God’s choices or men’s? Election
“God sees the future. He sees who will make a decision for Him, and saves those people,” or,
“Before there was a world, He chose His disciples, the ones He would call out of this evil world, and then visited those chosen ones with His salvation, causing them to love Him and serve Him all their days.”
Left to ourselves, our carnal way of thinking, I know which one of these appeals to us, because we have a sense of “fairness” that may not be God’s sense of fairness. Since we do not want to depend on our own intellect in this matter, we must rely on the revelation he gave us through prophets and apostles. Agreed? Whatever they said, along with Jesus’ own testimony, we must say.
Personally, I never liked it when we chose up sides when I was in grade school. There was no doubt I was going to be among the last chosen, if chosen at all. The games we played demanded skills I didn’t have, and was not likely to acquire during the game.
Most of us shy away from this “choosing” doctrine because we are afraid we might not be one of the elect ourselves. But the doctrine is still there, and we may as well deal with it. He does what He wants and chooses whom He wants, for His own purposes. That’s what it says.
If you are expecting me to turn to Romans 9 as some sort of proof text in this matter, you are absolutely right. Why not go to the most difficult passage of all? Why not stop explaining it away, and making excuses for Paul’s radical statements?
Let’s start with verse 10. Rebekah is pregnant. Twins, you’ll recall. In those days, no way of knowing anything personal about either child, even their gender. And as in all days, no way of knowing their character or how they would be favored by God or man. No way.
Except one way. God knew. And God told her. The older shall serve the younger. That’s foreknowledge. But it is also something else, according to Paul. It is choice. And it is choice based on the purposes of God, not whether the boys had done anything good or bad. I’ve made a decision, says God. I’m not just telling the future. The older one will serve the younger one. That’s how it will be.
We all wish Paul had not taken it a step further, but he did. “Jacob I loved. Esau I hated.” Deal with it. Why bring the prophet Malachi into this? (Malachi 1:2) The prophet begins his book with this very statement about his preference for Jacob, who became Israel, which became God’s mighty nation of the same name. Esau, on the other hand, became Edom, and was eventually extinguished. Why? The reason ultimately is known only to God. Not about human characteristics. Yes, Esau blew his chances at a blessing and a birthright. But Jacob’s character was not squeaky clean either. We’re talking about the purposes of God. Before either of them had shown their hand.
Not convinced? Paul is not finished. It gets more intense than Jacob and Esau. He could tell people were already getting nervous with his illustration, though, and he affirms that there is no injustice with God! Our minds say there is. Paul says, and we know, there is not. To prove his point, he quotes God Himself:
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It’s My business, says God. Make no conclusions about what I should or should not do.
Verse 16 sounds a lot like the verse in John 1 we quoted above: “It does not depend on the person who wills it, or the person who tries hard, but on God Who has mercy.” God saves sinners, not righteous people, remember? He saves Gentile outcasts, Jewish aristocrats and even Pharisees. He chooses the worst and confounds the best. That’s just how it is.
Pharaoh is next up. To that world ruler God gives this piece of information: “For this purpose I raised you up [chose you!], to demonstrate My power in you.”
Paul’s summation (not mine): God has mercy on whomever He desires, and likewise He hardens the ones He wants to harden. Don’t like that? Why? Well, how can He blame me for something He chose, after all?
Answer: There is no answer. Keep your mouth closed. You’re talking back to God. You’re criticizing His ways, which you obviously do not comprehend. You’re a created thing, like a cup in a potter’s hand. He can make you into a chalice for a King or a spittoon for a leper if He wants. And you must say nothing in response! (I paraphrase Paul.)
But that sounds mean! That’s not fair! By whose standards? By My own, says God. Yours don’t count. Only mine count.
Let it all sink in. God is God. He is good. Sin is against the good God. Men have chosen, with their free will, sin. They are all doomed to be cursed, because that’s the rules. The soul that sins, dies, an eternal death. But, because of His grace and mercy, He chooses a few out. A relative few. Actually many, many, people, but in comparison to Earth’s populations over the millennia, a few. And you are one of them. Christ lives in you. You feel the promise of eternity in your heart. You serve God while around you is the Devil’s self-serving crowd. You are different. You are saved.
