Could it be true that God determines who will go to heaven, but leaves us with the impression that the choice is ours?
Some students of the Bible are convinced that the doctrines of total depravity, foreknowledge, election, predestination, and sovereign grace are essential to an understanding of the grace of God. They believe that the alternative to these doctrines gives too much credit to human choice, human intelligence, and human character. Others say that free will and choice are foundational to the heartfelt response God wants from us-that without freedom of choice we end up being puppets rather than persons.
So who is right? Let’s see if some definitions are helpful.
Total depravity is the teaching that every part of our being has been damaged by sin. In our natural state, none of us will look for the kind of God who has made us for Himself (Romans 3:10-12). So unless God intervenes, we will continue wandering from Him in spiritual darkness.
Foreknowledge and election mean that even before creation God foreknew and chose those who would be saved (Romans 8:29-31). Some understand this to mean that in His foreknowledge God chose those He knew would choose Him. Others are convinced that people like those described in Romans 3:10-12 will not choose God unless He first chooses them and enables them to believe.
Predestination means that God has predetermined that those who believe in His Son will eventually be conformed to the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29-31). Some think this is a kind of action that overrides human will and choice. Others see it as the action that works with our will to assure that the salvation we desire will be fully realized.
Sovereign grace is a term used to emphasize that salvation begins and ends with God alone, and that because of our inclination to wander away from Him this rescue is an expression of God’s undeserved kindness to us.
Now back to our questions. Have we been so damaged by sin that we will only choose God when He intervenes in our behalf? Do we move toward God only when He moves us? Just about the time I am thinking freedom to choose is only an illusion, I remember the Old Testament story of Job. In a conversation that took place in heaven, God asked Satan to consider one man who stood out from all of the rest of mankind. Satan’s response was that Job was better than other men because God had bribed him to behave well. According to the adversary, God was giving Job protection and wealth in exchange for Job’s faithfulness. Satan’s argument was significant. It focused on Job’s choices and motives, not on the accusation that God had sovereignly caused Job to be better than others.
Satan acknowledged that Job chose to serve God, but said that he did so from self-serving motives. Satan’s comments combine with the Lord’s to show that Job was an issue of conversation-because of Job’s choices. Nothing in the story leaves God open to the charge that Job was merely a puppet-servant who did what God programmed him to do.
Where does this leave us? I think it leaves us once again with a sense of the mystery and wonder of God. It also leaves us with an opportunity to find our bearings by orienting ourselves to what we know, rather than to what we don’t know. By going back to truths we’ve already accepted, we can conclude:
1. A right view of foreknowledge and election will deepen our appreciation for the goodness of God. If our thoughts about election and predestination cause us to doubt that God is inexpressibly wonderful, we can safely conclude it is our understanding of what we don’t know that is flawed (Psalm 34:8).
2. A right understanding of God’s sovereignty will ignite a passion to reach the lost. The men and women of the New Testament set a pace for us. They risked their lives to give others a chance to hear and believe what Christ has done for us. They believed what God wants us to believe, and they acted in a way God wants us to act. If our understanding of free will and sovereignty kills our concern for others, then it is our thoughts that are flawed.
3. A right view of God’s sovereign grace will promote humility rather than pride. Any truth rightly understood leads us to a God who in turn causes us to see ourselves and one another in His shadow (Deut. 29:29).
4. A right view of election and predestination will prompt Christlike love for fellow believers. Together these truths show how much God has done for His family. The example of His eternal love is a strong reason for us to care for one another as He has cared for us.
5. A right view of free will gives honor to God. Nothing is more basic than that God deserves honor for being what we could never be, and for doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. Our salvation in time and eternity begins and ends with Him. We are the ones who have messed up. He is the one who has come to our rescue. His choices are what we need to honor. Again, I don’t know how to sort all of this out. But I’m confident of this: The Bible wants us to take our own choices seriously, even if only to keep saying, Yes, Lord, I do invite You to live Your life through me. Please do for me what I cannot do for myself. I do want to be under the influence and control of Your Spirit.
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