A prevalent thought permeating many religious teachings today is the idea that God’s grace is irresistible. The thought is that since God’s grace is irresistible, when one receives God’s call, he or she cannot help but accept the call and follow Him fully from there on out. Perhaps the reason this ideology has grown so popular is because of the level of security and comfort associated with it. It is comforting to think that nothing can prevent our obedience. As pleasant a thought as this may be, it is not in line with how God’s word speaks concerning His call.
Paul teaches by inspiration that God’s call is found in the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14). God’s call does not come by means of a dream or vision. He calls man through the good news concerning His Son. In Acts 17, Paul initially “reasoned” with the Thessalonians “from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead” (Acts 17:2-3). This message of Christ Jesus called the listeners to action. Among the Thessalonians, there were some who accepted the call (meaning they believed it and obeyed it), while others rejected the call (Acts 17:4-5).
What this example shows us is that God’s call is not irresistible. The grace found in Christ Jesus ought to move us all to obedience, but not all are going to obey. God created us all with the ability to choose. We can choose like those in Thessalonica to either believe and obey the message of hope found in Christ, or we can reject it and disobey it. God is not going to force us to comply with His will; we must choose to obey Him.
The call of the gospel is that just as God raised Jesus from the dead, He will raise us from the dead, too (1 Cor. 15). If we truly believe that through Him we will be saved (Jn. 3:16), we will repent of the sin that sent Him to the cross (1 Cor. 15:3; Lk. 13:3), we will confess Him before men (Rom. 10:9-10), and we will put Him on as we conform ourselves to His death, burial, and resurrection through baptism (Rom. 6:3-4). Upon receiving the call of the gospel, there will be no irresistible nudging or pushing that keeps you from obeying. The choice is yours – how will you respond?
By Preston McElyea