“You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you…” John 15:16
It was to an imperfect, and problem riddled people, that God, through Isaiah the prophet would say: “But thou, Israel, art my servant…I have chosen you, and not cast you away…Fear not, for I am with you.” (Is. 41:8,10,11) It would also be to very needy disciples that the Lord Jesus would say, “I have chosen you…and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” (John 15:16) What does God mean by “chosen?” Before we attempt to answer this question in part, we need to realize that many folk are either offended, or simply reject the notion that God chooses certain people for certain purposes. However, the concept of God’s sovereign intervention in a life should never be rejected, only referred to the One who presents it to us. It will be out of what He teaches, that our hearts will be strengthened, and we shall be encouraged, in our walk and fellowship with Him.
First of all, we must look at God’s act of “choosing” in the true spiritual context of our existence. Scripture tells us that we are born dead…dead spiritually. The very window of our soul, the spirit of man, was shut and barred to the life-giving life and light of God the day that Adam sinned. Though Adam did not die physically that day, he did die spiritually. Paul puts it like this: “…when we were DEAD in our sins.” (Ephesians. 2:1,5) The vision that God gave to Ezekiel in chapter 37 of his book, is a great picture of this. He is brought into a valley of bones, very life-less, dry bones. It will only be by the intervention of God that these bones shall live. This He CHOOSES to do, in His way, for His glory. He declares that He will open their graves, put His Spirit within them, and they shall live….knowing that He IS the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:13,14) When God looked out from eternity on the vastness of humanity that was to come after the fall, He CHOSE to intervene, to CALL, to CONFIRM those whom He would call. How did He accomplish this? Prophetically, He spoke of the coming, suffering, and death, of a spotless Lamb…one that would die for the sins of the entire world. This is what John the Baptist declared when seeing Jesus: “Behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the WORLD.” (John 1:29) The Call of God has gone forth to the entire world, for in the wisdom, sovereignty, and love of the Father, his Son would be lifted up on a cross, “…and would draw all men to Himself.” The great issue before us here is NOT whether God, in His sovereignty has chosen us, called us, to know Him and to bear everlasting fruit, but whether, we will respond to the overtures of that calling and choice. In the example of Israel being chosen, there is no doubt that many in Israel would forsake God, and like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, “…reject the counsel of God against themselves.” (Luke 7:30) And yet, there were those who did respond to the preaching of Peter the day of Pentecost, and multitudes who have responded since then to the Life-giving Christ, by the preaching of the truth of His word, until this very day. God is NOT unjust, for the revelation of Him has gone forth every day in creation, and His Son has been lifted up to draw all men to Himself. As the hymn writer so eloquently put it: “What more can He say, than to us He has said?” The answer is,”nothing.”
Secondly, we must simply decide how “I” will respond to the revelation of God in Christ. He has done ALL to “Choose” us, to save and seal us. His calling is impending, certain, and unrelenting. His purpose is undeterred by the reactions and weaknesses of men. When He declares that He has chosen us, it is because it is so, and we are to live by faith in the reality of it, even though we may not fully understand it.
Dear Father, give us to know and to realize that we are Thine by Thy work in our hearts and souls. Grant us receptive, clean hearts, whereby we shall receive the light of the blessed Life of Your Son, by the Spirit. Produce in us all the blessed fruit possible, the very evidence and expression of Christ’s life within our hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad