Monday, March 27, 2006

Unconditional Election

In salvation, who does the choosing? Man, or God? Is the person who hears the Gospel and rejects it somehow less intelligent than the one who hears it and responds by embracing it? Did the person who rejected the Gospel do so because the Christian presenting it to them forgot to share some vital piece of information with them? Is the one who accepts the Gospel as truth “luckier” because they happened to have a knowledgeable Christian presenting the Gospel to them? This seems like a lot of pressure on a reckless sinner, which we all are, by the way. Maybe it’s the other way around, as I’ve heard from people. Maybe it’s Christians who are less intelligent. Maybe we’re the “unlucky” ones, duped into believing a religion that takes away our opportunity for so much “fun” in life; I mean, what’s not fun about living for “me” all the time? I can’t explain this latter line of thought, though, after seeing numerous brilliant-minded Christians. In every line of work, they can be found. It doesn’t seem logical that these minds, who are reasonable in every other aspect of their lives, would somehow “shut down” this part of their minds when it comes to religion. No, I think the most plausible explanation, and the one Scripture supports most heavily, is that the sovereign Lord does all of the choosing, and man does no original choosing. I’ll explain what I mean by that in a moment. I know how I became a Christian; I chose Christ. I can clearly remember this happening. This is, I think, a normal way to understand it, since it’s how I perceived it, but it’s not entirely biblical because it excludes part of the process. I chose Christ because I desired to do so in my heart. However, I acted on desires the Lord placed in my heart. These desires are unnatural; no, it’s most natural to indulge myself and be greedily hedonistic in my lifestyle. If I chose God based on real desires in my heart, and these desires were not in my heart prior to becoming a Christian, and these desires are unnatural, they must have been placed there by someone. This someone would have to have the ability to conquer the rebellious heart, much like that of Saul, on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). This God would have to have the ability to melt the heart of an atheist who thought Christians were less intelligent, more gullible, and living a foolish lifestyle. Glory and praise be to God in the highest because He saved this wretch in 1999, who firmly believed He didn’t exist (this is “amazing grace”)! This is what I meant when I wrote that man does no original choosing: I didn’t come up with the desire within myself; rather, the Lord was the author of this desire within my dead heart. It seems what separates a believer from a non-believer is not anything inherent in the person, but rather it is the sole decision of God. Certainly, this will lead some people to the conclusion that since God does the choosing, man has no responsibility to do anything. This is fatalistic thinking, without Scriptural foundation. There are a multitude of verses calling men to repentance, to be holy, to cling to what is good. It’s just that the only people who are going to respond are those whose hearts are first changed by the Lord, to have this unnatural desire to seek Him. This is so devastatingly humbling to my heart, and I am left with the realization that I had absolutely NOTHING to do with my salvation. I am saved by the grace of God, through my faith in Him, but even this faith, “MY” faith, is not my own. No, it was placed in my heart by God, and He did this to remove any tendency to boast in my salvation (Ephesians 2:8,9)!

This verse (2 Chronicles 30:6-12) is great because it compares those who choose to obey God with those who don’t, and then it gives the reason for the difference in obedience.

Father, thank You for conquering my rebellious will, shattering my pride, and driving me to my knees in shameful repentance before You. When I hated You most, You reached out and humbled me by showing Your love for me. You kept my heart beating as I placed a crown of thorns on Your brow. You kept me strong, from fatigue, so I could beat you and rip flesh from your back more effectively. You maintained my coordination as I drove nails into your hands and feet. You hung on my cross, wearing my crown of thorns, and I thanked You by spitting in Your face and cursing You. You kept me alive, knowing all along that You would one day redeem me so I could have a proper relationship with You, rescuing me from Your wrath. Why?! My heart cries out for an answer, but it is too great for me. I have no reason why You should choose me, but I am thankful. My life is poured out before You, offering all that I have, which is everything You have given me. I have nothing to give You that is original in me. Thank You for providing me with everything I will ever need to worship You properly. Please forgive me for constantly trying to worship You from self-reliance, and teach me what it means to be humble before You. Because Your love is better, is worth more than my life, I will forever praise You and love You. Please sustain this faith because I am unable to do so apart from You. Teach me. Mold me. Break me. Who I am hates who I have been. Keep me on my knees before You.

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