My take on election is this: God allows some to choose, others He saves.
Scripture is clear that there is none that seeks after God (Romans 3:11). When men and women make their own choice, they consistently choose against God. Nothing could be clearer from the entire New Testament, from Matthew through to Revelation.
It's true that the idea of election is unfair – it's absolutely true! If God were fair, we'd all burn in hell. He chooses to save some, while He gives others what they want. It's not fair, and we should be grateful for it.
6 comments:
So grateful!!!
I was speaking on the goodness and fairness of God as seen in Romans 2 the other evening.
When it is man in responsibility in view, Paul states:
“tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God.” Romans 2:9-11
So, God in fairness would give glory, honour and peace to a man that was good but as you say, where is such a man to be found? And when we turn the page into chapter 3, the universal verdict is, “there is none that doeth good, no not one.” So man in responsibility will not choose God if left to himself.
It seems to me that it is only when the argument turns to the purpose of God that election is introduced. How can man bring himself into the purpose of God? He can’t! And so God has a people who are “the called according to his purpose.”Romans 8:28 They are foreknown, predestined, called, justified and glorified - all in the past tense, all accomplished by God and all settled in His purpose.
Then when the grand vista of God’s purpose is unfolded in ch 9-11, the governing principle is stated: “that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth” Romans 9:11
What about ‘fairness’? How can God save some and not others? Well, this was answered long ago by Isaiah: “Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: for he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha” Romans 9:27-29
A nation numbered as the sand of the sea, yet if God had not intervened, they would have been left with nothing! The last thing we want is for God to leave us to our own will and choice!
But the other objection to election is, restriction. We can’t have God deciding who will be saved, as we have our evangelistic methods and programmes! We know how to reach men better then God does!
It is Elijah that will address the thought of God’s choice restricting blessing:
“Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” Romans 11:3-5
One of the greatest servants that walked the earth felt that his work for God had resulted in him alone being saved. And while that was true of Elijah’s work, he had to learn about God’s work, which had resulted in 7,000 brought into blessing!
How glad we are that at ‘this present time also’ God has an election of grace. That’s not Calvinism, or any other ism, it’s God’s word to our souls to be believed and enjoyed. And in a shifting, uncertain world, the believer’s stability comes from the words, CHOSEN IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.
Paul's testimony:
"But WHEN IT PLEASED GOD, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me..."
"But by the grace of God I am what I am"
"I have tried hard to maintain the free choice of the human will, but the grace of God prevailed." (Augustine)
None seek after God, but the Holy Spirit seeks to convict all and it's quite possible to either give in to that conviction or refuse it, as is evidenced all over the New Testament. No one seeks God, but the Holy Spirit attempts to convict all of sin with a completely resistable grace. John 16 talks about this pattern.
Robert wrote:
It is Elijah that will address the thought of God’s choice restricting blessing:
“Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” Romans 11:3-5
Regarding the concept of "the remnant".
When God commanded Moses and Eleazar to number "the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years and upward, throughout their father's house, all that are able to go to war in Israel" (Numbers 26:2) -- in other words all the able-bodied men at least 20 years old -- the total came to 601,730, not including 23,000 Levites. (Numbers 26:51,62). This total would not have included women and males under 20 years of age.
When Elijah made his lament about being the only one who remained faithful, some 650 or so years had passed since Aaron and Eleazar's census. The congregation would have increased in number substantially during that time. The point of all this...
7,000 men who "have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal" seems like a sizable number. And from a certain perspective it is. But if we compare this to the total from Numbers Chapter 26, it comprises just over 1.16%. Less than 2%! A "remnant according to the election of grace" indeed!
I noticed you have a link on your blog to Uplook ministries. They have a great video/study guide on this topic in the Uplook TV section. Here is the link
https://youtu.be/O8zGwhU-uGA
- Beverlea Hopkins
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