Friday, January 17, 2014
CHANGING DEFINITIONS
My wife made a very good observation tonight as we were discussing with the pastor the nature of man and religion, by saying, "It seems man either tends to change the definition of sin, or else change the definition of God." (Proud of my wife). This is precisely the state of this world. Either we attempt to lower the Holiness of God to some person that we can satisfy, or we attempt to lower the sin of man to something we can fix. By changing the definition of sin we lower the bar to a standard we think we can keep and justify ourselves when we are appealing to the wrong standard altogether. Thankful for a godly wife.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
A WELL ROUNDED FOCUS FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
One error that I make, is thinking that the highest focus and sole focus of the Christian is evangelism. I don't know. Maybe that was a major focus in my childhood or through seminary, or unknown influences, but regardless, I think it is wrong to become so narrow in our pursuits. Why magnify the great commission over being a good husband or good father or good servant. The deacons did not leave the widows in limbo because they made the great commission they only Christian pursuit. All Christians have a desire to see people saved, and that will never change, but our accountability to God extends far beyond our labors in evangelism. We do not need to pit one verse against another in a competition. James discusses helping the widow and orphan as a vital part of the Christian life; so that area of obedience cannot be buried in an attic box because we have made the great commission our sole mantra and bumper sticker. By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, He will give us a wider and broader ministry which entails evangelism but also extends to many other outlets which are just as honoring to God. The Christian life is not a cow bell, it is more like a large organ with 88 keys and a full foot pedal; we should be eager to play all the notes at the timing of God, instead of playing nothing but middle C for every note of every beat of every measure.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
A Good Philosophy of Life
We are to worship the Lord at all times (Psalm 34:1; 71:8; 146:2; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 10:31), in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), honoring the Son just as we do the Father (John 5:23), taking every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). The making of images to represent the Lord, the worshiping of them, and the sacrificing to them, and the calling of idols ...by the name of God are all sinful (these are particularly marked out as sins committed at Horeb cf. Exodus 32:8). The name of Jehovah belongs to God alone (Psalm 83:18). To give His name to images is to give His glory and praise to another (Isaiah 42:8; 48:9-11; Romans 1:22-25). God's name and His glory often signify the same thing (cf. Exodus 33:18-19; Deuteronomy 26:19; Psalm 8:1; 79:9; 102:15; 148:13; Isaiah 59:19; Jeremiah 13:11). Those who make images to represent the Lord give the Lord's holy and incommunicable name to their images and so "take His name in vain" (Exodus 20:4-7; Deuteronomy 4:15-19). The name of the Lord is to be feared by us and not used lightly (cf. Isaiah 59:19-21; Psalm 102:15; Malachi 1:14; 2:2). We must remember gods made with hands are not gods (cf. Psalm 115:4; 135:15; Hosea 8:6; Acts 7:41, 48; 19:26; Hebrews 3:3). The true God is not like images (Psalm 50:21; Isaiah 40:18-25; 46:5; Jeremiah 2:11; 10:2-8, 16; 51:17-19). Jesus is the one who saved the people out of the land of Egypt (Jude 5) and is the Lord God the people idolatrously and blasphemously claimed their golden calf image represented (cf. Exodus 32:4-5; Nehemiah 9:18-19; Psalm 106:19-20)! Jesus Christ is Jehovah and shouldn't be pictured by art and fancy (Acts 17:29). Now we "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7) and "though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer" (2 Corinthians 5:16). We are to know the true Christ by faith which comes from hearing the word of God and proclaim that word to others (Romans 10:17). We love Him and believe in Him even though we have not seen him and do not now see Him (1 Peter 1:8). We are blessed to have not seen, and yet believe (John 20:29). We look forward to the sure hope that "we shall see Him as He is;” we shall see Him “face to face;” and “know as we are known” (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2).
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Online Material Against Free-Will
Yes, I Know FOR CERTAIN that God’s Saving a Person is Not Based Upon a Person’s Free Will
How?
Three Biblical Foundations:
FOUNDATION # 1 – The Condition of Sinners Before Salvation Makes Them Unable to Choose God
Ephesians 2:1 – we were “dead” in the trespasses and sins. Dead doesn’t mean: partly dead, half-dead, or mostly dead. It means: dead. One thing I know about dead people is that they cannot choose to come to life.
