The Doctrine of "Election"

Part One

John G. Reisinger

The words "predestination" and "election" are often used interchangeably by writers and speakers.  However, this may create confusion. Predestination is the truth that God sovereignly purposes everything and brings to pass everything that he himself has purposed (cf. Rom. 11:36).  This includes every event of every person, and everything about that person, down to the very hairs of his head (cf. Matt. 10:30). The many verses that speak of "all things" being under God's control can only be true if predestination is true (cf. Rom. 8:28).  Election is the truth of predestination applied to one specific area, or one of the "all" things, namely, our personal salvation.  The doctrine of election is the truth that God sovereignly chooses, or elects, certain individuals to be saved.

I want to emphasize at the very beginning that all sincere Christians do not agree with my understanding of the subject of election.  If you have never heard this subject discussed or taught, it may "throw you for a loop" the first time.  I urge you not to believe it just because someone else does, and likewise, do not reject it because your favorite preacher does not believe it.  Prove that you have a Berean spirit and look at the texts of Scripture and see what they are actually saying.  If you disagree with my understanding of election that does not mean you do not love God. I have personal friends who love the Savior just as much as I do and disagree with me about election. John Calvin will not be at heaven's gate interviewing you about your view of election. You can be wrong about many subjects and still go to heaven, but you cannot be wrong about trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. However, the Bible does say a lot about "God choosing" and we must understand the verses in some way.

I. The Bible Teaches something About Both Predestination and Election.

The words "predestination," "election," "chosen," "foreordained," "called," etc., are used many times in the Bible.  Whether we like it or not, we not only must believe something about this subject, but we must realize that everyone does believe something about election.  "I don't believe in predestination" does not mean "I do not believe the words predestination or election are in the Bible" since everyone knows those words are in the Bible. No, "I do not believe in predestination" really means "I do not believe the Bible means what you are saying it does when it talks about predestination." In other words, you must deny the very Word of God to reject predestination and election outright, but you are not necessarily denying the Bible just because you disagree with my interpretation. You cannot deny that Jesus said "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" or you are denying the Word of God (John 15:16). You may disagree with what I think those words mean without rejecting the Bible. You will, of course, be wrong in your understanding of election, but like me, you have been wrong before. Seriously, I repeat, sincere and godly Christians can, and do, disagree about what Jesus and the Apostles meant when they talked about election.

II. The Basic Difference Among Christians on the Subject of Election.

Sound of Grace, Volume 4, No. 2, has a chart and an explanation of the five doctrines that have divided Christian groups since the Reformation. The primary purpose of that article is to show the real differences between what has been nicknamed "Calvinism" and "Arminianism." That particular edition is still available. Send $1.00 to Sound of Grace, P.O. Box 185, Webster, NY 14580-0185, and ask for the issue by number. Let me quote from the section that deals with election, or God the Father's specific and essential work in our salvation.

The religion of free grace insists that apart from God first giving faith as a gift no sinner would ever have any faith to be foreseen. God sovereignly chose "whom he will" (Rom. 9:10-13; 18-25) and his choice is totally "unconditioned" by anything foreseen in the creature. So the real question is not "does God choose some sinners to be saved," but rather, is his choice "conditioned" by the foreseen willingness of the sinner or is God's choice totally "unconditional," or sovereign, based solely on his own good pleasure? Sound of Grace, Vol. 4, No. 2, p. 2.

There are three basic questions that must be asked and answered in any discussion of election.  We will seek to answer these questions with specific texts of Scripture.

(1) Who does the electing -God or man? 

(2) When did the electing take place -in eternity or in time?

(3) On what basis was the electing, or choosing, done: Was it based on free grace, i.e., unconditional, or was it based on, i.e., conditioned by, free will?

III. The Meaning of "Chose."

Perhaps it would be well to fix in our minds how the Bible uses the word "chose." Exactly what does God want us to understand when he says that he "chose" us. Look at the following text and ask yourself, "Exactly what did David do in this situation?"

