You Did Not Choose Me

You Did Not Choose Me

John 15:16 (ESV):

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

We trust in the sovereignty of God... knowing that God’s grace, by faith, through Christ, calls us to live transformed lives marked by fruitfulness... by deeds, actions, done in response to God’s grace.

It’s a humbling reality to acknowledge that salvation is not our doing.

In fact, Jesus makes it perfectly clear—“You did not choose me.”

Of course, most recoil at the thought! I mean, goodness: “I have decided to follow Jesus.” We’re obsessed with autonomy. Free will... the choice is mine. “Choose your path...” “I chose Christ...” “I gave my life to Him...” There’s an awful lot of “I” in those statements.

R. C. Sproul (whom I’ve quoted dozens of times) says, we should always remember, that our “will is free to follow [our] inclinations... but fallen [as we are, our] inclinations are always and invariably away from God.”

We certainly have a propensity to elevate ourselves, and to see ourselves as the protagonist, the main character... the center of the story. So “our will” must surely be the pentacle and driving force of everything! Right?

But the Word of God says differently: Jesus said, “I chose you.” This is the language of divine election—a foundational doctrine in the Reformed tradition.

As Paul says in Ephesians 1:4, “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world…” This choice, God’s choice, is not based on our merit... our giftings... our talents or potential. Our salvation is grounded solely in God’s gracious will.

This means that if you are in Christ, you are there not because of your wisdom or your will, but because of God’s mercy alone. If any doctrine of scripture kills our pride and causes us to fall before our Savior in worship and humility, it’s the fact that the only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin that made it necessary.

We are redeemed by grace, thru faith, by Christ, to the glory of God, alone.

But our salvation has a purpose...

Back to our scripture: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit...”

The price Jesus paid for our salvation is far to great for us to be saved to sit on a shelf (so to speak). We’re not chosen and called to passivity. We’ve been redeemed to serve.

In fact, Christ has chosen us, and appointed us... as his followers... to produce fruit.

Of course, Jesus certainly accepts us just as we are, but he has absolutely no intention of leaving us that way. He sanctifies us... making us more and more like him. And the evidence of that change, according to God’s Word... is fruitfulness. Lives that produce the fruit, or evidence, that we’ve been redeemed.

And hear this: Jesus said earlier in John (15:8), “By this the Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so PROVE to be my disciples.”

What is this fruit?

*The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.

*The fruit of good works (Titus 2:14, Ephesians 2:10). We were created in Christ Jesus to do good works.

*The fruit of gospel witness—making disciples (Matthew 28:19–20).

The fact is: if anyone claims to be chosen by Christ... but lives a fruitless life, with no evidence of redemption: the claim is questionable, at best. True salvation results in transformation: it produces fruit.

And that fruit endures. The redeemed produce the evidence of their redemption and transformation, until the day their faith is made sight.

Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit – fruit that will last...”

Christ’s calling is not temporary, it is eternal. Once saved always saved. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. When Christ chose us, he appointed us to an abiding faith, he “set us in place” or established us with a faith that endures.

This includes the enduring work of sanctification. The effectual calling that transforms us ever more into the image of Christ himself.

We can rest assured that God never starts something He won’t finish! What He begins, He completes. As in, “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it...” (Philippians 1:6).

Those who are “in Christ” invest their lives in things that last. They love others. They serve faithfully. They preach truth. They live holy. These are the marks of true, abiding faith.

And the abiding fruit of faith, is only possible, when you and I are empowered by our relationship with our Savior, through study of His Word, and worship... and thru prayer.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit... fruit that abides (lasts), so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

Of course, producing the fruit of Spirit, or the evidence of a faithful Christ centered-life... is impossible without God’s help. So Jesus connects our appointment and fruit (efforts on behalf of Christ) with our most direct and tangible tool of relating to Him... prayer.

Those who are chosen and fruitful acknowledge their dependency on God - in totality. They ask the Father in Jesus’ name—meaning nothing less, than we make our request, in prayer, in union with Christ’s will and character.

For when we pray, we foster a relationship with Christ, submitting to His Will... He hears our prayers... and He offers us a staggering promise: “Whatever you ask… in My name... the Father will give you.”

Not a blank check for our desires, but a divine pledge to empower us for His mission, according to His will, and for His glory.

Is your prayer life aligned with the purposes of God? Do you pray for fruitfulness? Do you pray to be productive members of the Body of Christ?

Always remember:

We are chosen by grace, not by merit.

We are appointed to live lives of fruitfulness.

The fruit we bear is to be lasting.

And God provides all we need through Christ-centered prayer.

My friends, rest in the fact that God has chosen you in Christ. Walk in that calling... and build your relationship with your Redeemer, praying in His name.

For when you do... your life will be a testimony that you are indeed chosen to bear fruit.

To the glory of God, alone. Amen.