Election and the Bible
16 February 2011
C.H. Spurgeon, the great preacher in the 1800's said, "There is a natural hatred in the human heart against the doctrine of election." As much as it is taught in the Bible we wonder why more Christians do not embrace it … and believe it. Perhaps the reason is because it dethrones man, and his free will, and places Christ, and His will, as the only hope for sinners. The doctrine of election is taught in many ways in the Bible. For instance, it was God that elected Abraham to be the father of a great nation.
God chose the prophets. He chose the apostles. He chose Mary to be the mother of our Lord. None of them claimed to have chosen Him first. It is easy for the best of Christians to think they did the choosing. Even to the apostles, so they would not get it confused, Jesus soberly reminded them before His passion, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you"(John 15:16a). Some view the doctrine of election as more of a selection process. They thumb their lapel and say that God looked down through time and chose the cream of the crop, those that would do good things. Surely, this is a prideful thought.
According to the Psalmist, "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Psalms 14:2-3). According to this, man left to himself will not seek after God, nor do good. He can't because he is dead in sins. Until God changes the sinner's heart, he will never seek God. God always comes first. He elects them, then he changes them. Election is clearly taught in Ephesians 1:4, "According as he hath chose us in him before the foundation of the world." This tells us who chose who, and it tells us when this choice took place.
Nothing is said about any foreseen goodness on the part of those chosen. The truth of the matter is that God chose His people in spite of what He saw they would do. Those that say He looked down through time and saw those that would do good have forgotten the bad that He saw them to. To make this clear, Paul writes, "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose or God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth." Notice that he mentions that they had done neither "good or evil". In other words, it was not according to their works, either good or bad. That means His choice was by grace, not works. That's simple enough for a child to understand.
You would think that any person who knows they have fallen short, who knows they are an undeserving sinner, would rejoice in this. But, again, it shows just how prideful man is in thinking that they did something good enough to get to heaven. Only God is good for "there is none good, no not one." Peter taught election (1 Peter 1:2). Paul taught election extensively (Romans 9:11; Ephesians 1:3; Romans 8:33). Jesus taught election. All of this was before John Calvin stumbled across the doctrine. We must never place election above Christ. Election tells us about our salvation. Jesus saved us. We are chosen "in Him". According to history, and ancient articles of faith, most every Baptist church in America used to teach election. Why? Because it is in the Bible!
-NMP
