Welcome to Sunday School at East Valley International Church! Each week, we gather to explore the essential truths that form the foundation of our Christian faith. Through our “Fundamentals of the Faith” study, we’re discovering together what it means to follow Jesus, understand God’s Word, and live out our beliefs in everyday life. Today, we’re examining one of Christianity’s most profound and debated questions: how does God’s sovereign control over all things relate to human choice and responsibility? As we explore “Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: A Biblical Examination of Free Will, Predestination, and Salvation,” we’ll wrestle with Scripture’s teaching on election, grace, and our response to the Gospel. These sessions offer us all an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God and build a stronger understanding of the biblical principles that guide us. We’re glad you’re here as we learn and grow together!
The following notes are from discussions initiated by Pastor Joey or class members.
Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: A Biblical Examination of Free Will, Predestination, and Salvation
Few theological questions have generated more debate throughout Christian history than the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human free will, particularly as it pertains to salvation. How can God be absolutely sovereign over all things while humans remain genuinely responsible for their choices? If God predestines some to salvation, how can human decision-making be meaningful? These questions have divided Reformed and Arminian theologians, sparked countless debates, and left many sincere believers confused about what Scripture actually teaches.
As we approach this profound mystery, we must do so with humility, recognizing that we are finite creatures attempting to understand the infinite God. We must also approach Scripture comprehensively, refusing to emphasize texts that support our preferred position while minimizing those that seem to contradict it. The Bible presents both divine sovereignty and human responsibility as true, held in tension, without systematically explaining how they fit together. Our task is not to resolve every philosophical difficulty but to faithfully represent what Scripture teaches, even when that requires holding seemingly contradictory truths in biblical tension.
The Biblical Case for Divine Sovereignty in Salvation
Scripture consistently and emphatically teaches that God is absolutely sovereign over all things, including salvation. This is not a minor theme but a central pillar of biblical revelation about God’s nature and work.
God’s Sovereign Choice Before the Foundation of the World
Perhaps no passage more clearly articulates God’s sovereign election than Ephesians 1:3-6: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
This passage contains several crucial elements. First, God’s choice occurred “before the creation of the world”—before any human had done anything good or bad, before there was any human will to exercise. Second, this choice was “in accordance with his pleasure and will,” indicating that God’s sovereign decision, not human merit or foreseen faith, was the determining factor. Third, the purpose is “to the praise of his glorious grace”—God’s glory, not human autonomy, is the ultimate aim of salvation.
Paul elaborates on this theme in Romans 9:10-16, using the example of Jacob and Esau: “Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—so that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’ What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
Paul anticipates the objection that this seems unjust and directly addresses it—not by softening the doctrine but by asserting God’s sovereign right to show mercy to whomever He chooses. The critical phrase is “it does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” Salvation’s ultimate cause is God’s merciful choice, not human decision.
The Doctrine of Effectual Calling
Scripture teaches not only that God chooses but that His call effectively brings about salvation. Romans 8:29-30 presents what theologians call the “golden chain of redemption”: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
Notice the progression: all whom God foreknew, He predestined; all whom He predestined, He called; all whom He called, He justified; all whom He justified, He glorified. There is no leakage in this chain—no one predestined fails to be called, no one called fails to be justified, no one justified fails to be glorified. This presents salvation as God’s sovereign work from beginning to end, with each step inevitably following the previous one.
Jesus articulates this same truth in John 6:37-40: “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Jesus teaches that the Father gives certain people to the Son, and all of them—without exception—will come to Him. The Father’s will is that Jesus loses none of these given ones. This presents salvation as ultimately secured by the Father’s sovereign giving and the Son’s faithful keeping, not by human perseverance or decision-making alone.
The Regeneration of the Will
Scripture teaches that salvation involves a fundamental transformation of the human will, not merely an appeal to an already-willing heart. Jesus told Nicodemus, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). He later explained, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6). The new birth is not something humans accomplish through an act of will; it is something done to them by the Holy Spirit.
