His Choice enables my Choices

There is much controversary over a doctrine called ELECTION. The word ELECT is a noun meaning the ones chosen, whereas election is the “act of deliberately selecting someone or something” used throughout the NT in reference to the choice of God in redemption and service.

For the latter, He said of Paul that “he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15)

That part is easy. The difficulty lies in how does God’s choices for salvation tie in with human responsibility to choose Christ as their Savior. Who does what? How can both be true?

The OT says God chose Abraham and the Jews, not for anything they did, but He picked them to represent Him.

Many NT verses point to God’s work of choosing people. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John 15:16) adding the reason for His choice.

Other verses verify that God’s choice is not about picking those who somehow deserve this honor. Referring to Jacob and his brother, God selected Jacob “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls” (Romans 9:11) and following up saying this election does not depending on human will but on the mercy of God because no one deserves the wonder of God’s grace.

The words that are translated chosen, election or elect are slightly different yet all refer to a decision made by whoever is wanting something to happen. The difference is that mankind can choose to do a thing and it may or may not come to pass. In an incident when Paul was under arrest, some Jews wanted to assassinate him but a Roman soldier put a stop to it. People and God thwarting the choice of the others.

On the other hand, when the mind of God devises a plan, His plan will not be thwarted:

So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” (Romans 9:18–19)

This does not answer the question of human response to God being our choice. However, after years of thinking about this, this is my take on it . . .

First, God says no one seeks Him; this is the blind and stubborn nature of sin. In grace, He reveals Himself in creation (Romans 1) so all understand something about Him. If that revelation is refused, He leaves people to their own choices, a slippery slope into more and more sin and selfishness.

However, those who respond to that revelation eventually get another one; God shows them their need as sinners. To that, people can say yes or no. If no, back to the slope. If yes, the next choice is to turn to God for His help or rely on themselves to be ‘good’ and worthy of salvation. The Bible is clear that the second option does not work. Those who choose it might seem to stay static on that slippery slope because their self-effort is not as blatantly expressed as those who said no to the first revelation. However, these who try to save themselves are only deceived; it cannot be done. We all fall short.

Jesus said that the one who cries out, “Have mercy on me, a sinner” winds up being justified. Without God’s revelation, he would never have gotten that far, but with it he can see his options and chooses rightly. Jesus said that this choice results in justification, which would not have happened had God not chosen to reveal truth to that person in the first place.

Once chosen and redeemed, we are then given the ability to make other choices. Before that, all we could select was “our own way” whether it appeared “good” or evil or to say yes to God’s revelations. As a Christian, God gives even greater options . . .

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Jesus’ words, “Not my will but thine be done” show that godliness is not about the quality of the choice (After all, what is wrong with the will of this sinless Savior?) but who is making the choice, who is governing my life? Peter wrote, “Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” (2 Peter 1:10) I confirm that God choose me by doing what He says I must do, letting Him make decisions for my life. When I “lean to my own understanding” I am falling back into that old way of life, whether it appears good or not. In other words, election is the same as grace; without it and without God revealing truth and allowing me options, I would have remained on that slippery slope leading to destruction. It seems to me then that God chooses to offer all people grace — in stages — and our choices determine the outcome.

 

Sanctification is more than a lofty theological word . . .

Today’s devotional reading tells of three errors concerning the doctrine of sanctification. Boring? Not at all when I explored the meaning of this term and studied the biblical definition.

One of my dictionaries says that sanctification means “the state of proper functioning” or to set a person or thing apart for the use intended by its designer. If I made a pen, I’ve set it apart to write.  In the theological sense, God designed me for His purposes, and He set me apart to live accordingly.

Another dictionary links sanctification to active trust and obedience, citing 2 Corinthians 7:1 which tells me to perfect holiness out of reverence for God, and be diligent to be what He has called me to be. (See 2 Peter 1:10)

However, neither the devotional or the dictionaries bring out an even more amazing truth. While no one can set themselves apart for God and no one can keep themselves in that place apart from the presence and work of Jesus Christ, yet because Christ lives in me, I am already sanctified . . .

“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. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:28–31, italics mine)

God has already set me apart, declared me holy. The issue is learning how to act like it, to behave according to what I already am! This is something like enlisting in the armed forces. When a person ‘signs up’ they become a soldier, but it takes months of training before they act like it. In the case of Christians, we are set apart by God right from the start, then spend the rest of our lives learning how to behave as a sanctified person.

This is God’s grace, yet is often a struggle. Paul describes the struggle and the grace . . .

“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:14–25)

Those three errors in the devotional include mixing works and grace in a human effort to become sanctified, becoming sinless by a ‘second work of grace’ which is totally contrary to Scripture (see 1 John 1:8), and trying to separate oneself from sin using rules. All three errors happen to those who do not realize or accept that in Christ Jesus, Christians are already sanctified. Again, we just need to learn how to act like what we already are.

Perhaps this doctrine is too outrageous. Perhaps it is dismissed because we tend to evaluate ourselves by our performance rather than by what God says. Perhaps we humans want to contribute to our holiness so add works and rules to what is needed for spiritual growth. Whatever the reasons, none of those errors bring us closer to what God intends. He wants me to trust and obey Him — and He supplies everything I need to do that. A walk of faith with obedience does not make me more ‘set apart’ for God; it simply declares that I already am!

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, just as Your kingdom is already here but not yet, so also is my sanctification. You are it! You live in me and You are my perfect holiness right now. In You, I am all that the Father intended. The process of shedding the stuff that is not like You is a challenge, often painful, and yet You are the One who bursts forth in my life. I can no more make it happen than a caterpillar can will itself into a butterfly. All I can do is trust and obey, and You do the wonderful work. What a glory. What a future hope! Thank You!