BPNews John 3:16 Conference Part 4 Irresistable Grace

When I heard Steve Lemke speaking on Irresistable Grace I knew exactly what would be coming. The article states,

"Salvation is tied in some measure to our response," he said, citing several biblical examples of what he said were people resisting God. For example, in Acts 7:51 the Jewish men who stoned Stephen were said to be "always resisting the Holy Spirit."

Lemke knows better or at least should know better. To think this is an argument is foolish. Of course men resist the Holy Spirit. We all do prior to our conversion. Are we really going to argue that the Almighty Spirit of God is not able to give the new birth in the preaching of the Gospel? Keep in mind, we are speaking of the Third Person of the Trinity who not only wrote Scripture but also created the world from nothing and raised Christ from the dead.

Lemke is quoted.

"It doesn't seem to me that [the effectual call] helps in this particular situation, because the Jews after all were God's chosen people, they were under the covenant. If you have a covenant theology, then these people would seem to be among the elect ... it is precisely these divinely elected people who are resisting God."

Ahhhhh, what?! This guy knows nothing about Covenant Theology. First, he ought to read real Covenant theologians such as Nehemiah's Coxe's and John Owen's Covenant Theology, From Adam To Christ.

Also, Calvinist believe Paul's teaching in romans 8-11 that speaks directly to this topic. Apparently Lemke doesn't understand the doctrine.

In Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34, where Jesus longed to gather His people as a hen gathers her chicks, Lemke said the Greek verb "to will" has an even sharper contrast, so Jesus is saying, "I willed but you were not willing."

Is anyone actually willing to quote Matthew 23:37 accurately? Last I checked, these men claim that Scripture is the ultimate authority. Yet they mishandle the Word of God constantly. When it is pointed out to them that their Traditions and philosophies of man are being read into the text, they simply seem unable to grasp what seems so basic in other areas of Biblical studies. Would they allow a Jehovah's Witness get away with discussing the Trinity by isolating Biblical texts in this fashion? I doubt it.

Lemke also addressed the question as to whether a man is saved because he believes in Christ, or whether he believes in Christ because he's saved. He said that irresistible grace reverses the biblical order of salvation, so that regeneration precedes conversion.

This has been answered so many times I can only conclude that men like Lemke are simply not interested in being truthful about this point. John 1:12 was cited to prove this point.

John 1:12, "But as many has received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even them that believe on His name."

What does verse 13 say? Maybe going to the text would be helpful.

who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Debates would be most helpful. The problem with Jerry Vines and others is that they are afraid to open the Scriptures and allow a full discussion to take place. Vines could have done this. He obviously was not interested. This was an anti-Calvinism conference and nothing more.