My sheep hear My voice…

The song and the Lord say, “My sheep hear my voice” and declare that God’s people do not know or follow the voice of strangers. Reflecting on this, my experience makes a distinction between God’s sheep who listen only to Jesus, and the old nature who definitely knows and follows the voice of the world and even the devil. Each time I do a selfish or sinful thing, it is because I am not listening to the Lord, but to those desires of the flesh… which died with Christ and is separated from communion with God, but nevertheless remains with ears to hear lots of junk.

Today’s reading begins with: “When we have heard the call to surrender and have confessed that the Lord is our God and that we will walk in His ways and keep His commandments, He declares us to be His peculiar people and promises to make us holy.”

I believe this is backwards because “I” cannot hear the call of God until God has given me faith to believe and declared me His child. Only then do I become one of His sheep and am able to hear His voice and yield to His desires.

The reading says, "From that moment He takes full possession of us. What can He do but take possession of the soul that surrenders itself to Him? And of course He sanctifies that which is His own. Everything given to God becomes, by that very act, holy and set apart for His use alone.”
Again, this is backwards. I did not and would not be able to give myself to God until He first called me and made me His child.

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)

It has to be in this order for the Bible declares over and over that flesh cannot and will not choose or even seek God.

As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:10–20)

Two ways are viewed: the power of God to change sinners and the free will of man to choose or reject God. The problem, with the second view is that it exalts “I” and the human will instead of Jesus. It also dismisses biblical teaching that everyone will reject God unless God works in our hearts to change the way we think. He is the Savior. Without Him, no one would believe. In our ‘free will’ we pick our own way, not God’s way. (Isaiah 53:6)

The devotional speaks of the danger of an “I” religion without seeming to realize that ‘free will’ is at the root of it. When Jesus said, “Not my will but thine be done” there was no sin in His will, yet He yielded it to the Father. To be like Jesus, I’m to do the same, but without the mind of Christ, I would never say that because, as the Bible says, I would never seek God.

Why cling to the idea of free will? Such is the power of sin. It leads the human heart to want to be in control, the very opposite of what faith in God entails. He exists and is sovereign. I’m basically unable to do anything apart from His mercy and grace.

PRAY: Lord, it is right to exalt You and to give You glory for anything right that happens in my life. I’m helpless and without spiritual life or fruit without You. I acknowledge You as the Author and Finisher of my faith and of my very life and breath. I need You and Your grace every moment and am grateful that You died for my sin, rose again, and give me Your life, even Your mind and Spirit that I might surrender and live as Your sheep who is able to hear Your voice and do what You say.

Asking the right question . . .

If God is sovereign, why does evil exist? If God is all-powerful, why do bad things happen? If God saves people by grace, not by anything we say or do, why do only a few people become Christians?

The argument seems to be between God’s sovereignty and human volition. While many Christians choose one side or the other, I think both are true. My reason is simple: in His sovereignty, God gave humanity the ability to choose.

Think of it this way: if we were created to always do what He says and always submit to His rule, we would be robots and God a puppet–master. This was not His plan. Instead, God gave us the power of choice. Adam and Eve made the first choice to disobey God and with it, humanity entered the realm of choosing to go our own way. God knew before the foundation of the world this would happen and what He would do about it. He never intended we be programmed robots who mechanically do His will.

This makes sense. With the ability to choose, making selfish choices is between trusting God or trusting ourselves. Obviously, the choice to trust ourselves is constantly there — when in danger we pick safety, in relationships we will pick those that make us feel good, and so on.

We also avoid anything that threatens this freedom of choice. This explains why people avoid God. He calls us to give our lives to Him and we misinterpret that. Like Eve, we fall for the lie that God does not care about our well-being, not realizing He is the only One who can set us free from the tyranny of always needed to have our own way.

However, God is still sovereign in this strange testing of our loyalties. He can could zap us into ‘robot’ mode, but that is not His choice. Instead, His plan involves revealing Himself to sinful people, giving us reason to trust Him. Sadly, the more selfish we become, the more blind we are to the delights of righteous living.

Yet if God opens our eyes and draws us into His kingdom, our ability to choose does not change; we still have options. Even then, our choices do not affect the sovereignty of God. Sin put us into one option: going our own way. Salvation brings back the desire and ability to follow Him, but only because He restores the ability to choose.

How does He make it possible that sinners can change? He has His ways. For proud Old Testament King Nebuchadnezzar, it was a period of mental illness and humility. God said to him:

“You shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” (Daniel 4:32)

For the nation of Israel, it was many revelations of Himself through the prophets. Isaiah said to them:

“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:5–7)

Isaiah also pointed to the sovereignty of God and to what eventually will happen to those who continue in their selfish ways:

“Woe to him who strives with Him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?  . . . . Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’” (Isaiah 45:9, 22–23)

God has a plan. Not everyone will be forgiven and saved, but everyone will realize who He is and what they should have done. This ultimate result is repeated in Romans 14:11, and also in another passage that first points to Jesus. He is God revealed in human flesh who willingly became one of us that He might pay our penalty for sin . . .  

