Someone once told me that Christians are God's "chosen people". Does that mean that non-Christians are destined to go to hell and that there is no chance for them to become believers? Doesn't God want everyone to be His children? How can Christians be labelled "chosen" and how can non-Christians not fall under that category? Can they not be saved as well?
Answer:
As background, not all Christians would agree on the same answer to your question; the two groups, Arminians and Calvinists, as they are called, diverge on the topic of election/predestination/free will. Pretty much, do we determine our own fate by the choices we make, or is everything already chosen for us by God? Both camps have several Bible passages that support their stances. After years of my own personal seeking, I have found that I align with the Calvinist view, which claims that God has predestined or elected Christians and will himself save them, seems to have a more Christ-centered perspective on the Bible and God’s grace. Contrastingly, the Arminians tend to focus on human choice, and what actions we take to seek God; they focus on certain verses or instances in the Bible where it seems God is very clearly saying that we have a choice and need to choose righteously (Deut 30:19-20). Despite my own convictions, I can’t say that any of us will ever be certain in this lifetime. I would encourage you all to read this article by John Piper, a Calvinist, who explains how God can have “two wills”: http://theresurgence.com/john_piper_2000_are_there_two_wills_in_god.
“Affirming the will of God to save all, while also affirming the unconditional election of some, implies that there are at least ‘two wills’ in God, or two ways of willing. It implies that God decrees one state of affairs while also willing and teaching that a different state of affairs should come to pass.” – John Piper
In other words, when we say God’s will, we can be talking about two different things: what God would like to see happen, and what he actually wills to happen. That means that God wants all people to be saved and become his children, but what he ordains is actually that only some will be saved; the rest will never know him. There is great evidence to support what John Piper and the Calvinists say. However, in my experience we also need to be careful in our understanding, even if we have what we think to be the “right” view on this big topic of God’s election. A simple indoctrination on the topic can do us more harm than good in our view of God. First off, we have to agree that we don’t know all the answers. I really want you to read Romans 9:1-26, and see if you can connect with Paul’s argument on the topic of God’s election (which really answers your question). I’ll summarize/paraphrase what Paul’s logic is (though you should just read it yourself):
- In the OT Bible stories, God clearly elected some, like Jacob; he also didn’t elect others, like Esau
- God chose Jacob before he was born; to emphasize that he wasn’t chosen because of anything he did (his own righteousness, or how smart/good-looking/nice he was)
- What shall we say? Is God unjust for choosing like this? Not at all! God can be merciful or unmerciful to whomever he chooses.
- I hear you asking, “Then why does God blame us? For who can resist his will?”
- But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” God can do what he wants. Maybe God chose this way of doing things so that he could make his power and wrath better known, and so that we who are elected as Christians could truly appreciate what’s been given.
This probably isn’t a comforting passage if you were looking for clear understanding on God’s election, yet this is one of the clearest passages in the Bible about election. We might be screaming “that’s not the answer I want.” But God has given us that answer, and he can use even our lack of knowledge and control to teach us a lesson on humility and realizing our place under God. We’re not God, and there are some things we need to accept that we’ll never know in this lifetime. We can instead take the attitude of David, who writes: “My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 131) This is a mysterious topic, and we need to accept to a certain extent that free will and predestination are two parallel lines that only meet in eternity, and that some questions just won’t ever receive the clear logical answers we want in this lifetime.
1) We need to live in the present as only God knows who has been chosen and who hasn’t. The Biblical idea of God’s election should be freeing, and give us greater motivation in evangelism. Oftentimes on this topic, people say, “Well then, what’s the point of telling my friends about Christ? God’s gonna save them or not, and I can’t change that.” But the point is that we’ll never know, and God has commanded us regardless to go share the Gospel (Matt 28:19-20). And knowing that the conversion process is not up to us and “how good we are at presenting the Gospel” is a very liberating understanding that should compel us to tell more people about this glorious God. In history, many of the greatest missionaries have strongly believed in God’s predestined election. For ourselves, we’re also sure in times of hardship and doubt that God has chosen us, and nothing in this world can steal us away.
2) God is love. It’s easy to see God as being heartless and unfair. But we need to understand he is God, and we are men. And the fact that he even chooses to save some (when he could have saved none) is a testament to his love. And the way he did it, namely through giving his only begotten son into the hands of fallen men that he sovereignty knew would slaughter him, is a testament to that love he has for the whole world.
[Answered by Counselor Mark Cheng]