Paul describes unregenerate humans as “dead in transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Dead people don’t cooperate in their resurrection; they are passive recipients of life-giving power. Paul continues: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). God makes us alive; we don’t make ourselves alive or even cooperate in being made alive.
First Corinthians 2:14 states that “the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” The natural person doesn’t simply find spiritual truth unappealing or difficult—they cannot understand it. This inability must be overcome by God’s sovereign work before faith is possible.
The Security of Believers
God’s sovereignty in salvation extends to its preservation. Jesus declared, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29).
The security of believers rests not on their grip on God but on God’s grip on them. They cannot be snatched away because they are held in the Father’s omnipotent hand. This security makes sense only if God’s sovereign choice and keeping power, rather than human persistence, ultimately determines salvation.
Paul expresses this confidence in Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing—not even the believer’s own failings—can separate God’s chosen ones from His love.
The Biblical Case for Human Responsibility and Choice
While Scripture clearly teaches divine sovereignty, it equally clearly presents humans as responsible moral agents whose choices matter. The Bible never presents God’s sovereignty as negating human responsibility; rather, it holds both truths simultaneously.
Universal Gospel Calls and Genuine Offers
Throughout Scripture, God issues genuine invitations to all people to repent and believe. These are not mere theatrical performances to create the appearance of choice while God secretly determines everything. They are real calls that carry real moral obligation.
Jesus extends a universal invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The “all” indicates the invitation is genuinely offered to everyone who hears it. Similarly, in Revelation 22:17, we read: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” The language of wishing and choosing indicates human volition is meaningfully involved.
Peter writes that the Lord “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God desires that all would repent. While this doesn’t mean all will (clearly they don’t), it does mean God’s posture toward humanity is one of genuine invitation, not merely theatrical pretense.
Ezekiel 18:23 records God’s words: “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” And again in Ezekiel 18:32: “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” These expressions of God’s desire seem meaningless if God has already irrevocably determined who will repent and who won’t without any reference to human response.
Human Decisions and Their Consequences
Scripture consistently presents human choices as real and consequential. Joshua challenged Israel: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). The call to choose is genuine, and the choice has eternal consequences.
Jesus wept over Jerusalem: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37). Jesus expresses genuine sorrow over Jerusalem’s unwillingness, he desired to gather them, but they were “not willing”—suggesting their will genuinely resisted His invitation.
The parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23) presents different responses to the gospel based on the condition of human hearts. Some seed falls on hard ground where it cannot take root; some on rocky ground where it springs up quickly but withers; some among thorns where it is choked out; and some on good soil where it produces a crop. While this parable can be interpreted in various ways, it at minimum presents human receptivity as variable and consequential.
Condemnation Based on Human Sin and Unbelief
When Scripture explains why people are condemned, it consistently points to human sin and unbelief, not to God’s sovereign decree. John 3:18 states: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
People are condemned for not believing—for their own unbelief, not because God failed to choose them or make belief possible for them. John 3:19-20 continues: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” The problem is that people love darkness and choose not to come to the light, not that God prevents them from coming.
Romans 1:18-20 explains that humanity is “without excuse” because God’s nature has been clearly revealed in creation, yet people “suppress the truth by their wickedness.” The language of suppression indicates willful rejection, not inability imposed by God. People are held accountable for their choices, suggesting those choices are genuine.
Commands to Believe and Repent
The apostles consistently commanded people to repent and believe, treating these as genuine human responsibilities. Peter concluded his Pentecost sermon: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Paul told the Philippian jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
These commands assume that repentance and faith are things humans must do in response to God’s call. If humans have no genuine ability to respond, these commands become meaningless or cruel—like commanding a paralyzed person to walk without first healing them. Yet Scripture presents these commands as morally binding and humans as culpable for not obeying them.
