Does Irressitible Grace Make Men into Robots?


Comment: Irresistible grace makes men into ROBOTS

Response: I never heard the Bible make this argument. In fact, it makes the opposite argument, that is a great act of love to help people who cannot help themselves.(Isaiah 42:7; Rom 9:16-21). Its called mercy. It no more makes people into robots than parents who save their disobedient children from danger makes their children into robots. You don't leave your children to themselves. And whether your children want your help at the time or not, you know better than your children what is good for them. Most people call this love. How much more does God know what is good for his children?

Grace is irresistible because the Scripture says of sinners that God turns their heart of stone to a heart of flesh (Ezek 36:26) before they follow Him. No one believes while his heart is still stone, and no one with a heart of stone would even want a heart of flesh (or it would already be flesh) - so this heart of flesh is not self-generated. but when God takes away the stony heart and makes it flesh, all barriers of resistance have been disarmed and we then see the unsurpassed beauty, truth and excellency of Jesus Christ. The new heart cannot but want to follow Him.

The Bible depicts fallen, unregenerate man as a slave who is captive to sin.  Like ancient Israel in Egypt man is not free, but in bondage.  In the Bible, freedom is defined as freedom FROM sin, not the freedom to do otherwise (John 8:34-36); that is an imported philosophical idea, but not a biblical concept.  Jesus came to free the captives, give sight to the blind, grant ears to hear for the deaf and he gives them understanding by implanting a new heart (Deut 29:4, 30:6). So when God sets a person free, he breaks the sinner's chains of captivity and, no doubt, will be the most free he has ever been. Far from being a "robot" he now has a heart which loves God and wants to obey his commandments, not in order to be saved but because he is saved.

Thu, 03/13/2014 - 15:34 -- john_hendryx

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