Based on Colossians 1:19-29 (New King James Version)
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.”
Many people today believe that when they come to faith in Christ, our salvation does not depend on us, because it is God who gives us the ability to be saved, nor does it depend on our decision or effort to remain in Him, because He does everything. And that it is useless to do anything after being saved, because if our works do not save us, then they are of no use afterward either. And this also includes the issue that everything is already predetermined by God. Many completely remove all responsibility from themselves and attribute all responsibility solely to God. But if we look at the fullness of God's Word, and not just a few verses, thus looking to justify irresponsibility, we would clearly understand that the preceding is not entirely accurate. Many use this single verse as a general guideline: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13. But, to accept teachings and doctrines as true or certain, they must be viewed through the fullness of the Word, and how it all works together. Think of it this way: If I see only a person's hand, does that mean I know the whole person? No, it's impossible. The same logic applies to the Word of God.
The first issue we must address is the matter of the free will that God has given to man, in general. Yes, there may be certain exceptions in history where God has chosen, predetermined, and even retained certain people under an established path, so to speak, but for the most part, as concerns us today, we are all free to choose between good and evil, to decide whether or not to remain in Christ, and our decision depends in part on this. We can begin to see things through substantial passages that explain free will to us. For example, God chose the people of Israel through Abraham, but this is what the Word says: “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. ‘See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:11-20. But if the people of Israel were chosen, how did God give them the power to choose whether to follow Him or not? And we know that Israel not only failed, but even broke God’s covenant, as it is written: “And the Lord said to me, ‘A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” Jeremiah 11:9-10.
And how does this apply to us today? It is written: “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:11-20. Everything we read implies free will, obedience to God’s truth, and we read this as such: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2. If a person does not convert, it is because they choose not to. Whether a person decides to follow God or not is by their choice. Whether a person remains or not is by their choice. So, let's not blame God for not having called someone to salvation, or it not being “supposedly” the Lord's time yet (because He calls all the time), or for a person not abiding in Him because God has so ordained it. This advice is for the wise: Strive for the Lord! Decide to love Him as He deserves! God has done everything, but choosing to love Him is up to you. So, will you decide to strive for Christ for salvation? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!