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11)

As for today’s devotional, the writer quotes some people who say God is trying his best to save all mankind, but a majority will not let Him save them. In other words, God is impotent.

I believe both sides of this argument are valid. God is sovereign. He did not need to give Adam and Eve a choice. They and the rest of humanity could have walked with God in the garden forever, yet that untested love proves nothing. Mankind was given a choice, but in sin they cannot make it unless God grants them the grace to do so.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I understand why You came, that You love sinners, and that You created us with the power of choice. I know You have the power to save anyone. You are sovereign, yet we can say yes or no to You. What I don’t understand is why Your saving power is not used on every single human being — our will is not omnipotent and You could do it. The only answer I can think of is that perhaps I ask the wrong question? Instead of wondering why you don’t save everyone, I should ask why do you save anyone? 

My free will or God’s amazing grace?

Christians are divided on a fundamental question about the will of man and the will of God. Calvinists believe that no one can will themselves to be saved, yet once God saves them, He will keep them saved. The Arminian view says people can choose to believe and also change that choice. They say no one will go to heaven against their will.

I believe that both are right and both are wrong — particularly if they leave the power of God out of the equation. Here is what Jesus said on this matter (italics mine) . . .

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. (John 6:35–47)

Fortner answers the issue well. He says of course people are free to do anything they want — as long as they have the ability to do it. However, our actions are limited by our nature. For example, I am free to swim to Hawaii, but my nature is unable. A colored man may desire to change the shade of his skin, but he has no ability to do so. We have free will but this is not absolutely free; it is limited by human nature.

Here is the kicker: because we are by nature fallen, guilty, sinful and depraved beings without life towards God or any interest in Him, we have no ability or desire to believe in Jesus Christ.

As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10–12)

Jesus said, “Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:40).

That is, in our natural condition, we have no desire to come to Christ, which is why Jesus could say, “No man can come to me.” It is against our sinful nature. We do not want to, nor do we have the ability.

As Fortner says, I was spiritually dead so in regard to the things of Christ, I had no free will. Yet to be saved, I had to come to Christ in faith and surrender to Him as Lord. How could that decision happen in a person whose nature was totally against it, going my own way and rejecting the way of the Lord?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)

The grace of God came and granted me the gift of faith, creating in me a new nature. He did this with irresistible grace and power, and grace makes people willing to come and able to come to Christ. Grace even sees to it that we do come.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, Your Word gives me these words, “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14). What I could not do, You did for me. You came into my life and changed who I am, and with that You changed my eternal destiny. What I cannot do even still, You do in me by the power of the Holy Spirit and because of grace. Nothing from You is earned or deserved; everything is by grace through faith and faith is possible because “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) This morning I woke up singing “Amazing Grace” and it certainly is!

Choosing to Sail

James MacDonald in his book, “Gripped by the Greatness of God” gives an illustration that helps me with the age-old debate concerning the free will of man and the sovereignty of God. He says to imagine a ship leaving England and sailing for New York. As the ship leaves Liverpool, the passengers begin to make choices: what they will eat, what to wear, what activities they will enjoy. Some will read on deck, some will play shuffleboard. Some will eat steak and others will go for the salad. Yet no matter their individual choices, the ship is going to tie up at the pier in New York.

So it is with the plan of God. Human choices can either enhance this plan or appear to mess it up. Our meddling started with the first choice. Adam and Eve decided to disobey God and eat from the only thing forbidden to them, the tree of knowledge. They wanted to know on their own what was good for them rather than rely on God for that understanding.

At that point, sin entered the world. The power of choice remains and was always there, but the ship seemed to have run aground and God’s perfect plan seemed to be thwarted. At that point…

(God) drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24)

The rest of the Bible tells of God’s redemptive plan, culminating in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In dying for our sin, God offered a new choice. We can turn to Christ and accept Him as our Savior. When we do, He forgives our sin and becomes our life. In Him, we can live forever. 

When we step from this life onto eternity’s pier, God will give us another look at that tree once guarded by the angels.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1–2)

Today’s devotional adds a marvelous thought by Alexander Maclaren …

How remarkable and how beautiful it is that the last page of the Revelation should come bending round to touch the first page of Genesis! The history of man began with angels with frowning faces and flaming swords barring the way to the Tree of Life. It ends with the guard of cherubim withdrawn; or rather, perhaps, sheathing their swords and becoming guides to the no longer forbidden fruit, instead of being its guards. That is the Bible’s grand symbolical way of saying that all between—the sin, the misery, the death—is a parenthesis. God’s purpose is not going to be thwarted. The end of His majestic march through history is to be men’s access to the Tree of Life, from which, for the dreary ages that are but as a moment in the great eternities—they were barred out by their sin.

God provides the sailing ship and His invitation for everyone is the wonderful glad cry: “All aboard!”

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. (Revelation 22:14)