TULIP or BEERS: Irresistible Grace

Irresistible Grace

The grace that God extends to the elect cannot be refused. God puts into the hearts of the elect an irresistible desire to turn to Him and accept His salvation. This implanted desire is so overpowering that it cannot be resisted or refused. This irresistible desire insures that everyone who has been elected will go to Heaven.
(according to biblehelp.org)

Response to Grace

We are created to know and respond to our Creator. Sin did not remove the inner desire to seek and know God. Yes, we have blindness and deafness that must be overcome, but the Spirit of God relentlessly pursues and reveals God to us. The Spirit is at work drawing all men to the Father. However, because love requires choice and response, we have the ability to respond to or reject the drawing of the Spirit. Rejection of the Spirit’s invitation leaves us in our broken condition, alienated from the love and grace that is readily available to us.

Conclusion

The obvious issue in this point, besides election which we covered in previous points, is the question of choice or free will.

Also, I would like to see the discussion re-framed from attempts at clearly defining who is in or out with the focus on the afterlife, and instead emphasize the idea of process and journey.

People are in a growing journey with and toward God. Eventually there is choice or response, but that choice is about what will God be in my life now, today, rather than a choice of itinerary between heaven or hell.

I would love to hear your thoughts about this.

TULIP or BEERS: Limited Atonement

Limited Atonement

God limited His atonement to only those who are elect. When Jesus died on the cross, He did not die for the sins of the whole world; He only died for those He wanted to go to Heaven.  Christ died to atone for specific sins of specific sinners. He did not atone for all men, because obviously all men are not saved. 
(according to biblehelp.org)

Extravagant Atonement

When Jesus died for all mankind, He remedied the terminal condition that we are born into and made possible a way for us to be restored, to know forgiveness, and to be loved in a way that has nothing to do with our own merit.  Sin was dealt with decisively on the cross as Christ willingly gave His life to defeat the power of death and alienation that ruled over His creation.  His crucifixion was a cure for sin, the root of brokenness.  Jesus bore the complete weight of the curse of sin and death FOR US and put an end to (condemned) the hold that sin had over mankind.

Conclusion

My first inclination upon hearing and reading about limited atonement was, “you must be kidding!”   But no, the people who hold to this position are serious about it.

If you haven’t gathered it by now, I believe that Christ’s atonement is inclusive and effective for all mankind.  In the next post, we will talk more about our response to this.

There is a helpful list of verses at Biblehelp.org that are applicable to this topic.  You may not agree with all of the categories or summaries (I don’t), but it is helpful to see many of these verses listed together.

TULIP or BEERS: Unconditional Election

Unconditional Election

God has chosen some people to go to Heaven and other people to go to Hell. This choice is not based on any qualities of the person being elected. This selection is not based on God’s foreknowledge of who will “get saved” in the future.  God has elected some for glory and others for damnation. This election is based solely upon the counsel of His own will. His selection of the elect was done long before the universe was ever created.  (according to biblehelp.org)

Eternal Purpose

It was God’s plan from before the universe was created to include mankind in the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Spirit.  He predestined that in Christ man would be brought into fellowship and communion with God, chosen for adoption into His family.  This is His desire for all mankind without selectivity or exclusion.  Inclusion is not conditioned on merit but is simply the result of His extravagant love.

Conclusion

The verses that have been interpreted to limit God’s desire for salvation to a select few in my opinion actually speak of God’s eternal purpose of relationship with mankind.  We covered some of this in my previous post, The OPT-OUT Theory.

The idea of God creating some people for the purpose of damnation tends to go against the grain of what most people sense to be true of a loving Creator.

TULIP or BEERS: Total Depravity

Total Depravity

When man fell, sin permeated his entire being. This fall was so complete that man had no desire for God and righteousness. Man is so totally enslaved by sin that he can only choose evil; he cannot choose good. He is incapable of choosing God and His salvation. Man is totally blind and deaf to the gospel.  Apart from a supernatural intervention from God, the gospel message absolutely has no effect on a person.    (according to biblehelp.org)

Broken Eikons

Man was created in the image and likeness of God for the purpose of love and relationship. We were to be His image-bearers on the earth. In our broken condition, the reflection of God’s image in us is distorted. Even more tragically, sin resulted in the image of the Father being distorted in our hearts and minds. We not only fail to reflect His image, but we fail to know and see properly the image of our Creator. Determined that we would not remain in our brokenness, God did what was necessary for our reconciliation to Him and our restoration to wholeness.

Conclusion

This is brief, and there is plenty we could talk about.  What are the differences?  What are the essential truths?  What is the nature of man and our relationship with God?

Basically each paragraph paints a different picture, not really about points of doctrine, but about the story we believe and the story that we tell others.

Doctrines of Grace

Many thanks to my friend Bill for the ideal image for this series of posts!

After Tom suggested in the previous comments that I was leaning toward Calvinism (not that there’s anything wrong with that), I looked up the five “doctrines of grace.”

• Total Depravity
• Unconditional Election
• Limited Atonement
• Irresistible Grace
• Perseverance of the Saints

I am leaving town for the weekend, and don’t have time to flesh these out now, but in comparison to TULIP, my five doctrines of “grace” are…

• Broken Eikons
• Eternal Purpose
• Extravagant Atonement
• Response to Grace
• Shalom

Discuss amongst yourselves if you would like, and maybe we can talk more about each of these next week.