People have often asked me about how I teach the doctrine of election as it relates to human responsibility. I often say, “When the text clearly states the doctrine of election, I preach it, and when the text clearly states human responsibility, I preach it.” In Romans 9, I preach that God will have mercy on whom he has mercy. In Romans 10 I preach that people must hear the gospel in order to come. I believe that salvation is all of God and all of grace and that every human being is completely and individually responsible before him.
We often find this awkward because these two realities do not have a clear attachment that works easily for the human mind. Some who attempt to attach the doctrines together in a neat little system end up destroying one of them in the process. Sometimes when we read through texts of Scripture and find these two truths in close proximity to each other we sense an awkward tension. Most scholars call this tension a ‘mystery.’ I like this word because it points us to the fact that there is truth beyond human comprehension that can only be known in the realm of God’s transcendent wisdom. On the human level, and outside our ability to fully understand the mystery, it remains a little awkward.
One great example of this is found in Jesus’ parable of the tenants in Matthew 22. In this parable Jesus talks about a group of people who reject an invitation from the king to the royal wedding feast for his son. This first group of people represents the Jewish rejection of Jesus. In response to this, the king sends out his servants to invite anyone and everyone they can find. In this illustration we have a very clear indication that the proclamation of the gospel, while rejected by Jews, is to be an indiscriminate proclamation to the entire world. The hope of the indiscriminate proclamation of the gospel is that all who hear will respond and celebrate the wedding feast of the king’s son. In this part of the parable, we have a clear acknowledgment of the reality of human responsibility before God.
At the end of the parable, Jesus finishes with these words: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Now we have an awkward tension. In the indiscriminate proclamation of the gospel, Jesus doesn’t say that few agree or accept or choose or decide. He says that few are chosen. In one small sentence, side by side, we see the responsibility of man and the sovereignty of God. Does it do anything more for us than simply present an awkward tension? I hope so.
We can be confident in these words. While we cannot make humanity accept the invitation of the gospel, we can be confident that God saves. We can be grateful for these words. While every single person in the world deserves hell, God extends mercy by his perfect love and wisdom. We can grieve over these words. So many humans hear the gospel and walk in willful rejection of their only hope of salvation. But we can also feel the urgency of these words. God uses the means of obedient servants proclaiming an indiscriminate proclamation of salvation to reach others, so we must mobilize the invitation urgently and globally.
“Many are called, but few are chosen.” It might seem like an awkward sentence, but it is true, and its ramifications are huge.