In The Master's Service

MAKING THE CHOICE

Elder T. L. Webb, Sr., deceased — From "Little Things"...

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." – Joshua 24:15.

I have often heard the above Scripture used to try to prove that the salvation of sinners is hinged on them making choice between God and the devil. Just how anyone can get such an idea from this Scripture is strange, indeed, since neither God nor the devil is mentioned in the choice at all. The choice in the text is between two classes of gods (idols) and not between God and the devil. Examine it for yourself and see that it was a choice between the gods which their fathers served on the other side of the flood and the gods of the Amorites in whose land they dwelt. This choice was not only restricted to these two classes of gods, but was not to be made unless it seemed evil unto them to serve the Lord. Not only this, but anyone who will take the time to read the chapter, or even the preceding verses, can see for himself that it was God's people (the children of Israel) under consideration, and not alien sinners. They had already been delivered from Egyptian bondage, had seen their enemies destroyed and had been blessed of the Lord in many ways. So it was simply a matter of service, with God's people under consideration, and not an eternal "soul saving" proposition, as some would have you believe. The idea is, as Joshua taught it, if God's people are not going to serve the Lord and are determined to yoke up with the world and serve idol gods, then they can make their choice between these gods – not much difference in them anyway.

A child of God might make a mistake when it comes to service. This depends in a great measure upon how he is taught. Yet there is no such thing as the salvation of lost souls being hinged on the choice of the sinner. Such an idea is not only without Scriptural authority, but unreasonable. Who ever heard of anyone making choice of something that he did not like? If the salvation of alien sinners were based on them making choice of the Lord, then none would ever be saved. No one will ever make choice of the Lord until he loves the Lord. If he loves the Lord, he is already a child of God. "For love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." – I John 4:7. Some one might say in reply to this, "We can teach the sinner and get him to love God, and then he will make choice of the Lord." If you could do that, he would be a child of God before he made choice of God. There is no escape from the fact that if one loves God he is already born of God. So when you find a Scripture in the Bible implying spiritual activity of any kind, you may rest assured that it is God’s people under consideration.