God’s Grace is not Irresistible

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The Flower Falls

15 min readAug 3, 2019

NOTE: The post you are about to read is adapted from Chapter 22 of my book The Flower Falls: A Careful Examination of Calvinism’s TULIP. The entire book is available here in blog format, but you can find it in print form on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or ask for it at your favorite bookstore.

God’s Grace Is Not Irresistible

Each point of TULIP we’ve examined so far has at least a few Scripture passages that seem to support it, but there is not a single verse that says God’s grace is irresistible. Though some Calvinists believe and teach the idea of irresistible grace with great passion, even the most committed ones acknowledge that the Scriptures speak of people resisting God’s grace. Who can forget Jesus’ lament, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matthew 23:37)?

John Piper acknowledges that people resist God’s grace in his article “What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism,” then unwittingly exposes more problems with TULIP:

“The doctrine of irresistible grace does not mean that every influence of the Holy Spirit cannot be resisted. It means that the Holy Spirit, whenever he chooses, can overcome all resistance and make his influence irresistible. . . . More specifically irresistible grace refers to the sovereign work of God to overcome the rebellion of our heart and bring us to faith in Christ so that we can be saved. If the doctrine of total depravity . . . is true, there can be no salvation without the reality of irresistible grace. If we are dead in our sins, and unable to submit to God because of our rebellious nature, then we will never believe in Christ unless God overcomes our rebellion.”(1)

Dr. Piper’s explanation may seem reasonable on the surface, but it makes assumptions not supported by Scripture. Moreover, his conclusion, “If our doctrine of total depravity is true,” reveals that the points of TULIP are so inextricably linked they’re dependent on one another for survival. He’s right. If total depravity is true, then irresistible grace is essential because people aren’t able to respond to God’s call unless he draws them with his irresistible grace. On the other hand, if total depravity isn’t true, then irresistible grace is unnecessary.

Calvinism’s Two Calls

Problems with irresistible grace don’t end here. The five points of TULIP are not only dependent on one another for survival, they rely on interpretations and terminologies that are inconsistent with the Scriptures they claim to be derived from. For example, recognizing that people reject God’s gracious call to salvation, Calvinists speak of two distinct calls: the “general call,” which John MacArthur describes as the “general outward invitation of the gospel,”(2) and the irresistible “effectual call,” which he and other Calvinists believe is given only to the “unconditionally elect.”

John Piper says it slightly differently. After quoting 1 Corinthians 1:23–24, “We preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jew and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God,” Dr. Piper said,

“Notice the two kinds of ‘calls’ implied in this text. First, the preaching of Paul goes out to all, both Jews and Greeks. This is a general call of the gospel. It offers salvation impartially and indiscriminately to all. Whoever will believe on the crucified Christ as Savior and Lord. But often this general call to everyone falls on unreceptive ears and is called foolishness.

But notice, secondly, Paul refers to another kind of call. He says that among those who hear . . . there are some who, in addition to hearing the general call, are ‘called’ in another way. . . . They are called in such a way that they no longer regard the cross as foolishness but as the wisdom and power of God. . . .

What else can this call be but the irresistible call of God out of darkness into the light of God? If ALL who are called in this sense regard the cross as the power of God, then something in the call must effect the faith. This is irresistible grace.”(3)

Dr. Piper is among the most influential Calvinists today, but his seemingly harmless question “What else can this call be?” showcases the speculative and philosophical nature of his claims and of Calvinistic teachings. First, Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:23–24 do not speak of two different calls. Nor do they speak of a distinct type of call given only to the “elect.” In contrast with Piper’s claim, the word translated “called” does not refer to an irresistible call to salvation. In fact, it’s not a verb at all. It’s kletos, an adjective that describes people who responded positively to God’s call. This passage is similar to Romans 8:28–30:

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called [kletos] according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called [kaleo]; and these whom He called [kaleo] He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

Recognizing the distinction between the adjective kletos and the verb kaleo is essential to understanding what Paul did and did not say. They are different words with different meanings. And despite Dr. Piper’s claim, even being one of the called (kletos) provides no unconditional guarantee of eternal life. Paul referred to the Romans with the adjective called in Romans 1:6–7; but he later warned them that, like unbelieving Israel, they too might be cut off (Romans 11:22). Moreover, the Scriptures reveal that people who are chosen don’t always respond to God’s call (kaleo). This fact is illustrated in the parable of the wedding feast recorded in Matthew 22:1–14.

