Who Has Made You to Differ?

Last update: 2024, August 26

No matter how Provisionists try to avoid this, the reality is if God is trying to save everyone equally and one person is saved and one person is not, the difference is not in God’s power or God’s attempt or the message itself, but in the individuals themselves. That’s what the issue is no matter how hard they try to get away with it. —James White

In the post on Examining Psalms 1, I state that, “Theological truth are mostly taught via letters in the New Testament. God teaches us His truth in OT’s era via stories and events involving people. And the NT points back to these stories or events to make its points (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:6-11).” I urge you to give that a read first before proceeding with this one.

In all the years I have engaged with others, I have not received a biblical answer to the question: Who has made you to differ? Why did you choose Christ but the other person didn’t? In one of my discussions, the person hadn’t thought this through and soon realized where this was going. In trying to get out, this person screamed, “Freewill!” But that didn’t answer the question. Why would one person use the freewill to choose or reject Christ? People follow the dictates of their heart. What we say or do all come from the heart. Our choices and actions are not neutral, detached from the heart.

See here if you want a biblical answer: Evil Heart Dictates. Here in this post I’ll go a bit more in depth. If you’ve read the post on Examining Psalms 1, you’ll see that God has shown us many biblical examples: Abraham, Noah, Naaman, Peter and Judas, Cornelius, Lydia etc… I’ll discuss more about these individuals in future posts. For now, and here, I’ll be focusing on the two Thieves next to Christ because God (if you’ve read Examining Psalms 1) is teaching us deep theological truth there with the two Thieves: Regeneration, Justification by Faith Alone, Soul sleep etc… As always, I like to use biblical examples to make my cases.

The Two Thieves

“Every one who is not a Christian ought to be interested in this man, to know how he was converted. Any man who objects to sudden conversions should give attention to how this man was converted. If conversions are gradual, this poor thief could not have been converted. If a man who has lived a good, consistent life cannot be suddenly converted, then this thief didn’t have any chance. If it takes six months, six weeks, or six days to convert a man, there was no chance for this thief. Turn to the 23rd chapter of Luke, and you will see how the Lord dealt with this man, who was not only a thief, but the worst kind of a thief. It was only the worst classes who were condemned to die the death upon the cross. We find this man was condemned to that most ignominious death.” —D.L. Moody^[1]

Why did you choose Christ? This question may evoke objections from some NCs, who might argue that it should not be asked or that it’s a tactic used by Calvinists to lead people into adopting made-made theologies. Others may be honest NCs who simply don’t know how to answer this question from a biblical standpoint, and for them, the matter remains mysterious. By reflecting on and honestly examining yourself, you will gain insight into why many NCs may feel uneasy about this question. For example,

Born, as all of us are by nature, an Arminian, I still believed the old things I had heard continually from the pulpit, and did not see the grace of God. When I was coming to Christ, I thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me. I do not think the young convert is at first aware of this. I can recall the very day and hour when first I received those truths [doctrine of election] in my own soul—when they were, as John Bunyan says, burnt into my heart as with a hot iron, and I can recollect how I felt that I had grown on a sudden from a babe into a man—that I had made progress in Scriptural knowledge, through having found, once for all, the clue to the truth of God. One week-night, when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not thinking much about the preacher’s sermon, for I did not believe it. The thought struck me, [How did you come to be a Christian?] I sought the Lord. [But how did you come to seek the Lord?] The truth flashed across my mind in a moment—I should not have sought Him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to [make me] seek Him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, [How came I to pray?] I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. [How came I to read the Scriptures?] I did read them, but what led me to do so? Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, “I ascribe my change wholly to God.” —Spurgeon

“Who has made you to differ” is both a legitimate and biblical question with a biblical answer. It’s not a trick question we came up to trap NCs, and I always go back to the two Thieves because they present a perfect case for us to study. Once again, you’re seeing for yourself that Reformed Soteriology is deeply rooted in Scripture! With Paul and others (will be discussed in future posts), it’s easy to prove that God was behind and at the bottom of it all, but the Thieve? You really have to pay careful attention to see it. D.L. Moody made this observation:

The question is: What was it converted one of these thieves? I do not know, but I have an idea that it was Christ’s prayer. When Christ cried on the cross: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do!” I can imagine that did what the scourge did not do. They had gone through the trial, and their hearts had not been broken; they had been nailed to the cross, but their hearts had not been subdued; they raised no cry to God for mercy, but they reviled the Son of God. But when they heard the cry: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” one of them says: “That man is not of the same spirit as we are. I would call out the thunderbolts of heaven to consume them.” There they are crying, “Save thyself if thou be the Son of God;” yet while they were crying this, the Son of God is crying to his Father to have mercy on them. It flashed into his soul that this was the Son of God, and that moment he confessed his sin. He turned to the other thief and rebuked him, and says, “Dost thou not fear God?” The fear of God fell upon him. There is not much hope of a man’s being saved until the fear of God comes upon him. Solomon says, “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” We read in Acts that great fear fell upon the people: that was the fear of the Lord. That was the first sign that conviction had entered the soul of the thief. “Dost thou not fear God?” That was the first sign we have of life in that condemned man.

