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Abstract
Table
of Contents
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
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Sovereignty of Grace
PREFACE
This straightforward and
clearly written book dispels the notion that election and predestination
are cold, austere doctrines originated by John Calvin. Arthur
Custance conclusively shows that these doctrines are alive, vital,
the very heart of the gospel.
The Sovereignty of Grace
provides a lucid discussion that gets at the heart of the matter
and never loses sight of the essence of the profound doctrine
at issue. The author begins by tracing the historical development
of the doctrine of election and demonstrates that it is explicitly
taught in both the Old and New Testament (especially by John
and Paul). Beginning with Scripture and extending through Augustine
up to the Reformers, there is an unbroken chain in the teaching
of predestination.
Custance gives clear, solid definitions
of the five points of Calvinism. With compelling logic he points
out the inconsistencies in the Arminian position (among others)
and the undeniable necessity of the Calvinistic view.
The author adds a welcome new dimension
to what might seem to be a purely theological study by discussing
the practical implications of Calvinism. For example, he examines
the comfort there is in exploring how the sovereignty of God
is worked out in the daily relationships of life. He has fresh
insights into the questions of divine sovereignty and human responsibility,
of punishment and rewards. He is not afraid to tackle knotty
problems such as, "Why evangelize if election guarantees
the salvation of all who are predestined?"
The Sovereignty of Grace
provides a good addition to the library of that person who wants
a straightforward presentation of election, one that avoids the
extremes of oversimplification on one hand and obscure theological
jargon on the other.
 pg
1 of 5 
INTRODUCTION
In the
very worst period of the great depression in Canada, I found
myself in the fall of 1933 in the province of Saskatchewan, which
was perhaps the hardest hit of all the provinces. And I found
myself in the worst possible position in terms of survival, since
I had no resources and no job, and at that time there was no
such thing as relief or welfare for transients. I was some miles
north of Prince Albert, facing the winter months in a tiny little
shack about twelve by sixteen feet in an area where coal was
not available and wood was scarce. The temperature in this part
of Canada can be bitterly cold, so cold in fact that the tiny
stove I had would not keep itself going much of the time, and
the temperature would drop to about -25 degrees F. inside.
On one occasion a hot water bottle froze in the bed during
the night!
Yet it was marvellously quiet,
and, since I had come to know the Lord only about a year before,
the Bible was largely an unknown book to me and I had a wonderful
opportunity to study it. That winter I went eight times through
the entire Bible and worked out, almost entirely on my own, a
personal systematic theology. I shall never regret the cold or
the isolation. It was a golden period of my life in many ways,
and an enormous privilege.
One afternoon that stands out in
my memory as a time of glorious apprehension, I knelt down on
a small rug which a friend had made for me out of overcoat samples,
and I opened my Bible that lay on the bed before me at John 15.
I have always loved to study on my knees. I still have my bed
lighted specifically for this purpose — and what better attitude
could there be for studying the Word of God. I read meditatively
with pencil in hand, marking things as I went, and in due time
I came to John 15:16: "You have not chosen Me, but I have
chosen you." The words seemed to stand out from the page
and this tremendous truth flooded my soul. I seemed to be kneeling
in the silence of an eternity and hearing the words inwardly
for the first time, though it was by no means the first time
I had read them. I was quite simply overwhelmed. He, the Lord
Jesus Christ, had chosen me; not I Him! I had always assumed
myself to be the one who had acted. It was I
pg
2 of 5
who for some reason had
felt a need and sought the Lord to fulfill it. I was the one
who had taken the initiative.
In the youthful enthusiasm of my
Christian experience (I was then twenty-three) I had often preached
to small groups and spoken to individuals about their need of
a Saviour. It had seemed proper to argue with them, or plead
with them, or in one way or another try to persuade them to "make
their decision for the Lord," as I supposed I had made my
decision for the Lord. It seemed to me to be my privilege and
responsibility to persuade men by the zeal of my missionary activity.
But here, suddenly, I was jolted into the realization that it
was not I who had decided for the Lord; the Lord had decided
for me! I have had the joy since of leading not a few to the
Lord over the years and, what is perhaps every bit as important,
of seeing many of these new bairns go on and grow into mature
and fruitful children of God. And I know that at times it must
have seemed to anyone watching my activities that I really did
believe my powers of persuasion can be critical in the moment
of decision. Yet I know this is not so.
