As Primitive Baptists, we believe the Bible plainly teaches that the eternal destiny of any individual is not contingent upon his choice to invite the Saviour into his heart, but contingent upon the choice made in the ancients of eternity by our sovereign God. “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” (Eph. 1:4). Mankind was plunged into the depths of sin by virtue of Adam’s transgression in the Garden of Eden and has no desire for God and spiritual things; therefore, he is rendered incapable of choosing the spiritual things of God. Paul said, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (I Cor. 2:14). Our eternal destiny is not based on any of our good works or any of our bad works; it is based on the electing choice of God who was pleased to choose a great multitude which no man can number. Individuals and their deeds and choices as far as eternal life is concerned are ruled out by Paul in Rom. 9:11, “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;).”
  Man will always choose the bad and ignore the good before he is born again by the Holy Spirit. David shows us the disposition of men in nature in Psalms 10:4, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” Man’s choice doesn’t seek God; however, after being born again, he is a new creature and has a desire to do right and feels condemnation when he does something wrong. He now has the ability to make good choices. Everyone that God chose in Christ before the foundation of the world will be born again by the sovereign choice of God administered solely by the Holy Spirit. They will then have the ability to choose to serve God. Joshua tells us about the choices that can now be made. “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.” (Josh. 24:15). The will of man is not involved in the eternal choice of God because Paul says, “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Rom. 9:16). The will of man is involved in timely choices on earth after being born again. These choices determine not their eternal destiny but their state of receiving timely blessings as they sojourn on earth.–Elder Larry Wise–June 6, 2011
