Chosen – Justice and Freedom

The sermon begins with the title "Chosen – Justice and Freedom" and is based on Ephesians 1:3-14. The pastor emphasizes that God has blessed us in Christ with eight spiritual blessings, of which being chosen is an extremely precious blessing. Ephesians is divided into two parts: chapters 1-3 present doctrine and chapters 4-6 apply it to practical living. In Christ Jesus, before the foundation of the world, God chose us to be holy, to be adopted as His sons, and to be redeemed.

The pastor presents three main doctrines that Scripture teaches about salvation: First, God desires all people to be saved (Ezekiel 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4); Second, humans have freedom of choice (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15); Third, God has predestined and chosen certain people to be saved (John 15:16; 1 Peter 1:1-2; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:33; 9:11-15). These three doctrines appear contradictory but actually are not. To answer the question "Do I choose God or does God choose me?", one must understand the order of salvation: God foreordains, calls, and only when the Holy Spirit moves a person's heart can that person truly believe and receive Christ.

The pastor uses many illustrations to explain. For example, when a dog is given two plates of food (meat and vegetables), it naturally chooses meat according to its nature. Similarly, humans with a sinful nature will never "choose" God if left to themselves. However, when the Holy Spirit calls, that person will desire to believe in Christ, contrary to their fleshly nature. The chosen person is one whom God foreordained before the foundation of the world to be in Christ Jesus. The pastor shares personal testimony that during the first 24 years of his life, he never thought about God until something touched his heart.

God's selection is based entirely on His love and grace, not on human merit or works. As Romans 8:28-30 teaches, the order of salvation is: God foreordains, calls, justifies, and glorifies. Faith itself is a gift from God, as Ephesians 2:8 states: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." The pastor explains that God chooses us so that we can choose to believe in Him; our choice is made possible by God's prior choice.

The sermon also addresses three major questions people often ask. First, regarding the justice of choosing some: The pastor distinguishes between common grace (given to all people) and special grace (given to the elect). Common grace includes the sun, rain, beauty, intelligence, talents, and kindness, given to both believers and non-believers. Justice is different from grace: justice is treating people according to a fixed standard, while grace is giving what the receiver does not deserve. The pastor emphasizes that God usually chooses the humble, despised, and foolish (1 Corinthians 1:27-28), not the rich, intelligent, and powerful. Second, regarding human freedom of choice: Humans still have freedom to choose within the limits of their sinful nature. The unchosen person will not want to choose God because of their sinful nature. The chosen person is one who will be called and will desire to believe in Christ because the Holy Spirit has moved their heart. Third, regarding the importance of witnessing: The pastor does not directly answer this question but implicitly shows that witnessing is a tool the Holy Spirit uses to call the elect.