I know with my heart and my mind
that in the final analysis it is the Lord's work to draw men
unto Himself and ours only to "lift Him up" (John 3:14).
Men are not born again by human will, nor because of blood relationships,
nor even because out of their own inner being they desire to
be saved (John 1:12, 13). It is perfectly true that whosoever
will may come, but it is also true that whosoever may, will
come. We will to come only because God has graciously worked
upon our wills to turn them about. We may come only because He
has opened the way for us and in us, making it possible. Whosoever
will, may come; and whosoever may, will come. When God makes
it possible by converting our wills to seek his face, then we
may come, and only then. At the same time, because of his sovereignty,
once this turnabout has been wrought in us by his Holy Spirit,
then the rest is certain, no matter how long it takes. We shall
come.
As I knelt before the Lord after
hearing these wonderful words, in a manner of speaking, for the
first time, there was instantly born in my mind a first real
intimation of man's true nature and of the sovereignty of God's
grace. And I spent the remainder of those winter months reading
nothing but the Word of God and constantly finding in it reflections
of the wonderful truth of his sovereignty in our salvation. This
became the rock upon which over a period of some forty years
I thereafter built the edifice of my theology.
During the winter months of 1970-1976,
after retirement, I lectured or gave seminars to varying numbers
of people from fifteen to two hundred in this quiet little town
and always the ultimate emphasis has been upon the sovereignty
of grace. Finally it seemed good to try to set down something
of the substance of these lectures and seminars in the hope that
their usefulness might in the Lord's goodness be extended to
a larger audience.
pg.3
of 5
Due
to the circumstances under which my theological development took
place, without formal training in the subject and usually far
away from the kind of library facilities that are considered
normal to such a training, surprisingly little was owed in my
development to the great writers on these themes like Augustine,
Calvin, Owen, Spurgeon, Hodge, Strong, Warfield and a host of
others. All of these I read now with delight, and it never ceases
to amaze me how a deep study of these great fundamental truths
in the Word of God leads to a meeting of minds. Those winter
months nearly forty-five years ago established a pattern of thinking
which subsequently worked itself out until the agreement with
these great men of God was very nearly complete. What they contributed
above all was refinement and certain modes of expression which
are beautifully apt. When I began to read them for the first
time about fifteen years ago, I found their powers of expression
when dealing with matters that I had struggled to put into words
by myself were like a great liberating force, setting my mind
free in wonderful new ways. This circumstance may explain in
part why I have not always followed the lines of reasoning which
are customarily followed by those whose training and background
has been more formal and routine. This is why I have sometimes
used different passages of Scripture to support the same basic
conclusions. And this is why I have coined some phrases and developed
some lines of argument that they did not employ. But my agreement
with them is well-nigh complete.
I'm not sure that Calvin was always
wholly logical in his conclusions, but then I am sure
I am not either. I do not agree with him, for example, in his
view regarding Double Predestination, not for philosophical reasons
but because I do not believe either Scripture or logic demands
it. And I suspect Calvin himself may have had second thoughts
on the matter.
As to the great Confessions —
the Westminster Confession, the Thirty-nine
Articles, the Heidelberg Confession, the Canons
of Dort, and so forth — I rejoice in them. Surely here
the human mind has been exercised with the deepest and most profound
aspects of truth, finding a peculiarly appropriate eloquence
for the task in the choice of words. What feasts the statements
are, and how poor is the man who has never reflected upon them!
Surely there is no meatier food for the human intellect than
is here displayed in an ordered form.
And so with
these words of explanation, I commend to the Lord this study
of his gracious sovereignty in salvation, without which no man
would be saved, but all would remain dead and lost. I cannot
but rejoice in the wonderful words of a hymn which expresses
so profoundly, yet so succinctly, the great truth which I have
struggled to elaborate in the chapters which follow.
pg.4
of 5
I sought the Lord, and
afterward I knew
He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me;
It was not I that found, O Saviour true;
No! I was found of Thee.
Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea;
'Twas not so much that I on Thee took hold,
As Thou, dear Lord, on me.
I find, I walk, I love; but O the whole
of love is but my answer, Lord, to Thee!
For Thou wert long beforehand with my soul;
Always Thou lovedst me.
(Anonymous)
Arthur C. Custance
"The Terraces"
Butternut Bay Road
Brockville, Ontario
Canada
pg.5
of 5
Copyright © 1988 Evelyn White. All rights
reserved
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