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2nd Corinthians 8:16

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2nd Corinthians 8:16-17

But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord.

John Calvin: “Titus...stirred up by God. ...had come at the prompting of God. From this passage, as from countless others, we infer that all godly affections proceed from the Spirit of God, and further that it is a proof of God’s care for His people that He rouses ministers and guardians to try to relive their necessities.” (Calvin’s New Testament Commentaries: II Corinthians, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, pp.114-115 emphasis mine)

Paul credits God for Titus’ like-mindedness in helping the Corinthians, insomuch as God “puts the same earnestness on your behalf” as with myself, and yet it being fully of his “own accord.” In other words, the influence comes from the Holy Spirit, which Titus was in agreement with, but Calvinists infer that the Holy Spirit was not just merely influencing, but also making it irresistible:

One Calvinist comments: “Here, we see that Got put the earnestness in the heart of Titus, which resulted in him going of his own accord. I think this is a beautiful picture of how God can cause somebody to come of their own accord. It is not contradictory. It did not make Titus a robot. And God didn’t send him kicking and screaming. For those of you who have a hard time understanding this concept that Calvinists espouse as the Biblical method of salvation, does this passage clear anything up?” (CARM.org, emphasis mine)

Is Titus an unbeliever? If not, then using an illustration on the motivation of a willing, believer to exemplify how unwilling, unbelievers are “made willing” through an irresistible regeneration of the unregenerate, and then labeling that as a “biblical method of salvation,” is an apples to oranges comparison. “Puts the same earnestness” cannot be an example of regeneration if Titus was already regenerated. There’s no Irresistible Grace here for Calvinists to point to.