Irresistible Grace and the Gospel

Most Calvinists attempt to honor Christ's command to "preach the gospel to every creature." Yet it is difficult to uphold the importance of the gospel when the unregenerated are unable to believe it, and the elect are regenerated without it, then sovereignly and supernaturally given faith to believe. Given TULIP, how can the gospel effect the salvation of anyone? Calvinism is very convoluted. Even the elect can't believe the gospel until they have been allegedly regenerated, so what good is it to preach it to lead people to Christ? Such confusion can't be easy or comfortable for the conscience unless it is, in fact, unregenerated.

Faith in Christ through the gospel precedes new birth (salvation or regeneration), in contradiction to the doctrine of regeneration before faith:

• The devil...taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. (Luke 8.12)
• Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.... (Acts 16.31)
• That if thou shalt...believe in thine heart...though shalt be saved. (Rom. 10.9)
• In whom [Christ] also ye trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise....(Eph. 1.13; emphasis added)

A Classic Oxymoron

Forcing even a most valuable and desirable gift upon someone who does not wish to receive it would be ungracious in the extreme. Such is Irresistible Grace upon the supposed elect. The word "irresistible" does not appear in the Bible. The wonderful grace of God, however, is one of the most precious truths presented in His Word. The word "grace" occurs 170 times in 159 verses. And never in any mention of it is there a suggestion that grace is irresistibly imposed. Always the inference is that God's grace is given freely and willingly received.

Consider a few examples:

• But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Gen. 6.8)
• The LORD will give grace and glory.... (Ps. 84.11)
• By whom we have received grace and apostleship.... (Rom. 1.5)
• Having then gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us.... (Rom. 12.6)
• I thank my God...for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1.4)
• Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given.... (Eph. 3.8)
• But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. (Eph. 4.7)
• Likewise, ye husbands...giving honour unto his wife...as being heirs together of the grace of life.... (1 Pet. 3.7)
• And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications... (Zech. 12.10)
• And with the great power gave the apostles witness...and great grace was upon them (Acts 4.33)
• And God is able to make all grace abound toward you... (2 Cor. 9.8)

God is certainly sovereignly granting grace, but there is no indication that God's grace is irresistibly imposed upon anyone. Each must, of his own will, choose to receive it, otherwise it is not grace at all, but coerced and imposed.