Ephesians 2:3 – we were “by nature” children of wrath. Not by choice only - but by nature. Our will only operates within the bounds of our nature. A sinful nature only chooses sin. (“For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” – Romans 14:23). A sinful nature cannot choose to have faith in Christ - that would go against its nature.
Ephesians 2:12 – “you were at that time separated from Christ… having no hope and without God in the world.” No hope, Paul? Not even the hope of choosing him who offered salvation to everyone? Paul spells it out in Romans 10:20 (quoting Isaiah 65:1) “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” Not unclear, is it?
***
Also, Jesus himself teaches explicitly that not everyone is able to come to him. For example:
John 6:44 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”
John 10:28 – “…but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.”
Some people may object that this is just Christ’s teaching to those specific people at the time. Good! If they accept at least that, that’s enough to prove for certain that not everyone in the world has an equal choice to come to Jesus. The idea that “everyone can choose to accept or reject God” has been proven false, by the teaching of Christ – because he says clearly that (at least) some can’t.
When you consider Christ’s emphatic teaching about the wickedness of the human heart (eg, Matthew 12:34 – “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”; Matthew 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander”) you begin to get the picture that if God decided to wait for faith (a good thing) to come out of the heart of an evil sinner, he would wait forever in vain.
Nobody comes to Christ of his or her own natural choice. Our hearts are wicked.
Instead, the New Testament offers us metaphors about salvation (comparing salvation to something else in our experience). These metaphors include “creation” (eg, 2 Cor 5:17) and “birth” (eg, John 3:3-8). One thing that “creation” and “birth” have in common is that neither one is dependent upon the choice of the person to whom it happens.
So, why is salvation NOT left up to the free choice of humans? Because they are sinners. Sinners cannot come to Christ, and even if they could, they wouldn’t want to.
FOUNDATION # 2 – The Teaching of Christ and the Apostles that Nothing Spiritual Comes From Natural Hearts
Faith is spiritual. When Christ and the apostles teach that sinful hearts cannot produce spiritual fruit, it proves that natural people cannot generate faith in Christ – they simply cannot choose God.
John 15:5 - “…apart from me, you can do nothing”. This makes it so clear. It’s in the context of abiding in the vine (himself). He is talking about spiritual fruit (which would include faith - Galatians 5:22), and here he says clearly that we cannot bear any spiritual fruit while we are apart from him. Therefore, before God puts us into Christ, we cannot have faith in God. This great change is described in the New Testament not as our own doing, but God’s: “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus…” - 1 Corinthians 1:30).
And if people object, that John 15:5 was just to the disciples at that time, good! That would prove the point just as effectively. Because sinful people today, who have never seen Christ, do not have more spiritual ability in and of themselves than Christ says his own disciples did in his presence.
***
Romans 8:7-8 - “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
A person’s choice to have faith in Christ is something that would please God, so it follows from Paul’s statement that those who are in the flesh cannot choose to have faith in Christ.
And if people object, that this “set on the flesh” describes only when people are choosing to live habitually in the flesh, the objection isn’t valid – if you look at the context of the preceding verses (verses 4 and 5) Paul is setting apart two groups: “us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit,” and “those who live according to the flesh”. He describes no middle ground. There are flesh-driven people, and Spirit-driven people. He even says that “those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh”, which shows that those “set on the flesh” in verse 7 are the same group as those who live according to the flesh in verse 5.
Another point – Paul’s language makes it clear that what changed people from one group to another was not based on their choice but was done from outside: “set you free” (v2); “God has done” (v3). Someone who has been “set free” has not “freed themselves (by a choice of their own will)”.
If Jesus said he was sent “to proclaim liberty to the captives” (Luke 4:18), then what are we before grace, if not captives? Are captives able to set themselves free by their own choice?
And if Paul says, “…you who were once slaves of sin… have become slaves of righteousness…” (Romans 6:17-18), then what were we before grace, if not slaves? Are slaves able to emancipate themselves by their own choice?
***
1 Corinthians 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
Okay – that makes it just about as plain as it can be. The natural person is not going to accept or understand any spiritual thing. Therefore, a natural person cannot choose to have faith in Christ (because faith in Christ is a spiritual matter). God has to transform that person first into a spiritual person by regenerating him/her (making him/her “born again”) so that then he/she can (and will) choose to have faith in Christ. This verse allows for no other reasonable interpretation. A natural person (someone who is not born again) simply cannot choose Christ.
