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Hi Trent,

When I was younger in the Lord, a mentor of mine explained Soveriegnty and Choice this way:

Salvation is like a door. On the outside it says, "Who-so-ever-will and Choose you this day whom you will serve." Once the door is open and one passes though the opening to the other side and closes the door, the back-side reads, "I knew you from the foundation of the world."

All of us come to Christ with a man-centered view of the world and by our self-centered view, salvation in Christ can only appear to us as choice. Later as we grow in Christ and develop a more God-centered view of ourselves and the world, we recognize God's Soveriegnty in bringng us to Salvation and realize that we are saved to serve His purpose and not our own. Salvation is much more than our personal destiny, it is the working out of the redemptive plan of God for all of man-kind. Our Salvation is but one small piece.

I attend a reformed church and I enjoy the higher view of God that is held there. I also agree with John Calvin on most things but I don't forget that at one point the only way I could understand my salvation was to think I had chosen Jesus. One view is not exclusive of the other within the whole of scripture.

I grew up on a farm and I love to garden. I know from experience that there is no soil that is ready to plant without preparation and even some poor soils, when properly prepared can yeild good crops. For this same reason, God chooses none of us because we are inherantly good, rather scripture says that God chose the base things to confound the wise. "Good soil" I believe, is first prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive Christ. There is nothing inherantly good in any man, none of us seek after God. It is only by intervention of the Holy Spirit that self-seeking is turned to God-seeking in any of us and it is all for the glory of God and each believer is beholden to the mercy of God for salvation is not a product of human merit.

Pam

The question I would press is simply why did some use their will to choose Jesus while others did not? What made those that chose Christ differ? Why is their "soil" receptive while others is not?

Of course, many people really get tied up into knots over this question, but
I have come to see it this way: we are all 'sown' BORN into this world as either a wheat/sheep, or a tare/goat:
everyone fits into this category and it is manifest by the life and choices of the individual. - WHY? this is so (I am pretty much convinced) has to do with VERY DEFINITIVE CHOICES made and determined long ago during the first revolt in the Third Heaven when lucifer [now 'satan,' the adversary and deceiver] brought one-third of all spirit-beings into a place of blasphemy and rebellion AGAINST the LORDSHIP and Throne of the Most High, Yeshua-YaHOVaH, El ElyOn.
Trent and I know a certain controversial someone over on another forum who introduced this idea as THE ORIGIN of THE CHOICES that determined wheat/tare - status *in the spirit/heart* of every individual soul.
I tend to agree with him. I have also seen this same concept spoken of by a few other prophetic voices on the internet. - They seemed to confirm the same ORGIN of the determined bent of the willing or UNwilling spirit in relation to THE LORD Jesus
Christ and His rulership.
It makes certain sense to me, tho (admittedly) it is a speculation based upon truths extrapolated from Scripture.

Thanks for all the good stuff, Trent. Keep up the good work.