have noticed anything in Lydia. The only thing that probably would have been visible was that she listened very attentively, or that probably a tear came into her eyes, or something else, but that doesn’t indicate always that there is an inward change. It wasn’t audible. It wasn’t visible to others. But it was very real to this woman herself. It was God’s personal dealing with her in a secret manner.
And that leads me in the second place, to this characteristic, - it is personal, but very distinct. It deals with the person as he is. God, in so speaking deals with that particular person in such a way as it harmonizes with the state of his soul. The Lord Jesus says about the shepherd, that the Good Shepherd knows his sheep by name, but He also calls them by name. And they may be in a crowd or a multitude of ten or twenty or a thousand listeners, but in speaking to that one particular person, the Lord singles him out and the ninety and nine or the nine hundred ninety and nine may not notice anything. To them the word may come only outwardly to their ears, but to that one person which has been singled out among many, the Lord speaks in a powerful, special way. He speaks to his or her heart. And as I said,very distinctly, dealing with him, dealing with her in the circumstances which he or she finds him or herself. The rest may hear the same words – convincing words, convicting words, warning words, words of threat, words of love, but it may not have any effect upon the rest. But to that one particular person, it comes with effect. When the word deals with a certain sin, that soul immediately feels, The Lord means me. When the word speaks about certain sinful habits, the soul understands The Lord means me. Thou art the man! In such a way it comes, so personal, so distinct and the word – the word preached, the word applied by the Spirit, opens the heart, lays the heart bare, lays the secrets of the heart bare, and the soul realizes God knows me. God sees through me. I cannot hide anything before the Lord’s eyes. When the Gospel comes with persuasive power, when the Gospel comes inviting, when the Gospel comes calling to Christ, when the Gospel comes offering mercy, it is at that particular time coming so powerfully that the poor and needy soul is given grace to believe and to have hope and to receive encouragement.