From: spk@aber.ac.uk (Stephen Kingston)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Subject: Effectual Calling
Date: 6 Apr 92 10:50:21 GMT
Reply-To: spk@aber.ac.uk (Stephen Kingston)
Organization: Computer Science Dept., University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.

I have now talked about what I see to be the new birth from God's
point of view, i.e. His work of regeneration which produces faith.
We can see that this work regeneration is entirely of God, as
the will of man is dead to sin, but a further point that we can
note is that this work of regeneration produces grace
*irresistably*.

When it comes down to it, few people really have a problem with
accepting man's total depravity, or his unconditional election by
the grace of God. Such issues are clearly scriptural, and their
implications are nothing new to anyone who is truly born again of
the Spirit of God. However, the issue of irresistable grace at
once causes defences to go up, for many of us struggled and
strained as we came to God, and in the end we are aware that we
made a choice. It seems totally alien to us to imagine that this
grace was irresistable, and no matter what we did we still would
have come to God.

Not everyone feels this way. I know people who were saved so
dramatically that they *knew* that they had no choice in the
matter. There are numerous examples in revivals where God
irresistably saved people who tried everything they could to
avoid God. St Paul is an example of someone who was irresistably
saved through the grace of God. Nevertheless, for many others of
us we would naturally say "of course we had a choice". The
argument is that God did indeed regenerate us, but there came a
point (when God's calling reached a height) when we were
presented with a *free will* choice to say to God, "Yes" or "No".

However, we read in Romans 8:30

"those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he
called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also
glorified."

So we see that those whom God has called *are* also justified.
There is no possibility in this verse of there being a "no" to
God.

Consider a man walking towards a precipice in a trance. Let us
suppose that another man should stop him on the brink of this
precipice and shake him out of the trance; tell me, if you were
this man would you now walk off the precipice of your own free
will? Surely if he continues over the precipice then his reasoning
is still impaired.

So it is with the grace of God. When man's will is regenerated by
God then he will by necessity choose to follow God. If he does
not choose God then he is still spiritualy blinded, for who would
choose death over eternal life with Jesus Christ, our saviour?
When we are regenerate there is only one choice we can make, and 
that is a resounding "yes". If we cannot say "yes" then we are 
not truly regenerate.

The work of grace is irresistable because our regenerate nature
will no longer allow us to turn against God, for that would be
suicide. Faith is our only option, and so we take it.

Now then, lest I be accused of forming doctrine on the grounds 
of one verse only, here are some other scriptures which show us
the truth of this doctrine:

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me." John 6:37

"No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw
him." John 6:44

"*Every* man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath *learned* of the
Father, cometh unto me." John 6:45

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God" Romans 8:14

see also Gal 1:15; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 pet 5:10.

Stephen
-- 
Gweleis i rac neb nym gweles pop annwyl. ef diwyl yneges. Gweleis i pasc.
(I saw the one above all men,  he saw me;  he, the beloved of his people,
who fulfills his mission. I saw Easter.) "Yspeil Taliesin" ---Taliesin---
spk@uk.ac.aber --- spk%uk.ac.aber@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk --- Stephen Kingston
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU