Resistible grace.

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earl40

Puritan Board Professor
Any thoughts on the grace that is resistible after the grace that is given in regeneration (irresistible)?

Here is a thought...God gives grace knowing that we will resist it and He uses our resistance to teach us a greater appreciation of the irresistible grace we received. Of course this mostly happens when we repent of the sin we commit. I say this because there ares sins that believers commit that they never repent of.

The reason I bring this up is because I find it is rare to read of resistible grace on any reformed board. As if the concept resistible grace is not biblical.
 
...I find it is rare to read of resistible grace on any reformed board. As if the concept resistible grace is not biblical.

That is because it is unbiblical. Even when we, as Christians, are disobedient to the Word, it is not grace we are resisting, but God's commands. In fact it is the grace of God that leads us to repentance , not just in salvation (1 Pet. 3:1), but also in the Christian life (Rom. 2:4). The child of God cannot resist such grace, for without it there is no capacity for repentance.
 
If grace is the unmerited favor of God the Father in Jesus Christ then it cannot ever be resisted.
 
It might be helpful to think in terms of the decrees of God (irresistible) and His precepts (we confess every Lord's Day just how we have failed to keep these)......
 
What is sanctification?

Answer: Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby they whom God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life. -WLC 75

That is irresistible. Otherwise, we begin with grace and persevere by mere human effort.
 
What is sanctification?

Answer: Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby they whom God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life. -WLC 75

That is irresistible. Otherwise, we begin with grace and persevere by mere human effort.

Great point, brother. Thanks for that.
 
What is sanctification?

Answer: Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby they whom God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life. -WLC 75

That is irresistible. Otherwise, we begin with grace and persevere by mere human effort.

Amen Tyler, great post.
 
So can we not call the knowledge of what to do or not to do grace? If so, does not this grace fail when we do not do or do what we should?
 
So can we not call the knowledge of what to do or not to do grace? If so, does not this grace fail when we do not do or do what we should?

Earl, grace, by its very nature, can never fail. Grace has been rightly termed "God's unmerited favor." In the case of sinners it is God's unmerited favor leading to salvation. For the believer it is God's manifold blessings in our life, with one of those blessings being continual repentance from sin. And yes, the knowledge of right and wrong, is given by God's grace. But when we fail it is not grace failing, it is we who fail. If we fail (sin) as a believer, it is grace that brings us to repentance. So, grace triumphs.
 
So can we not call the knowledge of what to do or not to do grace? If so, does not this grace fail when we do not do or do what we should?

Earl, grace, by its very nature, can never fail. Grace has been rightly termed "God's unmerited favor." In the case of sinners it is God's unmerited favor leading to salvation. For the believer it is God's manifold blessings in our life, with one of those blessings being continual repentance from sin. And yes, the knowledge of right and wrong, is given by God's grace. But when we fail it is not grace failing, it is we who fail. If we fail (sin) as a believer, it is grace that brings us to repentance. So, grace triumphs.

I agree grace does not fail for it is I who fails. What I am saying is that every time we sin the grace we got to resist sin is indeed resisted. As the following says He makes a way for us to resist sin but is there any doubt we sin in thought word and deed even though He has provided a way out.

"13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it."
 
"13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it."

I believe that it would say you will endure it instead of ye may be able to endure it . If we did not have the flesh to fighting against The Spirit. Thus In my most humble opinion we there is grace we resist.
 
Any thoughts on the grace that is resistible after the grace that is given in regeneration (irresistible)?

Here is a thought...God gives grace knowing that we will resist it and He uses our resistance to teach us a greater appreciation of the irresistible grace we received. Of course this mostly happens when we repent of the sin we commit. I say this because there ares sins that believers commit that they never repent of.

The reason I bring this up is because I find it is rare to read of resistible grace on any reformed board. As if the concept resistible grace is not biblical.

