"In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons" (Eph. 1:5).
The key understanding man’s free will and God’s sovereignty in salvation is to understand man’s fallen nature. Many in the church today argue against the doctrine of predestination (or election) because they say it violates man’s free will and removes his responsibility to answer the call of the Gospel. This is simply not the case. If we remember yesterday’s definition of free will, we will understand why election must be true and why man’s free will is not violated in the doctrine of predestination.
We said that free will is man’s ability to choose what he wants. What, then, does fallen man want? The Bible clearly teaches that there is no one righteous. It also says that we are in bondage to sin and dead in our transgressions. How, then, do we reconcile the biblical teaching that man is in bondage to sin, yet retains a free will? Again, look at the definition: free will is the ability to choose what we want. Fallen people have the natural ability to choose what they want, but their desires are in bondage to sin. Therefore, they can only choose according to their own sinful desires. Does fallen man, then, in and of himself have a natural desire for Christ? The Bible answers with an emphatic “No.” “No man seeks God” (Rom. 3:11b).
Man left to himself would never choose Christ no matter how often he hears the message of the Gospel. To be saved, his desires, his inclination, his sinful disposition must be changed. If his sinful disposition is changed, if he is released from his bondage to sin, then he would unreservedly choose Christ. This is the essence of regeneration. The Spirit of God breathes new life into our dead souls; He changes our hearts. We are born again, not naturally, but spiritually. Even in this, God does not violate our free will. He changes our desires. We then choose according to those righteous desires. In our previous fallen state, we hated Christ. But, now that God has changed our hearts, we love Christ and follow Him.
Our salvation is totally dependent upon God’s merciful and electing love. “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world.… In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity to the purpose of His will” (Eph. 1 NIV).
Do you have a problem with the doctrine of election? Examine yourself to discover why you oppose this biblical teaching. The problem might be that you are not convinced from Scripture Read Romans 9:1–29. Does this passage support election? How does election give God all the glory in salvation? Give Him that glory today.