***
I think we need to stop at this point and ask ourselves – if, according to the verses in this section, Jesus and Paul are teaching about the inability of people to come to faith, then are we going to keep on talking about the ability of our so-called “free” will, as if we know more about salvation than Jesus or Paul? I think not. Let’s put an end to such foolish chatter.
I do not know of a single verse or passage in the whole Bible (Old Testament or New) that describes salvation as a result of a free-will choice of the person being saved. Not even one.
Instead, salvation is attributed to the Father (“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again…” – 1 Peter 1:3).
Salvation is attributed to the Son (“Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” – Hebrews 12:2).
Salvation is attributed to the Holy Spirit (“That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit… The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – John 3:6,8).
Salvation is a trinitarian act. It is something accomplished by the Triune God. And God, who declares, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:10) is not dependent on the will of his creatures in order to act. When God saves someone, He saves someone. (“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” – Jeremiah 17:14; “So if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.” – John 8:36).
I’m not saying we don’t make a choice in the matter. We make genuine choices, and we are responsible for them. Our choices have consequences. The choice to put our trust entirely in Christ and in nothing else is a supremely important choice, and has an eternal consequence.
What I am saying is that our salvation is ultimately based on God’s choice, not on ours. God doesn’t save us because we choose him; us choosing him is a sign that he has chosen to save us. God choice of us is not a response to our choice for him; our choice for him is a consequence of his choice of us.
Jesus is not wringing his hands somewhere in a corner, hoping someone will choose him. He is the Sovereign Lord of all creation, and the Lord of your whole life whether you know it or not. When he saves a person, it’s because of his free decision to do so, and he lovingly and graciously gives that person everything that person needs to be saved.
So, why do sinners not come to Christ of their own choice? Because they are unable; but God is able to transform them, so that they can and do come to him.
John 6:37 – “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
Matthew 11:15-26 – “…I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”
Foundation # 3 – The Testimony of Scripture that Salvation is All by Grace, and Nobody Can Boast
Salvation is either ALL by grace, or up to a person’s free will – it can’t be both.
Salvation is not just “by grace” – it’s “ALL by grace”! We’re not Catholics; we’re Protestants.
This should be an easy one, for Christians!
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 – “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
Two concepts in the above passage are key teachings of salvation by God’s grace alone: “God chose, God chose, God chose” and “…so that no human being might boast”.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Very plainly, now – “this is not your own doing”. Whoops free-willers! Back to Bible school for you. Learn to read what the verses say: “NOT your own doing.”
And again – “so that no one may boast.” Think about it – if God truly offered grace completely equally to everyone, if the final determiner between heaven or hell was ultimately our choice, not God’s, then how could Paul repeat, “so that no one may boast”? It’s almost like the Apostle Paul is saying that nothing for salvation comes from ourselves. In fact – that’s exactly what he is saying. That’s what it means when we say that salvation is all by grace.
Salvation is all by God’s free grace – not by our free will.
Praise God, that salvation is entirely by his grace. If it were not all by his grace, then we would have to earn it somehow by choosing him, and by keeping ourselves firm until the end.
But thank God that it doesn’t depend upon our own choosing or striving – every Christian knows from experience that there is nothing in us that gave God a reason to love us or save us – not even our choice to be saved.
If it were a matter of our own choice, we would be able to “boast” – at least about that choice. Do we dare to lift ourselves up by implying that are we more humble, more spiritual, more enlightened, more wise than those who did not choose him? Are we so arrogant as to claim credit for choosing Christ?
No – “God justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5). Ungodly people can’t choose God.
The tax collector’s desperate cry is the hallmark of true Christian faith – “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). A sinner doesn’t boast about anything good in his choices.
“For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.” (Psalm 138:6).
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3).
Thank God, salvation is by grace, through faith! Oh that people would understand this, and be set free of worldly, human-centred teaching, that makes it about us!
We sometimes talk as if faith is something of our own that we do for God, that the source of our faith is our own choice, but I know of no verses in the Bible that even come close to saying that.
***
Instead, here are some plain, no-nonsense verses that establish that according to the New Testament, faith is God’s gift.
(That’s how wonderful the “good news” really is – even the faith to believe in Christ is a gift from God!)
Philippians 1:29 – “For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him.” Oh. It says, “granted”.
2 Peter 1:1 – “From Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been granted a faith just as precious as ours.” Hmm. The word “granted” again. The two apostles Paul and Peter seem to agree here. I’d better get a dictionary and look up what “granted” means, before I start talking about free will.
