Trying to Keep the Law Proves One Can Chose the Cross

No Christian who believes that man has the power of choice sovereignly bestowed by God upon him as a moral agent imagines that this power has been given to man so that he could become righteous enough to merit salvation or even to contribute to his salvation in any way.

The very fact that righteousness comes by the law indicates that man has some power to choose to keep the law, and to actually do so in some respects. Nor could he otherwise be held accountable.

Paul does not deny that man can do good works; he denies that good works can justify a sinner. Luther is clearly confused.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16.31).

How would proving that man cannot choose to believe (if that were indeed the case) encourage him to believe in the gospel?

A. W. Tozer wrote, "...the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it....Man's will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so. Within the broad field of God's sovereign, permissive will...there is freedom to choose which side we shall be on but no choice to negotiate the results of the choice once it is made...Our choice is our own, bu the consequences of the choice have already been determined by the sovereign will of God, and from this there is no appeal."

"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:" (2 Cor. 5.14).

Does this mean Jesus died just for the elect or does it mean that Jesus died for everyone? The next verse explains.

"And he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again" (v.15).

Those who live are not all, since not all live, that is, not all receive eternal life. In Today's English, the New Living Translation makes it easier to understand.

"Whatever we do, it is because Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we [Christians] have all died to the old life we used to live" (2 Cor. 5.14).

And verse 15 explains: "He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them."