The doctrine of irresistible grace (or effectual calling) is the teaching that when God works on the heart of a sinner (bringing them to faith / knowledge of Christ), the sinner cannot resist this divine act.

The ‘order of salvation’ is an aspect of salvation that is often debated among scholars.

Does God choose us or do we choose Him? Does He regenerate our hearts first and give us faith to choose Him or do we have faith first? Is it possible for us to choose God on our own? Is it possible for us to reject God when He regenerates our hearts towards Him? Is regeneration before justification or happens after it?

In the following analogy, we can better answer all of these pertinent questions.

Imagine a vast ocean with many people trying to stay afloat. There are some who are swimming but they are getting tired, there are some who can’t swim so they are struggling for life, there are some who are holding onto others, but none the less everyone is trying their best. Now picture a couple life rafts tossed into the ocean for everyone to grab a hold of and keep afloat. This is how many people envision salvation. As if we only had to reach out and put on the life raft to survive.

The Bible gives a different analogy with regards to a person’s salvation. It doesn’t say that we are swimming in need of a life raft but rather dead at the bottom of the ocean. In our lost state, we need someone to grab us, give us life and pull us up.

Ephesians 2:1-9 (NKJV)

By Grace Through Faith

1 and you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,  3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

This is exactly what happens when we proclaim the gospel, which is the power of God to save (Romans 1:16), people who are dead in sin and trespasses. God empowers the new believer by His Spirit and raises them to the newness of life that lasts forever.

Does believing that we are simply afloat in the ocean differ from believing that we are spiritually dead beneath the waves? Absolutely. The difference is monumental. If we see ourselves as just needing a little help, we fail to grasp the depth of our spiritual condition. The Bible makes it clear: we are spiritually dead without Christ, and it is God alone who breathes life into us, making us alive through His grace. Our salvation is not a joint effort between us and God—it is entirely His work, from start to finish. When God calls us, that call is effectual, and His grace cannot be resisted because it transforms us at the very core of our being.

This is the beauty of God’s grace: it does what we could never do for ourselves. And in this, we rest, knowing that it is not by our efforts but by God’s sovereign will that we are saved. The process of regeneration, which will be discussed in the next chapter, is central to this understanding, as it is God who changes our hearts and brings us to faith.