That is exactly what God did in reference to everyone who becomes a Christian. Can anyone believe that those five stones somehow, possibly by wiggling a bit, indicated to David that they were willing to be chosen? No, everyone will see David sovereignly deciding which stones best suited his purpose. No one will dispute that the choice of the particular stones was totally in David and not in the willingness of the stone. That is precisely what it means when the Scriptures say, "God chose us!" Just as David deliberately chose those five specific stones, and just as God chose one particular nation, Israel, out of all the other nations, so God deliberately chose specific individuals to be saved by his grace. Some may say, "Yes, but we are not lifeless stones." That may be true, but we were just as spiritually lifeless and dead as those stones were lifeless. Our hearts were just as hard and cold as those stones, but the grace and power of God took out those stony hearts and gave us a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26).

IV. Election in the Old Testament Scriptures.

The Nation of Israel is a classic proof of the doctrine of sovereign election. Deut. 7:6,7 is a typical passage that describes Israel's unique relationship with God and how that relationship came about.

Everyone agrees that Israel was "the chosen nation" of God.  The question is not "Did God sovereignly choose the nation of Israel out from among all of the other nations to be his special property?" You would have to literally deny the Bible before you could reject that clear truth.  The only question is, "Why did he choose that particular nation as his special people?" And the only two answers you can give is either, (1) because God foresaw they were "willing" to be chosen, or (2) because God sovereignly chose them simply because he wanted to choose them.  What does the above Scripture say? Jacob's children were chosen because of the sovereign oath that God made to their father Abraham long before they were born. That choice had absolutely nothing to do with Israel's willingness. It is so with us who believe. We are saved by an oath the Father made to his Son long before we were born and has nothing to do with our willingness.

V. Election is Clearly Taught in the New Testament Scriptures.

Our Lord Jesus taught the doctrine of election.

We will confine our references to the Gospel of John since that book is known as the "whosoever" gospel.  Some verses from John are often used to refute election. Actually, no book in the whole Scripture is more clear on both absolute predestination and sovereign election.

These words cannot be understood without accepting the truth of election. Our Lord here speaks of certain people who belonged to him even though at that very moment they were lost "Other sheep I have." Notice the following things clearly taught in this text: (1) Christ calls some people "his sheep" long before he saved them. They belong to him at that very moment even though they are lost. (2) he declares that he "must, and surely will, find and bring them safely into the one true fold." Not a single sheep will be left not found. (3) Our Lord is positive that every one of those sheep "will hear his voice" and come to him. That is sovereign grace choosing and bringing particular individuals to faith in Christ.

My dear friend, that is absolute sovereign election pure and simple. Look at some other texts in John's gospel:

John 17:6: I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

John 17:9: I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

John 17:11: And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

John 17:12: While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept them . . .

John 17:24: Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.

Six times in our Lord's High Priestly prayer he refers to a group of people who have been "given to him" by the Father. Christ specifically says in verse nine that he does not pray for the world, but for the elect who have been chosen out of the world and given to him as his sheep. Can anyone believe that Christ would die for an individual and then not pray for that individual?

Look at one more passage in John. This is a key verse. It is probably the most misquoted, next to Romans 8:28, of any verse in the Bible. Many evangelists use this verse in every service when they give an altar call. The problem is that they only quote half of the verse. They begin in the middle and ignore the first part. Here is the entire verse:

You will immediately notice the verse contains two distinct and separate statements. Both statements contain a specific Bible truth. The statements are related to each other as cause and effect. As I mentioned, evangelists only quote the second half. They say, with arms outstretched while inviting people to come to the front of the church, Jesus said, him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." Unfortunately they give the impression that Coming to Christ" and coming to the front is one and the same thing. It is true that Jesus said Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," but he said those words as a conclusion to the first statement. Why can we be certain that everyone who comes to Christ will be accepted? Because everyone who has been given to him by the Father will surely come. The Coming ones" and the "Given ones" are one and the same people. An Arminian will not freely preach the first part, about election, and a Hyper-Calvinist will not preach the second part, the free offer of the gospel. We must preach them both and, I might add, both with the same enthusiasm and in the same order.

