Our walk with Christ is always a response.
We long to please Him and to live godly lives—but why? Because He first called us to Himself and saved us according to His good pleasure (Jn. 15:16; Eph. 1:4–5). Salvation did not begin with us, nor is it sustained by us. We were not saved by our works, and we are not kept by our works (Eph. 2:8–9; Rom. 9:16). From beginning to end, salvation is rooted in Christ, not in us (Col. 2:10; Eph. 1:5)
But does this mean that how we live is of no importance? Certainly not. As John writes,
“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning." -1 Jn. 3:9
The very evidence of new birth is a holy longing to please Him. The same God who seals also sanctifies. Yet even here we must remember: our striving for holiness, our hatred of sin, and our perseverance in the faith do not originate from us. They are the work of God within us. We persevere because He preserves.
Paul captures this paradox with precision:
“So then, my dear ones… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” -Phil. 2:12–13, AMP
In John 15:16, Jesus speaks plainly:
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain.”
If our salvation rested on our choosing Him, then our assurance would rest upon our capacity to remain faithful. But because it rests on His choosing and appointing, our assurance rests upon His unshakable decree—to save His own and to cause them to bear fruit.
The Greek word ethēka in John 15:16 underscores this truth: He pre-appointed, arranged beforehand, ordained that we would remain in Him and bear fruit.
This reality leads to two necessary conclusions:
- Those who do not continue to bear fruit reveal that they do not belong to Him.
- Those who do continue to bear fruit cannot boast in themselves. For it is God who works in us and through us to accomplish His good pleasure.
He is the root; we are the branches. Our confidence is not in the strength of our grip upon Him, but in His sovereign hold upon us!