Chapter 25
ELECTION
"Knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God." – 1 Thessalonians 1:4
When the Apostle Paul wrote
to the church at Thessalonica, he spoke confidently
to God’s saints there about the indisputable fact of their election. He said,
"Knowing, brethren beloved, your
election of God." Paul gave thanks to God for them, for their faith in
Christ, for their love to one another, and for the other manifold blessings of
God’s grace upon them, because he knew that all these things must be traced to
their election unto salvation by God.
This blessed, glorious,
gospel doctrine of election is one of the most delightful doctrines of the
gospel. Believers rejoice in it. In this study, we will simply go through the
Word of God, observing the fact that the Bible teaches the doctrine of
election, what the Bible teaches about election, and who God’s elect people
are. Because there is so much needless controversy among men about this
subject, let me make three practical statements, by way of introduction, which
I trust will help clarify some things for you.
1. Election
is not the first thing to be learned.
Precious, delightful,
important as this doctrine is, it is not the first thing to be learned. We
preach this doctrine without apology. I preach it everywhere I go. We teach it
in our Sunday School classes, beginning with the toddlers. We are not, in the
least bashful about proclaiming God’s electing love. However, it is not our
mission in this world to convince people that the doctrine of election is true.
A person can go to hell believing election as well as he can go to hell denying
it. Our mission is to get sinners to believe, trust, and come to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Any sinner who bows to Christ as Lord will have no problem with the
doctrine of election.
The first question to be
settled in your heart and mind is not, “Am
I one of the elect?” It is impossible for anyone to determine that until
the matter of first importance is settled. “Do
I trust the Lord Jesus Christ?” “Am I a believer?” That is the matter of
first importance. As I will show you in this study, if you trust the Son of
God, if you, as a poor, helpless, guilty, bankrupt sinner, trust Christ alone
as your Savior and Lord, your faith in him is the proof of your election. The
first thing to be learned is faith in Christ. Where faith is found in the
heart, election is believed and loved.
2. God’s sovereign election of some to salvation and eternal life in
Christ is in no way inconsistent with the promises of God in the gospel.
Let men say what they will,
all the promises of God in Christ Jesus are yea and amen. You may not be able
to see how election can be true and the promises of the gospel to sinners are
also true; but they are. Hear the promises God makes to sinners in the gospel.
Come to Christ, whoever you are, believe on Christ, whatever you have done,
trust the Son of God and these promises are yours!
·
Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
·
Mark 16:16 - "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
·
John 3:36 - "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of
God abideth on him."
·
John 6:37 - "All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
·
John 7:37-38 - "In the last
day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man
thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
·
Acts 16:31 - "And they said,
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
·
Romans 10:8-13 - "But what
saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is,
the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For
the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall
not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for
the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
·
Revelation 22:16-17 - "I
Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I
am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And
the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth
say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely."
3. God’s election, this gospel doctrine of sovereign electing grace, does
not, to any degree or in any way, remove or destroy your responsibility to obey
the gospel.
God commands all men,
everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). Our responsibility is not derived from the
decree of God, but from the Word of God. We are not responsible for what God
has purposed; but we are responsible for what he has commanded. We are all responsible
to be perfectly holy; but we cannot do it. We are responsible to make complete
atonement for our sins; but we cannot provide it. We are responsible to believe
on and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our only righteousness and our only
redemption; but we cannot even do that. We are, therefore, shut up to God’s
sovereign grace in Christ.
I want to show you from the
Word of God that election is God’s sovereign, eternal choice and purpose of
grace toward his people in Christ, by which their salvation was secured and
guaranteed before the world began. In order to accomplish that purpose, let me
raise and answer three questions.
Does the Bible teach the doctrine of election?
The very first matter to be
settled is this: -- Does the Word of God teach the doctrine of election? If the
Bible teaches it, believers bow to it, believe it, and rejoice in it. We do not
have and do not want to have the option of believing what we want to believe.
We believe God. If the Word of God teaches this doctrine, it matters not who
opposes it, all believers bow to it. If God does not teach this doctrine in his
Word, then we must reject it and denounce it, no matter who believes it, no
matter who teaches it.
I ask only that you read the
Word of God. Let God speak for himself. Let God be true, and every man a liar.
