"Elect According To The Foreknowledge Of God"
I Peter 1:2
Election is not
salvation. But the salvation of your soul begins with God's eternal election.
Election is not salvation. But election is an essential part of salvation.
Election is the fountain from which every blessing of grace and salvation flows
to sinners (Eph. 1:3-4). Peter tells us three things about God's gracious and
sovereign work of election.
1. OUR ELECTION WAS "ACCORDING TO THE FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD
THE FATHER."
Election is not the
result of "foreseen faith." Faith is the result of election. Faith is
one of those spiritual blessings with which God blessed us in eternity,
according to his purpose of grace in election. Foreknowledge is not an
attribute of God, but an act of God. God is omniscient. He knows all things.
But foreknowledge is not omniscience. Foreknowledge is the act of God's love by
which he ordained us to salvation in eternal election. In fact, the very same
word that is here translated "foreknowledge" is in verse 20 translated
"foreordained"! Our election was according to God's eternal,
sovereign decree.
2. OUR ELECTION WAS "THROUGH SANCTIFICATION OF THE
SPIRIT."
We were sanctified, set
apart and sealed, by God the Holy Spirit before the worlds were made. In the covenant
of grace the Spirit of God was one of the contracting parties of the covenant,
along with the Father and the Son. The Father chose to save us. The Son pledged
to redeem us. And the Spirit sanctified us, preserved us unto the appointed
time of our calling (Jude 1). In this sense we were eternally sanctified.
3. AND OUR ELECTION WAS UNTO "OBEDIENCE AND SPRINKLING OF THE
BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST."
Our election was
conditioned not upon our obedience, but upon the obedience of Christ as our
Substitute. We were chosen by God the Father unto salvation upon the condition
of Christ's obedience unto death and the effectual application of his blood
upon the mercy-seat in heaven. The sprinkling of the blood" represents the
effectual accomplishment of redemption by Christ (Heb.
"YOUR ELECTION OF GOD" I Thessalonians 1:4
If you are a child of
God by faith in Christ, redeemed by blood and saved by grace, your salvation is
the result of "your election of God."
ELECTION IS A BLESSED
DOCTRINE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. It is taught in every Book of the Bible, on almost
every page of Inspiration. Hundreds of texts could be quoted to show this. Look
up the words, "choose", "chosen", "elect", and
"election", in a concordance. You will be astounded at the prominence
of this doctrine in the Word of God. It cannot be denied that election is a
Bible doctrine (John
BUT ELECTION IS A
DOCTRINE THAT IS OFTEN MISREPRESENTED AND, THEREFORE, MISUNDERSTOOD BY MANY.
Some people oppose the doctrine of election, simply because they have never
heard it taught as the Bible teaches it. Election is not, in anyway, contrary
to, or inconsistent with, the promises of God in the gospel (Matt.
AND YOUR ELECTION OF
GOD IS SOMETHING THAT MAY BE KNOWN (I Thess. 1:3-10). Repentance, faith,
conversion, and good works are both the fruit and the proof of election. If you
are born of God, if you trust Christ, you are one of God's elect!
Don Fortner