I am not sure I follow you when it comes to "resistible grace" post regeneration but I was reading an interesting article by John Murray on irresistible grace and in it he said, "unbelief is resistance of grace at the zenith of its disclosure and overture."
You should take a peek... Irresistible Grace by John Murray | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org

The contradiction which sin offers to God and to his will, if it is not adequately described as resistance, involves and is expressed in resistance. Scripture sometimes uses this term or its equivalents to express the attitude of unbelief (cf.*Acts 7:51;*13:45;*Rom. 10:21;*IITim. 3:8;*Tit. 1:9). It is obvious that sin consists in resistance to the will of God. If the claims of God were not resistible, there would be no sin. The claims of God come to expression in the gospel and all rejection of the gospel and of its demands is resistance. In the gospel we have the supreme revelation of the grace of God, and Christ is the embodiment of that grace. The glory of God is nowhere more effulgent than in the face of Jesus Christ. Hence unbelief is resistance of grace at the zenith of its disclosure and overture. So to say that all grace is irresistible is to deny the plain facts of observation and experience as also of Scripture teaching. Stephen was bold enough to indict his unbelieving audience with resistance to the Holy Spirit: “Ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51). This is the enormity of unbelief; it is the contradiction of sin expressing itself in resistance to the claims and overtures of supreme love and grace. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the light” (John*3:19).
 
So it is not by their own [that is, the regenerates'] merits or strength but by God's undeserved mercy that they neither forfeit faith and grace totally nor remain in their downfalls to the end and are lost. With respect to themselves this not only easily could happen, but also undoubtedly would happen; but with respect to God it cannot possibly happen, since his plan cannot be changed, his promise cannot fail, the calling according to his purpose cannot be revoked, the merit of Christ as well as his interceding and preserving cannot be nullified, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit can neither be invalidated nor wiped out. -Canons of Dordt, Fifth Head of Doctrine, Article 8.

Perseverance is irresistible. God produces it.

Ephraim shall say, "What have I to do any more with idols?" I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. -Hos. 14:8
 
Earl,

Indwelling sin is something that is commonly discussed among the Reformed and in our Confession:

CHAPTER XIII.

Of Sanctification.

I. They who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened, in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

II. This sanctification is throughout in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life: there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.

III. In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome: and so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
There is a war within us where the flesh lusts against the Spirit but we do grow in grace.

I think one of the common pitfalls we fall in to is to treat grace as the RCC does - as some sort of substance that is poured in or out of us. Grace, in a sense, is being put in contact with the living Christ by the power of the Spirit. I don't think it is helpful, as some have stated here, that we never resist the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ is placarded to us in Word and we are oft distracted. Christ is placarded to us in Sacrament and we often do not prepare ourselves to receive Him. We're in a war and we often treat the battle as if we're not a participant in the battle but that, because Christ has already determined the final outcome, that the command to fight now is somehow some inconsequential play acting. The Reformed have thus always rejected this idea of eternal justification where we live, somehow, in the decree of God in our thinking instead of living by the Word of God.

We understand that the Word of God has sovereignly regenerated us and, even as children have no control over their birth, we have no control over the Sovereign working of the Holy Spirit. We were made alive in Christ by the Gospel that change our volitional nature to abhor our sin and to love Christ. We have, by faith, been united to the living Christ and so we have the sanctifying power of the Spirit through the means of grace to resist temptation, to give daily battle to sin, put sin to death in our members, and to learn to love Christ more. The fact that we need to repent of our sins is a real reality because it is not the Holy Spirit that indewlls us who sinned but the body of death that still hasn't been fully put to death. We know we fail in that battle and Paul makes it plain in Romans 7 how we all hate the things we still see in ourselves so there's no point in even denying the idea that we resist the goodness of God when we choose sin. The call to us is not morbid introspection but to continue to look to Christ for strength, anew, in the battle. We err if we treat the battle as theoretical as if the warnings of Hebrews apply to the "un-elect" as if we can identify those that need those kinds of warnings. Rather, we are called by the Word to give battle daily and to make sure that none of those among us are falling behind.