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me . . ." is the truth of sovereign election. It is assuring us that there will be no empty houses in heaven catching cobwebs because someone was not willing to "claim by faith what Christ purchased for them." No, no, my friend, every chosen one will be there. The Shepherd will seek, find, and save each one of them. After all, his reputation as a Shepherd is at stake as well as the Father's purpose and glory.

The second part of the verse, A. . . and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," is the message to a world of lost sinners. It matters not who you are, what you are, or what you have done come to Christ and you will be received. If you do not feel ready, come anyway, and you will be received. You say you have not felt your sin enough. Where, I ask, does the text say anything about feeling your sin enough? It says "come" and assures all who come, regardless, that they will be received.

People often ask, "Pastor, how can you reconcile election and the free offer of the gospel? How do you get those two things together?" I tell them that you never have to reconcile friends, you only reconcile enemies, and the free offer of the gospel is not an enemy of sovereign election. They are friends. As to getting them together, I insist that the Holy Spirit himself has put those two things together in John 6:37. The real question is, "How dare you try to separate them!" How dare you seek to put asunder what God has joined together?

The Apostle Paul taught sovereign election.

One whole chapter in Paul's letter to the Romans deals with the absolute sovereignty of God in election. We will look at that chapter in detail when we cover some objections to election. The following text cannot be understood except as teaching sovereign election unto salvation.

Notice how the NIV translates the same verse.

You may have difficulty grasping this truth, but we dare not stick our head in the sand and run away from God's clear truth.  Read over these words, think about them, and ask the Lord to help you see and believe what he means.  Don't ever be afraid of looking at the Word of God!  Don't ever take an attitude that refuses to look at passages that are "controversial." There are some who treat certain subjects in a manner that infers the Holy Spirit made a mistake by putting those "controversial subjects" into the Scripture in the first place.  Don't run from any verse of Scripture even if you do not understand it! Let's look carefully at this particular text.

First of all, Paul specifically states that election is "unto salvation." In Bible school I was taught that election was true, but it had nothing to do with salvation. You choose to be saved with your free will, and then God sovereignly chooses where he wants you to serve. You could not force that idea into this text with a sledge hammer. The Holy Spirit says that election is unto personal salvation. God chose us "unto salvation," or, as the NIV says, "to be saved." What can be more clear!

Secondly, we are to give thanks to God for choosing us. Election is always mentioned in the context of joy. "Blessed be God . . . he has chosen us . . ." (Eph. 1:4,5). "blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee . . . " (Psalm 65:4). If the truth of sovereign election does not thrill your heart, then you either do not have a clue as to what it really means or else your heart is spiritually dead! Nowhere are we told to praise man for making a decision. No, No, we are to give thanks to God for man's conversion, not praise to the man for his choice. Look at the text.

Thirdly, the text tells us why it is necessary that we preach election. People say to me, "Why do you preach about election when you know some people do not agree to it?" I always reply, AI do not have any choice. The Bible says I am "bound to." I have to preach election and give thanks to God for election or I am deliberately disobeying this text."

Sometimes these people say, "but why do you have to preach about election so often?" Now I really don't, but one time is too much for the person who does not believe it. Again, I refer them to this same text. Notice Paul says, "We ought always to thank God" for choosing you. I remember a man in one congregation who really disliked me simply because I believed and preached election. His daughter got converted but he still disliked me. The boy she was dating got converted and the man still did not like me. I had the joy of marring this young couple and during the ceremony I asked them both, "Do you believe that God in his sovereign purposes chose you for each other, and do you confess that his sovereign plan brought about this event this day?" After the service the man was livid with anger. He said, "You can't even perform a wedding ceremony without talking about the sovereignty of God."

I believe we should preach sovereignty, pray and thank God for sovereignty, sing about sovereignty, and practice our belief in sovereignty in all we do. What else can James mean when he says:

Is not James accusing us of actual sin when we speak about our wills controlling things by failing to acknowledge the sovereign control of God over all things? "Rejoicing in our boastings" in this text is nothing less than thinking, speaking, and acting as if the events of tomorrow are in our hands and our choices alone.

