Predestination 7: If God’s already decided, why bother?

15 Oct

Acts 18:5–11

You’re reading the seventh instalment in a series on predestination. These began as notes for our youth leaders, but gradually evolved into something the internet might accept. Start here for the series introduction.

A friend once told me about a small group of people in his church whose approach was basically: God’s got everything under control, so we don’t need to worry about praying, evangelising or doing good works. We can just chill. God will sort it out.

That’s a view sometimes called hyper-Calvinism. It takes God’s sovereignty as a reason to neglect things he’s told us to do.

You can see the question behind it, though. If God has already decided who will be saved, what difference does telling someone about Jesus make? Why pray for them?

Paul believed God chooses people, yet he kept preaching and praying. In Acts 18:5–11, we see why: God plans to save people through the gospel we share, so keep speaking about Jesus.

Some context

In this account, Paul is telling people about Jesus in Corinth, a busy city in southern Greece. He has already been speaking in the synagogue, seeking to persuade Jews and Greeks (Acts 18:4). His message meets both belief and opposition, and Jesus encourages him to keep going.

1. God saves through the gospel (vv. 5–8)

Paul devotes himself to preaching, testifying that Jesus is the Messiah—God’s promised King (v. 5). Some listeners oppose him and become abusive, so he turns to the Gentiles—people who aren’t Jews (v. 6) and moves next door to the house of Titius Justus (v. 7). Yet others believe: Crispus and his household trust the Lord, and many Corinthians hear Paul, believe and are baptised (v. 8). The message receives mixed responses, but Paul’s speaking makes a difference. God brings people to faith through the gospel they hear. God gives Paul a part in bringing that good news to others.

2. God’s plan keeps us speaking (vv. 9–10)

Jesus tells Paul:

Keep on speaking, do not be silent.
Acts 18:9

He gives Paul reasons to continue: “I am with you” and “I have many people in this city” (v. 10). Jesus speaks of them as his people even before all of them have come to faith. In the light of what we’ve seen about election, we understand this as an assurance that God has chosen people whom he will bring to faith through the gospel. Paul doesn’t know who they all are.

He is told to keep announcing Jesus. God’s plan includes people hearing that message. He wants Paul to take part in his saving work. His decision gives Paul a reason to speak. Jesus also promises to protect Paul from harm in Corinth (v. 10). That is a specific promise here, rather than a guarantee that Christians will never suffer for speaking about Jesus.

3. So keep teaching God’s word (v. 11)

Paul responds by staying in Corinth for eighteen months, teaching God’s word (v. 11). He takes Jesus’ encouragement seriously and gets on with the work. God has people to save, and Paul has a message to teach. We don’t need to know whom God has chosen before we tell someone about Jesus. Like Paul, we can keep sharing the gospel and trust God to work through it. We evangelise because God invites us to take part in what he is doing. That is a privilege, and our speaking really matters.

Pushback questions

If they’re chosen, won’t they get saved anyway? Why waste your time evangelising?

Paul sees no contradiction between God choosing people and telling them about Jesus. God plans both to save people and to bring them to faith through hearing the gospel. We can’t separate those things. In Corinth, Jesus having people to save is the reason Paul should keep speaking (vv. 9–10).

God doesn’t need us as though he couldn’t save anyone without our help. He could drop Bibles out of the sky, open at John 3:16, so that people could read and hear the good news of Jesus. He could do that! But he delights in using his people to get the gospel to others. He chooses to involve us in his saving purposes by sending us to tell people about Jesus. We don’t know who will believe. Our task is to share the gospel and trust God to work through it.

If God already knows what he’s going to do, isn’t praying basically pointless too?

Paul clearly doesn’t think so. After discussing God’s predestination and mercy in Romans 8–9, he says his desire and prayer for the Israelites is that they will be saved (Romans 10:1). In Ephesians 1:3–14, he celebrates God choosing and predestining his people. Then he gives thanks and prays that they will know God better and understand their hope and his power (Ephesians 1:15–23). Paul sees no contradiction between God’s predestination and praying for people. He teaches both together: God’s saving purpose moves him to pray for salvation and growth.

God doesn’t need our prayers to tell him what to do or give him the power to act. We pray because we depend on him, and he wants to involve us in what he is doing. These are real requests he hears and answers. When we ask him to save a friend or help them grow, we’re turning to the one who can do it.

If someone keeps rejecting Jesus, does that mean they aren’t chosen and I should stop trying?

We can’t work out whom God has chosen from someone’s response today. Paul faced opposition in Corinth, yet Jesus told him to keep speaking (vv. 6, 9–10). That doesn’t mean pressuring someone who has asked you to stop. Respect them, keep praying, and be ready if another opportunity comes. A rejection today doesn’t tell us how their story will end.

So what?

Keep teaching God’s word. And keep praying.

Tell people about Jesus and help them understand the gospel. Perhaps you’ve invited a friend to youth and they weren’t interested, or tried to explain what you believe and felt awkward. Look for another opportunity to speak or invite them, without pressuring them. God wants people to hear the gospel through us, and gives us the privilege of taking part in his saving work. As you speak, pray for them too. Ask God to help you explain the gospel clearly and to help them trust Jesus. We depend on him to change hearts. His saving purpose gives us a reason to keep speaking.

We can sleep at night knowing God is in control. Saving people is his work. But he’s chosen to involve us in it, so “God’s got this” isn’t a reason to do nothing. Keep telling people about Jesus. Keep praying for them. Then go to bed knowing that, at the end of the day, God really is in control. And that’s a good thing.

Study 7. If God’s already decided, why bother?

Pray and get going

Q1. What makes it easier or harder to talk about something you believe when others disagree?

Read Acts 18:5–11

Q2. What is Paul doing in verse 5? How do different people respond to his message in verses 6–8?

Q3. What does Jesus tell Paul to do in verses 9–10? What reasons does he give?

Q4. Jesus says, “I have many people in this city.” Why would that encourage Paul to keep speaking about Jesus?

Q5. What does Paul do after Jesus speaks to him (v. 11)? Why doesn’t he just leave God to save people without him?

Q6. A friend says, “If God has already chosen people, they’ll be saved anyway. We can just chill.” How would you answer from this passage?

Q7. You’ve invited a friend to youth or tried talking about Jesus, but they aren’t interested. What in this passage could help you keep going? What might that look like without pressuring them?

Q8. Who could you help hear about Jesus this week? Choose one step you could take, then pray together for them and for courage to take that step.

Pray and give thanks

Father, thank you that you bring people to trust Jesus and that you involve us in sharing the good news. Help us keep speaking when we’re nervous or discouraged. Please give us opportunities to tell people about Jesus, and help them trust him. Amen.