The answer that the bible gives is that people are saved by grace through faith, which is a gift given by God and rooted in election.
Here is the experience of some in the book of Acts:
Acts 13.48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
From this we see that believing is a consequence and not the cause of God’s election/choosing/appointing. It is also clear that it is a limited number who are ordained to life, otherwise the words ‘as many as’ would be pointless and meaningless. And, finally, we can see that everyone who was appointed will certainly believe as ALL who were appointed DID believe.
In Acts again we see that the heart of Lydia was opened by God so that she believed the message of the gospel Paul brought ( 16.14).
In John’s first epistle in chapter 5 verse 1 he writes, ‘Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.’ John uses a present tense verb meaning continuous ongoing action when he speaks of believing in Christ. He then uses what is called a perfect tense verb referring to being born of God. This means an action that took place in the past with present and ongoing effects. That’s to say they were born previous to believing, but the effect is sustained. So again we see that belief is an effect and not the cause of the new birth.
The apostle Peter speaks of those who are saved as being foreknown by God (1 Peter 1.1-2). This word does not speak merely of knowledge, but of a relationship. ‘To know’ in the scriptures means more than having information in your head. Adam knew Eve and a baby boy was the result! Some would say that ‘forelove’ would be a fair and adequate translation. To say that God foreknowing people means he looks down the corridor of time and sees who will choose him and he THEN elects them cannot be what this means. For one thing, this goes against all that we have looked at concerning the condition of man and his will. Also, this same word is used to refer to Christ in 1 Peter 1.20. This is just 18 verses away from Peter’s use of it in reference to Christians. If we are to be constant in our interpretation, if it means God looks ahead in time and sees who will choose him, then it would also mean that he looks ahead in time and realises that Christ is going to be the Messiah, though he hadn’t necessarily planned or intended that. Serious issues there friends.We get the clearest picture from the apostle Paul and the Lord Jesus. First, we’ll consider some passages from the letters of Paul.
2Th. 2.13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonians because God chose them to be saved.
2Tim. 1.9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
This is, perhaps, one of the most explicit. It is according to God’s purpose and grace (not influenced by any outside source, determined only by himself) that salvation comes. Here we get a good picture into the extreme God-focus of God. God is the centre of everything, not man. Salvation is to be God-focused, not man-focused.
Again in 2 Timothy:
2Tim. 2.24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Repentance is something that God must grant, otherwise it will not happen.
And, lastly from Paul, Eph 1.3-5 -
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Here again we see the purpose of God’s will being the driving force in salvation.
A few passages from the life of Christ.
First, Matthew 11.20 and following. Here Christ denounces the cities that have rejected him. One would think this would be cause for sorrow and despair that no one is receiving Christ, yet his response is one of thanks to the Father because of his purpose in election and choosing who will be saved (vs. 25ff). And then, in the very next verse (28) he invites everyone to come to him for salvation. In these few verses we have a clear statement on election coupled with a free offer of the gospel to all people.A second passage is from John 6. 37-65 (esp. 37-40, 44, 65). Christ speaks of three impossibilities here. It is impossible to come unless the Father draws (44, 65). It is impossible for someone who the Father calls not to come (37). It is impossible to be cast out or lost if you do come (37).
A few thoughts to close (this lengthy post). Does this mean that God shows favouritism? If by that you mean that some are chosen and others are not, yes. If by that you mean God chooses because of something in or about us, thus showing favouritism towards certain people, no.
Grace is sovereign. That is to say, it is optional in its exercise and extent. Although God is gracious in his eternal being, he need not be gracious toward or shower his grace upon anyone. If grace were at any time an obligation of God, it would cease to be grace. God’s grace, therefore, is distinguishing. He graciously saves some but not all, not based on anything present in the creature either possible or actual, foreseen or foreordained, but wholly according to his sovereign good pleasure.
It is only here that the glory of God’s grace is preserved. Listen (actually read) to the words of Berkouwer contrasting synergism and monergism.
[monergism - a divine blessing purchased by Christ for those the Father has given him. A grace working independently of any human cooperation. It is in contrast to synergism, the view that there is a cooperation between the efforts of the human and the divine in regards to the regenerating process.]
Remember our goal in preserving the glory of God’s grace:
Berkouwer - in no form of synergism is it possible to escape the conclusion that man owes his salvation not solely to God but also to himself. Still more accurately, he may thank himself--by virtue of his decision to believe--that salvation actually and effetively becomes his in time and eternity. To be sure, synergism is constantly seeking to avoid this conclusion, and it is seldom expressed in so many words that salvation really depends partly on man. Nevertheless, this conclusion cannot in the long run be avoided and it is clear that we actually are confronted here with the real problem of synergism as it results in a certain amount of humon self-conceit.
R.C. Sproul says - loving a holy God is beyond our moral power. The only kind of God we can love by our sinful nature is an unholy god, an idol made by our own hands. Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds his holy love in our hearts, unless he stoops in his grace to change our hearts we will not love him. To love a holy God requires grace. Grace strong enough to pierce our hardened hearts and to awaken our moribund (approaching death or a final end) souls.
I will leave you with the words of William Guthrie, a Scottish Covenanter who in reference to his book The Christian’s Great Interest (from which this quote is taken) John Owen (the leading theologian in Britain in the 17th century, his works fill 23 500 page volumes) said ‘I have written several folios, but there is more divinity in this little book than in them all.’ He writes:
although none at all do cordially close with God in Christ Jesus, and acquiesce in that ransom found out by God, except only such as are elected and whose hearts the Lord sovereignly determines to that blessed choice; yet the Lord has left it as a duty upon people who hear this gospel, to close with His offer of salvation through Christ Jesus, as if it were in their power to do it; and the Lord, through these commands and exhortations conveys life and strength to the elect, and therein conveys the new heart unto them, which points kindly towards this new device of saving sinner, and towards Christ in His covenant relations; for it is the Lord’s mind, in these commands and invitations, to put people on some duty, with which He uses to concur for accomplishing that business between Him and them; so then, it is a coming on our part, and yet a drawing on His part; it is a drawing on His part and a running on our part; it is an approaching on our part, and yet a choosing and causing to approach on His part; it is a believing or receiving on our part and yet it is given us to believe.
One more post to go.
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