Jesus’ concluding words, “For many are called, but few are chosen,” are frequently quoted in support of the Calvinistic idea about God’s irresistible call, but the context of those words flips the script on Calvinism. John MacArthur teaches convincingly on the parable before concluding:

“And the whole thing closes with a very simple statement, ‘For many are called, but few are— what? — chosen.’ The call goes out to so many, but only a few are chosen. Paul often talks about the call in Romans, and when he does so, it is an internal call. It is the true call to salvation. Don’t confuse Paul’s discussion there with this, obviously, from the parable and the context, the call referred to here is an external call. . . . The Gospel invitation is sent out to everywhere. Some are indifferent. Some are hostile. Some try to crash the kingdom on their own terms. But few — oh, my — are chosen. And with the word ‘chosen,’ we’re introduced to the sovereignty of God.

Yes, there is the will of man in receiving the invitation. Yes, there is the will of man in rejecting the invitation. But the perfect balance to that is that God is sovereign, and those who come choose to come, the Bible says, because they’re chosen by Him. That’s a mystery we’ll never fathom, but we believe it.”(4) End of quote.

Not All People are Chosen and Not All Chosen People Will Enter

I trust Dr. MacArthur is well-meaning, but Jesus’ words and their context don’t support his claims. Calvinists count themselves as part of the chosen people Jesus referred to in the parable and regard that relationship as a good thing, but the context of the passage reveals that the chosen people were not in an enviable position. In fact, they were so upset by Jesus’ words they began plotting together as to how they might trap him in what he said.

To consider the greater context of Jesus’ words, we need to look back to Matthew 21:23 where we read of the chief priests and elders of the people approaching Jesus and asking him, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” Not one to be intimidated, Jesus replied by telling parables and asking questions.

The first parable was about a man and his two sons. The first rejected his father’s command but later regretted his decision and did as his father asked. The second said he would obey his father but didn’t follow through. At the end of the parable, Jesus asked those listening which of the two sons did the will of his father. “The first,” they replied, seemingly without hesitation. Yet, rather than offering encouragement, Jesus responded simply, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of heaven before you” (v. 31).

The next parable was about a landowner who planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers before going on a journey. Yet, rather than following through on their agreement with the landowner, they beat and killed the people sent by him to receive his produce. Wisely, before concluding, Jesus asked his listeners what they thought the vineyard owner would do to those vine growers when he came. Again, they answered; but this time their reply may have come with apprehension: “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons” (v. 41).

Jesus did not dispute their strong words. Instead, seemingly agreeing with their judgment, he turned their attention to Psalm 118 which speaks of the stone rejected by the builders becoming the chief cornerstone and said, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it” (v. 43).

Matthew went on to explain that the chief priests and Pharisees knew Jesus was speaking about them and, when they sought to seize him, they feared the people because they considered him to be a prophet (vv. 45–46).

Then, in the next verse, Jesus presented the parable of the wedding feast:

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again, he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who had been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” But they paid no attention and went on their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.”

But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen’” (Matthew 22:1–14).

This parable is both a sad and happy illustration about who will enter God’s Kingdom, but rather than supporting the idea that only chosen people who receive the “irresistible call” to salvation will enter, Jesus’ words reject the idea of an irresistible call and tell us that only a few chosen people would enter into the wedding feast. Note the statement the king made to his slaves: “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.” These words seem paralleled by Paul and Barnabas’ words to the Jews in Acts 13:46: “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.”