Human Agency in Salvation Accounts
When Scripture describes people coming to faith, it often emphasizes human agency alongside divine activity. Acts 16:14 describes Lydia’s conversion: “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Both divine action (the Lord opened) and human response (respond to Paul’s message) are present. God’s opening doesn’t eliminate Lydia’s response; rather, it makes that response possible and actual.
The Bereans “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed” (Acts 17:11-12). Their examination and belief are presented as genuine human activities resulting in faith, even though we know from other Scriptures that God was sovereignly at work, enabling this response.
Theological Perspectives: Reformed and Arminian Views
Throughout church history, Christians have organized these biblical truths into different systematic frameworks, with Reformed (Calvinist) and Arminian theologies representing the two major Protestant approaches.
The Reformed (Calvinist) Position
Reformed theology, following Augustine and later systematized by John Calvin, emphasizes divine sovereignty in salvation. The “five points of Calvinism” (often remembered by the acronym TULIP) articulate this position:
Total Depravity – Humans are so affected by sin that they are spiritually dead and unable to choose God without His prior regenerating work. The will is not free in spiritual matters but is in bondage to sin until God liberates it.
Unconditional Election – God chooses whom He will save based entirely on His sovereign will and purpose, not based on foreseen faith or merit in those chosen. Election occurred before the foundation of the world and is not conditioned on anything in the creature.
Limited Atonement (or Particular Redemption) – Christ’s atoning death was intended to and effectively saves the elect. Christ didn’t die to make salvation possible for all; He died to actually save His people.
Irresistible Grace (or Effectual Calling) – When God calls His elect to salvation, that call cannot ultimately be resisted. While people may resist the external call of the gospel, the internal call of the Spirit effectually brings the elect to faith.
Perseverance of the Saints – Those whom God has truly saved cannot ultimately fall away. They will persevere in faith because God preserves them, not because of their own faithfulness.
Reformed theologians argue that this position takes seriously the biblical teaching on human depravity, divine sovereignty, and the nature of grace. They see Arminianism as subtly making human choice rather than divine grace the decisive factor in salvation, thus compromising the gospel of grace.
Reformed theology doesn’t deny human choice or responsibility. Rather, it defines freedom as acting according to one’s nature. Unregenerate humans freely choose according to their sinful nature—they willingly reject God and cannot do otherwise until God changes their nature. After regeneration, believers freely choose according to their new nature, now able and willing to trust Christ. God doesn’t force anyone to believe against their will; He changes their will so they gladly believe.
The Arminian Position
Arminian theology, articulated by Jacobus Arminius and refined by John Wesley and others, emphasizes human free will and responsibility while still affirming God’s sovereignty. The five articles of the Remonstrance (the Arminian response to Calvinism) articulate this position:
Conditional Election – God elects to salvation those whom He foresees will freely believe in Christ. Election is God’s sovereign choice, but it’s conditioned on foreseen faith rather than being unconditional.
Unlimited Atonement – Christ died for all people without exception, making salvation genuinely possible for everyone. Each person can accept or reject this provision.
Partial Depravity (or the necessity of prevenient grace) – While humans are sinful and unable to save themselves, God provides “prevenient grace” to all people that enables them to respond to the gospel. This grace restores the capacity to choose God, making a genuine human response possible.
Resistible Grace – Humans can resist God’s grace and refuse salvation. God doesn’t override human will but invites and enables response while leaving the final decision to the individual.
Conditional Perseverance – Believers can lose their salvation through persistent unbelief or willful sin. While God provides resources for perseverance, final salvation is conditional on continuing in faith.
Arminians argue their position takes seriously the biblical emphasis on human responsibility, God’s universal love and desire to save all, and the genuine nature of gospel invitations. They see Calvinism as making God the author of sin, turning humans into robots, and making gospel invitations disingenuous.
Arminian theology doesn’t deny divine sovereignty or the necessity of grace. Rather, it understands sovereignty as God choosing to limit His power to preserve genuine human freedom. God is sovereign enough to create beings with real libertarian free will and to allow their choices to have ultimate significance, even when those choices resist His desires.
