Chosen by God

Now we have come to a verse in Ephesians which has long been disregarded when the salvation of the Christian is explained. For various reasons which we will discuss further in this blog, the chosen status of the Christian is denied by many, if not most who call themselves teachers of the faith. Here is the verse:

Eph 1:4 For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.

Let me begin by saying that Scripture must interpret Scripture. In any faithful analysis of the Bible, it must be true that the interpretation of a verse or set of verses is supported by what other verses say. Moreover, when certain verses are unclear, God has provided various clear verses throughout the Bible to give us understanding regarding the same subject. Though the Bible does not read like a novel, nor is it meant to be read in that way, it is a single document, provided for us by the inspiration of God and it does not contradict itself. Where apparent contradictions are found, it is the understanding of the reader that is in question, not the integrity of the Bible.

You, if you are my brother or sister in Christ, were chosen by God to be saved. Before you were ever conceived on this earth, the Lord knew you and He foreknew that He would save you from your sins and sinful nature. This foreknowledge of God’s has nothing to do with any character traits you possess, nor do you have anything to offer God in the way of service. He does not “need” you. As the Apostle Paul described to the Greeks, “And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything” (Acts 17:25). In every relationship between the saved and the Savior, we humans MUST always be on the receiving end of everything. God is the giver. It is an improper thought to suggest that there are times that we can give something to God that He lacks or needs. Remember that He is the Creator, and we have been created.

A very important verse which is related to Ephesians 1:4 comes later in this same book. Eph 2:8,9 says this: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Clearly, the truth being declared in both of these verses is the complete work of God in the process of salvation and the absence of any human involvement. In fact, if you want to know the truth, the only role a human ever plays in their own salvation is to resist it.

Does that last comment surprise you? Have you believed for many years that you chose to accept God into your life? Did someone tell you to pray the “sinner’s prayer” (which is not in the Bible) and then ask Jesus to come into your heart? If these things speak to your own understanding and experience thus far as a Christian, please read on.

What has happened to so many in the Christian faith is the hijacking of their salvation through deception to get you to believe that it is something it is not. The enemy does this in order to turn it into something hollow and void of any power for living. The true power of God for the salvation of all who believe is in the knowledge that He did it all on the cross. Jesus is the only Truth.

The true description, given by God, of every unbeliever is this:

Rom 3:10-18
10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now, no one would deny that choosing God to be their Savior would be a “good” thing, in the eyes of the Lord, right? Yet verse 12 says, “there is no one who does good, not even one.” Furthermore, would you agree that when someone decides that they need to be saved, they “seek” the Savior, and ask Him to come into their hearts, right? Yet verse 11 says there is “no one who seeks God.” And in case you think that maybe you were the exception to the rule, God says, “ALL have turned away” and “not even one” does good in His eyes.

What these verses are describing is the condition of the heart of mankind prior to salvation. It is called the sinful nature and we are all born with it—there are no exceptions. The heart I speak of is spiritual, identifying the true nature and condition of every man and woman on this earth. It is not physical, nor is it identified by behavior, though the two can be related. There are some behaviors which appear noble on the outside. They may seem helpful and generous to other people, but coming from any person with a sinful nature, they are nothing but selfish in the eyes of the Lord. This is why He can characterize the human race the way that He did in Romans 3. True goodness can only come from God Himself. Consider also the following:

Rom 8:6-8 [6]The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; [7] the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. [8] Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

I tell you these things because I want you to know that there is no way you could have chosen God as your Savior. You were in a state of complete rejection up to the moment that He saved you. And when He did save you—the moment you received the gift of faith to believe in His Son—you probably did not know it happened. Because of faith, you were only just beginning to be allowed to understand the true nature of this world, of mankind, of yourself, and of your salvation.

If there was a time in your life when you said that you wanted Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, I would like to explain to you what I think actually was happening. You had already received the gift of faith to believe, and probably had been under the guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit for some time. When the proper time had come, the Lord Jesus revealed Himself to you as the Savior, and by faith you were ready to confess with your lips that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rom 10:9). The problem was that through an incorrect understanding of Scripture, or perhaps false teaching, you were told that it was you who was choosing God at that very moment. In fact, it was He who chose you. And because He is God, He did so before the creation of the world, before you were ever born or could make choices.

If you think about what I am saying, faith will tell you it is true. And by the way, faith will also begin to show you how great it is to know that He chose you instead of you choosing Him. Again, there is not only freedom but also power from God for living which is based upon the foundation of this understanding.

Ephesians 1:4 does not imply that some are chosen to be saved and some are chosen to be sent to hell. The fact is that we are all born in a state of rejection through the fall of Adam and Eve, and mankind is free to continue resisting and rejecting the Father’s attempts to save. But this is our only choice. You cannot choose to accept because without faith, you cannot possibly know in truth, who it is you are accepting. Remember, “the sinful mind is hostile to God”. We are all born into the kingdom of darkness. We belong to the ruler of this world until such a time that God can rescue us. But trust me in this: your own rescue as well as mine, came amidst our kicking and screaming (spiritually resisting God but being overcome by Him).

These things can be difficult, I know. So I would like to leave you with a few more verses to ponder. Think on these things, and ask the Lord to give you understanding. He is faithful and He will do it.

Rom 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit– fruit that will last. (Jesus speaking)

Gen 6:5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

John 1:12-13 [12] Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– [13] children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Rom 8:29-30
[29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [30] And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Rom 9:15-16 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” [16] It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

Praise the Lord! Let all the glory by His! -Pastor Scott

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