Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | September 25, 2008

There is No Common Grace

As some of you may know, I am daily reading through Scripture in its order.  Today’s devotion was Romans 1:18-32.  This Scripture shouted to me that there is no common grace. 
 
First, as the beauty, creativity, and harmony of the natural world is evidence of God’s “invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature” without the need of letters in red in the sky spelling out the words “There is a God!”, the following Scripture so descriptively and powerfully tells of God’s wrath toward the wicked nonelect such that there is no need for this Scripture to expressly state:  “God has NO love, favor,  approval, nor other common grace toward the wicked nonelect.” 
 
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
                                                 

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;  and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

Second, what did God give the wicked nonelect?  Here are the three “gifts”.

1.  “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.”

2.  “God gave them over to degrading passions”  

3.  “God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful”

In his book, at page 42, Righteous by Faith Alone – A Devotional Commentary on Romans authored by Rev. Herman Hoeksema and Edited by Professor David J. Engelsma, Rev. Hoeksema explains what is meant by this term “gave man over” (“gift”):  “… the text means that God gave man over to bear the fruit of sin to its fullest extent in every relation of life.  There is a working of God in man’s soul, in his mind, in his will, in his desires.  This working is a working of wrath.  God works in this mind of wrath.  In what way?  He causes this mind to bear all the possible fruits of sin.”
                                                                 

Do these “gifts” (‘gave them over”) reveal any love or favor or other common grace toward them?  Of course not.  These gifts show the wrath of God against them. 

Third, how does God view those who “give hearty approval to those who practice them”?

Answer:  “those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

In conclusion, if God views those who give hearty approval to those who do such wicked things, as worthy of death, then how can we even imagine in our wildest imagination that God has any love or favor or approval or other common grace toward these wicked nonelect?

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