This echoes the thought in Peter’s first letter, “through him you now trust in God” (1 Peter 1:21). Is Peter saying that faith comes to us through Christ?
Colossians 1:3-4 – “We always give thanks to God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.” This is interesting! The apostle Paul is thanking God for their faith. He must think that their faith comes from God.
2 Thessalonians 1:3 – “We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever growing.” Wow, there he is thanking God for his readers’ faith again.
Galatians 5:22 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” (The Greek word translated “faithfulness” is the same word that is translated “faith”.)
And of course…
Hebrews 12:2 – “…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”
Faith is definitely the gift of God, if the New Testament writers are to be trusted on this issue. And since even the faith to believe in God’s gift is in itself a gift from God, that is why “no one can boast”.
So how do I know that sinners don’t come to God of their own free will? Because if they did, they could boast, and the Bible says no one can boast. Faith is the free gift of God to sinful humans he chooses.
I hope this helps you see more clearly that your salvation is not, in the end, up to you – it’s up to God. This might sound troubling at first. But as you think it through, you will see that it is a wonderful blessing, and comfort, and grace, that you don’t have to rely on our own strength to continue your faith in God. It is God who begins your walk with Christ, and…
“…he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
May God be glorified for the salvation of his people.
The works of James White (The God Who Justifies), R.C. Sproul (Chosen by God), and John Piper (“TULIP” audio lectures), have helped me compile the appropriate Bible verses for this note, among other sources, including help from some of my Facebook friends. I have also used material based on interviews from the 4-hour DVD Amazing Grace (a good historical and biblical survey of the doctrines of grace).
And if, after all this, you still have doubts about whether the Bible might somewhere teach that salvation is by our free will, then please feel free to look up John 1:12-13, and read it. Then please look up Romans 9:16, and read it. This is God’s word, and his message is clear. To keep believing something that you have seen to be plainly contradicted by the Bible’s teaching is a serious sin.
How?
Three Biblical Foundations:
FOUNDATION # 1 – The Condition of Sinners Before Salvation Makes Them Unable to Choose God
Ephesians 2:1 – we were “dead” in the trespasses and sins. Dead doesn’t mean: partly dead, half-dead, or mostly dead. It means: dead. One thing I know about dead people is that they cannot choose to come to life.
Ephesians 2:3 – we were “by nature” children of wrath. Not by choice only - but by nature. Our will only operates within the bounds of our nature. A sinful nature only chooses sin. (“For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” – Romans 14:23). A sinful nature cannot choose to have faith in Christ - that would go against its nature.
Ephesians 2:12 – “you were at that time separated from Christ… having no hope and without God in the world.” No hope, Paul? Not even the hope of choosing him who offered salvation to everyone? Paul spells it out in Romans 10:20 (quoting Isaiah 65:1) “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” Not unclear, is it?
***
Also, Jesus himself teaches explicitly that not everyone is able to come to him. For example:
John 6:44 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”
John 10:28 – “…but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.”
Some people may object that this is just Christ’s teaching to those specific people at the time. Good! If they accept at least that, that’s enough to prove for certain that not everyone in the world has an equal choice to come to Jesus. The idea that “everyone can choose to accept or reject God” has been proven false, by the teaching of Christ – because he says clearly that (at least) some can’t.
When you consider Christ’s emphatic teaching about the wickedness of the human heart (eg, Matthew 12:34 – “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”; Matthew 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander”) you begin to get the picture that if God decided to wait for faith (a good thing) to come out of the heart of an evil sinner, he would wait forever in vain.
Nobody comes to Christ of his or her own natural choice. Our hearts are wicked.
Instead, the New Testament offers us metaphors about salvation (comparing salvation to something else in our experience). These metaphors include “creation” (eg, 2 Cor 5:17) and “birth” (eg, John 3:3-8). One thing that “creation” and “birth” have in common is that neither one is dependent upon the choice of the person to whom it happens.
So, why is salvation NOT left up to the free choice of humans? Because they are sinners. Sinners cannot come to Christ, and even if they could, they wouldn’t want to.
FOUNDATION # 2 – The Teaching of Christ and the Apostles that Nothing Spiritual Comes From Natural Hearts
Faith is spiritual. When Christ and the apostles teach that sinful hearts cannot produce spiritual fruit, it proves that natural people cannot generate faith in Christ – they simply cannot choose God.