I believe Moody is correct and spot on with his assessment of the Thieve. To follow along I suggest you have these passages opened:

• Matthew 27:41-44

• Mark 15:27-32

• Luke 23:32-34, 39-43

In Matthew and Mark, we discover that both thieves initially mocked Christ. However, it is only in Luke that we learn about one thief rebuking the other for this behavior. The first round of mockery involved both thieves (as depicted in Matthew and Mark). The second round occurred after Christ prayed to the Father (Luke). This sequence makes sense from a biblical perspective, as everyone, including both thieves, initially mocked Christ. Moved by compassion, Christ prayed for them. It was during this second round of mockery that we witness a change of heart in one of the thieves. I believe this order of events is essential to avoid contradictions in the narrative. In wrestling with this puzzle there are two views:

1. Non-Reformed: The repentant Thief was smarter and more observant. Something in him made him to differ.

2. Reformed: In response to Christ’s prayer, the Father granted repentance to one of the Thieves.

Our backgrounds and upbringing can certainly have an influence on our choices and behaviours. With a good upbringing, a person could be conditioned to make a lot of good choices, even though s/he might make some bad ones along the way. The problem with the Non-Reformed view is that some of us are saved because we happen to be smarter and or more fortunate than others, not to mention that it’s not biblical.

Even if God should save people on the basis of something in them—faith, good works, or something else—this actually would be an injustice, since individuals and their backgrounds are unequal. Think it through. If God saved some people and not others on the basis of good works, which is what many people expect God to do, there would never be justice, because some people have inherited kinder, gentler temperaments than others, and because environmental factors always play a part. It is easier for a person who has been raised by two loving, moral parents to follow in their way, to make wise choices, and to do good as the world thinks of good. Not all do, of course, but that is irrelevant. The point is only that it is easier for such persons to do good than it is for others who have been neglected by their parents or have been raised in a vicious, immoral environment. Or consider faith. Isn’t it true that some persons are born more trusting than others, and others are instinctively more skeptical? Some people have a hard time believing anything. They have a hard time believing people, and it follows that they will have an even harder time believing God. —James Montgomery Boice & Philip Graham Ryken (The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel)

Furthermore, #1 (Non-Reformed view) goes against what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:26-30. Luckily for us, we don’t have to guess the Thieves’ backgrounds and upbringing, and it doesn’t matter because from Matthew and Mark we clearly see that both of them started off on the same base: They both mocked Christ, and out of the heart comes blasphemies. Their evil hearts dictate! Both of them had a heart-problem, and it is there we must ask the question: What changed? Considering that both were next to Christ and both witnessed the same thing, both had equal opportunity to assess the situation and to examine themselves. Why suddenly one of them turned around and rebuked the other? NCs can not give a biblical and satisfying answer to this question.

I am compelled by Scripture to go with the Reformed view, for the following reasons:

1. God is the Author of the New Birth. “Lord, remember me when You come into YOUR KINGDOM.” Christ says that no one (without exception) can see or enter the KINGDOM of God unless he is born again (John 3).

2. God alone grants repentance that leads to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25). The Father heard His Son’s prayer. We see the same in Paul’s case. Paul was there when Stephen uttered these words, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” (Acts 7:60). Later at the appointed time, God overcame Paul’s resistance the same way He did for the Thieve.

3. It’s consistent with how God does things. For example, Christ healed only one man at the pool of Bethesda. I’m sure there were many more blind, lame and paralyzed individuals there who needed healing, yet Christ healed just one man that day. What about Lydia (Acts 16:6-15)? Paul and his companions “were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia…” They also “tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.” Why? God directed them to Macedonia because Lydia was there, and God had His eyes on her like He did with Naaman and Cornelius. God hides and reveals Himself to whoever He wants (Luke 10:22).

