One of the clearest themes running through the entire Bible is that God created man with the ability to make real moral choices. We are not independent of God, nor can we save ourselves by our own efforts, but we are responsible for how we respond when God speaks.
This truth appears from the beginning to the end of Scripture. God reveals His will, calls people to Himself, warns them of the consequences of sin, and promises life to those who respond in faith and obedience.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed. (Deuteronomy 30:19)
God was not asking them to do something impossible. He was placing a genuine decision before them. The command to choose only has meaning if the choice is real.
Choose you this day whom ye will serve. (Joshua 24:15)
When Jesus came, His message followed the same pattern. He announced the Kingdom of God and called people to respond.
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15)
Notice that Jesus did not simply announce what God would do. He also called people to act. Repentance and faith are not works that earn salvation, but they are the response God requires to receive it.
Jesus repeatedly invited people to come to Him.
...If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (John 7:37)
The words if any man show that His invitation is open to all who hear Him. Throughout His ministry, Jesus preached publicly, calling everyone to believe His words. Why then do some remain lost? Jesus gives the answer.
And ye will not come to me, that ye may have life. (John 5:40)
He does not say they lacked the ability to respond. He points to their will. They refused the One who offered them life.
Jesus expressed the same sorrow over Jerusalem.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered thy children together... and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37)
The people were not condemned because Christ refused them. They were condemned because they refused Christ.
This truth also explains why the Bible contains so many commands, warnings, and promises. If our response were irrelevant, there would be no reason for Jesus to say, "Repent," "Believe," "Follow Me," "Keep My commandments," "Abide in Me," or "Endure unto the end." Every command assumes that the hearer is accountable for how he responds.
Jesus also taught that a person's willingness affects whether he receives the truth.
If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God... (John 7:17)
God does not force people into His Kingdom. He reveals the truth, convicts through His Spirit, and calls people to respond. Some humble themselves and receive His words. Others harden their hearts and reject them.
Finally, Jesus teaches that our eternal judgment is based on what we do with His words.
And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day.
(John 12:47-48)
The Gospel is God's invitation to a fallen world. Salvation is entirely by God's grace, made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet that grace calls for a response. Throughout Scripture, God places life before us and urges us to choose it. Jesus calls all people to repent, believe, follow Him, and keep His words. Those who receive Him are promised eternal life, while those who reject Him remain under judgment because they have refused the One who came to save them.
This truth appears from the beginning to the end of Scripture. God reveals His will, calls people to Himself, warns them of the consequences of sin, and promises life to those who respond in faith and obedience.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed. (Deuteronomy 30:19)
God was not asking them to do something impossible. He was placing a genuine decision before them. The command to choose only has meaning if the choice is real.
Choose you this day whom ye will serve. (Joshua 24:15)
When Jesus came, His message followed the same pattern. He announced the Kingdom of God and called people to respond.
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15)
Notice that Jesus did not simply announce what God would do. He also called people to act. Repentance and faith are not works that earn salvation, but they are the response God requires to receive it.
Jesus repeatedly invited people to come to Him.
...If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (John 7:37)
The words if any man show that His invitation is open to all who hear Him. Throughout His ministry, Jesus preached publicly, calling everyone to believe His words. Why then do some remain lost? Jesus gives the answer.
And ye will not come to me, that ye may have life. (John 5:40)
He does not say they lacked the ability to respond. He points to their will. They refused the One who offered them life.
Jesus expressed the same sorrow over Jerusalem.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered thy children together... and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37)
The people were not condemned because Christ refused them. They were condemned because they refused Christ.
This truth also explains why the Bible contains so many commands, warnings, and promises. If our response were irrelevant, there would be no reason for Jesus to say, "Repent," "Believe," "Follow Me," "Keep My commandments," "Abide in Me," or "Endure unto the end." Every command assumes that the hearer is accountable for how he responds.
Jesus also taught that a person's willingness affects whether he receives the truth.
If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God... (John 7:17)
God does not force people into His Kingdom. He reveals the truth, convicts through His Spirit, and calls people to respond. Some humble themselves and receive His words. Others harden their hearts and reject them.
Finally, Jesus teaches that our eternal judgment is based on what we do with His words.
And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day.
(John 12:47-48)
The Gospel is God's invitation to a fallen world. Salvation is entirely by God's grace, made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet that grace calls for a response. Throughout Scripture, God places life before us and urges us to choose it. Jesus calls all people to repent, believe, follow Him, and keep His words. Those who receive Him are promised eternal life, while those who reject Him remain under judgment because they have refused the One who came to save them.
