Why settle for half of the truth? A fresh look at Psalm 47.
We begin with God’s choice. He is the Creator and Sovereign of the universe.
Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
God’s will and choices will ultimately prevail. This truth moved Paul to praise: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Tim. 1:17)
God’s choices
What are some of His choices? First of all, He chose to create man in His own spiritual image . “God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image’” (Gen. 1:26). This meant that man also had free will and could choose to obey or to disobey God.
God also chose to love the world, even though man rebelled against Him. “God so loved the world” (Jn. 3:16). When man chose to rebel against his Creator in the garden of Eden, God could have exterminated the human race and made a fresh start. But He chose to love and to work for man’s redemption. He is a God without partiality, loving all of mankind equally (Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6:9).
Further, God made a plan of salvation, choosing to send His Son into the world to suffer and to die for sinners. This would not be a limited atonement. The agonizing death of the infinite God-man was sufficient to pay for the sins of all of mankind. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved” (Jn. 3:17). “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2).
God chose not only to provide for the salvation of all but to desire the salvation of all. God is described as One “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). Peter states that He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). No one will be able to accuse God of being unloving or uncaring. God also chose to save mankind by grace through faith. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8-9). God desires all to be saved and has provided salvation for all. He also has made salvation accessible to all. There are no special works required. Repentance and faith are attitudes of the heart, not a work. The thief on the cross was unable to lift a finger to save himself but was gloriously saved through faith. Thank God! God has done all that is necessary to save sinners, including giving the Holy Spirit to convict men of sin and to draw them to the Saviour (Jn. 16:8, 14).
Man’s choices
But man also has a choice to make, and the Lord has provided us with more than enough grounds on which to make the right choice. The Holy Spirit has come, as promised by the Lord Jesus. When the gospel is preached, the Spirit is present to convict of sin and to exalt Christ as the only Saviour. There is also the witness of the creation to the Creator (Rom. 1:20) and the witness of conscience (Rom 2:14-15). So overwhelming are these reasons to believe that Paul states that man is without excuse if he dies in his sins.
In view of God’s provision, it is possible for men to repent. In fact, God “now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). God would not command men to do what is impossible for them to do!
The gospel goes out to all. It is a valid offer of salvation. Christ’s followers were told that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations” (Lk. 24:47).
Our Lord told a parable about the sending of an invitation to the wedding of a king’s son. The first men who were invited rejected the king’s gracious invitation and abused his servants. The king then commanded his servants, “Therefore go out into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding” (Mt. 22:9). The Jews as a whole had rejected the King’s offer and crucified His Son. Now the invitation is broadcast to the whole world. All are invited, but only those who respond are called the “chosen” (Mt. 22:14).
Mysterious harmony
So, whose choice is it? God’s or man’s? The answer is, both! There is a blending of choice and will between the Creator and His creatures.
It is God who initiated salvation. He chose to save rather than to destroy rebellious man; He chose to send His Son to die for sinners; He sent the Holy Spirit to convict sinners; and He set the terms of salvation: repentance and faith.
Man’s choice is to respond to God’s offer. He must repent and receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour. All are invited to the wedding feast. Those who choose to come are called the “chosen”—they are choice in God’s sight.
In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), the father chose to have children. The prodigal chose to leave his father and to live a dissolute life, wasting what his father had given him. The father then chose to wait for the son with an open, loving heart. The son, on his part, had to repent and return, trusting in the father’s love and acceptance. Reconciliation was dependent on the choices of both.
A man who is courting a woman proposes marriage, affirming his love and choice of her. Then he must wait for her response. Christ makes His love and choice known to the sinner. Then He waits for the sinner’s response. When one receives Christ, he can say, “ I chose the Lord Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.” And, yes, the Lord has already made His choice of the sinner. Both choices are necessary for one to be redeemed.
The last invitation of the Bible to sinners is, “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). It is a genuine offer to all. Choose!