Unable To Harmonize It All

There are several commands in the Bible that on the surface that appear to contradict one another. For instance, there are verses where God makes a decree (i.e. that is something he declares that will take place whether man complies or not), and at the same time command us to do that very thing.                                                                                                                              

Let’s examine a couple.                                                                                             

In Isaiah 55:6 it says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.”     We read in John 6:44 that none can come to Jesus unless the Father God draws that person to Him. We also read in Romans 3:11 that no one seeks after God. Humanly speaking, these statements do not harmonize at all. Why would God demand we seek Him in the Isaiah passage, and then the apostles John and Paul tell us that we are unable to come to Jesus or seek after God?                                                                                                                                                  

What is going on here?                                                                                                          

Here is the clear implication. We are commanded to seek God because we are in need of forgiveness of sins and salvation, but we are unable to do this on our own. We must depend   upon the power of God to do for us what we can never accomplish on our own.       In order for us to seek God, we have to be changed from within. We have to be granted repentance, and faith to believe gospel message, then we will seek God and only then.                                                                         

We must seek God; that is a command, but we cannot do this in our own power. For we must remember, we are dead in trespasses and sins before we are made alive (regenerated) by the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13). So we see the importance of studying the scripture. If we look at a couple of passages that appear to contradict one another, we must examine the whole scripture to come to a correct conclusion.                                                                                                                       

                          

                         How do we harmonize God’s election and man’s responsibility to believe?

The concern for some who have a problem with the doctrine of sovereign election is that it somehow negates the personal responsibility of the sinner to believe in order to be saved. Their argument would be something like this, “If God is choosing in eternity past who He is going to save, what is the point of preaching the gospel? They are going to be saved anyway right?”               

It’s true God knows who He has chosen to be saved, but we do not know who will be saved until they actually believe. So preaching the gospel message is the means by which God has chosen to bring His elect to saving faith. The gospel is also the means that will condemn those who choose not to believe the truth. While it is true that God has chosen some to be saved from eternity past, they will not be saved until they receive the gospel message and believe it which will bring about their salvation. Here we see God’s sovereignty and human responsibility working in tandem to accomplish God’s purposes. God creates the means and the ends regarding salvation.                                                                                                                                                           

Admittedly God transcends the mind how he does certain things. For instance, God has chosen some for salvation, yet God’s choosing some does not negate human responsibility to believe. It was the predetermined plan of God to send Jesus to earth to die on a cross, yet men killed the son of God, and our culpable for His death. It was prophesied by God in Psalm 41:9 that Judas would betray Jesus, but that does not get Judas off the hook, because God wove Judas betrayal in His providential plan. Judas was not coerced into betraying Jesus. He acted as a free moral agent. Just because the Bible says those whom saves God will never perish does not mean we are not to persevere in faith unto the end. Just because we are sanctified positionally does not mean we are not to pursue holiness actively. Just because we have been forgiven of our sins judicially forever does not mean we are not to daily confess our sins for ongoing cleansing and removing of unrighteousness. And finally, just because a person is chosen (elect of God), does not mean we are not to pray that God grants men repentance and salvation.    All the aforementioned do not harmonize to the human mind. Here Is where we are rest our minds at:

            

Oh, the depth  of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and how inscrutable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given to Him that it might be repaid? For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever.                                                                          

Amen (Rom 11:33-36).