“there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11 NET).
If no one seeks God (as we are told here in Romans 3:11), then how can we account for those who seem to be doing so? One author addresses that question in a lengthy quote that merits our attention…
“[The medieval theologian] Thomas Aquinas was asked on one occasion why there seem to be non-Christians who are searching for God, when the Bible says that no one seeks after God in an unconverted state. Aquinas replied that we see people all around us who are feverishly seeking for purpose in their lives, pursuing happiness, and looking for relief from guilt to silence the pangs of conscience.
We see people searching for the things that we know can be found only in Christ, but we make the gratuitous assumption that because they are seeking the benefits of God, they must therefore be seeking God. That is the very dilemma of fallen creatures: we want the things that only God can give us, but we do not want Him. We want peace but not the Prince of Peace. We want purpose but not the sovereign purposes decreed by God. We want meaning found in ourselves but not in His rule over us.
We see desperate people, and we assume that they are seeking for God, but they are not seeking for God. I know that because God says so. No one seeks after God… Yet it is important to remember the distinction between seeking after God and seeking after His benefits. Jesus promises Christians that all things are added to us when we seek the kingdom first (Matt. 6:33), but let us be careful that we are seeking for the right reasons.” (1)
Thus, if someone is genuinely seeking God, we can be assured he or she is doing so because God initiated that search (John 14:6, John 6:44, John 6:65). While these passages inevitably prompt a discussion related to God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, the Biblical teaching concerning this subject is clear: God chooses, and human beings also choose in the matter of salvation. As one source explains…
“From the word translated chosen (ekloge) comes the English ‘election.’ That God has chosen to bless some individuals with eternal life is clearly taught in many places in both the Old and New Testaments (e.g., Deu_4:37; Deu_7:6-7; Isa_44:1-2; Rom_9:1-33; Eph_1:4-6, Eph_1:11; Col_3:12; 2Th_2:13).
Equally clear is the fact that God holds each individual personally responsible for his decision to trust or not to trust in Jesus Christ (cf. Joh_3:1-36; Rom_5:1-21). The difficulty in putting divine election and human responsibility together is understanding how both can be true. That both are true is taught in the Bible. How both can be true is apparently incomprehensible to finite human minds; no one has ever been able to explain this antinomy satisfactorily.” (2)
(1) Sproul, R. C. The Power of the Gospel: A Year in Romans. Ligonier Ministries, 2024. pp. 70-71
(2) John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Bible Knowledge Commentary, note on 1 Thessalonians 1:4 pg. 691