I'm kind of stream of consciousness here but I'm trying to express the idea that is very common in Reformed thinking. We don't dwell on theoretical ideas of how, exactly, grace is resistable or irresistible in particular categories but focus on what is plainly revealed in the Scriptures: that our union with Christ produces real life and change within us and that we're really called to daily battle and the encouragement of those around us.
 
Earl,

Indwelling sin is something that is commonly discussed among the Reformed and in our Confession:

CHAPTER XIII.

Of Sanctification.

I. They who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened, in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

II. This sanctification is throughout in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life: there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.

III. In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome: and so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
There is a war within us where the flesh lusts against the Spirit but we do grow in grace.

I think one of the common pitfalls we fall in to is to treat grace as the RCC does - as some sort of substance that is poured in or out of us. Grace, in a sense, is being put in contact with the living Christ by the power of the Spirit. I don't think it is helpful, as some have stated here, that we never resist the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ is placarded to us in Word and we are oft distracted. Christ is placarded to us in Sacrament and we often do not prepare ourselves to receive Him. We're in a war and we often treat the battle as if we're not a participant in the battle but that, because Christ has already determined the final outcome, that the command to fight now is somehow some inconsequential play acting. The Reformed have thus always rejected this idea of eternal justification where we live, somehow, in the decree of God in our thinking instead of living by the Word of God.

We understand that the Word of God has sovereignly regenerated us and, even as children have no control over their birth, we have no control over the Sovereign working of the Holy Spirit. We were made alive in Christ by the Gospel that change our volitional nature to abhor our sin and to love Christ. We have, by faith, been united to the living Christ and so we have the sanctifying power of the Spirit through the means of grace to resist temptation, to give daily battle to sin, put sin to death in our members, and to learn to love Christ more. The fact that we need to repent of our sins is a real reality because it is not the Holy Spirit that indewlls us who sinned but the body of death that still hasn't been fully put to death. We know we fail in that battle and Paul makes it plain in Romans 7 how we all hate the things we still see in ourselves so there's no point in even denying the idea that we resist the goodness of God when we choose sin. The call to us is not morbid introspection but to continue to look to Christ for strength, anew, in the battle. We err if we treat the battle as theoretical as if the warnings of Hebrews apply to the "un-elect" as if we can identify those that need those kinds of warnings. Rather, we are called by the Word to give battle daily and to make sure that none of those among us are falling behind.

I'm kind of stream of consciousness here but I'm trying to express the idea that is very common in Reformed thinking. We don't dwell on theoretical ideas of how, exactly, grace is resistable or irresistible in particular categories but focus on what is plainly revealed in the Scriptures: that our union with Christ produces real life and change within us and that we're really called to daily battle and the encouragement of those around us.

Though we should we should not "dwell on theoretical ideas of how, exactly, grace is resistable or irresistible in particular categories but focus on what is plainly revealed in the Scriptures". It is self evidwent and scriptural that God does indeed give us a "way out" of every temptation that comes our way, and if that is not grace that is irresitable I am not sure what is grace. Let us face the reality that God sometimes shows us that obediance is better than sacrifice and He does so by allowing us to see what we should have done even when we did sin by our own sinful inclinations.
 
Earl,

The point is that the Scripture doesn't speak in categories of comparing the irresistible grace of God in regeneration to whether or not that same grace can or cannot be theoretically resisted once a person is converted. You asked why you don't hear Reformed people talking about grace being resisted and I redirected you to the manner in which sanctification is spoken of both in terms of Biblically and how our Confessions speak of them. It doesn't speak in terms of whether grace is resistible but about how we have a war within us and to strive, by Christ's power, to resist temptation.

If one wishes to say, then, that grace can be resisted by the Christian then the answer is yes but the Scriptures don't normally speak in such ways but in the ways that the Confessions speak of in terms of the ongoing battle with sin and temptation and against the lusts of the flesh.

