God's Sovereign Choice

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, "for this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honour and another for dishonour?

(Romans 9:14-21)

In the previous section, we saw very clearly in Scripture that it is God who decides who can be saved and who cannot. That truth seemingly contradicts the earlier truth we saw—that men decide of their own free will whether they will accept or reject God’s salvation. Clearly, these two seemingly contradictory truths must be reconcilable in Scripture, for if they were not, it would create confusion among the saints, and God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).

As we will see in this section, the reconciliation between these two truths is relatively simple: it is precisely because man has free will that God then chooses. Many, upon seeing the scriptural truth that God is the one who chooses who can and cannot be saved, question His justice, asking how a just God can arbitrarily condemn one person to the eternal punishment of the second death while blessing another with the gift of eternal life.

Some, in attempting to explain God’s actions, argue that God, as our Creator, is Sovereign and can do whatever He pleases. The above passage of Scripture certainly seems to support this view, for in it, the apostle Paul tells us plainly that God, as our Creator, has the power to make each of us exactly as He chooses. Yet in the same passage, Paul also affirms that there is no unrighteousness or injustice with God.

Therefore, while it is true that God, our Creator, is Sovereign and may do as He pleases, it is not accurate to say that this is the reason He allows some to be saved and others not—for that would imply God is unjust, which we know He is not.

So, in light of the truth that God is not unjust, how do we understand His decision regarding who will and will not be saved?

For thus says the Lord God: "How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem--the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence--to cut off man and beast from it? Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it," says the Lord God.

(Ezekiel 14:21-23)

In the passage above, God reveals a profound truth about Himself: He never acts without purpose. In other words, there is always a divine reason behind everything He does. This principle must also apply to salvation. As we will see in this section, there are three primary reasons why God determines who can be saved and who cannot—each of which demonstrates not only His sovereignty but also His perfect justice.

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1 Corinthians 1:9)

that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

(1 John 1:3)

The first reason why God decides who can and cannot be saved is fellowship. In order for us to understand why it is that God decides, we need to understand why God created man in the first place. Unlike the angels of God, whom He created to be His ministers (Hebrews 1:7), God created man to have fellowship with Him. Both the apostles Paul and John, in the above-quoted passages of Scripture, confirm this truth to us. You will also recall that our Lord Jesus told us He no longer calls us servants, but now calls us friends (John 15:15).

Nevertheless, for two individuals to become friends and enjoy true fellowship, both must be willing to enter into that relationship. God is not foolish; it would be foolish of Him to create a being for fellowship if that being had no freedom to choose whether or not they wanted to fellowship with Him. In other words, God does not force us to be His friends.

Consider the church, for example. God has created her to become the bride of Christ. Surely, God would want a willing bride for His Son, not one compelled against her will. Therefore, God has created mankind with free will—the ability to choose whether or not they are willing to be His friend.

God has plainly made His desire known: He wishes to enter into a relationship of friendship with mankind. But He requires an honest response from each individual regarding whether they want fellowship with Him. Sadly, however, most of mankind literally hates God—for Jesus said they do (John 15:18–24)—and they have no desire to be His friend at all. Therefore, God will only save those who, of their own free will, desire to fellowship with Him.

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

(John 4:23-24)

The second reason why God decides who can and cannot be saved is worship. God also expects all of His creation to worship Him for who He is. In the passage of Scripture quoted above, our Lord Jesus revealed to us who the true worshippers of God are. For in this passage, Jesus taught us that God is seeking those who will worship Him both in spirit and in truth. Jesus explained to us the reason why the true worshippers must worship in spirit—because God is Spirit. But Jesus also said that God is looking for worshippers who will worship Him in truth. So what does that mean? It simply means that they worship God without hypocrisy—for they worship Him out of a genuine love for Him as their God and Creator, and not from compulsion.

Jesus made the following comment regarding those who worship God from compulsion, when He said, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me’” (Mark 7:6). Therefore, God has created mankind with the free will to choose whether they will be willing to genuinely worship God or not. But again, sadly, most of mankind choose to worship anything and anyone else other than God—even though they know He is their God and Creator (Romans 1:21). And so, God will only save those who, of their own free wills, desire to worship Him.

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.

(Ezekiel 28:11-17)

The third reason why God decides who can and cannot be saved is submission. Some would argue that if God saved everyone, and everyone was living in the presence of God in a perfect environment, then surely all men would willingly fellowship with God and worship Him. But sadly, that is not true. The ultimate example we have of just how untrue that statement is, is the devil himself.

The above passage of Scripture describes to us the fall of Lucifer, the anointed cherub. He was living in the presence of God in a perfect environment, but nevertheless, iniquity was still found in him. Unlike Adam and Eve, no one tempted Lucifer to sin. Of his own free will, he chose to rebel against God—and the result of that act has created untold misery in all of God’s creation ever since.

And so, if God were to allow men into His kingdom who would eventually follow the same example as Satan, and—by an act of their own free wills—rebel against God, then just imagine the resulting devastation that would be caused throughout God’s creation all over again. Therefore, because God has created mankind with the free will to choose whether they are willing to submit to Him or not, He will only save those who are willing.

And so, as we have seen in this section, fellowship, worship, and submission are the three main reasons why it is that God decides who can and who cannot be saved. I trust that you have also understood from this section just how Scripture reconciles the two seemingly contradictory truths we discussed earlier—namely, that because man has a free will, therefore God chooses. In other words, God chooses based on how men choose to exercise their free will.

Michael E.B. Maher

Predestined to His Purpose

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