Lesson 9: Now - Who Is Really In Charge? (3)

As we ended our last lesson, we talked about how God can hold us responsible for not choosing Him if we cannot choose. Paul wrote in Romans 9:6 how Israel rejected God so God’s purpose could be fulfilled even though God had chosen Israel to be His people. He clearly states in verse 15 that it is God’s choice as to who will receive His mercy and compassion, and yet in verse 19 when the charge is made that this absolves man of choice, Paul replies that to say such is to argue with God and we have not the right to do so.

We also read Jesus’ words with interest, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you…” (John 15:16). If you carefully note the timeline here, you will find two things: 1) Judas Iscariot had already left (John 13:30), so Christ was talking only to believers, and 2) this revelation comes more than 3 years after they were “chosen” to follow Him.

Clearly, from man’s perspective there is choice and freedom to choose; and just as clearly, God is the one who directs all choices. Read what God says about His sovereignty in each of the following verses. Write beside each the nature of God’s reign over His creation:
*Psalm 103:19
*Isaiah 45:7
*Isaiah 46:9-10
*Jeremiah 32:27
*Matthew 28:18
*Romans 9:13-14

Isaiah 46:9-10 says, “remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”


It is God’s purpose and plan which will be done, not man’s. It is God’s will which is sovereign, not man’s. God did not simply look down the corridors of time to see who would choose Him and believe in Him, and then choose them to be His. This would place man’s will and choice over God’s and make Him obligated to man’s action. It denies the very nature of grace, for grace cannot be grace if it is in any way obligated to any work (Romans 11:6).

How can man still be responsible for his choices, how can his choice for salvation still be of free will if God has designed and planned and elected and chosen and predestined every individual on the face of this earth either for salvation or for judgment? I cannot answer that with anything other than this: He says it is so and therefore it is.

Having just said, however, that I don’t understand, there is something that makes sense to my heart – God’s grace and mercy would be meaningless if it was arbitrarily given to everyone. In that case, human choice would be utterly worthless since it wouldn’t matter one whit how we chose – God would take even those who didn’t want to be near Him to Heaven for all eternity. If all were eventually saved, then His righteousness and justice and holiness would also be irrelevant. More in our next lesson.