The Mystery of Compatibilism: Both/And Rather Than Either/Or
While Reformed and Arminian theologies offer systematic frameworks for organizing biblical data, Scripture itself doesn’t present a systematic resolution of the tension between sovereignty and responsibility. Instead, it consistently affirms both truths without explaining how they fit together.
Biblical Passages Holding Both Truths Together
Several passages explicitly hold divine sovereignty and human responsibility in immediate proximity, suggesting both are true without explaining their relationship.
Acts 2:23 presents Peter’s explanation of the crucifixion: “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” Jesus’ death was according to God’s deliberate plan—sovereignly ordained. Yet those who crucified Him acted wickedly—they were morally responsible for their choices. Both truths stand together.
Acts 4:27-28 expands on this: “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” God predetermined what would happen, yet the conspirators genuinely conspired—their actions were real, willful, and morally significant.
Philippians 2:12-13 presents both human effort and divine enablement: “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Believers must work out their salvation (human responsibility), yet God is the one working in them to produce both the willing and the doing (divine sovereignty). Both imperatives stand without either negating the other.
The Limitations of Human Logic
We must acknowledge that our finite minds cannot fully comprehend how God’s sovereignty and human responsibility coexist. This isn’t a defect in Scripture but a limitation in creatures attempting to understand the infinite Creator. Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us: “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'”
Some theological truths are mysteries—not contradictions, but truths that surpass human comprehension. The Trinity is such a mystery: God is one being in three persons. We confess this as biblical truth even though we cannot fully explain how three persons constitute one being. Similarly, Christ is fully God and fully human—two natures in one person—without either nature diminishing the other. We accept this because Scripture teaches it, even though it surpasses our understanding.
The relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility may be such a mystery. Scripture clearly teaches both; therefore, both must be true, even if we cannot systematically explain how they coexist. Our task is to believe what Scripture teaches, not to resolve every philosophical puzzle.
Dangers of Overemphasis
Overemphasizing either sovereignty or responsibility while neglecting the other leads to practical and theological problems.
Overemphasizing sovereignty to the neglect of responsibility can produce fatalism—“If God has already decided everything, why should I evangelize, pray, or make any effort?” This reasoning contradicts Scripture, which commands us to preach the gospel to all nations, pray without ceasing, and work out our salvation. God’s sovereignty doesn’t eliminate human agency; rather, God sovereignly ordains both the ends (salvation) and the means (human preaching, believing, and obedience).
Overemphasizing human free will to the neglect of sovereignty can produce human-centered theology where God becomes dependent on human choices, salvation becomes a human achievement (at least in part), and believers lack assurance because final salvation depends on their own faithfulness. This contradicts Scripture’s emphasis on God’s initiative, grace as the sole basis of salvation, and the security of those held in the Father’s hand.
Practical Implications for Christian Life
While this theological discussion may seem abstract, it carries profound practical implications for how we live as Christians.
Evangelism and Missions
God’s sovereignty doesn’t negate the need for evangelism; it empowers it. We can proclaim the gospel confidently, knowing that God will draw His elect to salvation through our proclamation. Paul wrote, “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10). Paul’s confidence in election motivated his missionary suffering.
Simultaneously, we recognize that God uses human means—our preaching, testimony, and witness—to bring people to faith. Romans 10:14 asks, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” God has ordained that people will hear the gospel through human messengers, making our evangelistic efforts crucial.
We evangelize urgently, knowing people are genuinely lost and need to hear and respond to the gospel. We don’t know who the elect are—that’s God’s secret. Our job is to proclaim Christ to all, trusting God to open hearts as He opened Lydia’s.
Prayer
God’s sovereignty doesn’t make prayer unnecessary; it makes prayer effective. We pray because God has ordained prayer as a means through which He accomplishes His purposes. James 5:16 declares, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Our prayers matter because God has chosen to work through them.
Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We pray for God’s will to be accomplished, trusting that our prayers align with His purposes and that He uses them to bring about what He has ordained.
