To Encourage You

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 “For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”

Despite what the Bible says about the topic, one of the greatest sources of disagreement among Christians over the centuries has been the issue of “predestination.” The Bible speaks of it clearly in many places. One such place is in the passage above. It says here that Paul and those who had ministered with him to those in Thessalonica knew that God had “chosen” the Thessalonian believers because of how they had reacted to the message of the gospel when they heard it.  It says that the gospel came to them not only in word, i.e., it didn’t bounce off them like water off a duck’s back, but it came “in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” When those to whom Paul was now writing had heard the gospel message that they were sinners and without hope unless they turned to Christ in repentance, submission, and faith, they were fully convicted that it was true.  They were like those 3,000 people in Jerusalem who believed after Peter preached at Pentecost. Their reaction to Peter’s message was that they “were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” To this Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38). 

Many millions of people have heard the gospel over the 2,000 years plus that it has been preached around the world. However, it is only a tiny fraction who have believed that message. Jesus warned of this with these words: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).  And why is this?  It’s because “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). 

People often rail at this thought – that God chooses those who will believe.  Nevertheless, that He does this is very clear, both from the verses above and from others such as this one: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30).  And then there are Jesus’ words to the apostles: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide” (John 15:16). 

Again, people rail at such thoughts. They want it to be their actions that determine their salvation, rather than God’s.   They want to believe that in some way or other it was because of their own personal merit that they believed.  They don’t realize that a spiritually dead person can’t react to anything spiritual. Like Lazarus, unless Jesus speaks the word “come forth,” they don’t have any capacity to rise from the dead, spiritually speaking. 

So is this something I understand?  In fact, is this something that anyone understands?  I doubt it.  In fact, there are lots of things that our finite minds cannot understand regarding our omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God.  But if this truth about being chosen troubles you or angers you, or you just reject it out of hand, then you’ve done nothing more than reject the Word of God.

But then you may be wondering, “Am I one of the chosen ones?” I would suggest that that’s not a question any unbeliever should concern himself or herself with, for Jesus has said to us “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever  believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And that whoever includes you and it includes me.

Personal responsibility and God’s sovereignty: they go hand in hand and they are both true, regardless of whether we understand it, or not.  And for anyone who has believed, as Paul told the Thessalonians, that just means that they were chosen by God just as the Thessalonians were.  If this is hard for you to understand, ask yourself why you did believe.  What was it that caused you to leave your old life and turn to Christ?  You can be assured that it wasn’t because you or I are better, more virtuous, or wiser than anyone else.  No, it is never an unbeliever that makes the first move toward God. God always initiates. We just respond. 

So, if you are a believer, think about the fact that God had His eye on you and destined you for salvation “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4) and this despite your sinfulness and rebellion?  It’s something that the Father wants you and me to realize, regardless of whether we can comprehend it or not.  And why did He do this?  Simply because of His great love, and this all “while we were yet sinners.” How wonderful is a love like that?