Salvation - God's Choice or Man's Choice?

Salvation - God's Choice or Man's Choice?

 

Main Verses

Joshua 24:15 … choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.

Matthew 23:37 I (Christ) have longed … but you were not willing.

John 7:17 If any one chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God.

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you.

Acts 7:51 You always resist the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:46 Since you reject it (God’s word) … we now turn to the Gentiles.

Romans 8:29-30 For those God foreknew he also predestined … called … justified … glorified.

Romans 9:10-24 (especially verse 18) According to His own will, God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Romans 11:32 God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Ephesians 1:4-5 For he chose us … before the creation of the world.

1 Timothy 2:4 [God] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

1 Peter 1:2 [Christians] have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.

2 Peter 1:10 … make your calling and election sure.

The Problem

Jesus in John 8:34 and Paul in Romans 6:14-18 both clearly stated that unbelievers are slaves to sin. Unbelievers, without help, cannot even understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). They cannot choose RIGHTEOUSNESS by their own power. No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). And no one can know the Father unless the Son reveals Him (Matthew 11:27-28). We see examples of God opening people’s hearts to see and understand in Luke 24:45 and Acts 16:14.

Both Jesus and Paul said that unbelievers can be set free from slavery to sin (John 8:36; Romans 6:17-18), and Paul stated that believers become slaves to righteousness. This salvation is not a result of human work, but is a free gift of God (see Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9 and comments).

Jesus said that the disciples did not choose Him, but that He chose them to go and bear fruit (John 15:16). Paul said that God chose us in him before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), and that He predestined us to be adopted as his sons (Ephesians 1:5,11). Our election is according to God’s foreknowledge (Romans 8:29-30; 1 Peter 1:2). In Romans 9:16, Paul emphasizes that God’s choice does not depend on man’s effort or desire, but on God’s mercy.

All Christians believe that SALVATION comes by God’s grace and mercy alone, and that we cannot work to earn our salvation. But a problem arises. Does this mean that we have no choice at all in our own salvation? Are REPENTANCE and FAITH things we choose to do, or are they things that God chooses to produce in us? Does man have the power to resist God’s GRACE and say “No” to God?

Does Man Have a Choice in His Salvation?

Different Christians answer this question differently. Some Christians believe that only God chooses who will be saved; man cannot choose because he is a slave to sin. They believe that God chooses only some people, not everyone, to be saved; God chooses the rest to be destroyed. These Christians point to Jesus’ statement that many are invited, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14), and to Paul’s statement that certain vessels are prepared for destruction while others are prepared for glory (Romans 9:22-23). In Romans 9:18, Paul writes: God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. Elsewhere, some people are mentioned as being appointed to eternal life (Acts 13:48), and others as being appointed to stumble and disobey (1 Peter 2:8). These Christians believe that God chooses who will be saved, and then gives the ability to repent (2 Timothy 2:25) and believe (Philippians 1:29) only to those who are chosen. The chosen ones have no choice themselves and cannot say “No” to salvation.

Many other Christians believe that God’s choice is not the only thing involved in our salvation, but that we also have a part. The Jewish people in the Old Testament, although chosen by God through no merit of their own, apparently were given a choice whether to follow God or not (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15). In the New Testament, Jesus said that if anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will recognize God’s teaching (John 7:17). We are commanded to repent (Acts 2:38) and to believe (Romans 10:9-10) in order to receive salvation. These Christians believe that God first calls us, but that we can resist God’s call and salvation.

Some of this second group of Christians believe that God takes the unbeliever who is a slave to sin and frees him just enough to be able to make a free choice again. If the freed person chooses God, he is saved; if he chooses SATAN, he falls again into slavery to sin and is damned. Others, however, believe that men and women are so bound in sin that they will never choose God. Therefore they believe that God does all the choosing for salvation, but man does all the choosing for damnation. In other words, if God chooses someone to be saved and that person does not resist God, he is saved. But if he resists, God will not force him to be saved, and thus he will be damned by his own choice.

But are we able to resist God in this way? Many Christians point out that God is all-powerful. Who are we to resist the creator? (Romans 9:19-21). But in spite of that, many other Christians believe that God has given us freedom of choice. They point to passages which speak of people resisting God’s desires for them (Matthew 23:37; Acts 7:51; 13:46), and to other passages which warn us not to resist God (2 Corinthians 6:1; Hebrews 3:8,13; 12:25).

Therefore, we see that Christians have given three main answers to this question: 1) man has no choice in his salvation or his damnation; 2) man has a choice in both; 3) man cannot choose salvation, but after God calls him he can then resist God’s call and choose damnation.

These three main ideas about whether we have a choice in our salvation can be described by the following illustration. Picture a boy tied by the side of a road. He represents the unbeliever bound in slavery to sin. A man comes along with an oxcart. He represents God, who wants to bring men and women to salvation. The man with the cart can do one of three things. 1) He can leave the boy still tied up, but place him in the cart and take him away. This represents the viewpoint of those who believe we have no choice in our salvation nor power to resist God. 2) The man can untie the boy and ask him if he wants to be taken away or not. If the boy chooses to be taken away, the man places him in the cart and drives off. This represents the viewpoint of those who believe that God first frees us so that we can make the choice for either salvation or damnation. 3) The man can untie the boy after placing him in the cart. Then the boy can jump out if he wants to do so. If the boy does nothing, he will be carried off. This represents the viewpoint of those who believe that God chooses us and will do all the work for salvation, but that we may resist and reject God’s work.

In summary, according to the first viewpoint, God does all the choosing for both salvation and damnation. According to the second viewpoint, God gives man the freedom to choose both salvation and damnation. According to the third viewpoint, God does all the choosing for salvation, but man can resist and choose damnation.

Does God Call All Men?

Does God want every single person to receive salvation, or only some? In Matthew 22:14 Jesus said that many are invited but few are chosen. It is clear that Jesus is the Savior of the world (John 4:42; 1 John 4:14), and that He died to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2). Furthermore Paul said that God wants all men to be saved (Romans 11:32; 1 Timothy 2:4-6; 2 Peter 3:9). What does the phrase “all men” mean?

Some Christians think that “all men” means “all kinds of men,” meaning that God calls or chooses some individuals from all groups of people. They believe that God wants the good news of Christ spread to the whole world, but that He gives the gift of faith only to a few from each group. But other Christians think that “all men” means “every single person.” Although God calls all men, only believers can properly be called “chosen.” (Both meanings are possible in the Greek³ text.)

What about those who have never heard about Jesus? Can they be saved? Most Christians think they cannot. All men are sinners by nature. All are worthy of death (Romans 3:10-12; 6:23). There is no other way to be saved except by Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Therefore, in Romans 10:13-14 Paul writes: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? It is possible that God may show mercy to those who have never heard about Jesus (Luke 12:47-48; Romans 2:12), but that is God’s own decision.⁴ The Bible does not clearly state what God will do to those who have never heard. However, the Bible does state clearly that it is our responsibility to tell others about Jesus Christ.

Summary

The questions asked in this article are hard ones. The Bible does not give an unequivocal answer to them. God’s will is such a mystery! How deep is His wisdom and knowledge! (Romans 11:33-36). Perhaps all of these opinions are true in part. John wrote: We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). Perhaps we could also say: “We chose God because He first chose us.” Salvation is God’s work, but it appears that we have a part also. Paul points out these two thoughts when he writes: … work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).