The fourth thing to note in the passage (2 Thes. 2:13) is the rest of the verse plus the following verse. Let me quote the whole section:

Paul tells us that God not only chose us to salvation but explains the means that God used to accomplish his goal. We were saved through (1) the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. That is talking about regeneration giving us a new heart enabling us to sincerely want to believe. We will cover this more extensively when we come to the doctrine of regeneration. (2) We were also saved through "the belief of the truth" (verse 14b). We must be born of God in order to be able to believe, and we must believe in order to be saved. In other words, the God who chooses us to be saved guarantees it will happen by sending the Holy Spirit to quicken us in regeneration. He also sends the gospel so we hear and believe it. God ordains the means to the end as well the end itself. 2 Thes. 2:13 is truly a powerful text of Scripture.

Probably no verse teaching election is as well known as Ephesians 1:3,4. Let us take a look at it.

This text is clear and shows that in whatever sense the nation of Israel was "chosen" to be God's earthly nation, the church was "chosen" as the special spiritual people of God (cf. Ex 19:5, 6 and I Pet 2:9-11). You will note that God chose us in eternity, or before we were even born!

Peter taught the doctrine of election.

The following two verses both speak about the "foreknowledge" of God.

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you . . . (1 Pet 1:18-20).

One of the objections to our view of election is, "Election is all based foreknowledge," and then foreknowledge, as just mentioned, is defined as meaning "prior knowledge," or God's ability to "see into the future and make decisions based on that foreseen information." God is said to have purposed to choose us because he foresaw that we would choose him. In a later article we will do a complete word study of "foreknowledge" and show that the word really means "fore-loved" or "sovereignly chose." For now, look carefully at the above two verses from Peter.

The NIV translates 1:2 "To God's elect . . . who have been chosen . . . " You can see that the NIV understands the word "foreknown" to mean fore-loved or chosen. We quoted both verses deliberately. We have a question for those who wish to argue that God's reason for choosing us was based on his looking forward into history to see what we would do and then basing his action of choosing us on that foreseen information. Would anyone dare say the same thing about "the fore ordination of Christ" in verse 20? Can anyone seriously believe that God purposed, or chose, to give Christ up to the death of the cross only because he, the Father, looked into the future and "foresaw" that Christ would be willing to die, and, on the basis of that prior information, he decided to send Christ into the world to die? No! No! That is nonsense. Acts 2:22-24 is crystal clear that the Father consciously and deliberately "foreordained" the death of his Son. Well, the idea about God choosing us because he foresaw our faith is just as much nonsense. In whatever sense Christ was "foreordained to die," I was "foreordained to be saved!" It is just that simple.

VI. How God Taught Me Sovereign Election

God used a Mennonite farmer in a small country church near Lancaster, PA to open my eyes and heart to see and believe that sovereign election is a biblical truth. This man was in charge of the Wednesday evening Bible study and was going through the Gospel of John. In the providence of God, he had started to study A.W. Pink's commentary on that book. The following verses were being discussed that particular evening:

The teacher had two pieces of poster board which he set on separate chairs. On one poster board was written the words "heard and believed" and on the other was written "heard and believed not." The two chairs, thus labeled, represented the two groups of people spoken of in the verses being studied. Three questions were asked and each one was answered by the words of Christ addressed to these Jews. The questions dealt with why some believed, and why the others would not believe. The teacher's primary concern was to show the real reason that made the difference. Why did some believe and others not? What made the vital difference between the two groups?

First question: "Why did the first group refuse to believe the gospel?" The Savior's words in verse twenty-six were unmistakably clear. "Ye believe not because ye are not my sheep." It was impossible to argue about the meaning of such a concise statement. Why did they not believe? Christ gave the answer, "Because you are not my sheep." In other words, if they had been his sheep, they would have heard and believed. The fact they would not believe, proved they were not sheep. Our Lord had earlier taught the same truth. In fact, his words in verse twenty-five, AI told you, and ye believed not . . ." probably refer back to the eighth chapter of John where Jesus said unto them, A. . . If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham . . . Ye do the deeds of your father . . . If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; . . . Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my words . . . you are of your father the Devil . . . " (John 8:39-44). These people not only did not believe, but Christ said they could not believe. Why? They were not "of the Father." They were not "Abraham's seed." They were, in other words, not one of God's elect. They were not one of his sheep. It does not mean that they wanted to believe but Christ would not allow them to do so. No, no, it means they were totally unable because of their depravity, and God had chosen to leave them in this state. You can see in both John 10:26 and 8:38-43 the same "if" and "would have" relationship. Who and what these people were determined what they did and did not do. Our teacher reminded us that we all, without exception, were born with that same nature and into that same state of sin and unbelief.

