Common Grace Easily Refuted

“As for Ishmael, I have heard thee. Behold, I have blessed him . . .” (Genesis 17:20). L. Berkhof in his Reformed Dogmatics (I, 31, Eerdmans, 1938) appeals in support of common grace to this text. It is popularly claimed that here is proof that God blesses all men, generally, including the reprobate. While keeping this matter in the back of your mind, consider certain interesting questions Berkhof asks in that connection. He asks, “Does the doctrine of common grace presuppose the doctrine of a...