Oct
23
You’ve Been Elected
Filed Under Devotional
I heard a fascinating hypothetical asked of a Christian apologist. It had to do with the deep question of freewill versus election. Here’s the situation: Two men are identical in every way. They have made the same choices. They have the same desires of the heart. They have done everything exactly the same. The question was, “Can God choose to give one grace and not the other?”
If you believe in a sovereign God choosing to whom He will give salvation, the answer must be in the affirmative. The questioner had a hard time with that. He wondered how it would glorify God to see one of these identical men going to Hell and the other going to Heaven.
Implicit in his question was the idea that it wasn’t fair. Somehow, it couldn’t be fair for God to select one of these men and not the other. But, the fairness concept is being based on the state and behavior of the human. There is nothing in the world about who we are or what we do that earns us one iota of salvation. If we had even the slightest inkling of influence, God would not be completely sovereign.
I’m reminded of how completely hopeless and helpless we are:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not of works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
We are saved by grace, which is a gift, and through faith, which is also a gift. We are not saved by our works. Everything we need to be saved is a gift from God. He is righteous and just when He condemns those who deserve condemnation. He is loving and merciful when He offers others salvation and elects them to have the faith to accept it. He is glorified in either circumstance.
Don’t get caught in the trap of the hypothetical twins. You are elect. Be thankful and do His work. Do not think that you had any influence over His decision to elect you. Do not let anyone else convince you that there’s something wrong with your God because of this.