Ephesians 1:4-6 NIV
[4] “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
I love the scratch patch. In case you don’t know what a scratch patch is, let me tell you. A scratch patch is a big room, the floor space covered with semi-precious stones, agates, quartz, tiger eyes etc., all tumbled to silky smoothness, where one can search for and select stones, at very little cost, for whatever purpose you choose.
There are two places in the Western Cape where one can spend hours happily enjoying the beauty of these stones in a scratch patch.
Years ago, when I was holidaying in Cape Town with a friend, we chose to spend a morning at the scratch patch, collecting stones for which we paid R10. We were each given a tin which we could fill with stones of our choice. We spent happy hours sitting on the stones, admiring their beauty and filling our tins with whatever caught our fancy.
Remembering the scratch patch made me think of the Bible’s teaching on election. Many people are puzzled or even offended by the idea that God chooses some people for salvation and sets the rest aside. Some theologians try to justify God’s actions by explaining that God chooses those whom He knows will believe in Him. They understand ‘foreknowledge’ only as God knowing what will happen before it happens.
However, true as that is, there is more to God’s plans than simply rubber-stamping human choices. The Bible also teaches us that God’s choices are subject to His sovereignty, His mercy, and His purposes.
Romans 9:16-18 NLT
[16] “So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. [17] For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” [18] So,, you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.”
Peter put his finger on this mystery when he preached his first sermon on the day of Pentecost, without trying to explain it.
Acts of the Apostles 2:23-24 NLT
[23]” But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. [24] But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.”
So, before creation, God chose those who were suited to His plan. Like the stones I didn’t shoose because they simply did not suit my purpose, God had the right to reject all those who did not fit into His plan, and they have no grounds for complaint.
If I had decided to make a necklace of tiger eyes, all the other stones did not qualify. They could not complain that I was being unfair because my choice depended on the reason for which I chose some, not others.
God’s choices have nothing to do with justice and everything to do with mercy. Had He not chosen some for His ‘necklace’, none would have been saved.
What about people’s choices, then? Are we not responsible for what we choose to do? Yes we are but, in God’s mysterious ways, he blends His sovereignty and our responsibility together. The Bible teaches both God’s sovereignty and human responsibility although we cannot see where they meet.
God does not randomly choose people for salvation. All are doomed to destruction because of sin. Without God’s intervention, all would be condemned to hell. However, God had a plan before He created anything. He wanted a family of humans like His Son who would live in fellowship with Him and who would rule in God’s kingdom together with Jesus forever.
He would select the ‘stones’ that would fit together perfectly to create His living ‘temple’.
1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV
[4] ‘As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— [5] you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’
Behind this plan is an even greater motive.
Ephesians 3:10-11 NLT
[10] “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. [11] This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Ephesians 1:6 NLT
[6]”So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.”
Romans 11:30-32 NLT
[30] “Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. [31] Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. [32] For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.”
In this passage, Paul refers ‘everyone’ as Jew and Gentle without distinction rather than everyone without exception.
How can we criticise God and call Him unfair when His glorious purpose in choosing people is to display His mercy? He shows mercy to some, not judgment to all. He put His mercy on display, especially to those spiritual powers that deliberately overthrew His authority and led the nations astray?
The scratch patch may be a simplistic way of trying to explain election without considering God’s inexplicable greatness in all He says, and does. However, perhaps it throws a little light on something too big to explain or understand fully.
We must bow before Him in submission and agree…
Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT
[29] “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.”