This is the question -- Does the Bible teach Election? I will not attempt to
show you this doctrine in the Old Testament, though it is written upon every
page of it. Adam had two sons. God chose one and passed by the other. There
were untold millions in the earth in Noah’s day; but Noah alone found grace in
the eyes of the Lord. Abraham had two sons. God chose one and passed by the
other. God chose the nation of Israel to be his peculiar people, and passed by
all the other nations of the world. God gave his law to Israel alone, sent his
prophets (with rare exception) to Israel alone, and established his worship in
Israel alone. But it will suffice for us to begin in the Book of Matthew and
simply read some of what the New Testament says about election. I have selected
only those passages of Scripture where the very words elect, elected, election,
chosen, and ordained are used. I deliberately left out those numerous texts
where the doctrine of election is only, by necessity, implied. In these texts
it is plainly stated by Divine inspiration!
·
Matthew 24:24 - "For there
shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and
shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
·
Matthew 24:31 - "And he
shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other."
·
Mark 13:20 - "And except
that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the
elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days."
·
John 13:18 - "I speak not of
you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He
that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel
against me."
·
John 15:16 - "Ye have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring
forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of
the Father in my name, he may give it you."
·
Acts 13:48 - "And when the
Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed."
·
Romans 8:33 - "Who shall lay
any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth."
·
Romans 11:5 - "Even so then
at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace."
·
Romans 11:7 - "What then?
Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath
obtained it, and the rest were blinded."
·
Ephesians 1:4 - "According
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love."
·
Thessalonians 5:9 - "For God
hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ."
·
Thessalonians 2:13 - "But we
are bound to give thanks alway to God for you,
brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth."
·
1 Timothy 2:10 - "Therefore
I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the
salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory."
·
Titus 1:1 - "Paul,
a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of
God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness."
·
1 Peter 1:2 - "Elect
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the
Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto
you, and peace, be multiplied."
·
1 Peter 2:9 - "But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that
ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light."
·
1 Peter 5:13 - "The church
that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth
you; and so doth Marcus my son."
The Word of God makes no
attempt to explain how God can be righteous and just in showing mercy to whom
he will, while passing by whom he will. In fact, rather than answering such
carping objections from unbelieving men, the Apostle Paul simply says, God does
things this way because God has determined to do things this way.
·
Romans 9:11-23 - “The children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the
younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What
shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith
to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the
scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up,
that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy,
and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then
unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O
man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall
the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath
not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God,
willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much
longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.”
Without question, the Book
of God teaches the glorious, gospel doctrine of election. No honest person can
even question that fact. Anyone who denies that the Bible teaches this doctrine
is either totally ignorant of the Word of God, or a liar. In either case, such
a person has no business attempting to teach others. Since it is obvious,
unmistakably obvious, that the Scriptures teach this doctrine, the second
question to be answered is this.
What does the Word of God teach about election?
Keep in mind the things we
have already read in the Word of God. Here are eleven things expressly taught
in the Word of God about election.
1. Election is “in Christ.”
2. Election is “unto salvation.”.
3. Election is an act of God’s
pure, absolute, sovereignty.
4. Election took place in
eternity.
5. The source and cause of
election is God’s eternal love for his people.
6. God’s election was an act of
free, unconditional grace.
7. Election is God’s personal
choice of specific sinners to eternal life in Christ.
8. Election is irreversible.
9. Election is effectual.
10. Election is distinguishing
(Isa. 43:1-4).
11. Election is blessed, for it
is the cause of all blessedness (Ps. 65:4; Eph. 1:3-6; 1 Cor. 4:7).
Go back to 1 Thessalonians
chapter one; and let me show you the answer to one more question.
Who are the elect?
No mere man can open and
read the Lamb’s Book of life. No mortal can ever know who the elect are until
they are regenerated and called by God the Holy Spirit. However, each of us can
prove our own selves. We can make our calling and election sure. In 1 Thessalonians,
the Apostle Paul, writing by Divine, inspiration tells us that he knew these
men and women in the Church there were elect, chosen of God, and precious by five
distinct marks of grace upon them. If you are one of God’s elect, these five
marks are upon you. If I am one of the elect, these marks are upon me. Who are
God’s elect? Look into the Word of God and see. There is no guess work here.
1. God’s elect are people who
hear the Gospel preached and receive the Gospel as it is preached in the power
of God the Holy Spirit. The elect are those who are called by the effectual,
irresistible power and grace of God the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5).
2. God’s elect are those who
follow Christ. Chosen sinners, when saved by the grace of God, are made
disciples, followers of Christ, voluntary servants of King Jesus (1 Thess. 1:3,
6).
3. God’s elect are a people who
are committed to Christ and the Gospel of his grace (1 Thess. 1:8).
4. God’s elect experience
repentance and conversion by the power of his grace. They turn from their idols
to serve the living God (1 Thess. 1:9).
5. God’s elect are waiting for
Christ (1 Thess. 1:10).