...except after "C"

First, please accept my humble apologies. It has been almost a full month since we left this topic. In case you've forgotten, we've been going through the five key points of reformed doctrine, decimating the TULIP acronym in the process. I'm going to resist the temptation of the Bible teacher in me to do a review lesson at this point, but rather I'll simply point you back to the previous posts on Human Inability, Divine Intervention, and Redemptive Intent.

Today we come to the fourth letter in the mnemonic - (I)rrestible Grace. Can we resist the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Of course any rational thinking Christian would agree that we can. But I would submit that the Holy Spirit is patient enough and powerful enough to ultimately overcome our resistance.

Here are some synonyms for irresistible - you tell me if you think they don't describe the ministry and character of the Spirit?
absorbing
alluring
apodictic
appealing
assured
attractive
beautiful
beckoning
binding
captivating
certain
charismatic
charming
compelling
compulsory
conclusive
consequential
convictive
convincing
decided
decreed
delightful
desirable
destined
determined
driving
enchanting
engaging
engrossing
enthralling
enthusiastic
enticing
entrancing
fixed
foreordained
gripping
imminent
impassable
impending
imperative
impregnable
inarguable
incontestable
incontrovertible
indisputable
indomitable
indubitable
ineluctable
ineludible
inescapable
inevitable
inexorable
influential
insuperable
intriguing
inveigling
invincible
inviolable
irrefragable
irrevocable
lovely
magnetizing
meaningful
momentous
necessary
obligatory
ordained
overpowering
overwhelming
passionate
persuasive
potent
powerful
prescribed
proven
provocative
puissant
relevant
riveting
satisfactory
solid
sound
strong
sure
unalterable
unassailable
unavoidable
unbeatable
unconquerable
undefeatable
undeniable
unimpeachable
unquestionable
unyielding
urgent
valid
weighty
winsome

If we agree the Bible teaches that humans lack the ability to turn to God on their own, and that for us to be saved He must intervene, and that His eternal plan was to send His Son Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for those whom He would save, we must also agree that there is nothing in us that can thwart that plan. This progression leads to the fourth doctrinal pillar of the Spiritual Imperative. By imperative, I mean to express (1) the intention to influence behavior and (2) some duty that is essential and urgent... and thus that regeneration is God's job, not ours.

Consider the definiteness of God's counsel in Psalm 33: "The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations."

Consider the influence He exerts over His creation in Proverbs 21: "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever he will."

Does Isaiah 46:8-11 offer any path of resistance for us? "...I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it."

Does Jeremiah 10:23-24 suggest anything about who is in control? "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O LORD, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing."

Consider the acts of God in Ezekiel 36: "I will sprinkle...I will cleanse you...I will give...I will put...I will remove...I will cause...I will deliver...I will summon...I will make..." Notice at the end for whose sake He acts!

Consider the irrefutable nature of His will in Daniel 4: "...He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say to Him, 'What have you done?'"

There is an undeniable irrestibility in Jesus' words in John 6:37 "All that the Father gives me will come to me..." and again in John 6:45 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." The word used here is the same Greek word as the one used when Peter "hauls" in the nets and when Paul is "dragged" before the authorities in Acts 16:19 and out of the temple in Acts 21:30. Peter did not merely provide the offer for the fish to come into the boat, nor was Paul given a mere invitation to appear before the authorities or leave the temple.

Time and time again (1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 8:16; Galatians 2:8; Ephesians 3:7; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 2:13; to name a few) the New Testament teaches that it is not our own power, but the effectual working of the Holy Spirit in our lives that accomplishes the will of God. To be sure, belief is a gift (Acts 13:48; Philippians 1:29); repentance is a gift (Acts 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25); understanding is a gift (Acts 16:14; 1 John 5:20). But they are not the kinds of gifts that can be refused. We can resist and rob ourselves of blessings for a time, but ultimately we are confronted by the truth of Psalm 115:3 "Our God is in the heavens; He does all that he pleases."
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