I'm surprised to see so many Christians holding to a belief that salvation comes down to making a personal choice. I've never found anything in the bible to support that view.
The bible is quite clear that we're all born dead in our sins and trespasses and none seek God. As sinners our natural desire is to feed our sinful lusts.
So why would such a person decide to deny himself a life of pleasure and choose to be hated by the world and suffer persecution, torture and death to follow Christ.
The bible says that the word of God is foolishness to those who are perishing. Some of the worlds greatest minds have dismissed the gospel as rubbish, so to believe or reject has nothing to do with how smart we are.
The only logical conclusion is the biblical one that says that God chooses to save some and leave others in their sin. And He made that choice before He created the world.
Let us say you have a garment... The nature of this garment - how it was created and intended to be - is spotless and not being torn or damaged, beautiful and without blemish. If you dirty or tear the garment, has its nature been changed? Is this now the accepted way that the garment ought to be, do you say it was intended from the outset that it be this way? Or do you instead recognize the dirt and holes as not being the natural state of the thing, and once seeing them, ought you to try and return it to its original state by cleaning and repairing it?
Those who have destroyed their garment may not notice it when they are in darkness, or may not be bothered by it if everyone elses garments also bear the same dirt... But if they are to step into the light, or if they are to encounter One whose garment is in its intended state, they will become conscious of the wretched state of their own. So what will they do in this situation? Will they take care to mend and cleanse their own? Or try to turn off the light? Or try to destroy the clean garment so it will match their own?
Well I guess we know the answer to that question, because the One without stain was mocked and hated unto crucifixion in just such an attempt to banish the light, or at least to destroy an example of how we ought to be. If our very nature was to be torn and dirtied, why would we be bothered by seeing ourselves so? Why would we desire to abolish the light in an attempt to avoid seeing ourselves as we are if we didn't know at some level that it isn't the natural way we ought to be?
I don't think it is as a result of intelligence that one would desire their garment be cleansed rather than remain dirty, when all around them were also dirty but One. Quite the opposite. Rather, I believe it is the result of humility and love... Of acknowledging that your garment is not as it ought to be despite the fact that its damage is thanks to your own actions upon it...of admiring the One which is as it ought to be, rather than being jealous or reviling it for exposing the flaws of your own. Our intelligence will reason that if all men are dirty, we shouldn't be concerned with becoming clean. Our simpleminded adoration of the beautiful will nudge us to aspire to it.
"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."
