God has been kind to restrain sin and allow truth to surface even in a fallen world. But He hasn’t left us to piece together the human condition from fragments. He’s spoken clearly in His Word.

Common Grace Is Not a Blank Check

There’s a growing pressure inside the church to make peace with secular psychology. Not to carefully evaluate it, but to welcome it broadly. It usually comes wrapped in a phrase that sounds safe and even theological: “all truth is God’s truth.” The common refrain is, if something is true, it must come from God, so Christians should feel free to draw from secular counseling systems without much concern.

That instinct needs to be challenged, not because we’re afraid of truth, but because we’re called to handle it rightly.

The doctrine of common grace is where this conversation has to start. Common grace refers to the real goodness and kindness God extends to all people, not just Christians. He restrains sin in a fallen world. He doesn’t pour out the full weight of His wrath. He gives real, tangible blessings to everyone, causing the sun to rise and the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. His care extends across humanity and throughout creation.

That means we should expect to see real good in the world, even among those who don’t know Him. It also means we shouldn’t be surprised when unbelievers get some things right.

Human beings are made in the image of God and live in a world He’s ordered. Because of that, even those who reject Him are still able to observe patterns that are actually there. Secular psychologists can study behavior, relationships, emotions, and patterns of thought, and they can arrive at conclusions that line up with reality. They’re not operating in a vacuum. They’re working within God’s world, studying people who bear His image.

Common grace explains this without confusion. God restrains the full effects of sin, allowing people to function, reason, and observe with a measure of accuracy. This connects with general revelation, as God continues to make aspects of truth known through the world He’s made.

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