"'I was wondering--I mean--could there be some mistake? Because nobody called me and Scrubb, you know. It was we who asked to come here. Scrubb said we were to call to--to Somebody--it was a name I wouldn't know--and perhaps the Somebody would let us in. And we did, and then we found the door open.' (Jill speaking)
'You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,' said the Lion" (C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair, page 23).
I thank God continually for my salvation. I thank Him that I had believing parents who shared the gospel with me at a young age, that I was able to understand the gospel so early, and that I believed that it was true. Why do I thank God for my salvation rather than patting myself on the back for having faith in Jesus at such a young age? I do this because I am fully aware that my salvation was His work and that I was only saved by His grace. But wasn't I the one that put my faith in Jesus and believed in Him? Of course, God doesn't have the faith in Himself for me...I have to have faith. However, I am only able to have faith by His grace. Ephesians 2:8 says, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Does this sound confusing? It's hard to wrap our minds around the mystery of salvation. Why do some believe and some doubt? Which part of salvation is us, and which part is God? I like the way Lewis portrays God's calling in The Silver Chair. In the above excerpt, Jill tells Aslan that she and Scrubb just happened to get to Narnia because they asked to get there, and they found the door open. Aslan tells Jill that she wouldn't have called to him unless he had been calling to her first. The Holy Spirit illuminates the gospel in the heart of the hearer, drawing that person to God. One cannot become saved without the Lord working in that person's heart first.
If you are a Christian, I'm sure you are fully aware that your salvation is by His grace, not your own effort. Ephesians 1:4-6 says, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." Before the world had even been created, He chose those who would be adopted into His family. As Jesus said in John 15:16, "You did not choose Me but I chose you." Where does your part come in? You respond to God's call by believing in Him, putting your faith in Him, and accepting His free gift of salvation.
Perhaps you feel the same way Jill did...that being brought into God's family was some kind of mistake. This is very far from the truth! If you are a Christian, God intentionally chose you a long time ago, and there was no accident or mistake about it. Thank Him today for choosing you, calling you to Himself, and saving you by His grace!
