Do We Choose God or Does God Choose Us? Pt. 2

            Last week, we explored the different places in scripture that talk about election. We came to the conclusion that there is a group of people who have been elected (chosen) for salvation. This week, we are going to deal with a few specific passages concerning the election and some seeming contradictions.

            When looking for a clear passage on election, Romans 8:28-30 rises to the surface. It is called the “Golden Chain.” “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30). Each of the verbs in this passage is in a tense that indicates that the action has been completed. In other words, the whole thing is considered complete. This points to the fact that election and predestination cannot be corporate because justification, calling, and glorification are personal. Each of those three things God does on a corporate level is because he wants to have a personal relationship with his children. Those God chose to establish a loving relationship with before time, he marked out for a specific destination, he called and justified, and he will certainly one day glorify.

            Paul’s letter to the Romans has more to say about God electing his people to salvation. Is God just in choosing some but not others? If God really did choose some of us and not others, how are we to view that? Paul gives his argument in Romans 9.

Now it is not as though the word of God has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Neither is it the case that all of Abraham’s children are his descendants. On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac. That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring. For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son. And not only that, but Rebekah conceived children through one man, our father Isaac. For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand—not from works but from the one who calls—she was told, The older will serve the younger. As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau. What should we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! For he tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then, it does not depend on human will or effort but on God who shows mercy. For the Scripture tells Pharaoh, I raised you up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth. So then, he has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy and he hardens whom he wants to harden. You will say to me, therefore, “Why then does he still find fault? For who resists his will?” On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” Or has the potter no right over the clay, to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor? And what if God, wanting to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction? And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory on objects of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory—on us, the ones he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? (Romans 9:6-24)

In this passage, we see that there are two objections that are made against Paul’s view. The first objection is that God is unjust to pick one over another. Paul responds by saying that we should not object to God showing mercy to people. God did not have to show mercy to anyone. However, in his infinite grace, he chose to show mercy to some. Second, no one can be blamed for his or her rejection. Paul responds by saying Who are we to be talking back to God? This objection underestimates depravity. The irony of the objections against the reality that God predestined believers is that only the believers are the ones who object to the reality! You don’t hear nonbelievers complaining that they haven’t been chosen.

            Before we wrap it up for the week, we should look at another passage concerning predetermination.

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him. In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory. In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14)

This passage answers four essential questions: what, when, who, and why. When one is elected, he is chosen by God. God is the one who chooses, not man. If man were to choose, then we would be able to cause God to work. In addition, saying that man can choose underestimates depravity. We are not able to, nor do we want to, move towards God outside of him, first extending his grace towards us. Election happened before the foundation of the world. Paul adds that indicator of time to show that God’s choice came before man’s. We could not choose God before he chose us if he chose before the world was made. God chose the saints. Finally, God chose us to be holy. That is the reason for being chosen. We have been called to be holy like God.

            We’ve done a lot of work together looking at these passages concerning election. We should hang it up for now and continue next week. This week, we saw that God chose us before the foundations of the world. He chose us first; we did not choose him. Second, we saw that God is just in his choosing. In fact, his choosing is a display of his grace and mercy towards us. Next week, we will look at some apparent contradictions with the conclusions we made this week. We will also explore the common models of how people understand these texts.