Interwoven Truths

Last Sunday’s sermon touched on the interwoven biblical themes of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.  Consider:

Human choice and will; necessity of a personal response to God:

• Deut 30:19 (choose life, so you and your children may live)
• Josh 24:15 (choose this day whom you will serve)
• Matt 11:28 (come to me … and I will give you rest)
• Mark 1:15 (repent and believe the good news)
• Acts 2:38 (repent and be baptized, every one of you)
• Acts 16:31 (believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved)
• Rom 10:9 (if you confess and believe, you will be saved)
• And so, too, many other biblical commands and warnings

Divine initiative and intervention to save; human inability:

• John 1:13 (new birth is by God’s working, not human will)
• John 6:44, 65 (no one comes to Jesus unless drawn by the Father)
• John 10:26 (you don’t believe because you’re not of my sheep)
• Rom 8:29-30 (God predestined those whom he foreknew)
• Rom 9:16 (what ultimately matters is God’s sovereign mercy, not human will or exertion)
• 2 Cor 4:4-6 (unbelievers are blind to the light of the gospel)
• Eph 2:1-10 (vv 1, 5 dead in sin; v 8 salvation by faith is a gift)
• 2 Tim 2:25 (God may grant that non-believers repent)

What do we do with God’s saving initiative?  Embrace it—the Bible teaches it.  And more, celebrate the fact that God is able to break into rebellious souls and breathe life into spiritually dead hearts:  this gives us hope in outreach and boldness for prayer.

And what do we do with human will and choice?  Embrace it—the Bible teaches it.  And more, trumpet the call to turn to God and obey his Word, and encourage each other to be faithful to the Lord, choosing wisely, stepping out in faith as we follow Christ!