Chosen by God?

The usual question when it comes to being chosen by God is why would He choose some and not others? From experience and from Scripture, I get the idea that when God calls someone to faith in Him, that call is irresistible, yet Jesus says many are called but few are chosen. Israel was called as a nation, yet they failed in that calling and the Lord turned to the Gentiles. Yet if humans can say no to God, then how can God be sovereign? Who are we to control our own destinies? I cannot resolve this puzzle, yet today this passage added a dimension not thought of before; Jesus was also chosen. . . .  

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:4–10)

From this passage, those ‘chosen’ are ‘in Christ’ because Christ is chosen, just as we who are in Christ are righteous and justified. It is not our own righteousness but His. That is, like the pages in a book, I am in Christ. Or like the hand in a glove, He is in me. That union with Christ by faith and by the grace of God grants me the status of being chosen. It is not about God standing in the heavens and picking this person and not that person but a description of those who are in Christ.

In other words, being the elect or chosen is not a description of how I got there but a description of where I am. This explains the phrase ‘many are called but few are chosen’ in that God calls people to Himself yet only a few who are invited are actually in that kingdom of Christ and called His family.

This idea has holes in it too. However, I’m content with it. The NT uses the term “mystery” for several things including the gospel, what has happened with Israel, the fact that some will not ‘sleep’ but be changed, the will of God, how marriage depicts Christ and His church, that Christ is in His people, and several more truths about God’s doings. My nature is to love AND solve puzzles, yet faith tells me to simply believe what God says even if I cannot unravel it. One of those puzzles is that some believe and some do not.

PRAY: Lord, there are people who decide that all will eventually believe, or that no one goes to heaven against their will, or that only those who say yes to the calling will get in. . . all trying to simplify what You say is a mystery. All I know for sure is that God chose You and that You chose me. I cannot understand that choice except that “You chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; what is weak in the world to shame the strong; what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in Your presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:27–29, personalized) This humbles me, but I am content to be humbled and that You are glorified.

In the Potter’s hands

In our Monday Bible study, exalting a biblical person was a discouragement in a way. If I have to be well-educated, or raised by godly parents, or special in some way before God can use me, then He never will. On the other hand, I cannot say I am useless to God because God can do anything with even the most useless.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:27–29)

Paul understood this because he was a humble man who knew his own sinfulness. He was well-educated, respected as a Pharisee, and had many qualifications. If anyone could boast he could, yet he also said:

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh — though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith . . .  (Philippians 3:3–9)

Paul was not guilty of a false humility that tries to look humble before others. He knew that he was a sinner, but he also knew that in Christ he could do all things, not because of his credentials or background but because of the grace of God.

For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:9–10)

Chambers says, “The way we continually talk about our own inability is an insult to the Creator. The deploring of our own incompetence is a slander against God for having overlooked us.” By this he refers to that false humility that is sometimes an excuse to not do great things for God, or a self-pitying reason why God has never asked us to do anything?

The Lord often asks me to do things that in my own self would be totally impossible, but He provides the grace to do it. Many times I’d prefer He ask me to do that which I feel capable of doing, yet that is not how He works. I’m never to boast that I am able, just as I’m never to boast that I am unable. Either of these is foolish because it is putting the attention on me when I should be giving God glory. No matter what I am, it is He who works in me.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Galatians 2:20–21)

Chambers says, “Never bother your head as to whether what you say sounds humble before men or not, but always be humble before God, and let Him be all in all.”

He adds, “One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purpose, and yours may be that life.” With that, the image of a potter shaping clay comes to mind. The clay never tells the potter what to do or how to do it. It never insists what kind of shape it should be or cannot be. It just lets the potter do with it what he wants.

Amen.

God’s thoughts are higher than mine

Human ideas consistently run contrary to God’s truth. At the very least, we misquote Him. For instance, the Bible says that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). But those who shake their fingers at the rich say that “money is the root of all evil.” This shifts the blame for evil from the human heart to inert pieces of paper.

We also think better of ourselves than what God’s Word says of us. Solomon, in his quest for wisdom wrote… 

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

In our quest for dominance, we say that we control our own destiny and that “the race is to the swift and the battle is to the strong.” In my own thoughts I tend to say that the wise person prospers and those who lack knowledge and intelligence do not do so well. But this is simply not true.

The best are not always the winners. Things happen. Events interfere. As today’s devotional reading says, there are “incalculable powers abroad, balancing, adjusting, compensating, so that turn where one would in human affairs, there (are) unexpected and dramatic outcomes.”

Whether a person calls this chance, luck, providence or God, life is not controlled by human value systems. Outcomes are not predictable and I cannot control what happens by my intelligence or effort, nor can anyone else.

At the time of Jesus Christ, consider the emperor, Tiberius. He was a powerful person with no limits to his rule or wealth, no barriers to he wanted or did. He lived on a beautiful island in a lovely climate and should have been happy. But one historian says he was a gloomy man.

Compare that to Jesus. He had with no home where He could lay his head, no wealth, was hated and rejected, mocked and put to death even though He did nothing wrong. Yet He could offer His followers joy and peace “not as the world gives” and that could not be taken from them. Who won that race? Caesar or Jesus?

 As I think about the value system of God, I am encouraged. At least now I am. It used to frustrate me to read verses like these:

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:27–29)

At one time, I thought I was the exception to this and was thankful to be chosen anyway. Now I realize that my estimation of myself was that “the race is to the swift” instead of God’s estimation that “the race is not to the swift.” Translation: my pride made me foolish and weak in God’s sight, not wise and strong.

However, there is hope. As today’s devotional says, when weakness dominates and life is overwhelming, I can be glad that the battle is not always to the strong. God helps those who are helpless and comes to the aid of the weak. He is “near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

This truth also puts down pride and builds humility, and humility opens the door of my heart so that the King of Glory can come in. 

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isaiah 57:15)

Being weak puts me where I can know and rely on God, where I can discover His wisdom and power. Only a fool would say that their virtue is greater than that. If my own strengths were of any use and made me certain of winning my battles and being on top of things, I would have no room in my life for Jesus. Being slow, weak and unable is not shameful. Instead, it ensures that I will cling tightly to my Almighty Savior.