Verse By Verse Devotional by Pastor Jack on 2 Corinthians #94

Irresistible Grace (4:6)

4:3-6 "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 FOR GOD, WHO SAID, “LIGHT SHALL SHINE OUT OF DARKNESS,” IS THE ONE WHO HAS SHONE IN OUR HEARTS TO GIVE THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF CHRIST."

"The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep...Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light." (Gen.1:2-3) Now God is again saying, "Let there be light" in the dark hearts of men.

In the original creation of light, God did not invite the light to come into being. He spoke and it happened. "He commanded and they were created." (Ps.148:5) So too when God creates light in the darkness of a human heart. He speaks, "Let there be light!" and there is light.

This is similar to the way Paul talks about the new birth in Eph.2:1-5:

"You were dead in your trespasses and sins, ...and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 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 (by grace you have been saved)."

Just like with the creation of light, when God makes dead men alive, He doesn’t do it on a voluntary basis. (If you ask a dead man if he wants to come to life, he will never say yes -- because he’s dead!) When Jesus raised Lazarus on the fourth day, He didn’t call into the tomb and invite Lazarus to come alive if he wanted. He said, "Lazarus, come forth!" (John 11:43)

"No one comes to Me unless the Father draws him." (John 6:44)

The reason this unilateral action is necessary is because of man’s sinFULLness. In Rom.3:10-12,18 Paul says:

“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 useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one. ...There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

No man left to himself seeks God. If you ask a slave of darkness if he wants light he will always say no. If God did not intervene, no one would ever be saved. If God’s grace was resistible, it would be resisted every time.

Paul’s own conversion was a classic case of irresistible grace. Jesus did not make this persecutor of the church an offer to try to get him on His side. He took him; He captured him; He hijacked him. Read the call of Jesus on his life announced by the Lord on the road to Damascus (Acts 26:15-18).

Just as our first birth is not a choice, so our second birth is not a choice. The second birth is "not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:13)

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6)

"So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who works, but on God who has mercy." (Rom.9:16)

God is the only one who can turn the heart of stone into a heart of flesh (Ezek.36:26).

When we realize that salvation is all of God, we see why He deserves ALL the praise for it.

You made Your light shine in my heart, O Lord my God. Before that I was all darkness and detested the light. There was nothing about me which made me worthy of Your love or pity. And yet in Your great goodness, You raised me up. I praise Your name. How blessed are my eyes because they see, and my ears because they hear. Help me never stop appreciating the wonderful things You have done for me.