Common Grace and Special Grace

The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble. ~ Proverbs 4:19

In the last post, I discussed the difference between general revelation and special revelation. In this post, I will discuss two other terms Christians do not fully understand: common grace and special grace. This post focuses primarily on common grace because it has a broader definition.

            As a dogma, the doctrine of common grace is a relatively new concept in the reformed church. Berkhof says that Kuiper’s studies of Calvin found only four instances where Calvin used the word “common” with the word “grace” and that it was the Dutch Reformers, Kuiper and Bavinck, who developed the doctrine for the reformed world. He continues, “Dr. H. Kuiper classifies common grace of which Calvin speaks under three heads, namely: 1) Universal Common Grace, a grace that extends to all creatures; 2) General Common Grace, that is a grace that applies to all mankind in general and to every member of the human race; and 3) Covenant Common Grace, a grace that is common to all those who live in the sphere of the covenant, whether they belong to the elect or not” (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 365-366). However, the Westminster Divines seem to distinguish between two particular terms. The first is special grace, that is, the grace extended to the covenant elect for salvation, the sola gratia. The second is common grace, that is, the grace that encompasses the three headings Kuiper develops in his systematic theology. The Westminster Confession of Faith states it this way: “Others, not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word (Matt. 13:14-15; Acts 28:24) and may have some common operations of the Spirit (Matt. 13:20-21; Matt. 7:22; Heb. 6:4-5), yet they never truly come unto Christ, and cannot be saved (John 6:37, 64-66; John 8:44; John 13:18)” (WCF 10.4, emphasis mine).

            Developing this concept further, Berkhof states: “that ‘common grace’ either 1) is the general operations of the Holy Spirit whereby He, without renewing the heart, exercises such a moral influence on man through His general or special revelation, that sin is restrained, order is maintained in social life, and civil righteousness is promoted; or 2) those general blessings, such as rain or sunshine, food and drink, clothing and shelter, which God imparts to all men indiscriminately where and in what measure it seems good to Him” (Berkhof, 367).

            The relation between the world’s point of view, particularly the limitations of secular psychology, and the doctrine of common grace lie with Berkhof’s statement number one in the above paragraph. Secular psychology does not see humanity’s problem as sin. When it comes to the human heart, the good a person does is seen as a product of that person. However, the doctrine of common grace teaches that the only good a nonbeliever does is due to God restraining their sin, giving rules for them to follow, or posing consequences through the civil government’s authority. The good they do is never a matter of their personal righteousness. Instead, it remains a work of God’s common grace in their life.

            Therefore, a secular psychologist may coach a person to find the good in their inner self, do what feels right to them, or forgive themselves for removing the despair and guilt in their life. A secular psychologist may use the latest scientific methods and medical information available to accomplish such goals. Yet, the doctrine of common grace teaches that it never removes the guilt of sin because it does not renew human nature. Common grace can only restrain the effect of corruption and, in a measure, eases its results. It does not cure the soul. It does not make the heart new. Common grace only operates rationally or morally through motivation and natural desire or scientific knowledge. However, these things will never be enough due to the noetic effects of sin. The fall into sin caused humanity to incur consequential effects to each part of a person—physical effects such as sickness and death, and heart-mind effects that affect our thinking to become useless apart from Christ.  The noetic effect of sin is the term given to such futile thinking. So, then, a non-believer’s mind will not operate the way a believer’s mind does (Eph. 4:18). And Alvin Plantinga argues that the noetic effects of sin even skew a Christian’s thinking about God (Alvin Plantinga, Warnated Christian Belief, 213-215).  Scripture teaches us that an unbeliever’s hard heart darkens their understanding and prevents them from thinking correctly (Prov. 4:19; 1 Cor. 2:14), and a believer’s heart is still tainted (1 Cor. 13:12; James 1:23). This two-sided coin means that secular psychologists can only put a band-aid on a counselee’s problem. The non-believing counselee will never understand what they truly need, that is, God’s work in their life unless the Holy Spirit changes them. And a believer will continue to struggle with the Sovereign God and His Holy Word.

            In conclusion, Heath Lambert cautioned regarding secular psychological methods: “But our response to secular psychology must include more than appreciation grounded in common grace. As Christians, we must balance our appreciation with caution by another theological reality—the noetic effects of sin” (Heath Lambert, A Theology of Biblical Counseling, 70). In other words, as Christians, we must only use the Bible as the most valuable source of counseling because of its authority and sufficiency. God has inspired the Scriptures so that they address every kind of problem with the light of God (Psa. 119:105), no matter how big or small an issue may seem. Yes. We trust God’s sovereignty in His common grace when people need medical care for biological illnesses and chemical imbalances. However, people must be urged to receive the complete care they need, both body and soul. Because God never intended to provide the solution to life’s problems through common grace, the Bible is more central to counseling than common grace since it is how the Holy Spirit changes the heart, and that is special grace.