Two Sides of God’s Sovereignty

September 20, 2006 in Theology with 0 Comments

One of the most familiar verses in the New Testament is actually a quotation from Joel. In chapter two, verse thirty-two of his prophecy, Joel declares, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.” (in Acts 2:21 the word “delivered” is rendered “saved”) But the verse, quoted in its entirety, includes an intriguing note: “…as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”

Here are two sides of the same issue – God’s sovereign salvation. He has sovereignly declared that anyone who will may be saved. Yet He is calling to Himself a remnant. Of course, in the Old Testament prophetic books, the “remnant” is referring to faithful Israel, or at least the portion of Israel which survives conquest and captivity. But the idea that God is saving a remnant seems to carry throughout Scripture.

We will never be able to understand all of the details, but the reality is that nobody gets saved without being chosen, yet anyone may be saved. No one comes to know Christ unless they are called of God as part of His remnant, yet anyone may know the Christ who offers Himself to all without price.

Like train tracks which never cross, these two doctrines are impossible to understand together. We fall to our extremes, but God’s will is that all be saved, yet He has made provision that all whom He calls will be saved. Like the old song says, “whosoever meaneth me!”