Best Books on Irresistible Grace
Irresistible Grace, the I in TULIP, is the Reformed teaching that when God savingly calls someone he has chosen, his grace certainly and effectually brings that person to faith. It does not mean grace overrides the will by force, but that the Spirit renews the will so the sinner freely and gladly embraces Christ. Reformed theology holds this grace as sovereign and unfailing, distinguishing it from the general call that goes out to all who hear the gospel.
Start Here
basic
Chosen by God
Top pickR.C. Sproul · 1986
A widely loved, accessible introduction to election and effectual grace.
The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, Documented
David N. Steele, Curtis C. Thomas, and S. Lance Quinn · 1963
The standard basic introduction to all five points, including irresistible grace, with Scripture proofs.
The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel
James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken · 2002
A pastoral, readable case for the five points of Calvinism for ordinary church members.
The Sovereignty of God
A.W. Pink · 1918
Pink's forceful classic on God's sovereignty in salvation, including effectual calling.
Go Deeper
intermediate
The Bondage of the Will
Top pickMartin Luther (trans. Packer and Johnston) · 1525
Luther's foundational Reformation argument that the will is not free to choose God apart from grace.
Willing to Believe: The Controversy over Free Will
R.C. Sproul · 1997
Surveys the historical debate over free will from Augustine to Finney and where irresistible grace fits.
Chosen But Free
Norman L. Geisler · 1999
A widely read moderate Calvinist argument against irresistible grace, useful to know the opposing case.
Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives on Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace
Thomas Schreiner · 2000
Scholarly essays defending effectual calling against Arminian and moderate objections.
For Study
advanced
Freedom of the Will
Top pickJonathan Edwards · 1754
Edwards' philosophically rigorous defense of the bondage of the will to sin apart from grace.
Divine Election
G.C. Berkouwer · 1960
A major 20th-century Reformed dogmatic study of election and effectual calling.
The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination
Loraine Boettner · 1932
A thorough classic defense of Calvinism's doctrine of predestination and effectual grace.
Salvation by Grace: The Case for Effectual Calling and Regeneration
Matthew Barrett · 2013
A focused academic monograph making the biblical and historical case for irresistible grace.
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A tiered reading guide of the best books on Irresistible Grace.