The Bible Doctrine of Election
Romans 9:14-24
Introduction: There are many Christians and denominations who deny the doctrine of election. However, the Bible tells us quite often that people who are Christians are "elect," which means "chosen by God for salvation." Here are some verses which say so, very clearly....
Mt 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible.
Mr 13:27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
1Pe 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world...
Mt 22:14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen."
Mr 13:20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no-one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.
Ro 11:5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
Eph 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will..
I Thess 1:4-5 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.
I Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
There are TWO important facts and principles about election that are discussed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:14-24, which I would like to underline for you this morning.
I. We must beware of sitting in judgment on God (verses 14 and 20).
We all have a tendancy to be proud, arrogant and self-righteous. We lose sight of our own sinfulness. We think we are better than we are. We are often self-righteous like the Pharisee who dis-respected the praying Publican. We argue with God.
Jonah argued with God. Moses argued with God. Abraham argued with God. Peter argued with Jesus.
God is holy, infinitely wise, all-knowing, and completely just and righteous in all that He does. You and I are sinful, ignorant, unjust in much that we say and do. We are not only ignorant, we lack the intelligence to ever comprehend many of the acts of God. So let's get this straight at the beginning. We must approach the doctrine of election with humility. What I think is not important. What God says is true, and all His acts are right and fair. We must come to the Bible on our knees with great reverence, and willingness to accept what it teaches. It teaches the fact of election over and over again, so let's get that out of the way. AS BIBLE BELIEVING CHRISTIANS, WE ACCEPT THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.
II. We should rejoice that election is an act of mercy, not an act of cruelty.
The Bible Doctrine of Election is stated theologically in the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter III (Of God's Eternal Decree); Paragraphs 5,6 and 7....
V. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, has chosen, in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of His mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith, or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto; and all to the praise of His glorious grace.
VI. As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so has He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore, they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power, through faith, unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
VII. The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of His own will, whereby He extends or withholds mercy, as He pleases, for the glory of His sovereign power over His creatures, to pass by; and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praised of His glorious justice.
Presbyterian doctrine is "Calvinistic." Calvinism is the system of theology that accepts the truth about election. Calvinists call the Five Points of Calvinism the "Doctrines of Grace." Is Grace a bad thing? A cruel thing? Yet, because it teaches the doctrine of election, Calvinism is held up in the world as a cruel and heartless religion. For example...
The president of a Christian University once said about election, "This doctrine is the most unreasonable, incongruous, self-contradictory, man-belittling and God-dishonoring scheme of theology that ever appeared in Christian thought. No one can accept its contradictory mutually exclusive propositions without intellectual self-debasement. It holds up a self-centered, selfish, heartless, remorseless tyrant for God and bids us worship Him." This man has a serious mis-understanding of what the Bible says about election.
Paul the Apostle tells us that the election of God is an act of mercy and compassion (Romans 9:15-18)...
Suppose for a moment that God never elected anyone for salvation. If that were the case, how many people would of their own free will repent of their sins and receive Jesus as their Savior? What does the Bible say about our willingness to repent, and our ability to understand and believe spiritual truths?
But if we hear the Gospel won't we understand and believe without being chosen by God?
How can a dead man respond to the Gospel? How can a person who thinks the things of God are foolish repent and believe?
The answer is clear: We came to God because He first came to us. We repented and believed in Him because He chose us, and because He sent His Spirit into our hearts, and gave us new life. Election is a doctrine of mercy and compassion, not cruelty.
God, knowing from the beginning that the ENTIRE HUMAN RACE was lost, and rebellious, and dead in sin, and wanting nothing to do with salvation and Jesus Christ; God in His mercy determined to choose and save vast numbers. Election is not an act of cruelty. It is an act of mercy!
What about the HARDENING? Isn't that an act of cruelty? How can God be FAIR and choose to save some from their sins and harden others?
1) We must stop questioning God and judging God by our standards. Human standards are constantly changing. Our ideas about what is fair are often wrong. We have somehow gotten this idea that everyone in the world must be treated exactly the same. Equal rights. Equal opportunities. Equal access to medical care. Equal housing. Equal this and equal that. This began with a good concept: equal rights before the law regardless of your race, creed, family influence or financial status. But Communism pushes it to a sinful extreme: To each according to his need. From each according to his ability. In other words, take money from the rich and give his money to the poor. Take from those who work hard, and give their stuff to the person who doesn't mind living on welfare. Equal everyone out until we are all at about the same level of poorness. This is the doctrine of Communism, and a lot of the world is headed in that direction. The Bible says "thou shalt not steal." Communism says STEAL.
In spiritual things there are a great many people who want to sit in judgment on God's fairness. They want to tell God that He is unjust, if He doesn't save everyone. It's all or nothing, or they will charge God with un-fairness. I think they would almost rather have God save NO-ONE, than for God to decide to let a few people have their own way.
2) We need to see that hardening is NOT God making a person sinful, just allowing him/her to have their own way. When God hardens a man's heart, God never made that man's heart bad and sinful. That man is bad and sinful because of the sinfulness of the human race, and because of the free choices of his own heart. God never sins, and He never makes anyone else sin. But sometimes He says to people, "OK, have it your way. I will allow you to exercise your free-will, and to reject me, and to refuse to repent. That's what you want? Ok, that's what you have." In our pride, we doubt that man is so definitely and permanently sinful. We believe that we have some inner goodness in us, that someday, somehow, even without God's help, we might decide to repent and turn to Christ for salvation. But the Bible says we are worse than that. We are sinners from conception, and left to ourselves we will NEVER willingly come to Christ. So, election is an act of mercy, not an act of cruelty.
Conclusion: When people deny the doctrine of election, what they are really denying is the doctrine of the "total depravity" of mankind. They are denying that salvation is COMPLETELY by God's grace. They are saying that there is some kernal of spiritual goodness in each man that is so strong and good that we can bring ourselves to repentance and faith apart from God's election and special call in their lives. Ultimately, to deny election is to deny grace, and say that salvation is partly grace, and partly works. But election is a Bible doctrine; and we see it in verse after verse. We need to keep two things in mind when we think about election: