God's selection is also of God's mercy (Rom. 9:14-16). God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion" (Rom. 9:15). We all are the objects of God's mercy. How we thank Him that He has had mercy on us! "It is not of the one who wills, nor of the one who runs, but of God, the One who shows mercy" (Rom. 9:16).
God's selection is also of His grace (Rom. 11:5). It is somewhat difficult to understand mercy and grace as they are related to God's selection. Although we were selected and foreknown by God in eternity past, when God came to call us, we were in a pitiful situation, a situation which required God's mercy. The enemy, the Devil, might have said to God, "Look at this one who is Your selection. How pitiful he is!" Then God might have said to Satan, "Satan, don't you realize that this is a very good opportunity for Me to show My mercy? Without such a pitiful person, how could I show My mercy? If everyone were perfect and up to your standard, I would have no one on whom to show mercy. Satan, this chosen one is the right one to be the object of My mercy." What about grace? As we have seen, grace is something of God wrought into our being. Although we were so pitiful, God did not reject us. Rather, regardless of Satan's accusations, He had mercy on us. God might have said to Satan, "Satan, I shall not only show mercy to My chosen ones, but I shall work Myself into them." When God is wrought into our being, that is grace. We are not only the objects of God's mercy; we are also the objects of His grace. We are under God's mercy, and His grace is within us.
I can testify that I am under the divine mercy and that in me there is the divine grace. This is all due to God's selection. Is this not your experience as well? We all can testify that though we were most pitiful and miserable, God came in and granted us His mercy and we repented. At that very time, something divine—God's grace—was wrought into us. Now we are not only under God's mercy; we also have His grace, the living person of Christ as the Spirit, within us. This is God's selection. In the record of Jacob's life, we see something which can be designated as mercy and something which can be designated as grace.
God's selection in eternity past was followed by His predestination (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:5). It is difficult to explain the meaning of the word predestination. According to the Greek, it means to be pre-marked. God has marked us out beforehand. Before we were born, God foresaw and foreknew us. We not only were chosen by God in eternity past; we were also pre-marked, and His mark is now upon us. Even the angels know that we have been pre-marked. Hence, predestination means that God has marked us out beforehand for a certain destiny—to be His sons. He has chosen and predestinated us unto sonship (Eph. 1:4-5).
God's selection is followed by His calling (Rom. 8:28). God selected us in eternity past and called us in time. We cannot experience God's selection or predestination, but we have all experienced His calling. We all have been "hooked." I can testify strongly that one day, as a very ambitious young student, I was "hooked" by the Lord. Although I tried my best to get off the hook, I never succeeded. Every Christian has had the same experience. We were going our way and then one day the Lord "hooked" us. What can we do? We have no choice. The more we try to get off the hook, the bigger it becomes. This hook is large enough to cover the whole universe. Wherever we go, the hook is there. If you escape to a Las Vegas casino, you will find that the hook is there. This is what it means to be called. Many parents have rebuked their God-hooked children, saying, "Why are you so stupid? Why must you go to meetings every night? Don't you know that you have a future?" We go to meetings because we have been caught by the divine hook. Who can resist this hook? No one. When this divine hook comes to visit you, there can be no resistance. This is the Lord's calling, His gracious visitation.