The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Common Grace or Uncommon Grace?

Johan,

I am personally familiar with the PRC and their teaching on "common grace" due to the fact that I studied at their seminary for a year. This subject was one of the major contentions which led Herman Hoeksema to break away from the CRC (Christian Reformed Church) in 1924. The CRC has gone "down the tubes" since that day and changed their original view on common grace.

What is the real teaching of Scripture on common grace? Well, that depends upon who you ask!

My view is:

1. Common Grace is admittedly a 'misnomer', since I hold that God's 'grace' is always salvific. So, it cannot be 'common', i.e., given to all men. I prefer to use the phrase "common benevolence".
2. God exhibits His goodness and kindness to all men in myriad ways, e.g., food, shelter, worldly success, good health, etc. And generally speaking, He has chosen to not judge all men immediately for their sins. Again, I much prefer to call this benevolence (Titus 3:4) and refrain from referring to this as "love" (Paul, in Titus 3:4, uses the word 'love', but philew brotherly love and not agape holy unconditional love) for I believe in the vast majority of places where God'slove is mentioned, it is restricted to His elect, thus it is salvific.
3. Unregenerate men, women and children are totally incapable of doing good, i.e., that which is pleasing to God. Yet, they are capable and often do relative good, i.e., others are benefited from their acts. These 'good deeds' are still sinful in and of themselves and are done not of faith but for self, which means they will be brought before the bar of God and used as evidence against them and their condemnation.
4. I do not hold, as does the PRC, that God shows no kindness to anyone other than the elect and anything which could be construed as heavenly kindness is actually God's hatred toward them which He uses to further their condemnation. Scripture teaches that the goodness of God is real (Rom 2:4) and is to be a motivation for sinners to repent of their sins.

Much more could be said, of course... books have been written on the subject. But this is just my very brief synopsis of where I stand on the subject.