Wednesday, November 10, 2021

There Is No Grace for the Wicked in This Life: Contra "Common Grace"


"For My name's sake, I defer My anger; for the sake of My praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For My sake, for My own sake, I do it, for how should My name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another" -Isaiah 48:9-11

There is a common doctrine among Protestants, even among Reformed protestants, that I reject, that of "common grace." According to its supporters, God loves all and gives grace to all, both elect and reprobate, which enables both to do meritorious good. The primary biblical support for this doctrine is Matthew 5:45, even though that verse doesn't even mention "grace." It says that God is good to all. And of course He is good to all, because God cannot be but good. 

However, Isaiah, in the passage above, tells us that the reprobate continue to be under the judgment of God. The respite they experience now is not a grace to them, but is rather God's restraint of His judgment for the sake of His own glory. The prophet says nothing about God's enabling the wicked to stand off His judgment because of any supposed good in them or love toward them. 

God is no schizophrenic, both loving and hating (see Psalm 5:5 and Psalm 11:5) the reprobate simultaneously. He is not trying to save with one hand those whom He has reprobated with the other. That would be to deny both the rationality and simplicity of God. His mind is single, to set aside the reprobate for His hatred and judgment for eternity. At the same time, His true love and grace to the elect includes His restraint of the wickedness of the reprobate, not for the sake of the reprobate, but for the sake of their elect neighbors.

1 comment:

youngreformed said...

God loves everyone generally and the elect specifically