Israel, God’s chosen people, received the invitation to the wedding feast; but when the time came, they refused to attend, thereby judging themselves unworthy. Only then did the invitation go to people on the main highways.

Nothing in the parable supports a distinction between general and effectual calls. In fact, the king’s command to invite “as many as you find” suggests the call to salvation is for everyone. Jesus used the word kaleo each of the five times he referred to a call or invitation throughout the first thirteen verses. The only difference between the calls is that one was given before the other. The first was given to those previously invited and the latter to as many as you find. It isn’t until verse 14 when he said, “For many are called, but few are chosen,” that Jesus changed the word called from the verb kaleo to the adjective kletos.

When applying this parable to the kingdom of heaven, TULIP supporters believe that many people were called in a general sense but only the “chosen” who receive an “effectual” call will enter. Their assumption, however, isn’t supported by the text. Both called and chosen people were at the wedding feast, but they weren’t the same people. Jesus described the “many” who took part in the wedding feast with the adjective called, and the “few” with the adjective chosen. To say it another way, “many” were at the wedding feast who had been invited on the main highways, while only a “few” of God’s chosen people who previously had been invited were there.

People today often misinterpret Jesus’ words but, as evidenced in the previous parables, the reaction of the people listening that day suggests they understood them completely. Neither their lineage as God’s chosen people nor their righteousness was sufficient for them to partake of the marriage supper. They rejected God’s invitation, and Gentiles filled the wedding hall. Matthew’s simple comment at the end of the parable is telling: “Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said” (v. 15).

It’s not difficult to imagine their thoughts as they walked away: How dare this man Jesus say only a few of God’s chosen people will partake of the feast.

Luke 14:16–24 records Jesus telling a similar parable while dining at the house of a leader of the Pharisees but there he said, “None of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.” Imagine the tension at that dinner table!

Lazarus Come Forth

The context of Jesus’ words, “Many are called but few are chosen,” provides no support for Dr. MacArthur and Dr. Piper’s claims about different types of calls to salvation, but the claim of textual support for TULIP’s “irresistible call” doesn’t stop there. Piper looks to Jesus calling Lazarus to come out of the tomb as evidence of an “effectual call” to salvation (5) but, here again, his illustration doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. The story is found in John 11:30–45, where Jesus wept near the graveside of his friend Lazarus and prayed briefly before crying out, “Lazarus, come forth” (v. 43). Then, to the surprise and joy of many, Lazarus came forth! This was indeed a mighty miracle, but it does nothing to support the idea of an irresistible call to salvation.

The Greek word translated “cried out” is not kaleo but kraugazo, which literally means to cry out or scream. In other words, Jesus’ words to Lazarus were not an invitation, a plea, or a call. They were a command. I understand Dr. Piper’s desire to link the two, but Jesus crying out a command to a friend who loved him is different than both the word and tone he used to speak of people being invited to the wedding banquet and the call to salvation spoken of throughout Scripture.

God is all-powerful. Nebuchadnezzar was right when he proclaimed no one can ward off his hand (Daniel 4:35). Job knew that no purpose of God’s can be thwarted (Job 42:2). And God himself made it clear he will keep his word (Isaiah 55:11). Whether he screams, whispers, or silently determines something to be, God can do anything he chooses. This fact does nothing, however, to support Calvinism’s ideas about irresistible grace. The argument that people who respond to the preaching of the gospel must have heard the “effectual call” and those who don’t respond were given only the “general call” is circular, and the cause of great confusion in the body of Christ.

Like other ideas that go beyond Scripture, the philosophical arguments created by TULIP lead to fruitless speculations. I encountered one of them while having breakfast with the Calvinist youth pastor I told you about here. As he explained TULIP’s irresistible grace, he asked me to think back to the time I responded in faith to the gospel and asked whether I could have resisted the call I felt to believe in and follow Jesus. In answer, I could only respond, “I don’t know.” None of us know, and speculation merely adds to the confusion.