I was listening to Sinclair Ferguson yesterday and he summed up the issue of assurance well. He stated that people regularly come up to him asking for a "silver bullet" for assurance and when he tells them that the key to assurance is abiding in Christ they want a "plan B". There is no "plan B" with assurance but only "plan A" and that's a desperate dependence upon Christ and the acknowledgement that we need Him today. Today, the Scriptures repeatedly enjoin, if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts. As we battle sin within our members, we are to be desperate for His grace. As we hear the voice of the Savior through the Word we are to be desperate for His grace. There is no time at which we simply stop and say: "Well, His grace is irresistible so, Today, I need not hear His voice because He's got me covered eternally." The purpose of God's irresistible plan to redeem me from sin and make me a new creature is that I would, Today, abide in Him and not theorize about what it means that I might resist the means of grace He has put before me.
 
Rich first of all I thank you for your posts.

Now what do I call "way of escape" then? Am I wrong in thinking this is grace?

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.
 
Rich first of all I thank you for your posts.

Now what do I call "way of escape" then? Am I wrong in thinking this is grace?

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.

Yes, it is grace. Remember that grace is the Holy Spirit's work to unite us to and strengthen us in Christ. It is a personal abiding in a Person and not to be thought of as some sort of substance that is detachable or abstracted from the Person and work of Christ. I'm not saying you're thinking that but I'm just saying it out loud because it is a Roman Catholic view to think of grace as something that God dispenses and, philosophically, it is thought of as some kind of substance and we tend to think in those categories. Union with Christ is a mystery to us but I think the Scriptures call us to think in terms of being brought into contact with the indestructible life of Christ. Thus, when I'm tempted, I need to think in terms of the Scripture you just quoted. God the Spirit has vitally united me to Christ and I have the indestructible life of Christ that gives me strength in time of temptation. I'm not precisely sure how praying upon that Truth helps me in temptation but it does and the Scriptures testify to it. That's the soundest answer I can provide. I simply wish I remembered it more often which is why I'm preaching it to myself as I respond to you here.

By the way, if you'd like to listen to Sinclair Ferguson's most recent sermon it is here and he speaks much more eloquently than I about the grace of Christ:

The Grace-Giving Word - SermonAudio.com

I think it was a Systematic Theology lecture from somewhere that I first heard it from Sinclair about how we ought to think about grace and it's been very helpful.
 
Chapter 17 of the Westminster Confession of Faith appears to clearly distinguish between the state of grace, which is irresistible and perpetual for God’s elect, and the means of grace, which are resistible and actually neglected by the elect. In short, the elect can neither resist nor revoke the state of God’s grace. However, the elect do resist and neglect the means of God’s grace, thereby incurring the wrath of God in this life, which is why they are admonished to diligently pursue the means of grace. Likewise, when the elect choose to sin and continue in it, God can and will deprive them of “some measure of the graces,” which I would interpret as meaning we lose some measure of the fruit of the Spirit, including the joy of our salvation, for a time.
 
Chapter 17 of the Westminster Confession of Faith appears to clearly distinguish between the state of grace, which is irresistible and perpetual for God’s elect, and the means of grace, which are resistible and actually neglected by the elect. In short, the elect can neither resist nor revoke the state of God’s grace. However, the elect do resist and neglect the means of God’s grace, thereby incurring the wrath of God in this life, which is why they are admonished to diligently pursue the means of grace. Likewise, when the elect choose to sin and continue in it, God can and will deprive them of “some measure of the graces,” which I would interpret as meaning we lose some measure of the fruit of the Spirit, including the joy of our salvation, for a time.

This reminds me in that we can grieve the Holy Spirit. In other words, how can we grieve Him unless he has given us grace to do what we now know what is right.....which can only be so if we are regenerate.
 
Yes, it is grace. Remember that grace is the Holy Spirit's work to unite us to and strengthen us in Christ. It is a personal abiding in a Person and not to be thought of as some sort of substance that is detachable or abstracted from the Person and work of Christ. I'm not saying you're thinking that but I'm just saying it out loud because it is a Roman Catholic view to think of grace as something that God dispenses and, philosophically, it is thought of as some kind of substance and we tend to think in those categories. Union with Christ is a mystery to us but I think the Scriptures call us to think in terms of being brought into contact with the indestructible life of Christ. Thus, when I'm tempted, I need to think in terms of the Scripture you just quoted. God the Spirit has vitally united me to Christ and I have the indestructible life of Christ that gives me strength in time of temptation. I'm not precisely sure how praying upon that Truth helps me in temptation but it does and the Scriptures testify to it. That's the soundest answer I can provide. I simply wish I remembered it more often which is why I'm preaching it to myself as I respond to you here.

