“And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled. A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us” (Acts 16:13-15).
Speaking with reference to Lydia, what does Luke mean when he says “...and the Lord opened her heart…?” This phrase has occasioned much debate in religious circles. Some view this as a unilateral, sovereign action of God on Lydia’s heart. She was one of those whom God had individually and unconditionally chosen to be saved and, as a result, she was irresistibly given the grace and faith necessary to cause her to respond to Paul’s preaching. In other words, due to what God did for her, she had no choice but to choose to be saved. If she hadn’t been one of the elect, God wouldn’t have opened her heart.
But does it strike you as odd that God would unilaterally and sovereignly choose some to be saved and some to be lost, especially when the Scriptures teach that God desires everyone to be saved and come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4)? Doesn’t that make God show partiality in salvation, something the Bible says He does not do (Acts 10:34-35)?
God opened Lydia’s heart here just like he does for everyone else -- through the proclamation of Christ (Romans 10:17). Yes, we are saved through the sovereign power and efforts of God, but it remains every person’s choice to accept or reject what God sovereignly offers through His power and efforts. The “chosen” are everyone who chooses to put their faith in Christ.
God loves you!
Mike
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