Acts 26:15
And I said, “Who are You, Lord?” And the Lord said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.”
John Calvin comments: “In arrogating to himself what is God’s own, Paul seems to be placing himself too high. We know that it is only the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes. We know that it is only God who destroys our sins and adopts us with the saints. But God frequently gives his ministers the honor that is due only to him, in order to commend the power of his Spirit working through them.” (Acts: Calvin, Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.393, emphasis mine)
Rather, Calvin is placing the power of the Gospel too low. Here is what Calvin says about the Gospel:
Calvin writes: “Now let Pighius asseverate that God wills all to be saved, when not even the external preaching of the doctrine, which is much inferior to the illumination of the Spirit, is made common to all.” (Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God, p.109, emphasis mine)
Calvin writes: “The minister’s teaching and speaking does no good unless God adds his inward calling to it. ... Preaching alone is just a dead letter, and we must beware lest a false imagination, or the semblance of secret illumination, leads us away from the Word on which faith depends.” (Acts: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.278, emphasis mine)
Calvin writes: “Preaching only finds faith in people when God inwardly calls those he has chosen and draws to Christ those who were already his own (John 6:37).” (Acts: Calvin, Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.229, emphasis mine)
In other words, without irresistible, Regenerative Grace, the Gospel “does no good,” is “just a dead letter” and is utterly useless. While it may be agreed that if you separate the Gospel from the Holy Spirit, then indeed the Gospel is just mere words, but when can you divorce the Holy Spirit from the Gospel? These are His Words, which is why Jesus described them as “spirit” and “life.” (John 6:63)
However, the way that a person preaches the Gospel, impacts its power. You can render it void, if you pollute it. Paul states: “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” (1st Corinthians 1:17) In other words, the power was there, but suppressed, like putting a cover over a light. Consider Acts 14:1: “In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.” To do this, all that you need to do is uncover the inherent power of the Gospel. While you are speaking, it is the Holy Spirit who is working through your words, because your words are not your words, but His words spoken through you. Jesus said to Paul: “‘Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you.’” (Acts 18:9-10) However, this is not to say that your prayers do not also have an impact. God wants our involvement so He does listen to our prayers:
Adrian Rogers explains: “Spiritual blindness makes beggars of us all. ... The blind need more than light in order to see. ... I used to think, as a young preacher, that what you had to do to get people saved is just to tell them how to be saved. Just turn on the light. But it doesn’t matter how much light there is, or the person is blind because he cannot see it. It takes more than light, it takes sight. And a person who is blind cannot see the light, no matter how strong the light is or how pure the light is. It takes more than preaching to get people saved. That’s the reason I frequently say to you, I can preach truth, but only the Holy Spirit can impart truth. That is the reason why we must be a praying church. That’s the reason you must be a spirit filled soul winner. That is the reason that we must have the anointing, because we are dependent upon God to open blinded eyes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes more than light, it takes takes sight. We need to understand that nobody can be argued into the kingdom of heaven. Nobody can be educated into the kingdom of heaven. I’m not against letting the light shine. You must let the let shine. You must preach. But remember, there is another dimension.” (Jesus is God’s Answer to Man’s Darkness: John 20:30, emphasis mine)
The other dimension to which Adrian Rogers refers, is the dimension of Sight, being the preceding work of the Holy Spirit, as a companion to the dimension of Light, being the Gospel. God prepares people’s hearts, in preparation to hearing the Gospel, by enlightening them to their sinful nature and need for salvation. A person can be receptive to the Gospel, only when they are brought to this point. In certain cases, God may use circumstances or even miracles. The Jailor of Acts 16:30 was receptive to the Gospel, only after a miracle had taken place. God is not opposed to using miracles in order to wake up the lost, though even miracles themselves can be resisted, dismissed and ignored, as with the Pharisees.
Question: What does the Gospel do?
Answer: It produces “faith” in its hearers. (Romans 10:17) It is the “imperishable” seed through which we are made “born again.” (1st Peter 1:23) It is “living and active.” (Hebrews 4:12) It is “spirit and life.” (John 6:63) It makes us “clean.” (John 15:3) And now we are told that it opens eyes. (Acts 26:18)
Question: How does a Christian “open” the eyes of the lost?
Answer: When you preach the Gospel, the lost, with their ears, may hear your voice, but in their heart, they feel Jesus knocking.
Question: Do Calvinists deny that God has placed inherent power in the Gospel, such that all who preach the Gospel, preach with power endowed from on high?
Answer: When preached, the Gospel opens eyes (Acts 26:18) and opens hearts (Acts 16:13-15), but a person must still apply what is given by the Gospel.
