A close friend and fellow believer asked me the other day, concerning the salvation of sinners, “What does is matter who chooses whom, as long as we get there?” Being somewhat taken aback, I did not immediately reply and considered it something I really needed to think about instead of just offering what was on my mind at the moment (something I am really good at). We agree on many spiritual things, my friend and I, but seem to get stuck on the matter of who chooses whom for salvation, in what order, and why it should matter at all.
Looking back at our little conversation, hindsight being what it is, (always 20/20) I must admit that the question is a valid one! If God’s primary purpose for the awakening of spiritually dead, hopeless, lost sinners to new life in Christ is so that we would live with Him in heaven someday (and our best life now), why would God really care about who chose whom and when? If, however, God has a different ‘first purpose’ in the salvation of men, we might need to reconsider things.
Consider the following, from Paul’s letter to believers in Ephesus:
“He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, TO THE END THAT we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, WITH A VIEW TO the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” – Ephesians 1:9-14 (NASB) (Emphasis mine.)
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, SO THAT in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. – Ephesians 2:4-6 (NASB) (Emphasis mine.)
Here we have WHAT God has done on our behalf, and WHY He has done it – God’s first purpose in the salvation of men. I could have emphasized in these short passages, additional scripture to state the case, but I would ask you to consider for a moment the ‘purpose’ clauses, TO THE END THAT, WITH A VIEW TO, and SO THAT and the highlighted phrases that follow. Consider the thought that the primary reasons God saves even a portion of fallen men is for the praise of his own glory and so men through the ages will see the demonstration of his power and riches of His grace!
Back to or question, “What does it matter who chooses whom, as long as it we get there?” You tell me. Hint – Think God’s sovereignty, honor and glory.
P.S.
Translations/versions consulted for the accuracy of the above ‘purpose’ clauses in the referenced scripture: NKJV NIV, NASB, NASB 1995 Update, NLT, ESV, NET Bible, and The Message. With the exception of The Message, all translations spoke in unison concerning our salvation being first and foremost for God’s own glory.
That places our benefits, as bountiful as as they may be, both temporal and eternal, secondary, wouldn’t you think?
The Battle Cry 
very well done. Anything else has differing gradations of pragmatism, usually mixed with some sort of therapeutic charm. What works (read: seems to work in alleviating my difficulties, whatever they may be) becomes the measure of ministerial success. Romans 12:1-2 becomes a self-motivational mantra.
Everyone’s view of anything above them, regardless of what they call it, starts with their presuppositions of the thing that they think is above them. For the Christian, this is God. If one’s view of God’s purposes embraces the presumption that the most important point of who we are as Children of God is “as long as we get there” then ‘we’ become the subject of every testimony, creed, witness, and teaching. God becomes the object, a vaguely empowering spiritual sugar-daddy, more interested in our “happiness” than his purposes.
Those who retain this sort of theology can be, and many times are, vibrant amazing Christians. But they are either intentionally or unintentionally lying about who God is. They are raising Stuart-Smalley-sheep, leading their flock, new belivers and the next generation, to a place where the sheep get what seem best to them, even though the very existence of a Shepherd presupposes that the Sheep don’t really have a clue where they are going and what they are doing, nor do they understand the purposes of doing so.
Apart from passages like the one you have cited, which usually get a wide berth.
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Combine ‘me’ centered human nature with ‘me’ centered culture and we get a ‘me’ centered church in which ‘we’ are the center of God’s universe instead of God and His glory being the center of ours. I agree that there are many vibrant amazing Christians that sincerely believe God is all about them first. I used to be one of them, but I’m learning.
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