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The gospel of Jesus is multi-faceted. It is helpful for me to think of it as though it is a diamond. Hover above a diamond in good light and you’ll quickly be impressed with the beauty of the countless shimmering, bouncing rays of light. The diamond seems to be alive as it reflects and refracts light. Stay still over one ‘cut surface’ and you can enjoy a unique spectrum of light particular to that area of the stone. Move just a little to an adjoining cut surface and the colors and beauty change.
This is a great analogy of the gospel (good news) of Jesus.
Lately we have hovered over one ‘cut surface’ of the gospel and considered how God chooses us in Jesus before He creates the universe. There is much more to be said about this teaching. But here’s the deal. All you need to do is hover over to the next adjoining ‘cut surface’ and you’ll see another aspect or facet of the gospel emerge: God desires none to be lost. We are commanded to believe, act, make a choice, turn and repent. This is what I have described as the ‘synergistic cooperation between God and us.’ God acts and chooses; we act and choose. How all this works I don’t know. And this is the beauty of the gospel, one commonly referred to as a ‘paradox,’ two equally true realities that seem to contradict each other. Welcome to God’s kingdom!
Pastorally, I think a few of our biggest concerns surround obvious questions, such as: Is God just? In other words, can I sell out to and embrace this eclectic, wild, dangerous God? Further: Can I in any way impact God and cause Him to hear me and respond to my plea for my or a loved one’s salvation?
God is just and ought to be trusted but there is a risk. On this side of the grave we will never see or understand Him, His purposes, or His working perfectly. So an aspect of trusting and following this dangerous (I mean that in a good way) God is to trust Him in spite of our pain, fear, and confusion. We see through a glass darkly but yet we see enough to work out our salvation with fear (awe) and trembling (urgency).
Moreover, God is love and this characteristic of His is the primary focus in Scripture. This love is the prime motive that causes God to redeem us, a costly act that sends His Son Jesus to the cross. Does God care? Yes! Does He hear us? Yes! Can we impact God to act on our behalf? Yes! Scripture teaches that prayer ‘moves the very hand of God.’ We are commanded to pray always, to pray for ourselves and others, to pray for God’s will to reach a fullness on earth as it is already being expressed in heaven.
So deep was his compassion for others that the Apostle Paul prayed to be accursed if it meant his fellow, unbelieving Hebrews could be saved. Did God hear Paul and act? Look around for evidence. God has demonstrated His love to us!
Personally, I have prayed with great earnestness and grief for those I love – for fifteen years plus – and today I am amazed at the crazy ways God has answered those pleas!
To wrap up for now, I can say I am uncomfortable with many aspects of truth revealed in Scripture. Accepting hard teachings about God and the way he works, I believe, is an act of faith. At the end of the day, it seems like the best option we have is not to understand, as much as we should strive to, but rather to simply trust God, believe He is good, and entrust ourselves and the ones we love to His care. | 
