God does not violate the human will, but the Scripture makes it very clear that from start to finish our salvation depends on Him! Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” The Living Bible paraphrases it like this, “For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey Him, and then helping you do what He wants.” Apart from Him there is no salvation, but neither is His salvation applied without our participation! The call to salvation is by invitation only; Jesus said “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” John 6:44, which calling (drawing) is issued to all men (people) by God “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” 1 Timothy 2:4; Jesus promises that those who respond to that invitation and come to Him He “will by no means cast out” John 6:37. But this encounter with Him is only the beginning. We read in Philippians 1:6 “…that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” In other words it is an ongoing and continuing work all through life, fitting us for heaven and the producing of “fruit” along the journey! This truth was stated earlier in Psalm 138:8 where it says “The Lord will perfect (complete) that which concerns me”. From the moment we heed His call to salvation He takes over as the “gardener” in our life; the way He does this is by putting His finger on those dead branches and things from the old life and carnal nature that need to be removed so those of the new life and nature can replace them, but God has placed Himself in such a position that we must cooperate with Him to accomplish it! The Bible tells us to “put off…the old man” and “put on the new man…” Ephesians 4:22-24. This is not a self improvement program; it is cooperating with Him knowing that the work is His “from start to finish”!
God’s continuing work
By Rose Hill
God works on us both night and day,
To bring us into the perfect way.
So that when others partake of the fruit we bear,
They will receive strength and know that we care.
Unless otherwise indicated Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version copyright …1982 by Thomas Nelson Co. used by permission.