DIVINE MONERGISM IN CONVERSION

 

By Gary Ray Branscome

 

          The words, “No man can come to me, unless the Father who has sent me draws him,” and “No one can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost,” tell us that we are brought to faith in Christ by the grace of God alone (John 6:44, 1Corinthians 12:3). And, the fact that our conversion and salvation is the work of God alone (without any help on our part) is known in theology as divine monergism.

 

          Some who oppose that doctrine do so because they assume that God would never command us to do something we are unable to do. However, that is a silly argument because the words, “Keep my commandments, and live,” command us to keep God’s commandments, while the words, “Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God,” tell us that no one can keep them (Proverbs 7:2, Romans 3:19). Is that unfair, as some contend? Absolutely not! The Bible plainly tells us that “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be declared righteous by faith” (Galatians 3:24). And, how was the Law our schoolmaster? The words, “The knowledge of sin comes by the law,” tell us that God works through the Law to show us our sin, and, therefore, our need for the forgiveness that Christ won for us on the cross (Romans 3:20). For, “Scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise might be given to those who believe, through faith in Jesus Christ,” (Galatians 3:22).

 

          The words, “The kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel,” // “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,” command us to repent and believe (Mark 1:15, Acts 16:31). And, the words, “Come to me, all you who labor and are carrying a heavy load, and I will give you rest,” command us to come to Christ (Matthew 11:28). However, the words, “No man can come to me, unless the Father who has sent me draws him,” plainly tell us that coming to Christ is not something we are able to do (John 6:44).

          The words, “It is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure,” tell us that it is God who is at work in us bringing us to faith (Philippians 2:13). The words, “Seeing that it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in Him, but also suffer for His sake,” tell us that our faith is a gift – something that has been granted to us (Philippians 1:29). And, the words, “What is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,” tell us that it is the power of God that brings us to faith (Ephesians 1:19).

 

          This brings us to the question: If we are brought to faith by the power of God, why doesn’t He bring everyone to faith? And, the Biblical answer to that question is that in bringing us to faith He does not deal with us directly in a way that we cannot resist, but deals with us through His Word. The words, “As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of a wicked,” tell us that God does not want people to be lost (Ezekiel 33:11). At the same time, the words, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets, and stone those who are sent to you, how often I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not,” tell us that He does not try to bring them to faith by force but deals with them through His Word (Matthew 23:37)

          The words, “So will the word that goes out of my mouth be: it will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I want, and it will achieve what I sent it to do,” tell us that the Word of God has power (Isaiah 55:11). The words, “You stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you,” tell us that men resist that power (Acts 7:15). The words, “The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned,” tell us that resistance to the truth of God is rooted in our sinful nature (1Corinthians 2:14). And, the words, “The fleshly mind is hostile to God: for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be,” tell us that our sinful nature is actively hostile to the truth (Romans 8:7).

 

          The words, “It pleased God to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching.” // “For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish; but it is the power of God to us who are saved,” tell us that God works through preaching to save the lost (1Corinthians 1:21 then 1:18). The words, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” tell us that God works through His Word to bring us to faith (Romans 10:17). And, the words, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase,” tell us that God not only brings us to faith by His Word, but also nurtures [waters] our faith through the regular preaching of His Word (1Corinthians 3:6). At the same time, the words, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them: for of such is the kingdom of God,” tell us that God works through parents and families to overcome sinful resistance to the gospel (Luke 18:16).

          The words, “Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin,” and “When you yield yourselves to someone to obey him as servants, you are the servants of the one you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?” suggest that sin increases our natural resistance to spiritual truth (John 8:34 and Romans 6:16). At the same time, the words, “I tell you truly, That the publicans and harlots will enter the kingdom of God before you,” suggest that social condemnation that agrees with the Word of God, can reinforce the Word of God in bringing people to repentance (Matthew 21:31). However, even though there are many things in our lives that can increase or decrease our resistance to the Word of God, the words, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love for us, Even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ, (you are saved by grace,)” and the words, “To as many as received Him, He gave power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in His name: Who are not born of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.” Make it clear that our conversion is the work of God alone (Ephesians 2:4-5, John 1:12-13).

 

The Pernicious Character of Synergism

          Even though the Bible plainly tells us that we are, “Not born of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God,” there are some who seem driven to teach that man has some part in his salvation (John 1:13). In theology that error is known as synergism.

Some who hold that error would make works play a role, others would reduce man’s part to “making a decision for Christ,” “asking Jesus into their heart,” “praying for God to tell them that they are saved,” or “ceasing to resist”. Now, some who seek God in this way do wind up coming to faith in Christ, and they are often the most passionate defenders of synergism. Having come to faith in Christ, they do not see what the problem is. So let me explain it.

Having come to faith in Christ, they are blind to the fact that many who “make a decision for Christ,” or “ask Jesus into their heart,” etc. fail to actually place their faith in Christ. Many ask Jesus into their heart expecting Him to help them live a more righteous life – thus earning God’s favor by works. Young people who are told to ask Jesus into their heart, often do so without understanding what faith is. And when those same unsaved young people are told that they cannot lose salvation no matter what they do, that can become a way of rationalizing immorality.

A man once told me that after praying and praying for God to tell him that he was saved he saw sunlight making a circle on the floor and when he moved into that circle and began to pray he just knew that he was saved. He said nothing about Christ dying for his sins, forgiveness, or faith. His entire assurance of salvation rested on that experience. And that is the heart of the problem! Whenever synergists teach that man has some role in his own salvation, there will always be some whose faith will be in what they did, rather that in what Christ did on the cross.

What you are counting on to get you into heaven is what you are placing your faith in. If you believe that God will let you into heaven because; on a certain date you “gave your life to Christ,” “asked Him to come into your heart,” or “prayed to receive Him” then you are placing your faith in what you did, rather than what Christ did for you. Faith in Christ consists in believing that God will let you into heaven because Christ took our sins upon Himself and suffered in our stead, “The just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1Peter 3:18).