Efficacious
or Irresistible Grace, as it is known in Catholic and Reformed schools respectively,
it is a theological term that describes God’s assistance to certain chosen
people in order to preserve them for the mission or purpose they have been
selected for.
The term
Irresistible Grace must not be confused with the Calvinist doctrine that
teaches that salvation is compelled by God on the elect in a way that they
cannot resists his call to come to Him. Efficacious or Irresistible Grace
within a Scriptural context, is the preservation of certain people elected for specific
vital missions in order that the possibility of them desisting from the mission
does not occur for the sake of a higher purpose. To understand this in proper perspective we
need to analyse the types of God’s knowledge.
TYPES OF GOD’s OMNISCIENCE
INMEDIATE KNOWLEDGE
It is the knowledge
God has of all existent truths or realities, as they are.
Example:
The planet Earth is inhabited by intelligent, free willed, sentient beings.
INTERMEDIATE KNOWLEDGE
The knowledge
God has of all possible truths and realities that can happen given all
possibilities or circumstances.
Example: If
a man fires a weapon to an attacker, he will kill the attacker; if he does not
fire the weapon at the attacker, he will be killed by his attacker; if the man
does not fire the weapon to his attacker and runs away from the attacker, he will
survive his attacker, etc.
CONTINGENT KNOWLEDGE
This type
of knowledge is similar to the intermediate knowledge, but dependant on God’s
intervention. It is the knowledge God has about all truths or realities that
will come as a result of his deliberate intervention over the circumstances and
probabilities, that would not happen if He did not intervene.
Example:
What will happen if God stops the firing of a man’s weapon against an attacker;
what will happen if God sends someone to help the man from his attacker before
he fires a weapon; what will happen if God stops the man from running away if
the man decides not to fire his weapon and run away from his attacker, etc.
EFFICACIOUS GRACE OR IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
Contrary to
the doctrine of Monergism, in all those realities known to God, human free will
remains present in the created participants of these actual or potential
realities.
Efficacious
Grace acts over the person chosen in a way that eliminates all external and
internal compelling factors, through Prevenient Grace and Regeneration without
touching the free will. As an example, we have the case of St Mary, the Mother
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It
understood by most Christians that St Mary was preserved in all possible ways
in order that she may fulfil her mission as mother of the Son of God and
channel of the Incarnation, so that the Plan of Salvation may not fail in case
St Mary desisted at some point of her willing participation.
1 - In this
case, before God elected Mary for the role of Mother of the incarnated Logos;
He foreknew that given Prevenient Grace; she will accept her call out of free
will. In this case, Prevenient Grace conditions the person to make a free
choice, but does not compel the person to make the choice.
2 – Under this
Contingent knowledge, God destines Mary to be the Mother of his Son in the
flesh, and regenerates and sanctifies her from her mother’s womb, as He did
with other prophets before her. (Luke 1:15). This Regeneration and
Sanctification process from the time of conception, frees Mary from all concupiscence
and natural inclination to sinfulness, and not only that, but also makes her
strong spiritually, which will make it easier for her to resists temptation. However,
through all this, free will remains, and Mary needs to exercise this free will
to accept her mission and to remain within God’s will. Even though the road is
flattened for her, she is still not compelled to accept and persevere. This
remains her choice.
3 – After working
within the person of Mary, God preserves her surroundings and circumstances, in
a way that St Mary is not placed in situations where unrequired temptation or
adversity comes her way.
4 – All of
these factors are brought about in the right measure, time and manner that will
enable Mary to persevere in the path she was chosen for, and she willingly
accepted, while preserving her free will.
5 – This type
of assistance becomes efficacious or irresistible not because it compels the
person overpowering the free will; but because it is given in basis of a
previous knowledge of the persons responses to it, so that when that Grace becomes
effective in time and space, it will be efficacious without a possibility of
failure.
It is in
this sense as well that Lord Jesus, speaking about the Great Tribulations said:
“For false messiahs and false prophets
will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even
the elect.”
(Matthew
24:24)
Omar Flores
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