There have been many debates among Christians regarding God’s choice versus our choice for salvation. Some people say God chooses His followers. Others say whoever wants to believe are the chosen. Both statements are true. We need to take the Bible verses as a whole to understand what this means.
Verses about God’s choice and our choice
There are verses that talk about God’s choice. For example:
“What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” (Romans 9:14-16)
However, there are also verses that talk about man’s choice:
“‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11)
Can these seemingly contradictory verses be reconciled? I believe it is both God’s choice and our choice.
God’s authority as Potter
First, we are all sinners. Therefore we all come from a “bad lump of clay”, because everyone has sinned. When given a choice, everyone has made bad decisions to sin. God can choose what to do with bad clay, because He is God. The potter has the right over the clay.
“On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” (Romans 9:20-21)
So it is God’s choice to have mercy on whom He wishes. This is grace. Grace is not dependent on what humans do. Grace is just grace. Since we are all sinners, we all deserve God’s wrath. But God provides mercy on those whom He wishes.
On the other hand, it is not true that God does nothing for the others. “… For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).
And the gospel is open and available to all: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).
We can trust God’s decision based on love
The problem comes when we start to worry about God’s grace. We may wonder: “Are we the chosen or not?”.
This is the part we do not need to worry, because we can trust God with His decision.
God chooses whom He foreknew would love Him: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 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)
Why does God choose those whom He foreknew would love Him? All the commandments are based on love: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
On the other hand, the Bible warns regarding those who hate God:
“Your hand will find all Your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate You.
You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger;
The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath,
And the fire shall devour them.” (Psalm 21: 8-9)
So God knows those who will love Him and God knows those who will hate Him. The people who hate God (no matter what good God does to them) always have a rebellious spirit and are opposed to God. These are people like Esau whom God foreknew as His enemies (Romans 9:13).
Because God is all-knowing, He would know who would love Him (given a bit more grace), and who would hate Him beforehand.
So Jesus says, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” (John 6:37).
This means that if you have come to God willingly, then you are chosen by the Father. You will not be cast out. So don’t worry.
What do we do with our calling?
There is a warning, though, to those who are called by God.
Jesus described in a parable about a king who had a wedding feast. Everyone called dressed in wedding attire, except for one person.
“But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:11-14)
Proper wedding attire symbolizes righteous acts. Those who are called need to act according to their beliefs.
It is explained in another part of the Bible that proper clothing means righteous acts: “‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.’ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” (Revelation 19:7-8).
If we say we believe, but act like unbelievers, then we are not acting according to our beliefs.
“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.'” (2 Timothy 2:19)
So if we know we are called (because we come to God and believe in Him), then we are to abstain from wickedness and practice God’s word.
Our choice to follow Christ is not a one-off prayer. Our choice to follow Christ is for a lifetime. Everyday we should practice God’s word and be doers of His word, not merely hearers who delude ourselves (James 1:22).
Therefore, we need to practice God’s word and not deliberately continue in sins (Hebrews 10:26-27). But because we are often weak, God gives us more grace by forgiving us of our sins.
In fact, everyday we should try not to sin and seek God’s help to overcome sins. If we do sin, we can ask for God’s forgiveness (Matthew 6:12-13).
“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)
Summary
If you have believed in Jesus, you have been called by God. God knows those whom He chooses, because those whom He chooses would love God (given His grace). If you have been called by God and truly love Him, then you would do what He says and practice His word.
This is how you know you are chosen: You have come to God by believing in Jesus for salvation, and you act on or practice the words of the Bible (Matthew 7:24-27).
See other articles in Q&A for Christians.
Read Romans 8 in the Bible.