By the way, if you'd like to listen to Sinclair Ferguson's most recent sermon it is here and he speaks much more eloquently than I about the grace of Christ:

The Grace-Giving Word - SermonAudio.com

I think it was a Systematic Theology lecture from somewhere that I first heard it from Sinclair about how we ought to think about grace and it's been very helpful.

So far as "dispensing grace" I know that God is in charge of how obedient each of us are by the amount of faith we are given. Though I am not sure what exactly you may think I am thinking in RC terms I can see in 2 Corinthians 6 that it is indeed possible to neglect God's grace in vain.

6 And working together with him we entreat also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
 
Though I am not sure what exactly you may think I am thinking in RC terms I can see in 2 Corinthians 6 that it is indeed possible to neglect God's grace in vain.
Earl,

I qualified and stated that I wasn't accusing you of thinking in RC terms but only that it's our collective tendency to think of grace in those terms.
 
Though I am not sure what exactly you may think I am thinking in RC terms I can see in 2 Corinthians 6 that it is indeed possible to neglect God's grace in vain.
Earl,

I qualified and stated that I wasn't accusing you of thinking in RC terms but only that it's our collective tendency to think of grace in those terms.


Yes you did and I thank you for the dialog. :)

To sum up I think it is interesting how we (reformed protestants) can come to dislike a word when it appears next to another word. To say "resistible grace" in the proper context is not only biblical but a reality.
 
Though I am not sure what exactly you may think I am thinking in RC terms I can see in 2 Corinthians 6 that it is indeed possible to neglect God's grace in vain.
Earl,

I qualified and stated that I wasn't accusing you of thinking in RC terms but only that it's our collective tendency to think of grace in those terms.


Yes you did and I thank you for the dialog. :)

To sum up I think it is interesting how we (reformed protestants) can come to dislike a word when it appears next to another word. To say "resistible grace" in the proper context is not only biblical but a reality.

I don't think it's a matter of dislike Earl but simply that "irresistible grace" has taken on sort of a shorthand for a whole set of doctrines regarding the regenerating power of God in salvation. It's not that the Reformed are unaware or never talk about the fact that we battle sin and that the Scriptures condemn those who resist the Holy Spirit, it is just that it depends upon the context of the dialog one is in.

If I'm in a dialog with someone and speaking about the fact that God's grace in the effectual call and internal regeneration accomplishes His sovereign purposes and the person responds with "...yeah but we see God's grace resisted all over the Scriptures..." then he's failing to distinguish the contexts in which God's work is being spoken of. It's the same problem with those who confuse justification and sanctification and argue that we see works all over the Scriptures as being important.

We could speak about God's grace being resisted in at least a few ways:

1. Those who repeatedly hear the Word of God and harden their hearts to its command to repent and believe. The unregenerate in Church constantly resist Christ as He is offered in Word and Sacrament.

2. As we already noted, in our battle with indwelling sin, we who are believers do not avail ourselves of the means of grace. We are called to pray and we are lazy. We are called to be attentive to the Word and we fail to prepare ourselves. We're invited to the Table of the Lord and we neglect to properly examine ourselves. The Lord will discipline us as a Father does His child but, Today, we are called to hear.

3. Some will speak of the grace of God being resisted in salvation. God offers His son and we choose not to accept Him. I only bring this one in because it is part of the "is grace resistible" question as I noted. Again, the person who makes this point is failing to distinguish that the person spoken of in the Scriptures in point 1. is not regenerate and the person spoken of in point 2. is regenerate but the "resistance" in both cases is for different reasons and the activity of the Holy Spirit is also different.

