January 09 2012, 8:10 am | Bill Elliff
It is important to understand the ways of God so that we can cooperate with Him. Like a husband becoming a student of his wife so that he might better love and serve her, we are lifelong (and eternal) students of God.
In the matter of our salvation, Paul gives us an amazing and sobering thought about God's ways.
"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:11-12)
I believe that predestination is more than foreknowledge, but is God actually determining beforehand, for some reason, that He would save some. The cross swung open every single prison door for every man. But our total depravity makes us unable to even walk out of the cell. It takes the drawing of the Father to get us out and for some reason, God alone determines the recipients of this particular grace. I believe this because of the vast number of verses that relay this thought—not necessarily because I can reconcile it all in my mind.
Our immediate tendency is to be upset with this authority. The bottom line question is this: "Who gave God the right to do that?" Well, it could be that He's the Creator. That nothing existed before Him and that the clay does not tell the potter what should be done with him (see Romans 9).
Paul says God predestines "according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11). He has a purpose and He doesn't counsel with anyone else on this. He works it out "according to the counsel of HIS will" (emphasis mine). It is a counsel of One and it is his absolute prerogative to do this.
A long time ago I settled this in my heart that He's God and He's good. I can trust Him. If the great preponderance of verses says He chooses whom He saves, I can trust the "counsel of His will." He does not have to explain this to my mind. It is explained by His sovereignty and goodness. And I believe that if we were standing at His right hand watching this process we would say, "Oh, I see now. That's perfect."
A friend of mine had a friend who was an unbeliever and always claimed the seeming injustices of God in his life as the excuse for why he would not come to Christ. It was his standard line. He'd tell his personal story of difficulty and tragedy and then say, "How could you trust a God who does things like that?"
One day, he came upon a black street preacher who confronted him about his salvation. He smiled, proudly anxious to pull out his favorite argument to this unlearned evangelist. After he'd completed his rehearsed statement, finishing with his favorite question that always seemed to stump his previous listeners, the old preacher looked at him and said, "THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"
That's all he said, but the thought haunted the man until he realized the truth of it and surrendered his heart to Christ.
It is not an act of irresponsibility to let God determine the recipients of His salvation if He desires, but an act of humility. It is HIS gift to give, after all. Leaving some things mysterious with man is one of His ways that drives us to simple faith. We must leave some unexplainable things to God and trust His counsel. He's God and He can do whatever He wants, but He's also good and does everything right.
Order Bill's books here including "The Child of 10,000 Names" and "WhiteWater".