READ Matthew 11:25-30
… no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
-- Matthew 11:27b-28 (NIV)
One of my relatives, who was a new believer, asked me to explain the concept of predestination. I was taken aback because I hadn’t thought about it in years. I explained that predestination is the doctrine that God chose us before the creation of the world to live with him in heaven forever (Ephesians 1:4). This concept logically begs the question: “If God chose us, and no one can resist God, what responsibility do individuals have in determining where they spend eternity?”
Earlier in my Christian walk, I recorded in a notebook all the verses I thought emphasized the role of God’s Sovereignty in a person becoming a Christian. Alongside that, I listed all the scriptures I thought emphasized the role of the individual’s choice in becoming a Christian. The scripture cited above illustrates both concepts residing comfortably beside each other in the same passage. After much study, I was unable to reconcile the two. I later discovered I wasn’t alone. Pastor John MacArthur argued in a sermon on this topic that these twin parallel truths “… will never come together. They will never intersect.”
What are we to do with this information? First, the doctrine of God’s Sovereignty places no burden on us. We’re only responsible for what we can control, which is to know God’s truth, as found in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17, John 8:32), to believe what it says, that Jesus is the Christ (Act 16:31-34), and to help others learn these truths (Mark 16:15-16).
We can rest in knowing that while God is sovereign, and we can choose to follow him or not, we don’t have to understand how these twin parallel truths mesh together.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
He chooses us, then we choose him.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, please help us to not get sidetracked by complex doctrines, but to focus on knowing and serving you.
Prayer Focus: NEW BELIEVERS
Rick Stockwell is employed as an IT Program Manager. He teaches Sunday school for kindergartners, is an elder at his church, and is the author of two Christian novels: THE WALL and THE BATTLE. He's been married for thirty-four years, and has two children and five grandchildren.
Book link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07HQ8G3MJ
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