Such is Christ’s question always. Many today have answered that question. They belong to the multitude that has left Christ, as the Galilean multitude left him standing with only twelve men; and one was a devil. The same question confronts the church now. The doctrine is clear. The issue is the same as it was when Christ questioned the twelve: the sovereign grace of God in salvation or, as Christ said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” Will you have man and his responsibility decisive in salvation, or will you have God and his grace decisive in salvation? Because of this issue, multitudes that followed Christ follow him no more. Do you want to go away too? Hear Herman Hoeksema in 1953 on the issue.

That group teaches that it depends on our effort whether we enter into the kingdom of God. Oh, I know they camouflage this business, but that’s exactly what it means! When you say that our act of conversion is a prerequisite to enter the kingdom of God, you make the entering of the kingdom, of granting the kingdom of God, depend upon our act, and they mean that too…Oh, they talk differently. They talk about the activity of faith. They talk about the responsibility of man…The responsibility of man? That’s not a problem…Activity of faith? What nonsense is that? Anybody believe that faith is not active? Anybody believe that? Anybody believe that man is not responsible? What nonsense is that?…Just because it is nonsense, they like to appeal to that stuff…If you teach that our act of conversion is a prerequisite to enter the kingdom of God…modernism it is, and don’t ever think it is anything else!…Anyone teaches that…does not teach the Christ…Christ says we are translated by the Spirit of God out of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son without any effort of our own. Efforts are the fruit, not the condition. Now, do you understand? Will you also go away?…Make up your mind before God and before the church! Oh, the disciples made up their mind; of course they did; they had faith. They had faith! Except Judas. He should have…gone. The disciples…without any hesitation…made up their mind…If you need any time to decide on the question, will you go away…you better go. The disciples didn’t need time…Peter didn’t say…“O Lord, give us more time!…Give us a day or two or…a week to decide.” Oh no, no, no. On the spur of the moment, he said, “Where shall we go?…Don’t you see?…We have no place to go if we can’t be with thee, Lord!” They had no place to go. That’s the choice…of faith—the sure, inevitable choice of faith. “Where shall we go?…No matter if everybody leaves thee [and]…we stand all alone…Lord, we didn’t choose…Thou choosest us! Thou gavest us the faith. Thou drawest us to thyself. We can’t help it!” Oh, it’s a conscious choice, all right. Oh yes, we choose. “O Lord, we choose. But it is…all thine own choice.” Let it be that! For you too! Otherwise, it is no good. Let it be that. And why?…It’s remarkable how clearly it flashed through [Peter’s] mind all of a sudden. I think he didn’t even understand all he said…Peter didn’t simply say, “O Lord, no. Why should we go? Can’t stay with the Galileans. We must go with thee.” No, no. He had a reason too…“Thou hast the words of eternal life.” That was the reason: Christ!¹

Activity of faith? Man’s responsibility? Active faith? They camouflage this business! They mean prerequisite but are too cowardly or devious to come out with it. When you hear about faith as man’s activity, which is not God’s act, then you have come up against one who camouflages this business of conditions. The issue is the same: will you have God or man? If you have to think about it, then you had better stay with those who say, “Man.” If you come to the truth, then the only reason had better be Christ.