Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Written by: April J. Buchanan

The problem with the belief that fallen man possesses free will is that it assumes something inherently good remains in him by which he may reach out to God apart from God’s sovereign work in salvation. It assumes that man is capable of contributing to his salvation by means of something within himself that is willing and able to choose God. If he is willing, he is able to choose. Scripture does not teach this. Man does.

Scripture goes to great lengths to make plain that man’s will is bound in sin and that he is unable to choose God. Romans 3:10-12 declares, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” Romans 8:7-8 states that “the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.” Our Lord Himself says in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” Scripture speaks not merely of unwillingness but of inability.

This does not mean that men are as evil as they possibly could be. That is not the doctrine being taught. The doctrine of common grace explains why mankind is not as wicked as he is capable of being. God restrains evil. His hand holds back what would otherwise erupt in greater corruption. Genesis 20:6 records God restraining Abimelech from sinning. Romans 2:14-15 speaks of the work of the law written on the heart. This restraining grace is not a ground for boasting in man but a reason to glorify God. His restraining hand is why we are not as corrupt outwardly as we might otherwise be.

The reality is that we are capable of far worse than we admit, and God is more gracious than we comprehend. Ephesians 2:1-3 describes us as “dead in your transgressions and sins,” walking according to the course of this world, by nature children of wrath. Dead men do not reach out for life. Dead men must be made alive.

We do not like the truth of our own depravity. We compare ourselves to criminals, to our peers, to generations past. We measure goodness horizontally. Scripture confronts us instead with the righteousness of God as the standard, and that standard is perfection. Matthew 5:48 commands, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In that light, our sin is exposed. Our inability is exposed. Our need is exposed.

Many read Scripture and cannot bear what it reveals about them: wickedness, inability, unwillingness, and utter dependence upon a salvation planned by another, purchased by another, and applied by another. Ephesians 1:4-5 teaches that He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. 1 Peter 1:18-19 teaches that we were redeemed with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. Titus 3:5 declares that He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. From beginning to end, the work belongs to God.

Some say they believe salvation is all of grace. Yet when faced with the doctrines of grace, something unsettles them. It is not that they reject grace in word. It is that they cannot accept that it must be all of grace. They cannot accept that their will was bound in sin, that they were not merely unwilling but unable, that regeneration precedes faith.

Scripture is clear on this order. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.” The making alive precedes the walking in newness. Acts 13:48 states, “As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Belief follows appointment. Philippians 1:29 says, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Faith is granted. Repentance is likewise granted, as seen in Acts 11:18 where God “granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

Many need faith to precede regeneration because then they were willing and able, and what distinguishes them from others is their decision. But if regeneration precedes faith, then what distinguishes them is mercy. 1 Corinthians 4:7 asks, “For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” If faith itself is received, boasting is silenced.

None are willing. None are able. It is the work of God that gives men new hearts so that they may be willing and able to believe and repent. Ezekiel 36:26-27 promises, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” The cause is God. The effect is obedience and faith.

This message exposes pride because it leaves no room for boasting among men. It strips the sinner of every ground of self-congratulation and humbles him before a holy God. It exalts divine mercy and magnifies sovereign grace. As Romans 3:27 asks, “Where then is boasting? It is excluded.” Salvation belongs to the Lord and therefore all glory belongs to Him alone.

From beginning to end, it is all of grace.

Grace and peace.
Soli Deo Gloria