Irresistible Grace Still Needs Faith: Responsibility Without Self-Salvation

Calvin insists that the irresistibility of grace does not eliminate human responsibility for faith. On the contrary, it is through faith that grace operates. The elect is brought to faith not against his will but through a transformation of his will that moves him to believe voluntarily and joyfully. Faith is not a human work that conquers grace. It is the result of grace working within the heart. An important question that Calvin addresses is if grace is irresistible for the elect, what of those who are not elect? Calvin is honest in affirming that there is a divine judgment that falls on those who reject the gospel. They do not receive the effectual call, the irresistible grace that transforms the heart. This is what Calvin calls the just hardening of God. Not an election to condemnation, but a withholding of regenerating grace. Irresistible grace also has implications for the perseverance of the saints. Calvin argues that if the grace that chose us is irresistible, then that same grace preserves us unto the end. It is not possible that an elect person, having been truly regenerated by God’s irresistible grace, would lose his salvation. Perseverance is not a human act of holding oneself firm by one’s own effort, but a continuation of the work of God that having begun in us will not cease until the end. For Calvin, irresistible grace is a reason for profound joy and confidence. If my salvation does not depend on my ability to resist temptations or to maintain faith by my own merits, but depends on the sovereign and irresistible grace of God, then I can rest in the assurance that I am safe in the Father’s hands. This is the consolation that Ephesians 1 offers to the elect. Furthermore, understanding irresistible grace should produce profound humility. There is no room for pride or for boasting of a faith that is exclusively the result of God’s irresistible grace. It should also produce expansive gratitude and continuous praise for God’s marvelous work in our salvation. One of the most significant contributions of John Calvin to the understanding of divine election is his insistence that Christ is the foundation, the center and the measure of all election. This truth is explicitly mentioned in Ephesians 1.4 where Paul says that we were chosen in him, referring to Christ.