outside the door

It is scary visiting some people in their offices. Waiting outside you feel nervous, sweaty-palmed and experience what the more uncouth among us call ‘SBT’. (For those of a delicate disposition you can ignore this acronym but if you are curious and can’t work it out, it’s set out at the bottom of the page*.)

The Head Teacher (as a child or a parent!)

A High Court Judge in his chambers (I had to do that once as a rookie lawyer)

The Bank Manager

You may have others you would add to the list. I think it is because they are in a position of power or authority. Decisions they make will affect us and it is beyond our control.

Today Sally and I are going to visit a new bank to talk about the possibility of transferring our account. They are a bank with a strong ethical trading policy that our current bank shows no signs of matching. Today we are in the position of power. It is up to us to choose whether or not to take our little amount of banking business to them.

Except of course that we will not be the only ones making a choice. The bank will be considering whether we are a good risk. They will check our identity and our credit rating. It is possible that we might choose them but they choose not to have us.

One of the great mysteries of the Christian faith is the complexity and marvel that is choice. God has chosen to create us with the freedom to choose whether or not to be with him. That is a choice he made because he wants us to want him, not to be compelled to love him or to be like robots who affirm our allegiance at the press of a button. So it is up to us whether or not to choose him.

Except that because he is both in and beyond time he knows already what our choice will be. Does this mean that it is predetermined, that in fact it is not a real choice because the outcome is already known? Does this mean that in effect God has already chosen those who will choose him? This is part of the conundrum that theologians call ‘election’ and ‘predestination’.

My understanding is that we have to hold several things in tension.

We have absolute free choice.

Because he is beyond time, God knows what that choice will be. It is not like a magic trick where the outcome of an apparent free choice is determined by the magician, it is still a completely free choice.

God longs for every single human being on the planet to choose him. He chooses us all. But because he has given us free will it is up to us to choose him reciprocally. Unless or until we do that God’s choice is ineffective.

That does not stop him wooing, inviting, encouraging, offering, loving, fanning a spark of faith into flame… that is part of what his Spirit does within us as he longs for us to choose to be a part of God’s family. As the image in Revelation 3:20 reminds us, he is outside our door knocking and waiting for us to invite him in.

And when we do choose to come to him he offers complete forgiveness, a fresh start, abundant grace and instant membership of his family. No SBT here!

How does it make you feel to know that God chooses YOU. Yes, he chooses everyone else, but God, the Supreme Being, the Ultimate, THE ONE, chooses YOU. You are special. You are unique. Just like everyone else!

Be blessed, be a blessing

*SBT = squeaky bum time