The Fallacy of Common Grace
COMMON GRACE
Status: false teaching
Explanation: promotes the idea of universal grace in salvation to all people
1. God loves everyone without exception (universal love)
Error: Proponents of this wrong idea have to ignore many texts which reveal God’s hatred/wrath (Psalm 5:5; 7:11; 11:5; Matthew 3:7; 7:21–23; Luke 3:7; Romans 1:18; 9:13; 1 Peter 2:8; etc.)
Misused text: John 3:16
Truth: God does not love everyone.
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2. God desires all people to be saved (universal election)
Error: Not all people are saved, which either leads one to universalism (all people are saved), or to an impotent God, who desires something but cannot achieve it.
Misused Text: 2 Peter 3:9
Truth: God desires for His beloved elect to all be saved, and so He is slow to wait until the full number of them are brought into His church in their generation.
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3. God sent Jesus to die for all people without exception (universal atonement)
Error: Not all people receive Christ’s atonement (ie. People in eternal hell the day before Jesus was born)
Misused Text: 1 John 2:2
Truth: Jesus came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), and none of God’s elect are lost (John 10:28–29; Romans 8:35–39).
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4. God offers salvation to all people through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (universal proclamation).
Error #1: The Gospel is not a product or service or even an idea to be decided upon.
Error #2: The great majority of people in the world have never heard the true Gospel, so either God’s universal proclamation has failed, or His Spirit specifically directs the Word to whom He intends to save.
Misused Text: 1 Corinthians 9:18
Truth: The Gospel is heralded, as a finished work of God, to those ordained to believe, and who are given faith upon hearing the word (Acts 13:48; Romans 10:14–17; Philippians 1:29).
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5. God has given all people the free will to choose Christ as their Savior.
Error: If God chooses who will be saved (John 1:12–13; Romans 11:5), then man cannot chose who will be saved. People have wills, but they are enslaved to sin or to Christ.
Misused Text: Joshua 24:15
Truth: No one chooses to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, for the elect of God are saved by God’s gracious work in election (Father), redemption (Son), and regeneration (Spirit).
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Conclusion: There is no distinction in grace (Common vs. Saving) for this would produce two wills of God, making God double-minded in His ways. Thus, in truth, there is only one grace of God, just as there is only one will of God and one decree of God.
God is gracious to His elect people. There is no grace for the wicked. God’s providential care for His creation and all His creatures is not to be confused with His grace that saves His people from sin, death, the devil, this fallen world, and eternal destruction in hell.
Application:
1. The preacher who tells his audience that God loves everyone is not telling the truth.
2. The preacher who tells his audience that God desires all people to be saved is not telling the truth.
3. The preacher who tells his audience that Christ died for everyone is not telling the truth.
4. The preacher who offers the Gospel, as a yet unfinished work, requiring a decision from totally depraved sinners to complete the work, is not telling the truth.
5. The preacher who demands a decision from people, regarding something God has already decided, is not telling the truth.
The truth, in contrast to the lie of Common Grace, is Sovereign Grace.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
January 31, 2022