Second question: "Why did the second group hear and believe?" This question logically followed the first one and again the Savior's word gave a clear answer. Verse twenty-seven said, "My sheep hear my voice . . . " The teacher kept contrasting the two cards representing the two groups. "The gospel came to all of them, but one group believed and the other group would not. Why? What made the difference in the two groups? Why did the group called Amy sheep" hear and believe? Did they have better hearts? Stronger wills? Keener minds? No, they believed because they were sheep.

About this time the farmer turned the poster boards over. On the back of the "heard and believed" board was printed the word "sheep," and on the back of the "would not hear and believe" board was printed the word "goat." Now I had always known the Bible divided men up into sheep and goats. I also knew that the sheep were God's people and the goats were not. However, I never knew until that night why some people were sheep and others were not, and more specifically, that I had believed the gospel only because I had been chosen to be a sheep in eternity. It was always clear, as the cards showed, that "sheep" and "hear and believed" belonged together, and likewise that "goat" and "would not hear and believe" went together. However, no one had ever shown me which was the cause and which was the effect. I had thought, as my Arminian teachers had carefully taught me, that I had decided to change my goat nature into a sheep nature by an act of my "free will." Oh, how those who love free will would like to make John 10:26 say, "You are not my sheep because you are unwilling to believe, if you would be willing to believe you would become one of my sheep." Ah, my friend, the text clearly says the opposite. Jesus said, "You believe not because you are not my sheep!"

The farmer's third question opened up the whole truth of God's sovereign election and forever silenced the nonsense of free will as the decisive factor in my "hearing and believing." The third question: "According to our Lord's words in verses twenty-six and twenty-seven, does hearing and believing make you a sheep, or do you hear and believe because you have already been chosen to be a sheep?" In an instant, God assured my heart of the answer. I knew which was the cause and which was the effect. The words of Christ were clear as crystal. The Spirit of God assured me that I had heard the Shepherd's voice only because I had previously been chosen to be one of his sheep. I had willingly come to Christ only because I belonged to Christ by his sovereign election and he was claiming, by his power, in time, what had been given to him in eternity. I was not a goat that had become a sheep by a "decision of my so-called free will," but rather, I was a lost sheep that had been found! And I had been found only because I was a chosen sheep from eternity. A "lost" sheep had become a "found" sheep. A goat had not become a sheep.

Christ did not become my Shepherd when he brought me to faith and repentance. He sought, found, and brought me to himself in salvation only because the Father, in eternity, had given me to him to be one of his sheep. That word "because" in verse 26 forever settled the reason some people reject the gospel. "My sheep hear" in verse 27 could only mean that I had heard and believed because I was a sheep from eternity. The texts can mean nothing else! Put down in your "Book of Indisputable Facts" these two things: (1) Only those who have been eternally chosen to be sheep will ever come to Christ, and (2) every one of the sheep, without a single exception, will come when Christ draws them.

My mind was flooded with this amazing truth. I was one of God's elect from eternity! Why had I heard and believed the gospel? I knew the answer. Only because I had been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. I was not redeemed because I had believed, but rather the One who had redeemed me before I was born had now found me and revealed himself to me. Christ had sought me because I was his property. I did not become his sheep when he found me, but he had sought me and found me because I was one of his lost sheep.

As I left that little church in Lancaster County, I looked up into the heavens with tears in my eyes. I knew that before a single star had ever shown a beam of light, God had sovereignly chosen me as a sheep and purposed to draw me to himself and give me faith. With a heart filled with amazement and praise, I gladly acknowledged that I owed every part of my salvation to God's grace in Sovereign Election. I knew I was in possession of eternal life only because the Father had chosen me, the Savior had died for me, and the Holy Spirit had given me faith and a new heart.