Dear BPCWA worshipper, When Romans 3:11 states, “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God”, it does not mean that an unbeliever cannot cognitively and intellectually understand the Gospel, or is totally disinterested in God. What “understand” means is that the natural man would not want to join in agreement of heart with God. “Seeks” refers to a begging and craving after God and a strong desire to have Him. So, fallen man may cognitively know the Gospel message and may even be interested in its concept. Yet, because fallen man loves sin more than light, he will not submit to God to come to Him totally on God’s terms (John 3:19-20). Hence, it is only when the grace of God irresistibly draws a person to Him and changes his heart to cause him to turn to Him that he comes to be saved.  This is why God states unequivocally “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (Joh 6:44).

Why does God repeatedly call men to repent if they will not choose God? This is a question that some pose to the Christian who believes that without election and irresistible grace, none will turn to God and be saved. Well, there are twofold reasons which God gives to man.

Firstly, the repeated message is to stop man’s mouth. Immediately after stating that no man, no not one, will agree with and submit to God, God immediately stated, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Ro 3:19). So, the repeated call to man to believe and repent is to stop the mouth of fallen man who will want to disagree with and challenge God. No fallen man can say they were not given the chance to understand and to seek God when the call is repeatedly given. Because the call is so repeatedly given in Scripture, no fallen man can say they did not love darkness more than light, and if they were given more chances and persuaded more convincingly, they would repent and turn to God in time. Hence, right from the start of Christ’s ministry to the Jews who had rejected the prophets before Him and would reject Him, “Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17). He kept telling them that “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mr 1:15). Likewise, all of Christ’s disciples repeatedly preached too “that men should repent” (Mr 6:12). Due to the clear and repeated call to turn to Christ and repent, no fallen man on the day of judgement can ever accuse God of not being genuine or sincere in offering the Gospel of salvation to them. Their mouths will be stopped, and they will have to admit that with the repeated offers, it was they themselves who had stubbornly refused to submit to the Gospel. Not even the unbelieving Jews can ever claim that they would have believed if they were given more light, because Christ said “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” (Lu 13:34). It was not God’s lack of warning, but their own fault that they would not believe and be saved. Numerous offers of salvation and an abundance of light through the repeated calls to man have been given. This only proves that man is totally to be blamed for the rejection of the Gospel of salvation, not God. This is because, despite the longsuffering of God in giving the repeated message to repent or likewise perish, man refuses to heed and obey the repeated message.

Secondly, it is for the elect to know the way of salvation. While God chose His elect before the foundation of the world to adopt us as His children, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph 1:5), we are not saved until God works irresistibly in our hearts to give us the new birth and gift us with saving faith. When Nicodemus asked the Lord Jesus Christ how to be saved, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). “Water” is used in Scriptures to reference the Word, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph 5:26). The “Spirit” refers, of course, to the Holy Spirit. Both the Word and the Spirit are intimately involved simultaneously at the point of salvation. This is consistent with “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Tit 3:5). So, why must the Gospel invitation be given when God knows man will not respond? This is because the elect must repent. When the elect is regenerated and can understand, he must know what message to respond to. He must know the message he is to embrace in order to be saved, when he is irresistibly drawn by God. The repeated message makes the Gospel abundantly clear to the elect what he must submit to. Every individual that the Father draws will definitely be raised by Christ since He said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (Joh 6:44). This means that every individual drawn to Christ will surely choose to believe. But Arminians believe that not all will choose to believe even when God enables them to choose.

Understanding the doctrine of election helps us know our salvation more clearly. Don’t try to make God look better, and so change what He says to make the gospel more palatable to unbelievers. Let God be God and don’t change the gospel and image of God to make it more appealing to atheists.

How should we respond to election? All were to be lost for eternity. But God chose to save many. Why? God simply says in Romans 9:22-23 “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: (23) And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.” Instead of being grateful, some question God who chose to show His wrath against sinful men who refuse His free offer of salvation, and at the same time show His gracious mercy on undeserving sinners.

I hope that this series on election and our salvation not only establishes our understanding and builds immovable convictions in us, but also stirs us to ponder about Christ’s great love as we approach the Easter week.

Oh, the love that sought me!
Oh, the blood that bought me!
Oh, the grace that brought me to the flock,
Wondrous grace that brought me to the flock!

Yours in our Lord’s service,
Pastor