The Teaching of Election
In working through the opening verses of 1 Thessalonians several Wednesday nights back, I dealt with the teaching of election. The teaching of election has been a problematic doctrine and one that is largely misunderstood by many believers. My hope in publishing this material on the subject is that believers will be brought to some measure of clarity on the matter. When the teaching of election is seen in its biblical context, this important doctrine becomes much clearer. Consequently, when the believer understands the teaching of election, he or she is able to appreciate the grandeur of God’s plan of salvation.
Paul relates that the Thesslaonians are “Brothers loved by God, we know that he has chosen you” (1:4, NIV). The New King James Version reads, “Your election by God” (NKJV). Election is certainly one of the great teachings of the Bible. The word “election” is found in six verses in the NT (Rom. 9:11; 11:5, 7, 28; 1 Thess. 1:4; 2 Pet. 1:10). However, the word also appears as “elect” in various places in the New Testament as well as “chosen” (Eph. 1:3-13).
Pitfalls to Avoid
First, there are certain pitfalls to avoid when thinking about the subject of election.
1. We should be careful not to magnify certain aspects of God’s nature (e.g., His sovereignty) to the neglect of others (e.g., His love). If we do we are likely to have an understanding of God that is imbalanced. This is true when thinking through any biblical doctrine.
2. We should not forget the fact that humans have a free will and the power of choice. I will say more about this in a moment.
3. Election should not be regarded as God’s purpose to save as few as possible rather than as many as possible. The Bible makes it clear that God loves all people and wishes to save as many as possible. John 3:16, perhaps the greatest verse in the Bible is clear – God loves the world and He has made provision possible for every person that will “believe.”
Peter tells us that God is not willing that any person should perish. He desires that all people come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Even in the Old Testament we see the mind of God concerning what He desires. Ezekiel 18:23 states: “‘Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?’ says the Lord God, ‘and not that he should turn from his ways and live?’” God takes no pleasure in people dying without coming to the knowledge of Him. He delights rather in showing mercy and having people turn to Him and live.
4. Election should not be viewed as relating to the saving of certain individuals to the neglect of all others. If this view is taken it leads to fatalism. If some are saved and others lost regardless of what they do or do not do, what incentive is there to seek the Lord or to preach the Gospel? In fact, if this were true, all witnessing and preaching would be presumptive. How dare we try to convert someone that God has ordained as lost? Election never appears in the Bible as mechanical or as blind destiny. It has to do with a God of love and with human beings who are morally responsible.
5. Election never appears as a violation of the human will. John 6:44 illustrates the balance between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. This verse states that “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him . . .” “Draw” is God’s initiative. “Come” is man’s response. Both truths must be recognized in regard to election: God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. Both are abundantly taught in the Bible.
6. In the New Testament the teaching of election is always mentioned in the context of believers. In other words, election is a teaching for believers not a doctrine that is preached to unbelievers. When Paul discusses the teaching he is always talking to believers in local churches. He wants them to know that God’s plan is a plan that has been in the mind of God from eternity. He wants the believers to have a greater appreciation for the work of God in salvation. Understanding election leads the believer to a greater love for God and a greater depth of service to Him.
God’s Sovereignty and Free Will
There are two tensions to keep in mind in discussing the teaching of election: God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. God’s sovereignty means that He can act as He wills without any outside counsel or permission. However, God has placed certain limitations upon Himself. So sovereignty is God’s power to act within His own laws and according to His nature.
On the other side of the equation is the fact that man possesses a free will. God made us this way. This is part of what it means to be made in “God’s image.” While we are free we are also responsible for our choices. If this were not true the world would be completely turned upside down. There would be no right or wrong and no one would be responsible for their actions. Obviously, this would be a chaotic condition. If people are not free then ultimately God would be responsible for the sinful acts that people commit. The only way that we as human beings can be held morally responsible for our actions is that we are created with a free will. Otherwise, sin would be God’s fault.
In our finite human intellect we may never fully be able to harmonize God’s sovereignty with human freedom but in the infinite wisdom of God there is no conflict. At this point an illustration may help provide some clarity. God in His sovereignty has ordained certain natural laws, but man is free to live by them or contrary to them. Take gravity for instance. We are free to follow the law of gravity or to defy it, but if we defy it we will pay the consequences. People face the consequences of not following God’s natural laws but people are still free to choose to do so or not. The same is true of God’s spiritual laws. People can choose to live by them and be blessed, or they can do otherwise and loose the blessing of following God’s way, but God does not coerce people in either event.
