The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Common Grace

Surely, the differences are more than "some for and some against this term". The doctrine of Common Grace has been hotly debated for decades, the most notable being in 1924 when there was a split in the CRC (Christian Reformed Church). Herman Hoeksema and followers left and formed the PRC (Protestant Reformed Church) over this issue arguing there is no "Common Grace" in Scripture as defined and practiced by the CRC. William Masselink wrote a book in the CRC's defense, expectedly titled, Common Grace.

Personally, I reject the term itself and the popular definition of it, ala: CRC, and I no less reject the PRC's view. I think all three are in error and unbiblical. Here's an extremely brief synopsis of my view:

1. "Grace" in Scripture is anything but "common" but rather always "salvific". Anyone who is the recipient of the grace of God is infallibly saved.

2. God's love is not indiscriminately universal, i.e., the popular belief that "God loves everybody" is patently false and indefensible. No less false is the popular notion that "God desires everyone to be saved." God's love in Scripture is always salvific; whom God loves He saves. It is impossible that God would "desire all men, without discrimination" to be saved, for if that were true, then all would be saved (cf. Isa 46:9,10; Ps 33:11, 135:6, Prov 19:21, Dan 4:35, et al). It is simply NOT God's pleasure to save everyone without exception. Some try to skirt around these immutable truths and posit that the love of God can be divided into two types or expressions; general and special. But again, biblical evidence for this distinction is not to be found. The biblical teaching is that God is beneficent to all men, i.e., treating them with kindness even though they are His mortal enemies from conception and throughout their entire life unless the Spirit of God regenerates them and calls them to faith in Christ (cf. Titus 3:4 where 'love' in the Greek is philanthropia [philanthropy]). And finally, there are a number of passages which clearly teach that God hates certain people; the majority of sinful mankind (cf. Ps 5:4,6; 11:5; Mal 1:1-4; Rom 9:11-13, et al).

3. The PRC's view goes too far the other way. They reject the universal love of God and the "free offer" of the Gospel, i.e., God desires ALL to be saved. Rightly, they hold that those whom God loves (from eternity) are saved in time. And, those whom God has not decreed to save, aka: Reprobate, He hates. However, they wrongly believe that God is not benevolent to the reprobate in any manner, i.e., everything that happens to the reprobate by God's providence originates in God's hatred toward them. Anything which could be construed as relatively 'good' is nothing more than a means to increase their judgment and condemnation. The reprobate, as per their view, cannot do ANYTHING 'good' by any definition of the word 'good'.