We pray for the lost, knowing God may use our prayers as part of drawing them to Himself. We pray for believers to persevere, knowing God uses our prayers to strengthen and keep His people. We pray with confidence, knowing that the sovereign God who ordains outcomes also ordains the means, including our prayers.
Assurance of Salvation
God’s sovereignty provides firm grounds for assurance. If salvation ultimately depends on God’s choice and keeping power rather than our faithfulness, we can have confidence. We may fail, doubt, or stumble, but God does not fail. Paul’s confidence in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from God’s love rests on God’s sovereign grip, not our holding power.
At the same time, genuine faith produces changed lives. First John provides tests of authentic conversion—love for fellow believers, obedience to God’s commands, and perseverance in faith. These evidences assure us that our faith is genuine, not because they earn salvation but because they demonstrate that God is truly at work in us.
Assurance comes from looking primarily to Christ and His finished work, not to our own performance. Yet we also look for the Spirit’s fruit in our lives as evidence of genuine conversion. Both the objective ground (Christ’s work) and subjective evidence (Spirit’s fruit) contribute to biblical assurance.
Humility and Worship
Recognizing God’s sovereignty in salvation produces profound humility. If salvation depends ultimately on God’s mercy rather than our choice, we cannot boast. Paul asks rhetorically, “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 7:7). Everything we have, including faith itself, is a gift.
This humility leads to worship. We praise God not merely for making salvation possible but for actually saving us, not for offering His grace but for effectually applying it to our hearts. The elders in Revelation fall before the throne singing, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11). God’s will and God’s work receive all the glory.
Responsibility and Obedience
Affirming God’s sovereignty doesn’t eliminate human responsibility—Scripture holds both together. We are commanded to believe, repent, obey, and persevere. These commands are genuine, and we are accountable for how we respond to them.
Paul told the Philippians to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12)—a genuine command requiring genuine effort. That God is working in us (verse 13) doesn’t eliminate our responsibility to work. Rather, God’s work enables and empowers our work.
We live as responsible moral agents whose choices matter, all while recognizing that God’s sovereign grace undergirds everything. This isn’t a logical contradiction but a biblical mystery—two truths held in tension, both affirmed, neither negating the other.
Conclusion: Embracing Biblical Mystery
The relationship between God’s sovereignty and human free will in salvation is one of Scripture’s profound mysteries. The Bible clearly teaches both truths without systematically explaining how they coexist. God sovereignly chooses, calls, and keeps His people; yet humans genuinely choose, are genuinely responsible, and face genuine consequences for their decisions.
Various theological systems attempt to organize these truths, with Reformed theology emphasizing sovereignty and Arminian theology emphasizing free will. Each system has biblical support, and faithful Christians have landed in both camps throughout church history. The fact that brilliant, godly theologians have disagreed on these matters should produce humility in all of us.
Perhaps the wisest approach is to affirm what Scripture clearly teaches—both God’s absolute sovereignty and human genuine responsibility—while acknowledging that we cannot fully comprehend how these truths fit together. We stand in the long tradition of believers who confessed both truths, lived in light of both realities, and left the systematic resolution to God.
We evangelize urgently because people are genuinely lost and must genuinely believe to be saved. We pray fervently because God has ordained prayer as a means through which He works. We obey seriously because we are genuinely responsible for our choices. We worship gratefully because salvation is ultimately God’s work, not ours. We live humbly because everything we have is received, not achieved. And we rest securely because those held in the Father’s omnipotent hand cannot be snatched away.
Let us, then, embrace both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of humanity as biblical truths, refusing to sacrifice either on the altar of logical consistency. Let us trust the God whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts, who works all things according to the counsel of His will, and who genuinely invites all to come to Him. And let us proclaim with confidence: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10), while simultaneously calling all people everywhere to repent and believe, knowing that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
The mystery remains, but the gospel is clear: God saves sinners through faith in Jesus Christ. To Him be all glory, both now and forevermore.