Introduction: A Question of Who Saves Whom

Why are you a Christian?

Most people answer that question by pointing to something they did.
“I believed.” “I asked Jesus into my heart.” “I chose to follow Christ.”
But the Bible tells a different story.

Salvation is not the result of human decision, effort, or worthiness. It is the result of God’s sovereign grace. He chooses. He calls. He saves. He keeps. From beginning to end, salvation belongs to the Lord.

1. Grace That Goes First

Before the foundation of the world, God set His love upon His people (Ephesians 1:4–5). He chose them not based on foreseen faith, works, or potential—but purely out of His own will and mercy (Romans 9:15–16). This is what theologians call unconditional election.

It’s grace that goes first—grace that initiates.
Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).
And again, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37).

John 6 leaves no room for human effort as the deciding factor. The Father gives. The Father draws. And all whom He gives to the Son will come. His grace does not merely make salvation possible—it ensures it.
Left to ourselves, we would never seek God (Romans 3:10–11). But God seeks and saves the lost (Luke 19:10).

2. A Calling That Cannot Fail

When God calls a sinner to salvation, that call is not merely an invitation—it is a divine summons.
“Those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified…” (Romans 8:30).

This is often called effectual calling. It means that when God calls a person to Himself, they come. Not against their will—but through a transformed will. God changes the heart. He removes the heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). He opens blind eyes. He grants repentance (2 Timothy 2:25).

3. Faith as a Gift, Not a Work

Salvation is by grace through faith—but even that faith is not from us.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:8).

Faith is not the payment God demands—it is the gift He supplies. No one can boast. God gets all the glory.

4. Secured by the Savior

Those whom God saves, He keeps.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice… I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27–28).

This is the doctrine of perseverance of the saints—not that we never stumble, but that God never lets go.
He who began a good work in you will complete it (Philippians 1:6).
You were chosen by grace, not maintained by performance.

5. Why This Matters

Understanding God’s sovereignty in salvation humbles the proud and comforts the struggling. It strips us of boasting and fills us with worship. It reminds us that our hope does not rest on our hold of God, but on His hold of us.

And it motivates evangelism—not because we must persuade sinners into the kingdom, but because God uses the preaching of the gospel to call His people home.

Conclusion: All Glory to God Alone

Salvation is of the Lord.
From election to regeneration, justification to glorification—every step is the result of God’s gracious work.
He planned it. He accomplished it. He applies it. And He finishes it.

That’s what it means to be chosen by grace.