Some people’s religion amounts to no more than their seeking what they can get. Those truly thankful for the eternal gift they have received are seeking daily what they can give and how they can serve their Father’s kingdom, magnifying Him to all His creatures. ~ Don P
CAN GOD BE FAIR AND NOT GIVE ALL PEOPLE A CHANCE?
We all agree that God is sovereign. That means He has ultimate control of all things. Their is no power greater than He and nothing He can not control. Eph1:11. This is sensible since He created all to begin with. Rom 9:20-21. He made the creatures for His own pleasure (Eph 1:5 & 9 & Phil 2:13 ) and has every right to do anything with them He wants. Though in His treatment of us He is consistent with His nature of being balanced with both Justice and Mercy. We are His subjects, whether knowingly and willingly or not. The difficulty comes when we consider how this really applies in our life, actions and decisions.
The right understanding of God begins with God and His original plan and purposes. It can not start with man deserving certain rights. Many err in devising religions to satisfy man’s needs; to see what man can get from God. “In the beginning was God,” is where we must start if we will correctly find our purpose and what truths God has revealed.
Accepting this as our rightful position, a creature, let us proceed to see what our purpose is that we were created for.
1Cor 10:31, Eph 1:12, Ps 73:28, give us two items; to bring glory to Him and to declare His works. Eph 2:10 also shows that we are to do good works. 1John 2:4 strongly asserts we are to keep his commandments.
We are a creature; we were created for the pleasure of the Creator; and we have specific duties to perform.
From the start it is obvious that God chose Abraham and also chose only people of the Jews to be converted. He did not allow any other nations to worship Him. How is that not fair that God chose only of the Jews to be saved and didn’t let others have a chance? Yet we know this is true, though a few proselytes may have moved to Israel, basically God chose from the Jews only, the rest blocked.
God made a covenant with Adam that he would live if he perfectly obeyed God and that he would die if he did not remain perfect. To immediately die spiritually and slowly die physically was the curse for failure. This spiritual death was separation from God. Also the curse changed the will that was totally free. From now on it will be in bondage to sin and the fleshly desires. It was now impossible for Adam to do good that would restore him with God.
Since Adam sinned and he was
our federal or legal head or representative; what he brought on himself, he also brought on all mankind. Rom 5:12-19. We may not like this or think it not fair, that Adam was our legal representative; but we can be thankful for it. Why? Because we know that we would have also sinned; and if not for God using legal headship, there would be no hope for our salvation from the curse. We could not do enough good to please God, let alone atone for our sin or make ourselves pure as though we had never sinned. This is what God’s Justice requires. Perfect sinlessness. Even the blood of bulld and goats cannot appease God. As Heb. 10:4 shows they were not able to take away sin, but only pictured a savior to come who could remove sin.
If it were not that Christ could also be our legal head, and have His life of perfect obediance and infinite sacrifice for sin legally applied to us, we would be without hope. He was made the second Adam, our federal head for redemption. Just as Adam was our legal head that changed our nature and separated us from God; so Christ is accounted our head to change our nature to one God can love again. This is not fair. It is not a matter of fair or not. We are glad God is not fair; but rather He is merciful. Yet at the same time His justice must be satisfied. Adam was put to the test federally for the race of man, so Christ was put to the test on behalf of His chosen people. Christ’s perfect obedience and sacrifice is legally accounted to those He represented; just as Adam’s failure was. Therefore a way to make the impossible, possible.
God is perfect and can not be in the presence of imperfection. There was no way for a man to undo the sin that makes him imperfect. Therefore all mankind now is hopelessy doomed to death and eternal punishment for offending an eternal God. Only by Christ, the second legal head or representative, completing the test, could any be reconciled to God. Adam’s will was totally free. He could have obeyed God but did not. One thing the fall did to us is change our nature such that we all have been born with a will that though still free, in some aspects, is limited or bound. Just as a fish has free will to go where it pleases, but not on land. It is limited or bound to the water. Mankind is not free to please God. Jer 13:23 makes it as plain as it can be. We can no more do good than a leopard can change his spots. It is not a problem with our physical ability, it is our will. We have been born into a selfish human nature that does not want to please God. We can not change this nature and our will is bound to it, as the fish is bound to stay in water. Rom 3:10-12 says there is no one that seeks God and no one that does good. That is, good in the sense of pleasing God. Even our most righteous appearing acts are as trash to God because they are not from a pure desire to please Him. Is 64:6. So then our free will does us no good because it has no desire to choose to please God. This is why Jesus tells Nicodemus there is only one way a man can know God. Jn 3:3 He said a person must be born again from above to see the kingdom of God. A new birth is what must take place to regenerate the will of man so he has a desire to please God. So without first being reborn spiritually, we can not repent or believe because our will will not do it. It loves the flesh. Once reborn and given a new heart our will is free from the bondage of sin. Now we can please God and are given faith, a gift of grace, so we can repent and obey God. Eph 2:8.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb 11:6. But how do we get this good faith? This faith is not something we already have of ourselves, but is a gift; so no man can boast that he had anything to do with being able to do good or repenting and believeing. It is all of grace and from God. Jn 6:44. He alone gets the glory for our change. If it was something we could do, it would be a work. It is not a work because it is a gift. Heb 11:6 Eph 2:8 It is this new birth that is given freely by God to those He sovereignly choses to give it. Rom 9:16. John 6:37, 39 & 65. And you ask how then does He choose? Eph 1:5 tells us it is according to what pleases Him. It is mercy when we deserved punishment; not something we had a right to. We all deserved hell, but He chose to give some a new birth, to free their will to be able to do a good from motives of faith again. Before even his best actions were not from faith in God and from a desire to serve Him first, so they were still worthless, even sin in the eyes of God. After the new birth, this person is no longer in bondage to only do sin, but now though he may still sin, he can also please God. He now has a desire to repent, believe, obey and love God. He actually has a new nature. Old things are past and all things are new. 2Cor 5:17. This all does not result from some mere decision that a fallen man makes with his fleshly mind. Jn 1:13. This faith can not originate from man or it would also be sinful and imperfect and would not be acceptable to God. This type of faith is spiritual and must come from God, and be perfect. Phil 2:13 evidences that it is God who works in us to will and to do. This is the only way it can be acceptable to Him. Apart from this new birth and the drawing of the Father to Christ, no one would want to become Christ’s slave. 1Cor 7:22. No one would decide to repent and believe. It takes this work of the Spirit being put into us, being born of the Spirit (Jn 3:5, Rom 8:9) for us to be free from our sin nature, to be able to choose good. So #1. Since the fall we have a nature that even in its kindest acts can not please God or do true good, because it is tainted with sin from the fallen nature and lack of true faith in the True God.
