An illustration of this fact (irresistible grace) is found in the account of Peter and the other eleven preaching on the day of Pentecost where 3,000 soles came to Christ Acts 2:37 ¶ “Now when they heard [this], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we do?” Then we read of Steven’s great and final sermon to the “resisting” Jews Acts 7:51, “Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did], so [do] ye.” Though Steven preached the gospel to them, they resisted and rejected his preaching; to the point of becoming outraged and stoning him to death. On the one hand, we see the gospel preached and the irresistible grace of God convicting sinners to the point of repentance. On the other hand, the preaching of the gospel had the opposite effect. This illustration is consistent with John 6:37: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” and John 6:44: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
If a doctor was to ask for volunteers to willingly have their appendix removed, on the basis that someday it might go bad, no one would respond to such an offer. Why should they? Why not wait to see if it happens? However, if the doctor tells you personally that your appendix is badly infected, swollen and on the verge of rupturing, what would be your response? My response would be, “what are we waiting for?” By the doctor’s urgency and authority you realize that you have no choice. You either do what the doctor says or you face certain death. You have been made willing to submit to the surgery. That is how God’s irresistible grace works on the elect sinner unto salvation. Psalm 110:3 “Thy people [shall be] willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.”
This again tells us of God’s irresistible grace working in the heart of His elect. They are His people, the sheep of His pasture. They have always been His people from the foundation of the world. If they were not His beforehand, this Scripture and others like it would have no relevance. The statement, “Thy people shall…” implies that they must have been His beforehand. Otherwise, the Psalmist would have said, “you shall have a people and they shall be willing in the day of thy power.” Perhaps God should have said, ‘I hope to have some people someday.
“The day of His power” is the day in which the exceeding greatness of the power of God is manifested in the heart and life of the once dead, blind, helpless, wretched sinner. It is the day when the power of the Holy Spirit is loosed upon the soul, and the great miracle of regeneration takes place. It is the day when saving faith is imparted and the sinner willingly rushes to the foot of the cross and claims Jesus as his own.
From that time on, they take to themselves the “beauties of holiness” which is that unique Christ likeness. They are raised to walk in the newness of life. Old things are passed away and behold all things are become new. From that time, “from the womb of the morning” they are new creatures in Christ. Praise God for His amazing, irresistible grace. E-mail, johnpruitt@frontiernet.net
