"You Were Unwilling" (11/5) - Plain Bible Teaching

“You Were Unwilling” (11/5)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Matthew 23; Luke 20-21.

Calvinism teaches that salvation is unconditional and that grace is irresistible. The reason for this is that man (allegedly) has no free will. Therefore, man would be unable to make the decision on his own to serve the Lord. Many passages refute this idea. One such passage is the following:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” (Matthew 23-37-38).

Jesus had just condemned the Pharisees and scribes for various sins. He concluded with this lament. Notice what Jesus said here about salvation:

The Lord desires to save man. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. To God, it would be much preferable for the wicked man to repent and avoid divine punishment (Ezekiel 18:23, 32). Peter said that the Lord is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
The Lord desires to save in spite of man’s sins. Jesus had just explained the many reasons why the Pharisees and scribes stood condemned. The people, in general, supported and respected these groups. But in spite of all of our faults, God is willing to save us. Jesus died for those who were “sinners” and “enemies” (Romans 5:8, 10). We have the example of Paul – “foremost of all” sinners. His salvation is an example of the Lord’s “perfect patience” in salvation (1 Timothy 1:15-16).
We must willingly serve the Lord. Though God desires man to be saved, He will not force anyone to meet His conditions for salvation. Jesus invites (Matthew 11:28-30); He does not overrule the personal choices one makes in deciding whether or not to serve God. We must be willing to follow Him, which necessarily means we must obey Him (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46).