Question:
It says in the Bible that God choose us — not we chose him. But it also says to CHOOSE God as your Lord and Savior. It also says God does not send people to hell — we send ourselves there. But how can we send ourselves there when God chooses us. That means that God has not chosen every one in hell. This is not fair. How can we choose Him when he chooses us? This means that He has sent millions to hell just becuase He did not choose them, and for all you know, how do you know that he has chosen YOU!!!!!
Answer:
John 15:14-21 says, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.”
The above passage deals with God choosing certain people TO SERVE Him. He has CHOSEN US TO GO AND BRING FORTH FRUIT. He has CHOSEN US TO BE SEPARATE FROM THIS WORLD. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
We are SAVED TO SERVE. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Those who are saved are predestinated to do good works. Romans 8:28-30 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. For whom he did foreknow, he also did PREDESTINATE TO BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover WHOM HE DID PREDESTINATE, THEM HE ALSO CALLED: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
It is hard to separate true SALVATION from SERVICE. If a person will not serve the Lord (the Lord’s plan for every Christian), then there is real reason to question whether the person is truly saved. James 2:17-20 says, “Even so FAITH, IF IT HATH NOT WORKS, IS DEAD, BEING ALONE. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”
That is NOT teaching that a person is saved by works (look back at Ephesians 2:8,9), but it is teaching that God’s plan for Christians is TO SERVE HIM. Luke 6:46 says, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
I am also going to enclose another question asked by a person that deals with part of your question.
BEGIN QUESTION:
CAN THE OTHERS BECOME CHRISTIANS?
Thanks for your question. Many people have the same confusion over this matter, but it is really very clear when you look at the Scriptures.
First, God knows everything ahead of time – including who will respond to Him, and who will not. “Great is our Lord, and of great power: HIS UNDERSTANDING IS INFINITE” (Holy Bible, Psalm 147:5). We call this “foreknowledge.” “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Holy Bible, Romans 8:29). That verse is simply saying, “Those people that He knew ahead of time would respond to Him and be saved, those people He predestinated to be conformed to His image – to be like Christ.” That means it is God’s plan that those who are truly born again show the evidence of it in their lives. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold; all things are become new” (Holy Bible, II Corinthians 5:17).
Second, what about the passage that talks about Pharaoh? “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth” (Holy Bible, Romans 9:17). Does this mean that Pharaoh never had a chance to be saved? Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he could not have gotten saved, even if he had wanted to do so? “And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou DO ALL THESE WONDERS BEFORE PHARAOH, which I have put in thine hand: BUT I WILL HARDEN HIS HEART, that he shall not let the people go” (Holy Bible, Exodus 4:21). Look at those verses carefully. Why did God raise up Pharaoh (Romans 9:17)? To show His POWER against him as a testimony to be declared throughout the whole earth. What about (Exodus 9:17)? Moses was to do WONDERS before Pharaoh, which would then harden his heart.
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but how? BY SHOWING HIS MIGHTY POWER BEFORE A MIGHTY KING. It is like this, if you were known to be very tough and strong, and someone came up to you and challenged you to armwrestle, what would you do? You would wrestle with him to defend your reputation. And you would really have to be whipped to ever quit trying to get the best of your new challenger. Even so it was with Pharaoh. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart by showing Pharaoh His mighty power. That stirred up Pharaoh to resist Him, because Pharaoh thought that he himself was the greatest. Notice that even when Pharaoh was whipped and asked for mercy; once it was over, he immediately went back to resisting. It is no different than sporting events where one person is beaten solidly, but the next day is talking to the media about how he is going to beat his opponent the next time. Pharaoh could have submitted himself to God at any time, but he chose not to do so because of his own pride.
God knows ahead of time who will submit to Him and repent of their sins and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. He wants all people to be saved, and they can be saved, if they will just repent and believe. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will DRAW ALL MEN UNTO ME” (Holy Bible, John 12:32). “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE” (Holy Bible, II Peter 3:9). “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; WHO WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (Holy Bible, I Timothy 2:3,4).
I have a question for you now. Are you taking this message out to others? Do not let scoffers tell you that certain people cannot be saved. Read the King James Bible, and keep serving the Lord.
END QUESTION
As to the statement, “God does not send people to hell, they send themselves,” that is not a true statement. God does send people to hell because they refuse to repent and receive Jesus Christ. Luke 12:4,5 says, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: FEAR HIM, WHICH AFTER HE HATH KILLED HATH POWER TO CAST INTO HELL; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”
Revelation 20:10-15 says, “And THE DEVIL that deceived them WAS CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell WERE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life WAS CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE.”
People are already condemned to be cast into hell because of their unbelief in Jesus Christ. John 3:16-19 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
Have you repented of your sin and chosen Jesus Christ to be your Savior? Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore CHOOSE LIFE…”