The Doctrine Of Election

I. We need to avoid these two extremes.

A. That election is everything. The elect are going to be saved regardless of what we do or say. God will draw them to Himself regardless so it is best if we leave them alone and let God do His thing. It is wrong to preach the gospel to the lost (or to the saved, for that matter). This is hardshellism.

B. That election is nothing, it doesn't matter. We don't need to drown the doctrine in a sea of theology.

1. Don't say that "God voted for you and the Devil voted against you, and you cast the deciding vote." There is no scripture for this in all the Bible.

2. Let's keep God as "Lord of lords and Kings of kings" in the matter of salvation, not giving the glory to man, but to God.

3. Let's keep looking to God to save sinners, not man to help God save himself.

C. The right attitude - believe both election and preaching to the lost (whosoever will).

1. Believe election as taught in the Bible.

a. Paul taught election: Rom. 8:33 - who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?

b. Peter taught election: I Peter 1:2 - elect according to the foreknowledge of God.

c. John taught election: II John 1:1, 13.

d. Christ taught election.

1. John 6:37 - All the Father giveth me shall come to me.

2. John 6:44 - No man comes except the Father draw him.

3. John 6:63-65 - Explanation of verse 37 and 44.

2. Believe in preaching the gospel to the lost.

a. Paul preaching to the lost.

1. Acts 16:14 - Paul preaching to Lydia.

2. Acts 17:2 - Paul's habit was preaching to the lost.

b. Peter preached to the lost. Acts 10:34-43 - To the house of Cornileus.

c. Christ preached to the lost. Luke 19:10 - Christ came to seek and save the lost.

3. Look to God to save the lost through the blood of Christ, for salvation is of the Lord.

II. What is election - a choosing.

A. Chose - eklego - to chose, out from, to pick, single out, to chose out.

B. Elect - eklegtos - chosen, choice, a laying out.

C. Chose and elect comes from the same base Greek word.

D. We ought to believe election for the word is in the King James Version 27 times. We believed in the trinity, yet the word "trinity" is not found in the Bible at all!

E. Election is God choosing man, not man choosing God.

1. Acts 13:48 - Those ordained to eternal life believed.

2. Is. 45:4 - Israel is called "mine elect".

3. Matt. 24:31 - The angels shall gather together "his elect".

4. Luke 18:7 - God shall avenge "His own elect".

5. Rom. 8:33 - Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect.

6. Note the progression in the above verse (numbers 3-5)

F. Nobody can come to God except God draw him. This destroys the theory that God votes for you and the devil votes against you, and you make the deciding vote.

1. Ps. 14:1-3 - Nobody had chosen to go to God when God looked upon men. This passage completely destroys the theory that God looked in the future and elected those he saw (by foreknowledge) would believe.

2. Rom. 3:9-18 - Everybody is exactly the same. All are lost without Christ.

3. Eph. 2:1-3 - We were quickened (saved) by Christ, when we were just like everybody else.

III. Why were we elected?

A. Greek word refers to: "to pick, single out, chose out,"

1. For those who say God is unjust in chosing some to salvation and leaving others alone, read Rom. 9:18-21.

a. Do you believe God is totally sovereign?

b. Do you believe in Total Depravity?

c. Do you believe some are not quiet so depraved as others?

d. Do you believe some are so strong as to resist the Sovereign Call of the King of kings, and Lord of lords?

e. Who do you give the glory for your salvation - God or yourself.

f. Or perhaps a little of both? Rom. 11:16 - It is by grace or works, not a mixture of both.

2. Many folks believe God is unjust in doing His will with what is his own: but they believe they are just to do their will is what is their own.

B. Wrong to emphasize "selection from among others, or preference above others".

1. Total Depravity puts every person on exactly the same standing before God - All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

2. We are saved, not because God preferred us above others, but because He chose us!

3. We are not a better person than somebody else, therefore God saved us.

C. Main thought of election is "appointment by God for a certain object or goal".

IV. When were we elected? (chosen)

A. Eph. 1:4 - Chosen before the foundation of the world. (Remember that chosen and election come from the same base Greek word).

V. When are we saved?

A. Eph. 1:11-14 - Talks about the "day of our salvation".

B. Col. 1:6 - When they knew the grace of God in truth - a practical application of the grace of God in salvation to them personally.

C. Rom. 10:13-17 - God sends preachers to preach to the lost.

VI. What does election make the saved person do?

A. Col. 3:12-17.

1. Verse 12, 13 - Act like a Christian.

2. Verse 14 - love.

3. Verse 15 - Let, peace of God rule in your hearts.

4. Verse 16 - Let Word of Christ dwell in you richly.

5. Verse 17 - Do all in the name (authority) of Christ. No free-lance evangelism here. Believe in church authority.


For the other side of this very important issue see my message on Should a lost person seek Christ? winword\salvatin\lostseek.doc