Only God can bring something dead to life as Jesus did when He stood outside Lazarus' tomb and cried out, "Lazarus, come forth." Jesus called his name and he came out alive. Jesus raised him from the dead. I don't think Lazarus said, "No not today." Lazarus had no choice. Jesus out of love chose to raise him up to new life. Could he have objected? and said no? No- he was dead. After he came out of the tomb would he say, "Sorry I am going back?" No, he couldn't go back either.
This is such a picture of salvation. Jesus calls our name because of His great love for us, raises us from being dead in trespasses and sins making us alive together with Him and we are alive. Neither can we, once raised, go back to being dead in sin. When He chose to make us alive- we came to life. When He chose us from before the foundation of the world, He chose the time and the place when we would 'be raised from death to life'. Just like He did with Lazarus. Not everyone came out of the grave- only Lazarus. Jesus had purposeful timing when He raised Lazarus just as He does when He raises people today.
True salvation is resurrection from the dead to life. There is no choice involved by the dead person until after the resurrection where the now spiritually alive person can make a choice according to their new nature. "For those whom He forknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son... and these whom He predestined, He also called and whom He called, He also justified, and these whom He justified, He also glorified." Romans 8:29-30 Those He chooses He calls. Those He calls respond in repentance and faith- believing because their heart has been made alive, because their eyes have been opened to see the truth-the truth about their sin (repentance) and the truth of God's righteousness(faith).
Because God alone through Christ alone giving grace and faith alone all is done for God's glory alone!
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