The most well-known feature of Calvinism is its famous five points, often referred to by Calvinists as “the doctrines of grace” and represented by the acronym TULIP.[1] There is much more to Calvinist theology than this, of course, but TULIP is definitely the centerpiece. The acronym summarizes the Calvinist understanding of salvation like this:
- Total Depravity
- Unconditional Election
- Limited Atonement
- Irresistible Grace
- Perseverance of the Saints
Each of these points expresses a key component of Calvinism’s understanding of how God saves people. In this article, we’ll take a look at “limited atonement.”
Irresistible Grace
“And these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:30, NIV)
In Calvinism, “irresistible grace” describes how unbelievers become believers. It’s a necessary corollary to total depravity. Recall that in Calvinism, total depravity includes the enslavement of the will. Humans are incapable of choosing God and the gospel. How then do any people end up making that choice? God made them do it. God “made them hear, see, and respond to the gospel call.”[1]
This is sometimes referred to as the effectual call, meaning it is so effective that it always achieves its objective. That is, the person whom God calls cannot resist and will certainly come to faith.
Both Calvinists and non-Calvinists agree that God calls people to himself through the gospel. The difference is that Calvinism teaches two kinds of callings. The first is the general call of the gospel that goes out to all people who hear it. This calling is broad and by itself will not bring anyone to faith. For someone to come to faith, a second calling is needed. When the gospel is heard, those whom God has chosen are given an inner illumination by the Spirit to the gospel—an irresistible calling that irresistibly elicits faith. They will most certainly believe; they cannot do otherwise.
“Both Calvinists and non-Calvinists agree that God calls people to himself through the gospel.”
Others may also hear the gospel, but since they are not elect and therefore don’t receive this special inward call, they cannot respond positively to it. Unconditional election explains why anybody responds positively to the gospel; God chooses them. Irresistible grace explains how. God does a special illuminating work within whereby they are enabled by the Spirit to choose God and the gospel
This is why it is standard in a Calvinist ordo salutis (order of salvation) for regeneration to come before faith. The more straightforward reading of the New Testament is that regeneration comes about as a result of faith. In Calvinism, however, it is necessary for the Spirit to regenerate a person first in order for that person to believe. So, God chooses, then regenerates, and then a person believes.
One passage that Calvinists sometimes use to support this idea is Ephesians 2:8, which reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Calvinism claims this shows that faith is the gift of God.
Even if this verse could be read that way, I’m still not sure that it would support the idea of a special inner call that is irresistible. But the fact is, Ephesians 2:8 does not say faith is a gift. That’s actually grammatically impossible in the Greek. Faith is a feminine noun, and the word “this” is neuter. Therefore “this” cannot refer to faith. The gift in this verse is best understood as the gift of salvation. Salvation is what is not of ourselves.
“The gift in this verse is best understood as the gift of salvation. Salvation is what is not of ourselves.”
Nevertheless, the key idea in Calvinism is that God draws people to himself and this drawing is irresistible. Jesus himself taught that God indeed draws people. “No one can come to Me,” Jesus said, “unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). We need to understand what Jesus is saying in its original context, of course, but clearly Jesus affirmed that God the Father draws people to himself. So non-Calvinists can and should affirm this. The problem is not believing that God draws people to Jesus. The problem lies with the Calvinist idea that this drawing is irresistible. This irresistibility is not a necessary implication of what Jesus teaches in John 6, nor of what is taught elsewhere in the New Testament.
But irresistibility is necessary for Calvinism because of their notion of total depravity, which entails the enslavement of the will. But absent of the enslavement of the will, we can affirm that God draws people by working on the human will and with the human will—but not by irresistibly overriding the will to such an extent that they have no choice in the matter.
[1] J. A. Medders. Humble Calvinism (The Good Book Company), 117, emphasis added.
