A Response to Myself (Pt.2)

Part 1 should really be read before this one

There are many Scriptures that may be used in favor of the idea of common grace those being: Gen. 3:15; 4:15; 11:6; 20:6; Ex. 1-15; 34:6; Num. 14:18; 2 Kings 19:27-28; Job 1:12; 2:6; Ps. 86:5; Rom. 2:4-5; Matt. 5:44-45; 19:8; Acts 3:25; 14:16; 17:30; 2 Thess. 2:7. Indeed Frame himself says in response to these passages on pg. 430 of “Doctrine of God,”

“So God is a God who waits. He can accomplish his will instantly. He can bring final judgment on the wicked immediately. But he chooses not to do so. He has chosen to write a drama and spread it out in temporal sequence. So he tolerates evil for a time, waiting until later to judge it fully. Now we learn that God’s decision to wait is not arbitrary, nor is it mainly in the interest of creating a more interesting story. Rather, it is a function of his love and grace.”

However, if you read all the afore mentioned Scriptures and Frame’s quote it is difficult to call it “grace” but rather to call it “mercy” or “divine forbearance” for in the idea of God’s restraining of sin and his own wrath we see mercy (or divine forbearance) because he would be completely just in pouring the cup of his undiluted wrath out upon sinful humanity instantly yet he refrains from doing so.

Frame also carries this idea of common grace being an improper term for the idea saying, “To my knowledge, Scripture never uses hen or charis to refer to his blessings on creation generally or on non elect humanity. So it would perhaps be better to speak of God’s common goodness, or common love, rather than his common grace.” He added to this in our correspondence with,

“The term ‘grace,’ both in Scripture and in theology, is weighted with redemptive significance. So the use of it for non-redemptive blessings of God has created some confusion…”

Therefore in some respect we see these things, which occur to all, are an act of common mercy, not common grace.