 |
Taking Every Thought Captive |
 Got Life? Our Ministry Our Beliefs Our Staff Articles What's New? Contact Us Resources Bookstore Search Links
|
THE DOCTRINES OF
GRACE, Part 3
Unconditional Election by Jay Wegter INTRODUCTION –
God is such a wise and all-sovereign ruler that His control and determination
extend to the details of the lives of individuals. God has so determined the course and direction of human history
that even the acts of sin performed by free moral agents are woven into His
plan. Man’s sin justly calls for the
fierce wrath of a holy God. Though sinful
human acts will receive God’s thorough justice, they do not jump the boundaries
of His purposes in history. God decrees
what shall come to pass, yet men are guilty and responsible before God for the
sinful choices they act out of their own will and desires (Acts 4:27,28; Deut.
32:39). When it comes to
the subject of God’s sovereignty in man’s salvation, it is the Arminian who
says that God’s gracious choices must be conditional
(i.e. God’s choices must be conditioned by what a person is, does, or will
do). For God to make conditional choice would mean that He
looked ahead to see who would be receptive to the gospel, and then chose that
person. This may sound
reasonable, but Scripture NEVER makes foreseen faith a cause of our
election. Instead, it is always
attributed to God’s gracious purposes in Christ. SCRIPTURE CALLS
UPON BELIEVERS TO LOOK AT LIFE FROM AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE (from the divine
vantage point “DVP’) God’s ability to
work all things together for the good of the believer is rooted in the
following fact: God’s purposes are
certain from eternity to eternity. There
is no place for chance. (Romans
8:28) The fear of the
Lord is joined to a reverence for His sovereignty (Gen. 45:8; 50:20; Prov.
16:9; 21:1; Eph. 1:11). Application: Fleshly
value systems are attracted to religious dogmas that credit man with a measure
of control. By nature we feel most
secure about that part of our future where we have exercised control in
planning and deciding. Is it any wonder
that people react with offense to the doctrines of God’s sovereignty? (See John
6:27-66 and note the response of the multitudes to Jesus’ message). GOD’S PURPOSES
IN ELECTION ARE TO GLORIFY HIMSELF Election is the
belief that a personal, loving, holy, just and wise God is behind salvation and
all of history. In His Word, God
communicates with believers telling them that they are “predestined” according
to His purpose who works all things after “the counsel of His will.” (Eph. 1:11)
God’s saving
choice glorifies His own character. God
has the undisputed right to display His attributes by saving some of the lost
race of humanity (Rom. 9:21-23). God’s glory is
the worthy end or goal of our election.
It would be wrong for our election to have any other end exclusively in
view (Rom. 11:36; Rev. 4:11; Is. 43:7,21). SINNERS ARE NOT
VICTIMS UNDER GOD’S REIGN, BUT CRIMINALS AND REBLELS IN THE SIGHT OF HEAVEN God is the One
who is sinned against. He grieves over
man’s sin (Gen. 6:6; Eph. 4:20; Luke 13:34,35). God commands men
to repent that they might have life.
God is ready to forgive the penitent.
But, what He offers, they will not receive (Jer 18:11,12; Is. 1:18-20;
Ez. 18:24-32). IF GOD ELECTED
UPON THE BASIS OF FORESEEN FAITH, NO ONE WOULD GO TO HEAVEN When God looked
down the corridors of future time, He saw universal depravity without exception
(Ps. 53:2,3; Rom. 3:10-18). If foreseen
faith were the cause of our election, then we would have something to boast
about. But, God says that His gracious
choice is intended to eliminate every instance of boasting concerning salvation
(see 1 Cor. 1:26-31; 4:7). Application: Believers
exalt God’s grace when they affirm that they owe their faith to their election,
not their election to their faith.
Heaven is an eternal monument to God’s sovereign grace. Unlike human love, God’s love is not
motivated by the virtues of its object.
