I choose You because You choose me.

Let's consider choice. Accepting the gospel is not some capricious action. It is not rash but rational and heartfelt. It is not a heartless choice like choosing a black t-shirt vs. a navy t-shirt. Frosted flakes or Fruit Loops. It is not a irrational choice like spending money vs throwing it out a window. God is glorified in our choice because we engage in it with all of our being. We must choose Him in our hearts, in our minds, and in our souls. We must choose Him from the very center of our being. Our choice is important. It is not something that we come to lightly. I propose that we cannot.

It is from this position that I wish to discuss our choice in salvation. One would scarely say to a spouse or a loved one. "I choose to love you on some rash choice of mine." Compared this to "I love you from the very center of my being. You are irresistible. I could not do anything but love you when we met." I would go as far to say that the first one is a slap in the face. Why do we say such to God? The second one reflects reality better. God is too great in the gospel to not love.

Now, I am saying that this choice flows from a quality within the person lets them love God. This seems simple, but oh how difficult people make this. Jesus emphatically in John 10:25-26 says "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock." The context of John 10 is salvation and its benefit. The sheep are not just believers for God has other sheep not yet of the fold. (verse 16) He will call them and they will come also.

I have suggested that those who are christians have somehow found a way to love God from the center of their person thus choose. They have been able to do this because of something that makes them different from others. Something makes them sheep. Now are they just better people? By no means, Christ died for us when we were still enemies of the cross. Not friends. We went astray following the course of this world before he called us out of darkness. He died for us while we who consisted of only the flesh were enmity against Him. He did not come to save the righteous but the unrighteous.



God must somehow make christians, sheep within salvation. I suggest this something the Holy Spirit does by giving man a new spiritual nature; giving man a heart of flesh and removing their heart of stone;causing them to be born again before faith to faith; regeneration. It is a single act of God. It falls within God's choice to do this so that man chooses rightly from the center of His person. Since it within the choice of God to appoint someone to this end, it falls under the normal meaning of an 'election'. His election. He really only appoints people to salvation and leaves the rest. A choice is still made by us to be saved from our very center. It is just preceded by God's. It is not upon the man who strives or runs but it is upon God to have mercy. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. He will have compassion on whom he will have compassion.

Let us look further at why the other possibilities which aren't. One idea is that all men contain some goodness in their hearts, not fallen, to choose christ. Thus our will is not fallen. This seems suspect for our finest efforts are filthy rags. They are always shot through with sin. We have each gone our own way. No one seeks after God. No one does good. They have become worthless. See Romans 3. Doing good is an act of the will. It is fallen. This is in our nature. After salvation, We can see clearly and feel the conviction that choosing salvatinon is to do good, to seek after God, and to follow his way. Furthermore, placing the choice in one's nature has problems in distinguishing this choice from the ability to do good anytime. Such an ability would make faith unnecessary.

Another idea is that God precedes our choice with just enough grace to make it free again. Prevenant grace. This seems more tennable. Since this grace does not change the person, the choice and the grace remain indistinguishable. The problem here is that prevenant grace lacks scriptural support. Now, I feel this is false like retained goodness because I think if everyone could see the choice aright they'd freely choose to be saved.

It sets up a contradition to what it is to be a free choice. I cannot see why one would live in sin. Prevenant grace would have to consider God allowing rejection. I cannot see this either. Christ came to save the worst of sinners. He came to save the ones who practice unbelief and idolatry. Ones who would try to reject him by it. The sin which Christ died cannot keep them away from salvation. Christ must deal with the sin of unbelief in His Death or His death is insufficent for the all types of sin. He deals with all sin on the cross. I cannot see Him not saving those who originally reject if they are meant to obtain salvation.