As we delve deeper into John's Gospel, we encounter one of the most profound theological tensions in Christianity: God's sovereignty and man's responsibility in salvation.
John 3:14-15, 18 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life... He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already."
There appears to be a contradiction in John 3. In the first ten verses, Jesus emphasizes five times that "you must be born again" - a supernatural work of God where we contribute nothing. Yet in the following verses, He emphasizes seven times our responsibility to believe.
So which is it? Do I need to be born again, or do I need to respond in faith?
The answer is yes. God is sovereign, and man is responsible to look to Jesus.
There are ditches on both sides of this theological road. One would be to elevate man's responsibility to the point where we imagine ourselves as the ultimate cause of our salvation. "I picked God. I was smarter than everyone else." If I believed this as a preacher, I'd be consumed with technique and eloquence, thinking it's all on me.
The other ditch is what I'd call hyper-Calvinism - asserting God's sovereignty without the parallel truth of man's responsibility. The hyper-Calvinist asks, "If God is sovereign and will save who He'll save, why should I evangelize?"
Listen, God is totally sovereign in salvation, but the responsibility of disbelief always lies in the hands of the sinner, never on God. No one will meet God face-to-face at judgment and be able to blame Him.
Throughout the Bible, we see these truths running parallel. The same Bible that says God hardened Pharaoh's heart also says Pharaoh hardened his own heart. The Bible never says sinners miss heaven because they wanted to turn to Jesus but were simply not elect. It says they neglected the great salvation and refused to repent and believe.
How do we reconcile these truths?
We don't.
We recognize them as biblical realities. God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are not enemies; they're two realities that are like steel cables that never intersect. We express this tension; we don't explain it away.
1. How does understanding both God's sovereignty and your responsibility affect your approach to faith?
2. In what ways have you emphasized one truth at the expense of the other?
3. How might this balanced understanding impact your evangelism and conversations with non-believers?
Stay dialed in,
Jonny Ardavanis
