The most common objection that I receive regarding the
sovereignty of God is that this doctrine stymie’s evangelism and makes prayer
irrelevant. I spoke once of the Five
Points of Calvinism at a conference where a lady after my lecture on Unconditional
Election stood in the aisle of the church and wept uncontrollably for her
unsaved children and said, “If you are right why should I pray?” The truth is that this doctrine is the hope
of evangelism and pray, not its discouragement.
Andrew Wilson makes that clear:
“If the salvation of
Israel, or Isaac or Jacob or you or me, depended on man, then it would not
ultimately rest on the free, unconstrained, sovereign choice of God. You were
not chosen because of your suitability for salvation, or even your pursuit of
God; Yahweh is gracious to whom he will be gracious! Your current obedience or
consistency is not the guarantee of God’s faithfulness; Yahweh will show mercy
to whom he will show mercy! At each stage of Israel’s salvation history, and at
every point in ours, a sinner’s status before God rests on God’s free choices,
not man’s. Yahweh’s freedom means we can (and should!) give him all the credit
for our salvation. It also means we can meaningfully pray for unbelievers,
since his free choices outweigh theirs. It even means that no one, no matter
how evil or resistant to him, is beyond his grace.”[1]
[1] Wilson,
Andrew (2013-05-21). Incomparable: Explorations in the Character of God (Kindle
Locations 3126-3132). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.
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