Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
Over and over in the Bible we read how God chooses. Nowhere in the New Testament does God EVER say that man determines the level of faith he possesses. Romans 12:3 clearly says God measures out the amount of faith everyone has - and for most that is none (i.e. the lost who never get saved).
Here, we read God chose the poor to be rich in faith and while what each of us might have experienced is anecdotal, it follows Scripture. Generally speaking, of all the people I know, the ones poorer in material blessings have more faith. Why is that? Because of God’s good pleasure. How can I say that? Easy. Just as He predestined me to be adopted according to His good pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:5), He chose to make the poor rich in faith.
...which He promised to those who love Him.
Here is a phrase the Arminian will snatch and hold onto. Of course I will beg to differ. Who loves Him? The lost don’t love God and in fact, they hate Him (John 3:20), they are at enmity toward Him (Romans 8:7). So, who loves God? Answer - those who believe. And who will believe? Only those in whom God works, and makes them believe (John 6:29). And who are they? Those chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), those predestined to be adopted (Ephesians 1:5), those God has called to be justified and glorified (Romans 8:30).
Bottom line - We become children of God NOT by human decision. (John 1:13)
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