This is the last article we will run on the study of election. This in no way exhausted the study, nor was it meant to. I hope I have piqued your interest to study it on your own.We must have a few applications before we leave the subject.
One may ask, “Why spend five weeks on this subject?”
Some subjects are to vast and controversial to cover in one short column. The background was needed in order to get to this last article. I hope to show this week why election is such an important doctrine to understand and how we can use it as we share Christ to others.
The election doctrine, even though it accurately reflects Scripture, is the object of much criticism and even ridicule. "What is the use of preaching at all, if the number of the saved is determined." "How can one be zealous and beseeching in preaching if there is election, and especially if the election is unconditional." "If God determined everything beforehand, including who will believe and who will not believe, then why do anything?" The critics believe that one cannot be effective in winning souls (Prov. 11:30) if he holds to the doctrine of election. Therefore, some deny election altogether. Others acknowledge that the Bible teaches that God chose them from before the foundation of the world. But in their mind this seems to deny man's responsibility. So they hold to an election which is conditional, an election according to which God chooses those whom He knew (foresaw) would believe.
Calvinism has always maintained unconditional election.
It is so very important to remember that man can do nothing to earn either salvation or election. It is equally important to remember that God could deny salvation to everyone, without doing an injustice to anyone. The reason for both is man's total depravity. No one may say, "It isn't fair," if God should not save. The reason is that all deserve hell. Is it unjust for a judge to sentence someone to what he deserves? Natural man deserves condemnation, for he has never done anything to remove his guilt or to atone for his sin. Natural man has never done anything whereby he obligates God not to punish him as he deserves.
The church must preach. She is commanded to do so. And part of that which she must preach is the truth of election. Some have taken Calvinism too far in this area. If God will save His people, why do we have to worry about it. This idea is not only against a Bible commandment, but also does not follow the logic of the truth. The truth is, no man comes to God unless the Spirit draws him. And where does the Spirit live? Holy Spirit lives within the believer. For whatever reason, God has chosen His church as the means to spead the gospel truth. How shall they hear, without a preacher?
The church really needs only one reason for preaching, and that is that God has commanded her to "preach the word" (11 Tim. 4:2). Faithfulness to God demands obedience, not questions and objections. All we need to know is that God has ordained "by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (I Cor. 1:21).
Is it necessary to preach the doctrine of election and predestination, including reprobation? Is it legitimate to believe it, but not preach it? Would it not be better
to dwell on the love of God and on the responsibilities of man?
The preaching of election and reprobation puts God in His rightful place. It gives the hearers the only proper view of God, namely, a high one. God must always be viewed as "high and lifted up" and as perfectly holy. The proper preaching of election establishes God's sovereign right to do whatever He is pleased to do, without being arbitrary or wishy-washy. The proclamation of election manifests the glory of God, for it exalts and magnifies God's always effective grace in His undeserved favor toward His people in Jesus Christ.
The preaching of predestination also puts man in his proper place, namely, as undeserving of any good thing and worthy only of condemnation. Through his own fault man has fallen from his original state of righteousness, which makes every man "deserving of eternal death, so that God would have done no injustice by leaving them all to perish, and delivering them over to condemnation on account of sin". Before the holy God, man is to reply only as did Isaiah, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isa. 6:5). The preaching of predestination takes away all in which our flesh might glory, and leaves us only God. The apostle Paul concluded his presentation of predestination in Romans 9-11 with a doxology of praise to Him to whom is to be the glory for ever (Rom. 11:33-36).
The preaching of election is to be with the same care that one preaches any other doctrine of Scripture. No single truth must be taken out of its place in the "whole counsel of God." The Scriptures set the boundaries for all preaching, including that of the truth of predestination.
The truth of election and reprobation does not give anyone the right to make judgments as to who is elect and who is reprobate. That is blasphemy. We must all share the whole counsel of God, resting in the fact that the Lord will use the means of the preaching to draw to Himself all He has chosen, and that God will use the means of the same preaching to be "justly terrible to those, who ... have wholly given themselves up to the cares of the world, and the pleasures of the flesh, so long as they are not seriously converted to God". The twofold test for proper preaching of predestination is whether it glorifies God and whether it comforts the believing sinner.
How so, one may ask?
Salvation is by God. We are only told to preach His holy Word. In the end it is not us that can save a person, it is all in God's hand. If the hearer of the Word does not understand, it is not up to our own wisdom to help him, but in the hands and power of the Holy Spirit. This is not to say we are not to try for we should answer all questions others may have, but in the end, if the non-believer does not trust in God, there is nothing more you can do other then pray.
Speaking of prayer; only those that believe in election as seen in the Bible can pray with full confidence that God can change hearts. Where as, those that hold that man is in full control of his will, would not have God change a man's heart without mans permission. Prayer belongs to the doctrines of grace.
Preaching on election will also keep our worship service where it should be. All worship should focus on God. We will not focus on how many we have in church, but on how great our God is. God will build His church just as He planned, if He is the focus of our worship.
This would also cause us to rethink all the tricks we imploy in order to get people into the church. “Preach the Word to all the nations”, we are ordered. This is a far cry from “come see the circus we now have in church”.
Have you sat in a powerful gospel sermon where you just knew many would make decisions for Christ and leave not knowing of any decisions? And have you been in other meetings where the preacher speaks on church government, or another non-gospel message, and two or three people ask to be led to Christ? Why? Because it is God that saves and not our carefully choosen words. The Holy Spirit works in peoples hearts, at any time, place or moment. We are just to “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine”.
Salvation is by God though faith, with the tool of election.