Common grace refers to the undeserved blessings God bestows upon all humanity—such as restraining evil, preserving order, and providing physical benefits—which are distinct from the saving, effectual grace granted only to the elect. While Reformed traditions agree on God's sovereignty in these matters, they differ in their terminology and the extent to which they categorize these temporal gifts as 'grace.'
In the Reformed tradition, we recognize that God does not immediately pour out His full wrath upon a fallen world. Instead, He displays a form of restraint that keeps society from falling into absolute chaos and grants common blessings to all people regardless of their spiritual standing. This is consistent with Matthew 5:45, where our Lord Jesus Christ notes that the Father 'maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.' As noted in the 1689 LBCF Ch.3 §3, while some are predestined to eternal life, God governs all of history for the manifestation of His own glory, and His providential care over the wicked demonstrates His patience and preserves the theater of redemption.
It is essential to distinguish this temporal goodness from the 'effectual calling' reserved for those whom God has chosen for salvation. The WLC Q.68 clarifies that while some may receive common operations of the Spirit or hear the external call of the Gospel, they may still fail to come to Christ. Furthermore, as established in 1689 LBCF Ch.16 §7, works performed by unregenerate men—even those that are outwardly beneficial—do not proceed from a heart purified by faith and cannot make a person 'meet to receive grace' in the saving sense. True life is found only in the gospel of Jesus Christ, which delivers us from the weight of our sin and grants us the righteousness we could never earn on our own.