We enjoyed a visit from brother Stephen Baker over this past weekend to bring to us teaching on the Biblical View of Election. He showed us that election is a Biblical truth – the saved are chosen. He also had us turn to many parallel passages that set this glorious truth of divine sovereignty side-by-side the truth of man’s own free responsibility. One example is Acts 2 v 23.

“Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:”

Notice first the sovereign plan of God. It was initially and ultimately God’s choice that the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross to die for sins. That, nevertheless, minimised in any way the choice of men to act in an evil way they did to reject the Saviour and condemn an innocent man to death. If their action is to be truly defined as ‘wicked’, it must have been an action contrary to the good character of God; and if they are to be truly held responsible for their actions, as Peter seems to be doing in Acts 2, then they must have acted according to their free will. Should they have done otherwise? Absolutely, but they didn’t. They made their choice, and God made His choice, and both of these choices combined in a way that is impossible for us to fully dissect or deconstruct, to provide us with the sacrificial and saving death of Christ. Rather than try to explain the ins and outs of it, let us just accept it and enjoy the blessings of it. [these notes are my subsequent musings of this verse]

Take time to watch the two sessions of Bible teaching from Stephen, and if you have further questions, you can get in touch through the website.

Part One

Part Two