In 2006, I was in NYC presenting the Gospel to a man who had just confessed his sins to me. I pleaded with him to repent. He knew he needed to, but he still would not. I warned him that he was like a man walking toward the edge of a cliff; not knowing the road was about to end. At the end of that road, he would meet the cliff of eternity, and finally the Judgment Seat of God. I gave him a Gospel tract and a final urging to repent of his sins and place his faith in Christ, just before he turned to go back to work.
The story I have just told is a familiar one. As obedient Christians, we plead with people to turn from their sins and place their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of those sins. Paul says, âTherefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.â (emphasis added, 2 Cor 5:20). In doing so, we appeal to the will of the person to make the âdecisionâ for Christ. This is not without some tension, however. Is it right that we should appeal so heavily to the will of the person? Is it really the person who âchoosesâ Christ? The Bible is not silent on this issue.
It is very clear who the effecter of our salvation is from the Scriptures. God is the one who is at work in us to bring us to the point of accepting Christ. Take this verse for example: Jesus said, âYou did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruitâŠâ (John 15:16). From this verse, we see that ultimately it is God who chooses us. We only choose Christ because He first chose us. Indeed, Paul writes, âHe chose us in Him (i.e., Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Himâ (Eph 1:4). John also writes, âBut as many as received Him (i.e., Christ), to them He gave the right to become children of GodâŠwho were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of Godâ (emphasis added, John 1:12-13).
It is difficult for us to grasp this paradox that somehow a person could have the experience of âchoosingâ Christ, yet all the while it is God who has chosen him or her. There are many paradoxes, however, in the Christian world. For example, Jesus said: if you want to save your life, lose it (Matt 16:25). If you want to be greater than John the Baptist in the Kingdom of Heaven, be the least (Matt 11:11). If you wish to have treasure in Heaven, become poor on earth (Matt 19:21). Even the doctrine of the Trinity (God in three Persons) is a paradox. In addition, the orthodox position on the nature of Christ is that He is 100% human and 100% Divine. He is both entirely human and entirely divine. In the same way, humans are 100% free to choose and God is 100% sovereign over their choices.
How does one reconcile our experience of freedom with Godâs sovereignty over our choices? From the human perspective, the burden falls upon the individual. As I mentioned above, humans perceive freedom in their choices, precisely because they do have freedom. In fact, humans have complete freedom. That is why God does and will hold us responsible for the sins we commit. God gives us a way out of temptations because we are able to choose otherwise (1 Corinthians 10:13). In the same way, there is a temptation for a lost person to delay receiving Christ (as our friend above), or to reject Christ all together. God will hold them responsible for their decision.
So what of this New York businessman? Did he not receive Christ because he was not âchosenâ? Frankly, Godâs choice of people is a part of His secret council. We are not entitled to know whom He has chosen or not. It is a slippery slope to probe too much into the secret council of God. We are, however, commanded to plead with all people to receive Christ as their Savior and to urge them to repent and place their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, for â[today] is the day of Salvationâ (2 Corinthians 6:2). Let us focus today on doing our part to share the Gospel.