How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.
— Psalm 40:4-5
The Psalmist reveals a heart that we’d all do well to emulate. He begins by saying that a man is blessed if he has what follows in this discourse, namely, faith and humility.
As of late, I’ve been tasked with teaching profound truths regarding the sovereignty of God. In particular, the Holy Spirit’s had me teach what the Bible has to say about God’s sovereign election. The doctrine of election is intrinsic to salvation, which means that unless a person has been elected by God (something that occurred before human history even began), they cannot possibly be saved. God saves the elect.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
— Romans 8:29-30
The Bible teaches us that God is the One who chooses believers. In fact, Jesus stated very clearly that “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44a). Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). He also wrote, “[God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Timothy 1:9).
So, if God is the one to choose who will ultimately be saved, where does that leave mankind? Are we robots? May it never be! The Bible is very clear on this topic as well.
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
— Acts 16:30b-31
Wait a minute! What’s this we see here? Is this a contradiction? Not only does the Bible dogmatically state that God alone chooses to save a person, but it also states that man is responsible for believing in order to be saved? By faith alone, we can answer, “Yes!”
When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
— Matthew 19:25-26
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been tasked with teaching the profound truths regarding God’s sovereign right in election. I cannot depart from what Holy Scripture states so very clearly, whether teaching about election or the free will of man. If the unerring Word states that God saves by grace through faith alone in Christ alone, then that is what I need to teach, even if I fail to put all of the details into words (I believe many err in trying to do so). Deuteronomy 4:2 warns me against attempting to add or subtract from the inspired Word of God, regardless of how noble it might appear. I certainly do not have the right to give voice to the Word when it is purposely silent.
We need to accept what we are given. For starters, we have the immutability and veracity of the Word of God establishing that God alone has the keys to salvation. However, that’s not all verbal plenary scripture has to say on the subject (“Verbal plenary inspiration means that every word found in the Bible is given to us by God (verbal), everything in the Bible is authoritative (plenary), and every word is also divinely directed (inspired).” — CARM.org). We cannot, as honest disciples of Jesus Christ, take portions of the Word of God out of context in order to accommodate our lust for answers. Every passage, every verse, every “jot and tittle” (Matthew 5:18) must be preserved on the basis of integrity to Truth. This means that, while on the one hand we have to accept the truth regarding sovereign election, on the other hand we must accept wholeheartedly man’s responsibility regarding his own salvation. Both doctrines exist. Both are true statements. God is not confused about any of this – remember that.
AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.
— Acts 2:21
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
— Romans 1:16-17
There exists a natural tension between the two aforementioned doctrines concerning salvation. Because the stress is natural, the natural mindedness of mankind seeks his own resolution to this distress. As expected, manmade solutions run the gamut of polar opposites to everything in-between. In order to foster his own brand of peace, man strives exhaustively in his quest to “fill in the blanks.” The problem with this is simple: no manmade solution pertaining to salvation has ever worked.
The solution to every so-called paradox in the Bible is faith. Have you ever considered that God purposely left out details about Himself in order that faith shine through? Have you ever considered that the vast majority of pontification over such things is merely speculation? Do you think it’s possible that man, with his natural tendencies to problem solve, actually creates more tension in his soul when he skirts the solution standing right in front of him; that is, faith?
Faith reconciles otherwise incomprehensible Truths in the Bible. Among the greatest examples is regarding God’s sovereign will in election and man’s God-given responsibility in his own salvation. If you’re mind aches when you think about such things, then join the club. The good news is that there’s a relief valve labeled “faith” that, when activated, releases all the pressure we feel when we can’t make sense of things on our own.
My advice is to step back and take a deep breath. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). Accept the following crucial reality: you aren’t supposed to be able to explain every detail you’ve learned in the Bible (certainly not in the absence of faith). In fact, the purpose of faith is to provide you with peace whenever such a thing arises in your soul. God’s purpose in Christ is “to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20a). Dwell on the phrase “to Himself.” Can any of us possibly understand all that this means??? I think not. How could we when we struggle with much lesser things?
I’ve learned that if I teach strongly on the topic of God’s sovereign election people (sometimes my own sheep, even) begin supposing I’m teaching that man doesn’t have a free will. If I teach strongly on the topic of man’s free will for a time, these same people suppose I’ve abandoned all I’ve taught regarding election. It’s a lot like riding a seesaw at times, no kidding! The truth is that I teach whatever the Bible says is true. In the case here, both are true. The fact that natural mindedness struggles with it makes total sense and so I expect such folly, even in a congregation as well taught as my own. My advice is to make the same request as our predecessors did, “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith’” (Luke 17:5)!
Faith is a grace gift. Learn to live by it, as Paul wrote in Romans 1:17. If you find yourself overanalyzing Holy Scripture to the point of exhaustion and confusion, step back and remember that God does not want you to know every detail of His plan for His creation. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8). There are a lot of things we aren’t privy to, and that’s perfectly fine and acceptable. Hasn’t the Lord God given us more than enough to rejoice over?
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
— Titus 3:4-7
I believe that perspective accounts for so much in our own happiness here on Earth. I’ve learned that it’s OK not to conquer every last so-called paradox regarding my life in Christ, and it’s good not to even try. I’ve been humbled to the point of faith, which may just be among the greatest gifts of all. I respect God’s sovereign right to choose some for glory and others for destruction (ala Romans 9:22-24). I also understand that we all have been given a right to believe, being held accountable to our choices by the Giver, Himself. While this may cause me brain cramps at times, I’ve learned to love the simplicity of my own ignorance, for this has become the very basis of things I speak of so confidently.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
— Psalm 33:8-11
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins