”What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

This open hearted, transparent acknowledgment of despicable sinfulness was written by Paul in Romans 7:24. Yes, this was written by Paul, also known as “Saint” Paul, the “Apostle” who wrote one-third of the New Testament. How can a “Saint” also be a wretched, sinful man living in a body of death?

Well, we can thank Adam for Paul’s wretched and sinful state. Because of the choices made by Adam, no one, not even Paul will ever entirely rid themselves of giving in to temptation and sin. As a consequence of the sin of Adam (1 Cor. 15:22), everyone is born with a sin nature. We can’t help it, we don’t have a choice. When we are born we don’t choose our sex, our race or whether or not we’re going to give-in to sin. It’s not God’s fault, He created Adam to be perfect and without sin. When Adam sinned, the perfect nature that God created died.

David (King David in the Old Testament), was a man after God’s own heart. Although David loved God and was loved by God; David admitted his own sinfulness. David wrote “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). Paul, (the wretched man), also acknowledged that everyone, absolutely everyone, is under sin and that there is no one righteous, not even one (Rom 3:9-10).

In such a sinful state, no one (not Paul, not David – no one) is capable of seeking or understanding God, Jesus or salvation.

So, how do we come to know God? How do we get to the point that we accept forgiveness of our sins through faith in Jesus? How do we come to be “saved”? Jesus tells us in his own words… “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44).

God calls us, individually and personally. We don’t call him, he calls us. We don’t seek him, he seeks us. For some it’s a gentle nudge to accept his grace. For others… God hits them so hard that they’re compelled to accept his gift of salvation (which is the forgiveness of sins by putting their faith in Christ Jesus). God calls us individually and personally and he gives us enough understanding to make a decision. We are saved by grace (which is God’s divine influence on our heart) and this is done through faith in Jesus as a gift from God and not by works - so no one can boast of their salvation (Eph 2:8-9). So, when we get the gentle nudge from God it’s up to us to accept or reject his free gift of salvation.

Why doesn’t everyone get the sledgehammer? Why does God elect some to be so compelled to accept his salvation? Why are some specifically chosen by God to be saved?

God knew the end from the beginning… or, in other words… God, from the beginning of time knew how he wanted things to end. God has predetermined certain events to occur. Since the beginning of time God had already identified key people to perform specific functions to fulfill his plans. When Adam sinned - God already had Jesus lined-up to provide salvation.

For some, even before birth (better yet, before some were even conceived), God had assigned roles for them to perform. These individuals were elected by God to enact the events he predetermined would unfold.

In our sinful state, we don’t go to God; God comes to us. Regardless how God comes (with a gentle nudge or a sledgehammer) we all have a choice to either receive or reject his offer of salvation.