#2. We must be born again, indwelt with the Spirit and given a new nature that can please God before we would ever want to repent from our own contol of our life or believe all that God says so fully that we live every area of our life in obedience with His word.
#3 We must be given the gift of faith before we could manifest true faith by repenting, believing and obeying.
God does not give this ability to repent and believe to everyone; (Jn 8:27, 10:26,); some are even blocked by God from getting it. Lk 8:12 2Thes 2:11-12, Jn 12:40, Rom 11:7 & 9:22.
God is not unrighteous in this since all people deserved hell because they were imperfect and sinned. It would be just and fair for Him to punish us all and not give faith or a new birth to any. It is to manifest His great mercy and love that inspite of deserving punishment, and not for any good in us, He for His own good pleasure chooses some to be vessles of mercy; to open the blind eyes, and give a new birth by putting His spirit in them. Thankful we are God is not only just, but also merciful.
Why would you think He must show mercy on every person? What right have you to say why does He only choose some? Does not the potter have power over the clay to make one vessel to honor and another to dishonor? Rom 9:21. This was God’s answer through Paul to those he explained this to. He knew when rightly understanding God’s electing some and leaving others in their sinful state, that some would react and accuse God of not being fair. The creator does have the right. He is under no obligation to open fallen sin blinded eyes. The question rather is why should He show mercy to any who deserve punishment?
Do not grumble against the Lord and his ways. Can the thing formed say to Him that formed him, why have you made me this way? Rom 9:20 This is God’s answer to man’s thinking it is not right. No, your are a creature and have no rights but to be punished. There is nothing you can do that would make up for the sins you have already done. If you could be perfect the rest of your life; if you could give all your money, if you could sacrifice your own life, this still would not make up for sinning against your Almighty Creator. There is nothing in your power that can change your destiny to be punished. Even your prayers and cries to God in your old nature are not able to move Him to give you a new nature. It is by His sole choice. Your only hope is that He has chosen to have mercy on you. You can only know this by seeking Him and gathering with His people. Read His word and seek to obey, as best your able, to live as His people. You may find that you are one who will be given the new nature, faith and repentance. You can not know that there is no hope for you. He has called all of us to obey Him. Dare we not. Dare we rebel any more now knowing the truth. The good news is there is a way of salvation from punishment of our sin through Christ. It would not be good news if it were not possible that you may receive it. It would only be foolish and self destructive to neglect this plan. You can not know that He will not have mercy on you and give you a heart that desires to please Him and hates the old sinful ways. Ps 147:10-11 But do you want this? Are you really wanting to stop all your sin. To give up the opportunity to indulge your sensual desires and make your body a slave to Christ. To put the rest of your days at His disposal to do with as He wishes? Are you really ready to give up your whole life to do and be whatever He asks of you? If not then you must ask him for a renewed heart that detests sin and delights to please Him and will submit all that you have to Him as Lord. Cry out to Him that you may see His worthiness and be endeared to love and obey Him.
To just do religious actions when your heart still desires to be doing selfishness is of no value. Even strict pharisees of many religions can by exercise of will control themselves like that. Your righteousness must exceed that of the pharisees to be saved. A consecrated, seperated life of holiness and willingness to suffer anything and the loss of all is required. Nothing less than a broken, renewed heart will do.
There is hope He may come to
you. If you are one of His chosen you must be found among His people and seeking to know Him from His word. Give Him your best worship which He deserves as your Creator. And though you may fear His justice, yet continue to ask Him to be merciful to you. There are many He has had mercy on and applied the blood of Christ to legally wash away their sin. Determine to cling to Him and His word as long as you live, for this is right. Stop your rebelling against His will. Stop the selfish controlling of your life by your fleshly lusts and obey His word. Trust what He says to be true that giving up the selfishness is actually for your benefit. There is nothing that prevents you from making this endeavor.
He sent His son to die for the chosen, the elect; that some may have the penalty paid for their sin and the righteous life of Christ put to their account. These will appear before Him both without sin, and with righteousness. You may be one of those chosen. The way to know for sure is to be found persevering in His truth; so that He may one day comfort you with that knowledge to be able to say, from a heart renewed and filled with love, for the One who would sacrifice His only son to save a rebelious people, I am My Beloved’s and He is mine. May He grant you grace to persevere in this life of obedience to His ways. Rev 5/2298
Read: Man’s Will in Conversion