John 15:5 - “…apart from me, you can do nothing”. This makes it so clear. It’s in the context of abiding in the vine (himself). He is talking about spiritual fruit (which would include faith - Galatians 5:22), and here he says clearly that we cannot bear any spiritual fruit while we are apart from him. Therefore, before God puts us into Christ, we cannot have faith in God. This great change is described in the New Testament not as our own doing, but God’s: “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus…” - 1 Corinthians 1:30).
And if people object, that John 15:5 was just to the disciples at that time, good! That would prove the point just as effectively. Because sinful people today, who have never seen Christ, do not have more spiritual ability in and of themselves than Christ says his own disciples did in his presence.
***
Romans 8:7-8 - “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
A person’s choice to have faith in Christ is something that would please God, so it follows from Paul’s statement that those who are in the flesh cannot choose to have faith in Christ.
And if people object, that this “set on the flesh” describes only when people are choosing to live habitually in the flesh, the objection isn’t valid – if you look at the context of the preceding verses (verses 4 and 5) Paul is setting apart two groups: “us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit,” and “those who live according to the flesh”. He describes no middle ground. There are flesh-driven people, and Spirit-driven people. He even says that “those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh”, which shows that those “set on the flesh” in verse 7 are the same group as those who live according to the flesh in verse 5.
Another point – Paul’s language makes it clear that what changed people from one group to another was not based on their choice but was done from outside: “set you free” (v2); “God has done” (v3). Someone who has been “set free” has not “freed themselves (by a choice of their own will)”.
If Jesus said he was sent “to proclaim liberty to the captives” (Luke 4:18), then what are we before grace, if not captives? Are captives able to set themselves free by their own choice?
And if Paul says, “…you who were once slaves of sin… have become slaves of righteousness…” (Romans 6:17-18), then what were we before grace, if not slaves? Are slaves able to emancipate themselves by their own choice?
***
1 Corinthians 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
Okay – that makes it just about as plain as it can be. The natural person is not going to accept or understand any spiritual thing. Therefore, a natural person cannot choose to have faith in Christ (because faith in Christ is a spiritual matter). God has to transform that person first into a spiritual person by regenerating him/her (making him/her “born again”) so that then he/she can (and will) choose to have faith in Christ. This verse allows for no other reasonable interpretation. A natural person (someone who is not born again) simply cannot choose Christ.
***
I think we need to stop at this point and ask ourselves – if, according to the verses in this section, Jesus and Paul are teaching about the inability of people to come to faith, then are we going to keep on talking about the ability of our so-called “free” will, as if we know more about salvation than Jesus or Paul? I think not. Let’s put an end to such foolish chatter.
I do not know of a single verse or passage in the whole Bible (Old Testament or New) that describes salvation as a result of a free-will choice of the person being saved. Not even one.
Instead, salvation is attributed to the Father (“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again…” – 1 Peter 1:3).
Salvation is attributed to the Son (“Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” – Hebrews 12:2).
Salvation is attributed to the Holy Spirit (“That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit… The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – John 3:6,8).
Salvation is a trinitarian act. It is something accomplished by the Triune God. And God, who declares, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:10) is not dependent on the will of his creatures in order to act. When God saves someone, He saves someone. (“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” – Jeremiah 17:14; “So if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.” – John 8:36).
I’m not saying we don’t make a choice in the matter. We make genuine choices, and we are responsible for them. Our choices have consequences. The choice to put our trust entirely in Christ and in nothing else is a supremely important choice, and has an eternal consequence.
What I am saying is that our salvation is ultimately based on God’s choice, not on ours. God doesn’t save us because we choose him; us choosing him is a sign that he has chosen to save us. God choice of us is not a response to our choice for him; our choice for him is a consequence of his choice of us.
Jesus is not wringing his hands somewhere in a corner, hoping someone will choose him. He is the Sovereign Lord of all creation, and the Lord of your whole life whether you know it or not. When he saves a person, it’s because of his free decision to do so, and he lovingly and graciously gives that person everything that person needs to be saved.
So, why do sinners not come to Christ of their own choice? Because they are unable; but God is able to transform them, so that they can and do come to him.
John 6:37 – “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
Matthew 11:15-26 – “…I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”
Foundation # 3 – The Testimony of Scripture that Salvation is All by Grace, and Nobody Can Boast
Salvation is either ALL by grace, or up to a person’s free will – it can’t be both.
