A. W. Pink - A merciful provision

God's Sovereign election of certain ones to salvation is a merciful provision. The sufficient answer to all the wicked accusations that the doctrine of Predestination is cruel, horrible, and unjust, is that unless God had chosen certain ones to salvation none would have been saved, for "there is none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11). This is no mere inference of ours but the definite teaching of Holy Scripture. Attend closely to the words of the Apostle in Romans 9 where this theme is fully discussed: "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved... And as Esaias (Isaiah) said before, Except the Lord of Hosts had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah" (Rom. 9:27, 29). The teaching of this passage is unmistakable: but for Divine interference Israel would have become as Sodom and Gomorrah. Had God left Israel alone human depravity would have run its course to its own tragic end. But God left Israel a "remnant" or "seed." Of old the cities of the plain had been obliterated for their sin and none was left to survive them; and so it would have been in Israel's case had not God "left" or spared a remnant. Thus it is with the human race: but for God's Sovereign grace in sparing a remnant all of Adam's descendants had perished in their sins. Therefore, we say that God's Sovereign election of certain ones to salvation is a merciful provision. And, be it noted, in choosing the ones He did God did no injustice to the others who were passed by, for none had any right to salvation. Salvation is by grace, and the exercise of grace is a matter of pure Sovereignty-God might save all or none, many or few, one or ten thousand, just as He saw best. Should it be replied, But surely it were "best" to save all, the answer would be: We are not capable of judging. We might have thought it "best" never to have created Satan, never to have allowed sin to enter the world, or having entered to have brought the conflict between good and evil to an end long before now. Ah! God's ways are not ours, and His ways are "past finding out."


- A. W. Pink (The Sovereignty of God, Chapter 12: Conclusion)