In conclusion, the reason why we have to talk this out for so long and make all these distinctions is because of the abuse of the idea that God's grace can or cannot be resisted. ;)
 
To sum up I think it is interesting how we (reformed protestants) can come to dislike a word when it appears next to another word. To say "resistible grace" in the proper context is not only biblical but a reality.

It comes across to some like the phrase "our God is an unloving God" would. By the time one sends out enough qualifiers to justify the expression, it might have been better to just describe what they wanted to say in a different manner, that he is unloving towards the reprobate. Certain phrases and expressions are best left alone for the benefit of the doctrine they are meant to defend.

It is true that we may refuse to place ourselves in circumstances that invite grace into our lives, such as attending church or communion, and so we may say that, in some sense, we are resisting grace. Yet, on another level, if one disects things a little more, it is grace itself that either prompts and directs our hearts towards this behavior, or it's lack of influence that allows us to be driven away from this behavior. Grace is what works on our wills to make us want to be in church and at communion. Our refusal to go merely comments on the fact that grace is not moving us very actively at this moment; and a greater presence of grace would instead prompt our wills to go. It's acting upon us is always irresistible.

John Owen writes much about this sort of thing. It is my hope that the phrase "irresistible grace" be maintained for its rightful purpose, to describe the role of God's Spirit upon our hearts. This helps lessen the confusion of what the reformed believe, and maintains the proper distinction from the opposing arminian view.

That's how I tend to think of the topic...

Blessings and fellowship...
 
John Owen writes much about this sort of thing. It is my hope that the phrase "irresistible grace" be maintained for its rightful purpose, to describe the role of God's Spirit upon our hearts. This helps lessen the confusion of what the reformed believe, and maintains the proper distinction from the opposing arminian view.

That's how I tend to think of the topic...

Blessings and fellowship...

I tend to think like you do also :) though I see this as not an excuse to say there is no such thing as resistible grace. Do we throw this concept out (resistible grace for the regenerate) just because the mongenistic work in indeed ireistable? I simply am saying that most of the reformed Christians completely throw out any notion of resistible grace. Just an observation.
 
Earl,

Define grace, please.

"God's unmerited favor". Is not God being gracious when He provides "a way out" of sin and He still considers you a child of His even when you do not take that way out?

6 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

Here we have the apostle saying (urging) us not to think of anyone as being any different than us. If we think we are any more special than an unbeliever we err. He is urging us to not think such and there would be no need to urge us to receive His grace in vain if it were not possible to do so.
 
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The Bible uses words in different ways in different places, and also uses figures of speech. The Church has done the important task of giving us a lingua franca, or common language, for us to use when discussing theology. Grace, in the sense that it has been understood by Reformed theologians, is not resistible--as it is tied to salvation in particular.

However, many of God's benevolent dealings with us are not efficacious for our salvation, and are thus can be received in vain, in the sense that, apart from His grace, we will respond with a lack of thankfulness.
 
The Bible uses words in different ways in different places, and also uses figures of speech. The Church has done the important task of giving us a lingua franca, or common language, for us to use when discussing theology. Grace, in the sense that it has been understood by Reformed theologians, is not resistible--as it is tied to salvation in particular.

However, many of God's benevolent dealings with us are not efficacious for our salvation, and are thus can be received in vain, in the sense that, apart from His grace, we will respond with a lack of thankfulness.


I am happy for this exchange because as you pointed out....."Grace, in the sense that it has been understood by Reformed theologians, is not resistible--as it is tied to salvation in particular."
I am not sure if the early reformers had the same thoughts you have here. It may be so because they were fighting a fight against Rome on the issue of Justification. If so I do understand coming from Rome myself. What I am trying to discuss is that the justified person receives grace "in vain". I would venture a guess the early reformers would have indeed at least had the idea in mind of the regenerate resisting grace. It would be an interesting study. I will attempt to do so by looking into some commentaries on the verse I referenced earlier.


Also so far as "many of God's benevolent dealings with us are not efficacious for our salvation" I can only say when we are unfaithful He is.
 
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