Irresistible Grace
This is the scriptural teaching that when God calls someone they will infallibly come to Him. This teaching can also be called the "effectual call" or "inward call."
S I've heard some objections about irresistible grace saying that man does in fact reject God's grace but that comes from a faulty view of what is meant by irresistible grace. When we speak of irresistible grace we mean the inward call of God. Where God regenerates the heart of fallen man from a stony heart to a heart of flesh. (Eze. 36:26) I will give a list of scriptures that speak of this irresistible grace then I will deal with a few.
Romans 8:30; 11:7; Ephesians 1:10-11,17-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Ephesians 2:1-8;Acts 26:18; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Deuteronomy 30:6; Psalm 110:3; Song of Solomon 1:4; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Corinthians 2:14; John 3:8; 5:25; 6:44-45,65; Matthew 22:14
Romans 8:30 "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." The calling in this verse is the effectual calling I mentioned earlier. The effectual call is that calling by God that brings the spiritually dead sinner to life. See to truly understand irresistible Grace you must realize that we are totally depraved. See our page on this teaching here. Once you realize that man is dead in sin, a slave to sin, and cannot come to Christ, you will have no objections against irresistible grace. You will actually see it as it is, grace.
Now here in Romans 8:30 we see what is called the "golden chain of redemption." It is called this because it goes through redemption from the start to the finish. You start in eternity past, with predestination, you end with the glorification of the saints, or where God takes His saints to Heaven. I want you to notice that this chain cannot be broken either. The very ones God predestinates, He calls, He justifies, and He glorifies. So the calling here is obviously the effectual call since if this call was to every man then every man would be in Heaven.
Let's look at on more verse from the list. I believe this verse is very clear on this teaching. John 6:44 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.
Before we jump into this verse you must remember that man is dead in sin. The teaching of total depravity is foundational to this doctrine. If man is not spiritually dead, which he is, then He can just of his own will decide to follow Christ. Now we know man cannot do this. According to this verse, Jesus say's, "No man CAN come to me." We know the word "can" speaks of ability. In other words, "no man has the ability to come to me." So if no man the ability to come to Christ and at the same time some men have came to Christ, something had to happen. This verse tells us what happened. Jesus follows the inability of man with a statement, "except the Father which sent me draw him." Here is the key. The only reason any man has ever came to Christ is because the Father drew him to Christ. Now I know the argument, "God drew all men to Christ." Well if that is true then all men are saved because the same men that Christ is talking about the Father drawing, Christ say's He "will raise him up at the last day."
I have heard also that this "drawing" is a wooing or compelling men to come to Christ but as we have already seen man is dead. You cannot woo a corpse out of the grave. Not only that but if God wants someone to come out of the grave they will come. Let's see what this is really teaching. The word "draw" means "drag." Now that would fit the context of scripture very well. Since man is dead and cannot come to Christ. Since man hates God and will never be willing to come to Christ. Since man is a slave of sin, a child of wrath, cannot understand spiritual things. God drags him out of the grave, regenerates (make alive) him, gives him faith and repentance, then justifies him. Now as we saw in Romans 8 that God doesn't leave us after justifying us but He keeps us until the day of redemption.
This is the scriptural teaching of "irresistible grace" in a nut shell. Now there is a lot more on this teaching and I have provided some extra scripture for you to examine for yourself.
Scripture
