It is an age-old question among Christians. Did we choose God, or did God choose us?
I confess to being a Presbyterian, one of the "frozen chosen," known for their die-hard beliefs in predestination. But I don’t blindly agree with everything they teach (and in fact disagree with them on the issue of infant baptism, but that’s a separate matter).
I have been struggling with the issue of predestination for a while, and it came up again this week in my (non-denominational) Bible study when we were studying Jacob and Esau. God clearly says he chose Jacob before he was even born or did anything, and poor Esau never had a chance:
"Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." Romans 9:12-13 (The original story is in Genesis 25.)
It’s not so much whether we are actually predestined that I struggle with. That’s pretty clear in the Bible:
"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." Ephesians 1:11
What I’m really struggling with is, what does predestination look like? Some would say that God didn’t actually plan for us to be saved; He just knew who would be. I disagree with this.
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." Romans 8:29-30
It seems pretty clear to me from this passage that God goes way further than just knowing what we will choose. He Himself predestined us.
So if God predestined us for salvation, this brings up a whole new set of questions:
1) Why would He choose some people and not others?
2) How much control does He actually have over us, and how much free will do we have?
The first question is not for me to answer. All I can say is that God is sovereign, and it’s up to Him to decide. I would also say that He doesn’t doom anyone to hell. We doom ourselves to hell by our sin. But God in His great mercy saves some of us.
The second question can blow your mind if you think too long and hard about it. Does He only control our salvation but give us free will in everything else? Or, at the other extreme, does He control every single thing we do, so we only think we are making our own choices? And if He does this, why does He allow sin in the world?
I can’t really answer this either, and I don’t think the Bible gives us a cut and dry answer. It seems like we are making our own choices. But if God controls our salvation, He would have to control the events leading up to it. I, for one, can look back to the time before I was saved and see how God was working in my life to point me to that event: going to church every Sunday and learning Bible stories and developing a hunger for Him, feeling like there was something missing, then later moving to a neighborhood where I attended a Good News Club and found the answer I had been looking for. He has put certain people in my life both before and after my salvation who have influenced me in major ways. He has brought circumstances that are undeniably for a greater purpose.
My best explanation at this point in my life is that we are sort of like a dog on a leash. God has ultimate control of us. He is leading us in a certain direction and keeping us out of harm’s way, but we are free to make some decisions on our own. Of course, my mind is finite. I can only think so deeply.
I can agree to disagree with people on this issue. The most important thing is definitely THAT you are saved, not how you think you got there. I know that the Bible is subject to different interpretations, and true Christians may have completely different points of view on this issue. I would be curious to hear what others of you out there are thinking about all this.
For This Man I Prayed, Waited, and Wrote
6 months ago
3 comments:
Sometimes when ppl ask if it is one way OR the other as far is some things go...kinda like this topic... it's more like both. We want to think that God can only do things one way..but He doesn't. He can want all men to know Him and yet know that many won't. So how about 'both' for an answer? : )
on a side note.. I had never heard of Good News Clubs until recently. Our church sponsors one.. or however it is that it works. lol
So intersting that I read your blog today on this topic. It's something I've really ben wrestling with lately. I grew up in a denomination that broke off from the PCA church over the issue of prediesination. Now I'm in a reformed theology church. I am trying to ome to terms with just what I believe about this. I have no problem accepting the sovereignty of God and that we all deserve hell outside of his mercy. I just can't quite come to terms with how He "elects" the elect. I just finished reading Chosen by God (RC Sproul) and it had some good points. I just try to rest in the knowledge that however I became His, I am and that's what is important!
I believe that God knows who will choose Him...and those are the ones that are "chosen". He knows who will accept the gift of His son Jesus, and who will deny Him. I believe that every person has the opportunity to be saved by His grace, but unfortunately, not every person will....not because God didn't "choose" them, but because God knew (or foreknew) them before the foundation of the earth, and He foreknew that those people would not receive Jesus into their hearts and lives and repent of their sins.
So, what I feel the bottom line is this: God "chooses" those that He already knew would choose Him.
Great blog Jill...I love to have the opportunity to think about and speak about why I believe what I believe. That's what we are supposed to do! It keeps me on my toes and looking toward God! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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