God’s love to His own is an exotic, other-world kind of love that is
foreign to our experience (see 1 John 3:1). THE CAUSALITY
BEHIND BELIEF IS GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION The believer is
able to affirm, “One other than myself has marked me out so that I would
believe.” Jesus refers to His elect as
“sheep” even before they believe and are saved (John 10:16). Those who die in
unbelief are left to their own powers of choice and desires. Jesus addressed
those who rejected Him indicating that they do not believe, “because you are
not of My sheep.” (John 10:26). If
election were conditional, Jesus would have inverted the order of causality
saying, “you are not of my sheep because you do not believe.” THE CLEAREST
STATEMENT ON UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION IN THE SCRIPTURES IS IN ROMANS CHAPTER 9 9:6-13 – In this passage, Paul answers the troubling question of
Jewish unbelief. God’s saving choice
does not include all people. God’s Word
toward Israel did not fail because His saving promise was directed to only
some, not all Jews (v. 8). God’s saving
choice was made irrespective of merit
or demerit (v. 11). God’s saving choice
was based upon His own good pleasure, the basis of God’s predetermination is
His own purpose. 9:14-18 – God’s saving choice reflects His mercy, not injustice. Men
naturally applaud their own choices and self-determination. They gladly take credit for the personal
abilities that shape their destinies.
What would seem logical, fair and democratic to us would be to have each
person ultimately determine his own destiny.
Question: How can God choose one person and not
another without regard for their actions?
This inquiry tempts us to question God.
The temptation
to question God at this point usually stems from a misunderstanding of two
things: 1.) What is it that all fallen people
deserve? (ans. Eternal
punishment). That alone is what God
owes us. God is under no obligation to
show mercy to sinners. There is no
injustice with God when sinful people are condemned. 2.) We misunderstand God’s mercy. The mercy God shows the elect is totally
free mercy (without obligation upon God).
The mercy God shows the redeemed is not a transaction, it is not a
payment of a debt, it is not a reward for virtue, it is not a response to works
or to foreseen faith. 9:16-18 – God’s saving choice does not depend upon or hinge upon
our choice. God is sovereign over all
people and is clearly sovereign over salvation. 9:19-20 – The Apostle Paul anticipates the reaction of his
readers. Expecting them to launch a
charge of fatalism, Paul by inspiration writes in an imaginary objector. (Notice, Paul is NOT alleging that God
compels people to sin and reject God). The imaginary
objector charges God with injustice.
Paul’s answer is swift and poignant.
We are not capable of judging God by a system of justice designed by our
conceits. The issue is God’s saving prerogative must not be
questioned (He has the right to form what He will from the same lump of clay! Remember, there is only one kind of clay,
but two kinds of vessels formed from it. v. 21). Fatalism
embraces the idea that chance, blind fate and impersonal forces determine
life. Fatalism suggests that because
people have no self-determination, they have no motivation for faith, love
mercy or holiness; apathy, despair and lawlessness prevail. The charge of fatalism reveals an ignorance
of God’s great plan in election. UNLIKE FATALISM,
GOD’S PLAN OF ELECTION IS FILLED WITH WISDOM AND PURPOSE God is
intimately involved in all of history and in the lives of His people. He is working through all things to
accomplish His purpose. God gives us a
summary of the dimensions of unconditional election in Ephesians 1:3-6. The SOURCE of our election – He, (the Father) chose us. The SPHERE of our election – The Father chose us in Him (in Christ). When God elected a people from the fallen mass of humanity, He
never intended to save them apart from His Son, but only by means of the Son
(Jesus is the means and goal of God’s electing purpose. 2 Tim. 1:9; Rom.
8:29). We are saved by union with
Christ. The TIME of our election – We were chosen “before the foundation of the world.” God made His gracious choice of us in eternity past. The PURPOSE of our election – “That we should be holy and blameless,”
adopted as sons. Our becoming holy and
blameless cannot be the cause of our election, it is the purpose of our
election (see Eph. 5:27; Col. 1:22; Jude 24; Rom. 8:29). The MOTIVE of our election – “In love He predestined us…”
Election is motivated by God’s love for us before time. He loved us before we knew Him. We love Him because He first loved us (1
John 4:19). The BASIS of our election – “According to the kind intention of His will.”
