"Elect According To The Foreknowledge Of God"   

I Peter 1:2

 

     Many try to destroy the doctrines of absolute predestination and unconditional election by asserting that "election is according to the foreknowledge of God." That, I grant, is a very scriptural statement. But the Arminians, the freewillers, and the work mongers make a very unscriptural interpretation of it. Contrary to Holy Scripture they assert that God chose some to salvation because he foreknew, or foresaw that they would choose to be saved, that they would repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that they would by the exercise of their "freewill" decide to follow Jesus. The Bible no where teaches such doctrine.

     THE WORD OF GOD TEACHES US THAT MAN BY NATURE HAS NEITHER THE WILL (John 5:40) NOR THE ABILITY (John 6:44) TO REPENT AND BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. All the sons and daughters of Adam are by nature spiritually dead (Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-4), having no more ability in the spiritual realm than a dead man does in the natural realm (John 3:3-7). We are all by nature morally depraved sinners, incapable of doing anything good toward God (Rom. 3:9-19). As we are incapable of doing anything good or spiritual by nature, we are not capable of believing on Christ. Faith in Christ is a gift of God brought forth in the heart by the sovereign, irresistible power of God the Holy Spirit in regenerating grace (Psa. 65:4; 100:3; Eph. 1:19; 2:8; Col. 2:12).

     ACCORDING TO HOLY SCRIPTURE, THE PURPOSE OF GOD IN ELECTION IS AN ETERNAL ACT OF FREE, SOVEREIGN, UNCONDITIONAL GRACE (Rom. 9:11-16; Eph. 1:3-6; II Thess. 2:13-14). God did not choose us because of anything good that he foreknew we would do or be. His foreknowledge of us, according to which we were elected unto salvation, was his everlasting love and foreordination of us unto life in Christ. Election could not have been based upon foreknown goodness because there is nothing good in any man for God to have foreknown! God chose us because he was determined to be gracious to us. He was determined to be gracious to us because he loved us. He loved us because it was his good pleasure to do so!

 

 

Don Fortner