What is Irresistible Grace?
Irresistible Grace is, in effect, the Yin to Total Depravity's Yang. Whereas Total Depravity states that man cannot come to God unless He calls them, Irresistible Grace states that once God calls a man, they cannot refuse.
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The Bible Brain Position
Irresistible Grace is strongly supported in scripture. A good example is John 6:37, which tells us all whom the Father gives to the Son will come to Him. In Romans 11:4 (cf. 1 Kings 19:28), we see God saying "I have reserved 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal". And of course, a Calvinist will swear by Romans 8 and 9 for more examples. Romans 9:19, for example, asks "who has resisted His will?" before going on to explain why God has every right to make vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour. Verses such as the above make me sympathetic to the idea of Irresistible Grace.
But though I think it's strong, I think it's also false. First, let's go through some deductive reasoning. Contrary to Calvinist thought, the extent of the atonement is far from limited. Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the world, and through His sacrifice, He even bought false teachers who bring upon themselves swift destruction. This, alone, shows that grace is not irresistible. Grace was quite gladly extended to them, and yet, they do not accept it.
Furthermore, we see that God actually wills them to accept it. Several places in scripture, both in the Old and New Testament, clearly tell us that God wills everyone to be saved, and no one to perish. We read in Ezekiel 33:11 that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. We see in 2 Peter 3:9 that God's patience with us is because He is not willing that any should perish. 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. So, who has resisted His will? Literally every wicked person who dies. Everyone who perishes. Everyone who is not saved and does not come to the knowledge of the truth. These have resisted not only His will, but His rather explicit command. This is seen in Acts 17:30, where God commands not only the elect, but all men, everywhere, to repent. This makes perfect sense if God actually wants all men, everywhere, to be saved, as the previously discussed verses clearly tell us He does. If not, it is a very strange command. Why would God be angry about people rejecting grace that was never offered?
But a Calvinist might say that if man resists the will of God, this makes man superior to God. To me, this is as silly as saying that if Jesus was really crucified, this makes the Romans stronger than God. How was it that they were able to overpower the legion of angels in order to take Christ prisoner? Answer: He never summoned that legion. Jesus went willingly to the cross. So, how do men resist the will of God in their own salvation? The same way they did in Luke 7:30. Grace is not something God is obligated to give, neither is it something we are entitled to, neither is it something God needs to offer. For that reason, though He is more than capable of forcing grace upon us, He instead allows us to choose, and we are the ones who lose in that scenario, not God. If we accept His grace, He is glorified by the redemption of the irredeemable. If we reject His will for us, He is glorified by the display of His justice and wrath. Not to mention the longsuffering He showed just by giving us a shot at redemption.
The way I see it, irresistible grace presents a double-minded God. A God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, yet kills them for His good pleasure. A God who is not willing that any should perish, yet they perish according to His will. A God who wants all men to be saved, yet only compels some to do so. A God who commands all men, everywhere, to repent, yet never gave them the ability.
Now, if this is the God that exists, that's fine, who am I to talk back to Him? I'm just grateful I'm not one of those He wills to be saved, yet will not save. But even a Calvinist would reject the idea of a double minded God. Indeed, one of their chief arguments for Calvinism is that the Trinity acts in one accord. And for good reason: The Bible tells us God cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). If God cannot deny Himself, then how can He will for all to be saved, yet will for many to perish? If God's will is that all men be saved, and none perish, then the only thing that makes sense is that, just as the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, so also is it possible for people whom God wills to be saved to reject His will for themselves. This is not God being overwhelmed by man. This is God being consistent, freely offering grace, but not necessarily forcing it upon us.
So how is it that the Father compels people to come to the Son, or that all whom the Father gives the Son will come to Him etc.? I believe this goes back to the concept of God's foreknowledge. The future affects the past as much as the past affects the future. God foreknew every possibility, selected whom He would save, acted in such a way as would compel them, and they responded as He knew and intended they would. Could you call this irresistible grace? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on your definition. But Biblically speaking, it is God's will that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, yet many resist that grace. Therefore, I believe Irresistible Grace is incorrect.
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But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. - Luke 7:30 KJV