This is a statement that our election is unconditional. If His election of us were according to
something He saw in us, it would be according to our will. But it is not according to foreseen faith or
to works. Election is the
eternal purpose of God in redemption made certain. AN UNDERSTANDING
OF ELECTION IS THE CONVICTION THAT SALVATION STARTS IN THE HEART OF GOD God’s love to
His elect is infinitely more than cosmic benevolent feelings. It is His commitment to save us accompanied by the exercise of His power (1 Cor. 1:18). God set His love upon us in eternity past
and determined to save us in time (see Rom. 5; and Eph. 2). THE SAINT WHO IS
GROWING IN GRACE AND HOLINESS IS CONSTRAINED (CONTROLLED) BY GOD’S ELECTING
LOVE The growing
believer is “rooted and grounded in love.” (Eph. 3:17). The knowledge of God’s own free electing
love is a powerful motive to produce personal holiness (Romans 12:1,2; 1 Thess.
1:3,4; 1 John 4:9-11,19; 5:2,3). THE N.T. MEANING
OF THE WORD “FOREKNOWLEDGE” IN CONNECTION WITH SALVATION Romans
8:28-30. Foreknowledge is not merely a knowledge of the future, or bare
prescience. Foreknowledge means “whom God set His regard upon” or “whom He knew
from eternity with distinguishing affection and delight.” It is always used of persons not
events. Those foreknown by God have
their lives affected by that foreknowledge
rather than the other way around (see 1 Peter 1:20). Those whom God
foreknew were predestined to salvation (Rom. 8;29; Eph. 1:4,5). Every person in heaven was first loved by God in eternity
past. God’s saving purposes can never
be thwarted. IF GOD’S
PARTICULAR, PREDESTINATING LOVE IS ALL-POWERFUL, WILL THE ELECT BE CARRIED TO
HEAVEN NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO? The answer is
no. God’s saving choice included the means through which an individual is
saved. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14 and
Romans 6:21,22. Christ’s work for His
elect included the purchase of the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying power (Phil.
2:12,13; Heb. 8:10; 2 Pet. 1:2,3). Those who
understand the Biblical doctrine of election will not be apathetic, but will
show diligence in the use of means.
They will follow after Christ as His disciple unto godliness. They will “make their election and calling
sure.” (2 Pet. 1:10). They understand
that God accomplishes His foreordained purposes through the use of means (Heb.
6:11,12). God has joined the assurance
of salvation to the use of means. The world’s
“gospel” suggests that a person may live as they please and not see
damnation. Scripture warns that those
who live for pleasure and leisure will lose their souls eternally (Phil.
3:18,19; 1 Tim. 5:6; Heb. 12:14). We were created
for something higher than sensual pleasure.
We were made for God’s love (Eph. 3:17-19). THE DOCTRINE OF
ELECTION ENCOURAGES BELIEVERS TO PURSUE HOLINESS WITH CONFIDENCE Romans 8:29 –
The elect of God are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Ephesians 1:4 –
His choice of us in eternity past was that we should be holy and blameless. 1 Peter 2:9 –
Our election is for the purpose of forming us into a holy nation for God’s own
possession. John 15:16 –
Christ’s choice of us is unto fruitfulness. Philippians 1:6
– God’s electing love will result in believers fully finishing the course. We will pursue sanctification to the end
because God will finish the work He began in us (Phil. 2:12,13). SUMMARY AND
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS How does the
doctrine of election help us understand who God is? Name some of the
ways election manifests God’s glory. How would you
answer the charge that election an “iron door” that blocks the way to heaven
for some people? (Hint – The Bible says that Jesus is the door. He will not cast out any sinner who comes to
Him. Jn. 6:37; Matt. 11:28-30). How would you
answer the charge that election is a “feather pillow” that removes the
incentive for the pursuit of sanctification?
|