Now, isn’t grace suddenly amazing? You actually were chosen! You’re on the team. You’ll be in Heaven. Choosing suddenly isn’t such a bad thing after all.
Once you see this choosing thing, it pops up all over Scripture, and you begin to yield to it. You have discovered one of His attributes, and you delight in it.
Ephesians 1:4. God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. Yes, before you blew it all those times, and in spite of your future failures, He chose you. I have no idea why.
It’s everywhere. Jesus spends all night in prayer, then chooses 12 disciples. What was wrong with all the other men? Why not just have an open-ended discipleship? Anyone that wants to be with me, come. There was some of that, and those numbers fluctuated through the months. But the chosen group, even Judas, stayed intact. Why weren’t you one of the Twelve? Not fair, you say, I lived 2000 years too late!
Persecution comes to the church. The Pharisees continue their attacks. But God chooses one of them to confound the others. Why Paul? And as the “other” Judas asks in John, “Why will you manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Why not stop all the persecutors with a dream or a vision or an encounter? Why only Paul? Just think, Jesus, what you could do with 25 Paul’s or 100 or 1000?
Jehovah needs no advisors. His plan is His plan. His choices are His choices. We are the ones with the questions. So be it.
Go back in history. He calls Cyrus by name, and says, Cyrus, you are to release my people and let them re-build their temple! Cool. But why only Cyrus? Why not Antiochus Epiphanes? He was a religious enough man. If you had appeared to him, he would have done what he was told and would have freed Israel from the torments he placed on them. Why not speak to the Caesars of Jesus’ day and the apostles’ day? And the religious and irreligious leaders of our own day? Why not go into North Korea and have a chat with Kim Jong Un? Tell him to set Your concentration camp prisoners free. Tell him he is not God but You are. Like You spoke to Nebuchadnezzar, in dreams.
Why? I ask all these questions and remind myself of the book of Job where it was God Himself asking Job question after question to which he had no response. Do we really think we have fathomed the ways of the Lord because we have read His book a few times? Read it again. Live a while. Then read again. Then live some more. Ever so slowly the wise among us get it: God is in charge. He does what He wants to do. He chooses whom he wills. Whether you are particularly enamored with His plans or not.
Based on our inability to choose (point one, above, depravity) God chooses. Would you rather have a world where man makes the choices and decisions? I think not.
In all of our talk of choosing we cannot forget two others chosen of God:
1. The chosen people, Israel. As we learn more of this special nation we understand that the choosing is not only of a physical people but of a Spiritual people. Israel will survive forever, but not according to the flesh. The tree’s branches have been lopped off and replaced with Gentile branches, but in the mind of God that was the original choosing. A people who would love Him from the heart, and do His bidding without question. Israel still stands, elected of God forever.
2. And of course, The Servant King, Jesus. Isaiah calls Him the chosen one in whom God’s soul delights. Jesus is chosen. His followers are chosen. His reign is chosen. The place of His reign is chosen. The very dates of that reign are chosen. The specifics of the Kingdom in terms of people and objects and duties… all chosen. The kingdoms of this world and their rulers, are chosen. Are you chosen?
Many are called, but few are chosen. Yes, the Gospel is preached in all the world as a witness. Many, many hear. But God has chosen only a few of those to respond to that Gospel. Scripture admonishes us all to make not only our calling, but our election, sure. Was it the Gospel that called you, or a friend you wanted to go to church with? Was it the Savior or a free meal? Was it Jesus, or was it a business contact? Did you love His Kingdom or were you trying to make a Kingdom of your own? Have you truly been called? Have you truly been chosen? Is your life now bearing the fruit of a child of God? Do you love people? Are you joyful, peaceful, kind? Do you reach out to souls with God’s Word?
If you have been called by the true Gospel, even if at first the call was earth-based, grace came into your heart to respond to it. You are one of His, and the fact that God hasn’t chosen everyone doesn’t discourage you any longer. You rejoice in your election, live it out, and let God take care of His business.