“In Christ” the Key
In discussing the teaching of election, Ephesians 1:3-13 is probably the most helpful and comprehensive passage of Scripture on the subject. In verses 4-5 Paul uses the words “chose us in Him” and “predestined us.” The word “chose” here is the word “elect.” So Paul tells the Ephesians believers that God elected them before the creation of the world. The word “Predestined” (1:5, 11) means to mark out the boundaries beforehand.
But note the phrase “in Him” (v. 4, 11). This phrase or its equivalent is found ten times in this passage alone. Here is I believe the key to the entire teaching of election. This phrase, “in Christ” is the hinge upon which the entire doctrine of election swings. God’s election is “in Christ.” Simply stated, God has “predestined” to save all who are “in Christ.” “In Christ” is the boundary that God marked out beforehand, like building a fence around a field. God did this in His sovereignty and He marked out the boundary before the very creation of the world. So Paul can say to believers, God chose you before the very creation of the world. God saw your need and He made provision for it. In this act He asked the counsel or permission of no one. All who are within the fence “in Christ” will be saved.
So where does the idea of free will come into play? Notice what Paul says in Ephesians 1:13-14. Paul’s readers heard the Gospel of salvation that all who are “in Christ” will be saved. They could have rejected the message and remained in a lost condition. But they believed “in Christ” and thus were saved (“included” v.13). The same is true of the Thessalonians. Paul knows that they are chosen by God “because our gospel came to you not simply with words . . .” (1:5). The fact that the Thessalonians responded positively to the Gospel demonstrated that they were “elected.” So election pictures the result of faith.
People are free to choose whether or not they will be in Christ. This doesn’t meant that a person can boast about his or her choice to be saved. Salvation is still the result of God’s initiative and saving purpose. We receive this inheritance because God marked out the boundaries of salvation beforehand according to the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11). So election rather than causing us to boast in ourselves, causes us to praise God for His wonderful grace and sovereignty (v.12).
Does God know who will be the elect? Yes, but foreknowledge of an event does not cause the event. God never violates human personality. He will not save a person against his or her will. He knocks and draws but we must open the door and come. However, to all who of their own free will will open the door, He enters and saves graciously apart from our own efforts or merits. When we walk through the door of “whosoever will,” we discover on the other side that our salvation has been wrought from before the foundation of the world.
Life Application
So what does this teaching about election mean for the believer?
1. Understanding who we are “in Christ” empowers us to live out Christ! Election brings us as believers to a deep sense of gratitude, surrender and obedience.
2. The teaching of election helps us to understand the importance of sharing the Gospel. A person’s response to the Gospel is the determining factor for whether a person will be elected or not. The Gospel is God’s only means for electing people to salvation. We must do all that we can to share the Gospel with all people so that they too can hear and be “included . . . in Christ.”
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe Alain
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3 comments:
I don't recall any passages in scripture where Jesus or any apostle teaches that man has the freedom to reject God's offer of salvation. In Romans chapter 9, Paul describes how Jacob was chosen by God at Esau's expense before either of them had a chance to prove themselves (v 11). It also describes God hardening Pharoh's heart because it served God's purpose (v 17).
In Jesus' prayer of John 17, he prays for the believers that the Father has given him out of the world (vv 6, 9), and specifically not for the world (v 14). This is also described in the upper room in John 14:15 - 23 and 15:18 - 25.
If we are dead in sins (Rom. 5:12), then we have no power to save ourselves or even to participate in our own salvation(Rom 5:6). The non-elect don't come to God because they can't come to Him, nor do they want to. Scripture is foolishness to the carnal mind (1 Cor 2:14). The elect want to come to God, and they do because they've been drawn as you gave example from John 6:44.
The difference between my point of view and yours is subtle, but it is real. When we take credit for our own salvation because we chose it, I think we are close to blasphemy because we are claiming for ourselves something that only God can do. We are saved through faith which is a gift, and not by anything that we do for ourselves (Eph. 2:8 - 9).
We preach the gospel and witness to the world because Jesus commanded us to do so. We are used by God to do His will and glorify Him - that's what we were made for (John 15:5 - 8). Our obedience is out of reverence for our Creator and Savior, and the appreciation that He's chosen us to belong to his family purely because of His love, and not our merit. It's all because of Him, and nothing of me. That viewpoint puts my salvation in a much different light - I didn't earn it or choose it, I was chosen. It's not fair, it's mercy and love. God's will is sovereign, not mine.
