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Why God’s Sovereign Grace brings Him Glory
Adapted from J. I. Packer’s A Quest for Godliness
Chapter 8 with observations from Owen’s, The Death of Death
Today’s gospel attempts to be helpful, it’s about the sinners need for peace comfort and happiness. Today’s gospel is too little concerned about glorifying God. The proclamation of divine sovereignty has been reduced. We have removed the need to bow low before God in dependency upon Him in both nature and grace. The theme of man’s natural inability to believe has been eliminated. God’s free election as the ultimate cause of salvation has been removed from the message. Preachers fear that it would drive sinners to despair if they were told that it is not in their own power to be saved. p. 126
The issue is this, does the death of Christ merely make salvation possible, or does the cross actually save? In the new gospel divine sovereignty is not compatible with human responsibility. The Arminian assumption is this: if faith is to be a free and responsible act, it cannot be caused by God, but is exercised independently of God. p. 127
Salvation is produced by three great Trinitarian acts for the recovery of lost mankind.
- Election by the Father.
- Redemption by the Son.
- Calling by the Spirit.
Sovereign grace is the Biblical doctrine that each of these Trinitarian acts is directed toward the same persons, securing their salvation. Arminians deny that man’s salvation is secured by any of the members of the Trinity. It comes back to this, is salvation a work of God or a work of man? p. 128
When God saves sinners, this is the state in which He finds them: guilty, vile, helpless, powerless, blind, and unable to lift a finger to do God’s will or better their spiritual condition. By contrast, Arinianism makes the decisive part of salvation man’s own act. The adjectives used by Arminians negate God’s sovereign grace. In the Arminian scheme, it is conditional election, universal redemption, and resistible grace. p. 130
The Arminian, in order to be consistent, has to say, “I owe my election to my faith.” He also devalues redemption by viewing the cross as only that which secured God’s right to make the salvation offer, but not securing the salvation of a single soul. There is no assurance that anyone would accept it. p. 131
Sovereign grace says that God’s grace is irresistible because it destroys the disposition to resist. The Arminian says, “I decided for Christ all by myself.” Arminianism remains popular because man imagines that he is the master of his fate and the captain of his soul. pp. 132-133
Sovereign grace speaks of the cross having divine power which does not depend upon faith being added to it. The cross secured salvation for all for whom Christ died. When God calls a man— worship arises in him by impulse, it causes him to deny himself, to praise God and to give Him all the glory for salvation. p.134
The wisdom and power and perfection of God are exalted in the worth and value of the death of Christ. But Arminianism attacks God’s wisdom by suggesting that Christ died for those who perished. Universal atonement dishonors the work of God, it makes Christ die in vain, it depreciates the atonement since the overwhelming number of those for whom Christ died perish forever in hell. In the new gospel the cross does less than actually redeem. pp. 135-137
Arminianism is caught in the toils of synergism. For, reasons the Arminian, if faith and unbelief are responsible acts they must be completely independent acts, hence we are not free to believe we are saved entirely by grace through a faith which is God’s gift and flows to us from Calvary’s Cross. Scripture says otherwise, Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. p. 138
We have flattered impenitent sinners by assuring them that it is in their power to repent and believe, though God cannot make them do it. In so doing we have denied God’s sovereignty and undermined the basic conviction of true religion. Packer explains, “You don’t really grasp the meaning of the cross until you’ve seen it as the divines of Dort display it at the center of the gospel flanked by total depravity, unconditional election, irresistible grace, and perseverance. p. 138
The gospel is both a command and a promise, God set His love on certain individuals and Christ died to save them. When we preach the gospel, we display Christ and His sufficiency to save. We emphasize the legitimacy of the offer and we preach indiscriminately to all, for the offer is not concerned with the particular objects of Christ’s death. p. 139
The gospel is a full and free offer, but God’s eternal purposes are not limited by man’s unbelief. Divine mercy is sovereign and free. Consider the lengths Christ would go to in order to redeem those given to Him. Consider the dignity of His person that the enthroned One condescended to be our bleeding sacrifice. Sovereign grace preaching is absolutely essential. It is the basis of broken-hearted joy of salvation. The old gospel is powerful to awaken because its appeals are joined to omnipotent mercy from which the invitations flow. The new gospel is too man-centered and pietistic. Its main emphasis is the need of forgiveness and deciding for Christ; the implication is that the key to salvation has been in the sinners hand all along. pp. 140-142
Is it any wonder that those who buy into decisional salvation have an accompanying irreverence? For if salvation turns upon man’s own choice, it undermines the very foundation of man’s religious relationship with his Maker. If man is the ultimate decisive force in his own salvation we would expect a natural tendency towards being irreligious. On the other hand we declare Christ’s power to save. We proclaim Him as author and chief agent of conversion. Sinners come only by His Spirit as the gospel offer goes forth to renew men’s hearts and draw them to Himself. The old gospel does stress that faith is man’s duty, and also that faith is not in man’s power, but that God must give what He demands. Therefore, the old gospel announces not merely that men must come to Christ for their salvation, but that they cannot come unless Christ draws them. Thus the old gospel labors to overthrow self-confidence, to convince sinners that salvation is all together out of their hands. Thus the old gospel shuts up the sinner to self-despairing dependence on the glorious grace of a sovereign Savior not only for their righteousness, but for their faith too. Yes we must come to Christ for salvation for He has it all. How different is the new gospel which reduces everything to deciding for Christ. p. 143
What can a helpless sinner do? What is the content of our pleading with men who have no ability? We exhort them to abandon self-righteousness and self-confidence, casting themselves on Christ alone for their salvation. But you will say, “I have no natural power.” Still . . . look to Christ, cry to Christ, just as you are, confess your sin, your impenitence, your unbelief. Cast yourself on His mercy. Plead with Him to give you a new heart and to work faith and repentance in you. Do not postpone calling upon Him until you think you are better. The old gospel did not bring men to Christ; it brought Christ to men, because He is the author and finisher of faith. Therefore you must go to Him—for faith and repentance are in His hands to give, and you must receive them from His hands. pp. 144-145