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Chapter: 14.50
(Section 14: Selective Salvation)
Copyright © Michael Bronson 1998 - 2005
BibleHelp.org

For thousands of years mankind has pondered the ultimate questions, "Why are we here? What is our purpose? What is the meaning of life?" True Christianity provides some of the answers.

The Bible says the primary reason God created our magnificent universe was to bring Himself glory. Nevertheless, there was another reason God created us. God wanted someone to care for and to love. He wanted someone who would reciprocate this affection and love Him in return. He wanted a friend He could cherish. He wanted a friend who would respond to His overtures and cherish Him in return. Basically, God wanted to love and be loved.

As discussed in a previous chapter, you can’t force someone to love you. Love is an emotion that develops from a free heart. Only a heart that has the freedom to hate and reject can generate love and acceptance.

God could have created robots that would say and do everything He wanted. He could have created robots that would sing praises to Him and say things like, "I love and adore you, God." God could have created a robot that would do all of the typical things normally associated with love.

Yet this would not be love. This would not have any meaning or value to God. This would bring no pleasure and joy to Him. It would be as worthless as counterfeit money.

Yes, it is true; God could showcase these robots and say, "Look at these magnificent robots. They are complex and beautiful. They will respond exactly the way I wish; they are completely obedient subjects. They are examples of my magnitude, power, and glory. They are a testimony of what I can accomplish. This is proof that I am sovereign and in control."

Although God could certainly do that, there is no need. He has a humongous universe that already does that (See the section Understanding God and His Universe for a comprehensive look at this awe-inspiring creation.) The size of the universe declares God’s greatness. The energy needed to create the universe declares His power. The complexity of the universe declares His skill and craftsmanship. The beauty of the universe declares His creativity. There is no need to create robots to display His greatness.

The universe also displays God’s sovereignty and control. This finely tuned universe obeys His every command. Think about it, everything in this universe (except for an incredibly small speck) is already a "robot." It does exactly as it was preprogrammed to do. There is no deviation whatsoever. In fact, 99.999999999~ % of the universe has no will, no independent thought, no ability to make choices, and no consciousness. (In fact, if you added another billion trillion 9’s to the number above, it still would not come close to the actual number. This huge universe supplies ample proof God is sovereign and in control.

As discussed in a previous chapter, God created mankind with the capacity to love or hate and the ability to accept or reject. He gave us the gift of choice. He wanted mankind to freely choose to love Him. In order for "love to mean anything, it had to be done from a truly free heart.

In order to be able to choose God, man had to have the option to reject Him. This is the reason God prohibited Adam and Eve from eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. God didn’t prohibit this tree because it contained poison or possessed some mystical power. Rather, the tree was a tangible way for mankind to accept or reject God. It was the only prohibition they had. It was a way for them to express their free will.

As we all know, Adam and Eve chose to reject God. Yet, this did not surprise God. He knew they would sin and reject Him long before He created them. The Bible says before the universe was created, God knew we would sin and He prepared a solution for us. Revelation 13:8 says, "The Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." This was God’s way of showing us the depth of His love.

Some people have asked, "Why did God create us if He knew we were going to sin and make such a terrible mess of things? Couldn’t He have created a race who would not have sinned and rebelled against Him?" Yes, it is true God could have created a race of "robots" who would have never rebelled. This race, however, would never have been capable of love.

The choice to love and accept can come only when there is the true choice to hate and reject. There had to be a realistic choice to sin if God was going to have a people who would love Him out of a truly free heart. Therefore, not only did God create a race who had the ability to sin, but He created a solution for the sin.

As a result, God had a people who would choose to love Him out of a free will. He had a people He could love and could choose to love Him in return. This group of people became the "Bride of Christ." God created a race that would eventually be married to God Almighty. This marriage will not be a "shotgun wedding" where someone is forced to marry someone against her will. This will be a wedding of mutual love and adoration. This will be a wedding of choice.

If, however, selective salvation is true, none of this is correct. There will be no mutual love and adoration in this marriage. Our "love" for God will be totally worthless and as valueless as counterfeit money. We are nothing but robots.

Think about it; there is no glory in forcing someone to say the words, "I love you." There is no sense of accomplishment or satisfaction from doing this. Yet, there is tremendous glory, satisfaction, and value in creating a people who can choose you out of a truly free heart. There is tremendous awe and victory when someone chooses God despite great adversity and suffering.

Other Chapters in this Section

Home
Up
PART 1: What is Selective Salvation?
PART 2: What Does the Bible say about Selective Salvation?
PART 3: Problems with Selective Salvation
PART 4: “Choice” –The Achilles’ Heel of Selective Salvation

Choice 1: The Contradictions of Selective Salvation
Choice 2: Can You Force Someone to Love You?
Choice 3: Is Choice Really a Choice Without a Choice?
Choice 4: Do We Really have a Free Will?
Choice 5: Can Prayer Change Things?
Choice 6: Can God be Grieved by Our Sins or Moved by Our Repentance?
Choice 7: The Choice to Sin
Choice 8: Are We Incapable of Choosing God?
Choice 9: Choice and the Moral Standard
Choice 10: The Purpose of Choice
Choice 11: The Suffering of Job
Choice 12: Why is God Pleased with our Obedience?
Choice 13: The Rich Young Ruler
Choice 14: Why was God so Excited when the Lost Sheep was Found?
Choice 15: A Man After God's Own Heart
Choice 16: Choose You this Day whom You will Serve
Choice 17: Appointed as a Ruler over many Cities

PART 5: Difficult Questions Answered
Appendix: Foundational Documents used by Selective Salvationists

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