Simply Put – "Irresistible Grace"

Host: Barry Cooper
Podcast: Simply Put (Ligonier Ministries)
Date: February 10, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Simply Put explores the theological concept of Irresistible Grace (also called effectual grace). Host Barry Cooper uses personal anecdotes, biblical accounts, and historical references to clarify how God's saving grace works—emphasizing that when God calls someone to salvation, that call is unfailingly effective. The purpose is to break down this "long word" of theology so any listener, regardless of background, can understand its meaning and personal significance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Story: A Life Turned Around

• Barry’s Conversion:
  • Barry recounts his own resistance to faith:

    "If a film crew had been following me in the years leading up to 1992...that documentary would show a young man running away from God and fast. I wasn't interested in church and I did not want to obey the Bible." (00:15)

  • Despite every reason not to believe, Barry became a follower of Christ, underscoring the main idea that God’s grace overcomes even our strongest resistance.

2. Biblical Example: The Apostle Paul

• Paul's Background:
  • Paul is described as "a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent man" who went so far as to "destroy the church." (01:09)
• Dramatic Conversion:
  • On the road to Damascus, Paul experiences a miraculous encounter where Christ speaks to him directly:

    "If Paul could have resisted that call, there's certainly no hint of it in Scripture. On the contrary, Paul says... 'I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.'" (02:44)

  • Paul’s immediate transformation is highlighted—his conversion was as sudden and unavoidable as "a spiritual 180 that would give a person whiplash." (03:11)

3. Scriptural Foundation for Irresistible Grace

• Ephesians 2: The State of ‘Deadness’
  • Paul describes humanity's spiritual state before salvation as "dead in trespasses and sins." (03:36)

    "We were dead. And a dead person, of course, is unable to reach out for God or have faith in him. A dead person can do nothing but God..." (04:00)

  • God acts first:

    "God made us alive...without being made alive, of course, how can we put our faith in Christ and be saved? And even that faith is a gift from God..." (04:17)

• Romans 8: The Chain of Salvation
  • Cooper addresses the idea of inevitability in God’s calling:

    "Those whom God predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified." (05:02)

  • The sequence is purposefully unbreakable—every stage leads inevitably to the next.

4. Common Objections and Clarifications

• Is Grace Really Irresistible?
  • Addressing the idea that God might "make people alive so that they can then freely choose":

    "No, no, says Paul." (04:54)

  • The point: When Christ calls a person to himself, they come.
  • Illustration of Lazarus:

    "When Lazarus was raised from death by Jesus, he did not remain sitting in the tomb..." (05:18)

5. Testimony: C.S. Lewis’s Experience

• Quoting C.S. Lewis on his own conversion:

  "'I chose,' he said. 'And yet it really did not seem possible to do the opposite.'" (05:40)

• Barry notes this was not unique—“that was the experience of the Apostle Paul, and that is the experience of countless believers since.” (05:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Human Inability Before God Acts:

  "We were dead. And a dead person, of course, is unable to reach out for God or have faith in him."
  — Barry Cooper (04:00)

• On the Efficacy of God’s Call:

  "When Christ calls a person to himself, they come."
  — Barry Cooper (05:19)

• C.S. Lewis on Conversion:

  "'I chose...and yet it really did not seem possible to do the opposite.'"
  — C.S. Lewis, quoted by Barry Cooper (05:40)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:15 – Barry’s personal resistance and unlikely conversion
• 01:09 – Apostle Paul’s violent opposition to Christianity
• 02:44 – Paul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus
• 03:36 – Ephesians 2: Deadness and being made alive in Christ
• 04:17 – Faith as a gift from God; foundation for irresistible grace
• 05:02 – Romans 8: Predestination, calling, justification, and glorification
• 05:18 – Illustrations: Lazarus, Paul’s conversion
• 05:40 – C.S. Lewis’s description of his own irresistible conversion

Final Takeaway

Barry Cooper concisely unpacks the doctrine of Irresistible Grace—showing, through story and Scripture, that God’s saving call cannot be ultimately resisted. The episode reassures listeners that faith itself is a gift from God and that the certainty of God’s grace is grounded in His sovereign action rather than human willpower.

For more episodes or resources:
Visit SimplyPutPodcast.com or Ligonier.org