Following is my rebuttal to a response to my original article on election. Unless noted, Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.
[Joe] First, let me thank you for your thoughtful response to my original article. The subject of election is certainly one of the great teachings of the Bible and sincere believers have struggled with this doctrine for centuries. There is much room for healthy discussion on this subject. I make no claims to be an authority on the doctrine of election. I too struggle to understand how a sovereign and holy God could love me and include me in His kingdom. It is with awe and humility that I approach this tremendous teaching. Nevertheless, I will to try to respond to some of the points that you made.
[123] said, "I don't recall any passages in scripture where Jesus or any apostle teaches that man has the freedom to reject God's offer of salvation."
[Joe] I began this study of election from the book of 1 Thessalonians so I will use this church’s response to the Gospel as an example of how people have the freedom to accept or reject the Gospel. In the founding of the church at Thessalonica Paul stated that he [2] “went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, [3] explaining and proving that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. ‘This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,’ he said. [4] Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women” (Acts 17:2-4).
This passage illustrates Paul’s method of preaching the Gospel. Paul “reasoned . . . from the Scriptures.” The word for “reason” is the Greek word “διέλέξατο,” an aorist indicative verb of “διαλέγομαι.” The basic meaning of the word is “to discuss, debate, address, or to speak.” Thus, our English word “dialogue” is built on the root of this word. A form of this word is also found at Acts 17:17 where Paul “reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.” And again a form of the word is found at Acts 19:8 where it says that Paul “reasoned” in the synagogue at Ephesus for three months (Incidentally, the most comprehensive teaching on election is in the book of Ephesians) . Afterward, Paul “had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (19:9-10). The word for “reasoned” is used elsewhere by Paul but I think these references provide sufficient evidence to support the following observations:
(1) Paul not only declared the Gospel message, he explained it. He “reasoned” with the people that he shared with. He did so for this one reason – to convince them of the truthfulness of his message. Paul wanted to clearly explain the Gospel and persuade people to believe the message of Jesus.
(2) The only explanation for “reasoning” with others is to win them over to your position. Paul wanted to convince people, to persuade people that his message was truth, that Christ is the Son of the living God. Paul worked tirelessly in sharing the Gospel so that all people would have the opportunity to believe in Christ and thus, be included “in Christ” (Eph. 1:13).
(3) If people can be convinced of the truthfulness of the message of Jesus through “reasoning,” than it stands to reason that people can freely chose (reason within themselves) what to believe and adhere to and what to reject. Otherwise, reasoning the Scriptures with someone is pointless. The fact that people have the freedom to chose or to reject Christ is evident from even a casual glance at the New Testament. For instance, “Some of the Jews were persuaded” (Acts 17:4) implies that others were not persuaded. In Athens we are told that some of the people who heard Paul “sneered” at his message, while a few became followers of Paul and believed the Gospel (17:32-34). The fact that some believe in Christ after being persuaded to do so while others do not accept the message implies that they have a choice in the matter to accept or to reject the message. A careful reading of Ephesians chapter one reveals that the Ephesians were elected (“included in Christ,” v.13) because they “heard the word of truth” and “believed” the Gospel. Again, not everyone in Ephesus chose to believe the Gospel. Obviously, the ones who chose to believe were the elect, while those who did not accept the message remained in their lost state.
[123] said, “In Romans chapter 9, Paul describes how Jacob was chosen by God at Esau's expense before either of them had a chance to prove themselves (v 11). It also describes God hardening Pharoh's heart because it served God's purpose (v 17).”
[Joe] This passage presents many interpretive difficulties and mysteries. Nevertheless, it does tell us that what has happened in history is not arbitrary as it might seem to us at times. I would agree with you on this point. God’s choice to work through the line of Jacob was His choice to make and he did so “before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad – in order that God’s purpose in election might stand” (Rom. 9:11). However, it is good to keep in mind here that election in chapters 9-11 is dealt with in the larger sense of God working His eternal plan through the nation of Israel rather than an emphasis upon individuals. And of course the bigger picture and the real surprise is that through God’s sovereign working the Gentiles would be grafted in.