John 1:9 says the true light enlightens every man; and Jesus said in John 3:17, “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” These words are consistent with God’s heart as revealed in Ezekiel 18 where he said he would rather that wicked people turn from their ways and live than die in their sins. He even went so far as to say, “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies. . . . Therefore, repent and live” (Ezekiel 18:32).

God’s heart is further revealed in Peter’s words, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). And it’s revealed in Paul’s words to Timothy that God “desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

I don’t know the secret things of God. I don’t know if I could have resisted his call forever. What I do know is I’m exceedingly thankful a group of people chose to obey him by praying for me and attempting to open my eyes to the light of truth. I resisted their efforts for several months because I loved my sin, but they continued loving me. And, though I had been in darkness for a long time, my eyes slowly began to adjust to “the light that enlightens every man” (John 1:9) and I began to see the light of Jesus as beautiful and my sin as ugly. It was then I began seeking God; and as I sought him and began to listen to his voice, he opened my eyes completely. It was then I loved God — but only because he first loved me!

God is the only one who knows whether I could have resisted his gracious call, but the fact that I did not resist doesn’t prove I could not have resisted. We can speculate for years about why one person responds and another person doesn’t; but rather than speculating, let’s keep our discussion in the realm of Scripture. Jesus gave a simple answer as to why people don’t come to the light: they “love the darkness rather than the Light” (John 3:19).

The Bible tells us God desires all men to be saved, but it doesn’t speak of irresistible grace or an irresistible call to salvation. Instead, it shows that people can and do resist his call to salvation. Thankfully, it also shows that hearts can change.

In light of these truths, let’s be busy sowing the seed of the Kingdom. Let’s ask God, who desires all people to be saved and whose Spirit is in the world convicting it of sin, to bring about situations that would cause people to hate the darkness of sin and love the light of Christ. Let’s rejoice that God works all things in accordance with his desire (Ephesians 1:11). And let’s leave our speculations behind.

NOTES:

1. John Piper, “What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism,” Desiring God, March 1, 1985, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-we-believe-about-the-five-points-of-calvinism. Note: The wording was changed without notation after I contacted Dr. Piper to inform him that I planned to quote him. See a screenshot of the original wording as shown on the Calvinism-promoting Monergism website here:
https://medium.com/@pks.tilton/the-flower-falls-links-8edc7f7e29c6.
As of April 23, 2023, the quote can also still be found on the Monergism website: www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/piper/irresistable.

2. John MacArthur, “The Doctrine of God’s Effectual Call,” Grace to You, September 18, 2005, https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-296/The-Doctrine-of-Gods-Effectual-Call.

3. John Piper, “What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism,” Desiring God, March 1, 1985, accessed April 1, 2019, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-we-believe-about-the-five-points-of-calvinism#Grace. Note: The wording was changed without notation after I contacted Dr. Piper to inform him that I planned to quote him. See a screenshot of the original wording as shown on the Calvinism-promoting Monergism website here: https://medium.com/@pks.tilton/the-flower-falls-links-8edc7f7e29c6. You can also find the original wording on the Calvinism-promoting Monergism website: www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/piper/irresistable.html, Accessed April 26, 2023.

4. John MacArthur, “Responding to a Royal Invitation,” Grace to You, January 8, 1984,
https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/2355/responding-to-a-royal-invitation.

5. John Piper, “What Is the Difference Between ‘Called’ and ‘Chosen’?” Desiring God, June 10, 2016, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-the-difference-between-called-and-chosen.

You can connect with me on Twitter X, or email me at patti@theflowerfallsoff.com

To read more, return to the homepage or follow one of the links below.

Calvinism’s Errors: A Brief Introduction

The Protestant Reformation: Truth and Error

The Illusionary Truth of Calvinism

The Sovereignty and Will of God

Chosen and Predestined Ephesians 1

Calvinism and the Plain Sense of Pronouns

Redemption, Adoption, and the Seal of the Spirit- Ephesians

Romans 8- Foreknown and Predestined