There’s a funny thing I run across sometimes, and it’s quite a paradox. It seems that some people have no problem believing in God’s sovereignty when it comes to praying for someone’s salvation, but they can’t stand the thought that they didn’t have a choice in their own salvation. I actually find this position less consistent than the full Armenian position that says, “You can pray that God will influence someone, but ultimately the decision is theirs to make.” At least that’s consistent.

But it seems inconsistent to me to pray to God that he save someone when they really believe he is incapable of doing so without their permission, and they ultimately believe that God must have the person’s permission because they want to say they had a choice in the matter of their own salvation. In fact in a conversation about running the race as referenced by the Apostle Paul, someone said that God enables them to run the race, but that they still could choose not to run the race. Now I respect this position, and respect and like the person I was talking to who said it, but I have to disagree with it. You are either elect or you are not. If you are not elect, then God is not enabling you to do anything. I believe that you can fall away from the faith and make shipwreck as the Apostle Paul said, but what does that mean exactly?

It is helpful at this point to look at the Old Covenant.In the Old Covenant, one could be one of the Children of Israel, part of the covenant, and yet not be saved. But they were among the chosen people of God. Yet being of the chosen people did not make them individually elect. Still, those who fell away were described as cut off! How can you be cut off from something you don’t have? Because they were a part of the elect people of God! But that individual was not elect.

The number of elect/saved individuals is a constant. But there can be those in the church, part of God’s elect/chosen people, yet as an individual, they may not be chosen.

God is all powerful, God is sovereign. And God certainly doesn’t change His mind, “You were saved but now your not, I was enabling you to run the race but now I’m not,” etc. I believe that to be a misrepresentation of God’s sovereignty.