Again, I would fully agree with you that God is sovereign and that He obviously knows who the elect are. However, we do not. It is interesting that in this section of Scripture (Romans 9-11), Paul states a pivotal teaching that relates to the subject of election. Romans 10:17 states, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Right after this verse, Paul tells us that Israel did hear the message but not all of them believed. Even some of the members of the nation of Israel were not the true elect of God (see Rom. 2:28-29). Only those who respond to God’s call of salvation (who hear and believe the message), those who “call on the name of the Lord will be saved [elected]” (Rom. 10:13).
[123] said, “If we are dead in sins (Rom. 5:12), then we have no power to save ourselves or even to participate in our own salvation(Rom 5:6).”
[Joe] I agree that we are powerless to save ourselves, yet the very nature of trust (belief) implies some act of participation on our part even if the trust is prompted by God Himself which I believe that it is. We are “dead in the water” so to speak; however, when God throws us the lifeline, do we not have to participate in the rescue by clinging to the lifeline? I do not see where this act of participation nullifies the sovereignty and grace of God. It is still God that sees us in our lost condition. It is still God alone who in His power and love has made it possible for us to be saved. The act of belief brings us no cause to boast in ourselves. Rather, it causes us to praise God for His grace and love. If you will note in my article I cautioned against taking credit for one’s salvation. We can never boast in our salvation. When we come to belief in Christ we discover that our salvation was in the mind of God before the foundation of the world; therefore, who can boast?
[123] said, “We preach the gospel and witness to the world because Jesus commanded us to do so. We are used by God to do His will and glorify Him - that's what we were made for (John 15:5 - 8). Our obedience is out of reverence for our Creator and Savior, and the appreciation that He's chosen us to belong to his family purely because of His love, and not our merit. It's all because of Him, and nothing of me. That viewpoint puts my salvation in a much different light - I didn't earn it or choose it, I was chosen. It's not fair, it's mercy and love. God's will is sovereign, not mine.”
[Joe] I agree with you. However, I think a more balanced view of God’s sovereignty and free will makes the task of preaching the Gospel and witnessing more vibrant and dynamic. As God’s people, our sharing the Gospel is more than simply doing something out of obedience. Our sharing the Gospel has the power to make a real difference. We are not simply going through the motions of something that has already been predetermined. We have a stake in fulfilling God’s plan in seeing His kingdom built up. We have the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.” This brings a sense of urgency to our task of preaching and sharing knowing that lives and eternity are really at stake. If everything is already predetermined, then God is going to bring in His elect whether I participate in His plan or not. Somehow, this is not a very hopeful motivation for me to preach the Gospel and share Christ.
For His Glory!
Pastor Joe
I won't dispute the original Greek nor your points made about reasoning in items 1 and 2. I will dispute your point 3, though. My view is that the new converts at Thessolonica believed because they were elect, not that they were elect because they believed. It's kind of like the chicken and the egg, and I think election comes before belief.
Jesus prayed for his disciples in John 17, as I mentioned in my first comment. In vv 14 - 16 He said, "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." John 12:37 - 43 describes the people that saw Jesus perform miracles and heard his teaching and still wouldn't believe. John 8:42 - 47 describes a confrontation with some of the Jews, and Jesus says, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say... He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." Matthew 16:13 - 20 records Peter's great confession, where he answered Jesus' question about who the disciples thought he was. Jesus says in v 17, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in Heaven." John 15:18 - 19 says, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
Even Paul didn't always try to convince his listeners. 1 Corinthians ch. 2 describes Paul's method of preaching to the Corinthians by not using eloquence or or trying to convince them by superior wisdom. Verse 14 says, "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." Man is completely depraved and unable to choose God, without first being chosen by Him. We can't reason out for ourselves to become a Christian.
1 Cor. 1:21 - 25 says the world's wisdom looks on God's wisdom as foolishness. We can't move our minds from worldly wisdom to godly wisdom without God's action.
If we choose God, then we've made the correct choice and it does leave room for boasting. If our salvation relies on our choice, how is that not a work? Scripture clearly teaches that we are saved by grace through faith which is the gift of God, not of works.
I would argue that we're not "dead in the water" waiting for a lifeline, but that we're dead like Lazarus was dead; four days dead, stone cold dead. Only the power of God gives us life. I have no choice in the matter because I can't choose without God acting on me. Dead people don't choose.
I do believe that God will bring in His elect, whether I participate or not. I think that obeying God should be its own reward. Jesus said that if we love him, we'll obey him (John 14:15) and that's what makes us his friends (John 15:14). There is no higher calling than to obey God.
It is clear that we have some real differences of opinion. I hope that God is glorified through our correspondence.
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