Man's Inability

One of the real sticking points many times with those who disagree with Reformed Theology is the suggestion of the "inability of Man". The position of Reformed Theology is that natural Man lacks the capacity to obey God or choose Him. More accurately, while Reformed Theology holds that Man is responsible to repent and believe the Gospel, the position is that he is morally unwilling and unable to do so.

The responsibility of Man to repent and believe is well known among Christians. It is straight out of Scripture. Over and over people are commanded to believe, to come to Christ, to seek Him. Therefore, it is concluded, Man has the capacity to do these. So why would anyone suggest we don't?

Well, that, too, is straight out of Scripture. While humans are reticent to make such a claim about the lack of ability, it appears that the Bible has no such problems. More than once Jesus used the phrase, "No man can ...", a phrase clearly highlighting the inability of man to do something. Paul writes, "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8). That doesn't speak of a weakness or shortfall; it speaks of total inability. In 1 Cor. 2:14 he writes, "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." In this verse there are two statements. One speaks of whether or not it happens. "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God." The second speaks of the ability to do so. "He is not able to understand them." When we argue that human beings must have the natural capacity to understand and accept the things of God, we do so in the face of these Scriptures, not because of them.

The most difficult one is one of those I mentioned first, where Jesus uses the phrase "No man can ..." He uses it twice in John 6. In verse 44 He explains that Man lacks the natural ability to come to Him. But the real hard one to avoid is the one later on in verse 65. To get the full import, you have to get the context.

Jesus was speaking here to a crowd in the synagogue made up of various folks including locals (John 6:42) and followers (John 6:60). He launches into His famous "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51). This odd suggestion really doesn't sit well with many of His listeners. So He goes out of His way to smooth their feathers (not). "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink" (John 6:53-55). This odd talk is so unnerving that, according to John, many of His followers didn't like it (John 6:59-60). Jesus directly addresses His grumbling followers here and says, "But there are some of you who do not believe" (John 6:64). So, having presented a difficult truth, He has weeded out some who claim to follow Him but who actually don't believe. Verse 65 is Jesus's explanation about those who do not believe.

"This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father"(John 6:65).

"This is why I told you" He says. What is why? "There are some of you who do not believe." Jesus is answering the question, "Why is it that some do not believe?" What reason does Jesus offer as to why people do not believe? "No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father."

"No man can ..." It's a simple phrase with a major impact. How many men? None! Zero! Zip! What about them? They cannot. They lack the ability. It is not in their capacity. "There is not one man who has the capacity ..." The capacity to what? No man has the capacity to come to Christ. Or, to invert it, all human beings lack the natural capacity to come to Christ.

The statement is a universal statement on the inability of Man to do the one thing that will save him. It, fortunately, includes an exception clause -- "unless". But it should be clear at this point that, despite our discomfort about making such statements about Man's ability, the Word of God seems to have no problem at all with stating that natural Man does not have the capacity to come to Christ or to believe in Him. If it is to happen, Jesus suggests, it can only happen if "it is granted him by the Father."

In other words, the Reformed belief of Man's Inability is a biblically-based belief coming first and foremost from the lips of our Savior.