"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will" (Ephesians 1:4-5, NIV).
“For HE chose…”
It is God who actually made the choice. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit -- fruit that will last…” (John 15:16.)
We also read in Isaiah 43:10, “’You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he…’”
Others are teachings that God had given us the so-called human free will, so we have also the freedom to follow God or not, to receive or reject His Spirit, to delight in Him or despise Him.
But, is it really possible that because of our so-called freedom of choice, we are able to choose God, or even the things of God?
Paul wrote in Romans 8:7-8 that “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”
We read in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
And we also read in Genesis 6:5, “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”
With such kind of mind and heart, how can a man ever choose God?
It is not the question whether man has free will, or not. Though he has his freedom of choice, it is not enough for any man – except Jesus Christ -- to enable him to choose God and His righteousness.
As we read in 1 Corinthians 2:11 and 14, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God… The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Thus, we could only choose God, or accept His gift, if He would choose first to enable us – through His Spirit -- to understand or grasp His Worth, or the immeasurable value of His gift! For human beings are spiritually “unconscious” to behold and desire or choose what is “spiritually attractive or beneficial.”
And God “…chose US in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”
Because of the passage which says, "And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment -- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (Eph. 1:9-10; also Col. 1:19-20), should we believe that "all" are elected or chosen "to be holy and blameless in his sight... to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:4-5)?
Should we not say that the word "all" in verse 10 of Ephesians 1 and Colossians 1:20 does not refer to everybody, otherwise we could also say that even the demons are also included?
Could we just believe that the word "us" in Ephesians 1:4 refers to the believers, just as we read in verse 19: "us who believe"?
While some are teaching that everyone is included in Christ, Paul stated that those who are in Him are those who believed: “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation -- HAVING ALSO BELIEVED, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13, NAS).
Besides, the letter of Ephesians was addressed to “the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus” (verse 1).
Not everyone is chosen by God. Not all are chosen or predestined “to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ.”
And, according to Paul, who were the chosen ones?
“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, BECAUSE OUR GOSPEL CAME TO YOU NOT SIMPLY WITH WORDS, BUT ALSO WITH POWER, WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH DEEP CONVICTION. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. (1 Thess. 1:4-6).
Not everyone accepted or would accept the words of the Bible, or of those who are preaching the gospel, as the powerful Word of God. God’s Word could just be regarded by others as ordinary words of men.
But to those who were chosen, stated Paul, “…when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe“ (1 Thess. 2:13).
When God chose you to be conformed to the image of His Son, He would also enable you to believe in Him. As Paul wrote, “…it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13). It is not just because of our own human free will why we are able to believe.
Paul also wrote, “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (Rom. 9:16).
Consider also what happened to Lydia, who listened to Paul in Acts 16. She was able to respond to the message not because of her own human desire or effort, but we read in verse 14, “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
Still there are those who teach that though God would open our heart, because of our human free will, we could still respond negatively! But notice very well the words, “The Lord opened her heart…” When the Sovereign God opened your heart -- when He enabled you to believe, or when He enabled you to come to Jesus – He did it for you “to respond…”!
God would not open our heart, so we would just respond negatively. Human beings are already responding negatively to Him and His Words – for they are “spiritually unconscious.” However, because of His grace, He had chosen others to open their hearts, so they would respond positively to His call – ultimately, “to be holy and blameless in his sight.”
But why He didn’t choose everyone and also open their hearts to respond?
God does NOT rejoice when someone will disobey and suffer in hell for eternity. We read in Ezekiel 18:23, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (also Ezek. 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9).
But He has a plan. He will give His Spirit to those “God calls to himself” (Acts 2:39). He will give His Spirit to ALL persons – to all He “CALLS TO HIMSELF” (Acts 2:39) – those He had chosen (Eph. 1:4).
Paul wrote: “What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion’" (Rom. 9:14-15).
In verses 19 to 21, he continued: “One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?’ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?’" Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?”
If we are believers now, what we need to realize is – it is not our own human effort, not even our human will that would save us -- all of us just like the rest of human beings, “…we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:3-7).
PRAYER: Our Loving and Merciful Father, we praise You for Your Grace – for choosing us from among the rest to become the “objects” of Your mercy for Your noble purpose that we may be adopted as Your children. We do not deserve Your kindness, for the best thing that we can desire and do is just like filthy rags before Your Holy Presence. Thank You for the Work of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and for working in us – through Your Holy Spirit – that we are able to believe in Him. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
