'Evanscent'/'Temporary' Grace: How do I identify it?

vooks · Mar 2, 2016

Thus saith John Calvin:

“I am aware it seems unaccountable to some how faith is attributed to the reprobate, seeing that it is declared by Paul to be one of the fruits of election; and yet the difficulty is easily solved: for though none are enlightened into faith, and truly feel the efficacy of the Gospel, with the exception of those who are fore-ordained to salvation, yet experience shows that the reprobate are sometimes affected in a way so similar to the elect, that even in their own judgment there is no difference between them.”
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“Hence it is not strange, that by the Apostle a taste of heavenly gifts, and by Christ himselfa temporary faith is ascribed to them. Not that they truly perceive the power of spiritual grace and the sure light of faith; but the Lord, the better to convict them, and leave them without excuse, instills into their minds such a sense of his goodness as can be felt without the Spirit of adoption.”
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Institutes of the Christian Religion and in particular book III, chapter II, section 11

John Calvin's theology ran into some reality headwinds.
Some people who fall away have had years of impressive testimony and service to God. There was nothing in them that remotely suggested their faith was false.

His solution to this was the concept of 'Evanscent grace' which leads to temporal faith on the reprobates. The grace is so real that it is virtually indistinguishable from the real deal. This is what makes reprobates live like 'us' yet they fall off.

My question to you Calvinists is,
1. How do you tell whether your faith is the temporal sort induced by Evanscent grace or the one provoked by your Election?

2. If you can't distinguish it, how can you have assurance of salvation?

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'Evanscent'/'Temporary' Grace: How do I identify it?

vooks Active Member