Salvation is not just “by grace” – it’s “ALL by grace”! We’re not Catholics; we’re Protestants.
This should be an easy one, for Christians!
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 – “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
Two concepts in the above passage are key teachings of salvation by God’s grace alone: “God chose, God chose, God chose” and “…so that no human being might boast”.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Very plainly, now – “this is not your own doing”. Whoops free-willers! Back to Bible school for you. Learn to read what the verses say: “NOT your own doing.”
And again – “so that no one may boast.” Think about it – if God truly offered grace completely equally to everyone, if the final determiner between heaven or hell was ultimately our choice, not God’s, then how could Paul repeat, “so that no one may boast”? It’s almost like the Apostle Paul is saying that nothing for salvation comes from ourselves. In fact – that’s exactly what he is saying. That’s what it means when we say that salvation is all by grace.
Salvation is all by God’s free grace – not by our free will.
Praise God, that salvation is entirely by his grace. If it were not all by his grace, then we would have to earn it somehow by choosing him, and by keeping ourselves firm until the end.
But thank God that it doesn’t depend upon our own choosing or striving – every Christian knows from experience that there is nothing in us that gave God a reason to love us or save us – not even our choice to be saved.
If it were a matter of our own choice, we would be able to “boast” – at least about that choice. Do we dare to lift ourselves up by implying that are we more humble, more spiritual, more enlightened, more wise than those who did not choose him? Are we so arrogant as to claim credit for choosing Christ?
No – “God justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5). Ungodly people can’t choose God.
The tax collector’s desperate cry is the hallmark of true Christian faith – “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). A sinner doesn’t boast about anything good in his choices.
“For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.” (Psalm 138:6).
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3).
Thank God, salvation is by grace, through faith! Oh that people would understand this, and be set free of worldly, human-centred teaching, that makes it about us!
We sometimes talk as if faith is something of our own that we do for God, that the source of our faith is our own choice, but I know of no verses in the Bible that even come close to saying that.
***
Instead, here are some plain, no-nonsense verses that establish that according to the New Testament, faith is God’s gift.
(That’s how wonderful the “good news” really is – even the faith to believe in Christ is a gift from God!)
Philippians 1:29 – “For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him.” Oh. It says, “granted”.
2 Peter 1:1 – “From Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been granted a faith just as precious as ours.” Hmm. The word “granted” again. The two apostles Paul and Peter seem to agree here. I’d better get a dictionary and look up what “granted” means, before I start talking about free will.
This echoes the thought in Peter’s first letter, “through him you now trust in God” (1 Peter 1:21). Is Peter saying that faith comes to us through Christ?
Colossians 1:3-4 – “We always give thanks to God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.” This is interesting! The apostle Paul is thanking God for their faith. He must think that their faith comes from God.
2 Thessalonians 1:3 – “We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever growing.” Wow, there he is thanking God for his readers’ faith again.
Galatians 5:22 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” (The Greek word translated “faithfulness” is the same word that is translated “faith”.)
And of course…
Hebrews 12:2 – “…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”
Faith is definitely the gift of God, if the New Testament writers are to be trusted on this issue. And since even the faith to believe in God’s gift is in itself a gift from God, that is why “no one can boast”.
So how do I know that sinners don’t come to God of their own free will? Because if they did, they could boast, and the Bible says no one can boast. Faith is the free gift of God to sinful humans he chooses.
I hope this helps you see more clearly that your salvation is not, in the end, up to you – it’s up to God. This might sound troubling at first. But as you think it through, you will see that it is a wonderful blessing, and comfort, and grace, that you don’t have to rely on our own strength to continue your faith in God. It is God who begins your walk with Christ, and…
“…he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
May God be glorified for the salvation of his people.
The works of James White (The God Who Justifies), R.C. Sproul (Chosen by God), and John Piper (“TULIP” audio lectures), have helped me compile the appropriate Bible verses for this note, among other sources, including help from some of my Facebook friends. I have also used material based on interviews from the 4-hour DVD Amazing Grace (a good historical and biblical survey of the doctrines of grace).
And if, after all this, you still have doubts about whether the Bible might somewhere teach that salvation is by our free will, then please feel free to look up John 1:12-13, and read it. Then please look up Romans 9:16, and read it. This is God’s word, and his message is clear. To keep believing something that you have seen to be plainly contradicted by the Bible’s teaching is a serious sin.
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