Consider, for example, Jesus’ healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda. Although many invalids—blind, lame and paralyzed—were there who needed healing (John 5:2), Jesus restored only one man that day. If he had let human need dictate his agenda, surely he would have healed many more. On the other hand, if the religious leaders had had their way, he would have healed no one because it was the sabbath. Why, then, did he heal on the sabbath, and why only one person? In answering his critics, Jesus explained: “My Father is still working, and I also am working… Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise” (John 5:17,19). —Stephen Seamands (Ministry in the Image of God)

“…there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah… when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath… And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha… and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
—Luke 4

And we can say the same: There were two Thieves, but He saved only one. For a real life example of this, check out this article: The Conversion and Execution of Tokichi Ishii

Apostle Paul

Paul wasn’t actively searching for God. He was actively persecuting God. That was his free-will. God wasn’t a gentleman toward Paul’s free-will. In fact, He conquered and overcame it. God had mercy while he was dead. God sought him out.

• https://soteriology.substack.com/p/the-disobedience-of-paul

• https://soteriology.substack.com/p/speaking-of-gods-love-part-6

But Thanks Be to God!

I want to make it clear that in one sense, it’s not wrong to say that you humbled yourself and accepted Christ. In that sense, those that humbled themselves and received Christ are wise. However, it’s only the Calvinists that go a step further back and say that “God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith.” In other words, only the Calvinists can genuinely and wholeheartedly say, “Thanks be to God,” and “Salvation is of the Lord!”

No man ever knows his condition until God comes to him in sovereign grace and power and gives him life. Paul said, “I was before a blasphemer.” When did he learn that? When God brought him to life! As one made alive by God he then rejoiced in every doctrine of God’s grace! —Gary Shepard

In one of my discussions years ago, someone pointed out Romans 6:17 to say that the lost can obey from the heart, “…though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered…” Without getting too lengthy, I instead asked, “Do you thank God for that? That you obeyed from the heart? WHY or WHY NOT?” My question was never answered! It is right and appropriate to ask this question because Paul starts v.17 with, “But thanks be to God…” See it for yourself:

“But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were given over,”

Those that have looked at the Scripture honestly will inevitably become reformed in their Soteriology, and I’m certain of this! See for yourself how consistent the Reformed view is.

Why is the New Birth necessary in Ephesians 2? Verse 1-3 gives us the answer: We were dead.

• “BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead… MADE US ALIVE…”

Why is the New Birth necessary in Titus 3? Verse 3 gives us the answer: We were foolish, disobedient, led astray, SLAVES to various passions and pleasures, hating one another.

• “BUT… GOD… saved us… by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”

Why is the New Birth necessary in 2 Corinthians 4? Verse 3-4 gives us the answer: We were blind.

• “FOR GOD… is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

BUT GOD, BUT GOD, BUT GOD… are you beginning to see it yet? Either there is something in you that made you to differ or “God was at the bottom of it all.”

Do you thank God for opening your heart? Giving you eyes to see? Delivering you from the kingdom and domain of Satan? Granting you both repentance and faith so that you can obey from the heart? It’s obvious why my question above was never answered.

What are you really thanking God for, Non-Calvinists (NCs)?

Paul says that the fact that the Thessalonians [believed] the gospel when he preached it (“for our gospel came to you… in power …and with full conviction”) [is the reason he knows that God chose them]. As soon as they came to faith Paul concluded that long ago God had chosen them, and therefore they had believed when he preached. He later writes to the same church, “We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because [God chose you from the beginning to be saved], through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). —Wayne Grudem

Conclusion

When all is said and done, either God saved you because there is something in you that is better than the other person or God is the one who made you to differ. If there is a third option or possibility, I would like to hear it!

Sooner or later you will have to wrestle with this if you haven’t already.

Everywhere Paul preached some believed and some did not. How are we to understand why some of those who are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1, 5) believed and some did not?
…
The book of Acts gives the answer in at least three different ways. One is that they are appointed to believe. When Paul preached in Antioch of Pisidia, the Gentiles rejoiced and “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

Another way of answering why some believe is that God granted repentance. When the saints in Jerusalem heard that Gentiles, and not just Jews, were responding to the gospel, they said, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18).

But the clearest answer in Acts to the question why a person believes the gospel is that God opens the heart. Lydia is the best example. Why did she believe? Acts 16:14 says, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.”

If you are a believer in Jesus, all of these happened to you: You were appointed to believe; you were granted to repent; and the Lord opened your heart. The rest of your life you should be overflowing with amazed thankfulness at the miracle that you are a believer. —John Piper^[2]

See also: