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I just came onto this today

We may think that we choose God but it is God who gives us the desire to want Him and the faith to be able to trust Him. God is the giver of every aspect of salvation even regarding repentance and faith:

John 3:27 - "John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven."

God has to enable sinners to repent:

Acts 11:18 - "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

2Timothy 2:25 - "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth"

God has to give people faith as a gift so that they can believe on Christ:

Ephesians 2:8 - "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God"

Regarding salvation, man has absolutely nothing to contribute: "knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked?" (Revelation 3:17).

Until God puts a new heart in us we are just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, who hid from God after they sinned. Until God draws us and converts us, we have no desire for fellowship with Him or His children. Instead we run from Him and His messengers and we consider His commandments burdensome and His Lordship something to be scorned.

WHO DOES THE CHOOSING?

Here are some Bible verses that are very clear about this matter of God choosing us - without any approval from us ahead of time:

John 15:16 - "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit"

John 15:19 - "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

2 Thessalonians 2:13 - "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth"

Matthew 22:14 - "For many are called, but few are chosen."

John 6:44 - "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

Psalm 65:4 - "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee"

Acts 13:48 - "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

James 1:18 - "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."

CAN OUR WILL OVERPOWER GOD'S WILL?

When we first look at John 1:12 it sure looks like it is we who choose Christ:

John 1:12 - "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name"

But then, when we look at the next verse, we can no longer draw that conclusion:

John 1:13 - "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

So we can conclude that in John 1:12, God, by His will, converted people into His sons, thereby enabling them to receive Him and to believe on His name. One who is a child of darkness will certainly not receive Him.

Then when we read the first chapter of Ephesians, all we see are references to God and His will, not our own will:

Ephesians 1:4 - "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in Heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will"

Romans chapter 9 is a section of the Bible that makes no sense at all if we are to believe that man chooses to accept Christ, of his own free will:

Romans 9:15 - "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy."

Isaiah put it well, regarding who is in control of things:

Isaiah 46:10 - "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure"