Lord willing, over the next few weeks I will take up one of the most hated doctrine in the Bible. It is hated by many that claim Christ as Lord when it should be loved by them. It is hated by most because it is not understood. Election is so detested, that many change the meaning of words and rearrange the verse order in passages that deal with this subject, in order to paint the God of their dreams, for they do not understand this part of God. I’m talking about the Biblical doctrine of election.
Many preachers avoid passages that deal with election, so as not to address them. If it is found in the Bible, and you are called to preach God’s Word, why hide from certain parts of the Bible? True, election can be difficult to understand at first, but when embraced, it can give more understanding to God’s grace, and the best understanding on how to share your faith with others. After many years of study on the subject, I can understand it from the technical side, and still not understand it from the emotional side. But I cannot be driven by my emotions over what is clear in God’s Word. Some things are but for God to understand fully. We must trust God and believe His Word, for this is our faith.
Biblical Election Part 1
INTRODUCTION TO ELECTION
Election:
To choose or to be chosen.
e·lec·tion n
1. an organized event at which somebody is chosen for something, especially a public office, by vote
2. the process of choosing somebody or of being chosen by vote
3. the act or process of choosing something, for example, a course of action or subject (formal)
4. the fact of being chosen by God, or God’s act of choosing somebody for salvation, a task, or special favor
Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
All of us know the feeling of being chosen when picking sides for a game. It is always great to be chosen first, or at least one of the first. When this happens one cannot help but get the feeling the person picking must see something in you to think they have a chance to win with you, and therefore they choose you. Most of us have partaken in political elections. In a political election, we choose to cast our vote on the person we feel best about, in hopes they will do right in the office in which he or she wishes to hold. In both of these cases and others, which happens daily in life, the choice is based on something seen in the person chosen. This is far from the idea of Biblical election.
What if your door bell rings and as you open the door, you see a lady with 25 balloons standing there beside a man with a 4 foot check, who proceeds to address you by name and tells you that you have just won $50,000,000, what would you do? The thrill of being chosen, and the goodness and blessing it brings in this case, has nothing to do with how good you are or how good you look. Some would call this the luck of a draw. Biblical election is not by just luck or chance.
Who does not rejoice to know that he has been chosen to receive some great blessing? We all do. Election in the Bible is unto salvation, the greatest of all blessings. And strange as it may sound, this is a neglected truth even by many who profess to believe it. Still others have a feeling of revulsion at the very mention of this Bible-revealed, God-honoring and man humbling truth.
Author Preacher Charles Spurgeon said,
"There seems to be an inveterate prejudice in the human mind against this doctrine, and although most other doctrines will be received by professing Christians, some with caution, others with pleasure, yet this one seems to be most frequently disregarded and discarded."
This feeling Spurgeon speaks about is but greater today. It seems that over the course of time, this doctrine is what helps place the church back on track after falling into a heresy. The church then fades away from the Biblical view of election into man centered doctrine; and watered down teaching is followed by corruption within the church as it follows man’s will over God’s Word.
But there are some who love the doctrine of Election. To them, election is the foundation for the other doctrines of human redemption and therefore rest fully in it. They love it enough to preach it in the face of criticism and persecution. They will surrender their pulpits rather than be silent on this precious tenet of the “once delivered” faith. But all who love the doctrine were once haters of it therefore, they have nothing in which to take pride.
Every man by nature is a person born into a world where they see only the freedom of the will. This will happens to be a problem for man. This will is laden with sin. This will is not free at all, but a slave. It takes the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, taught by the Holy Spirit, to cause a man to love the doctrine of election.
How greatly important that believers should study well on this subject and learn it. To do this we must first acknowledge the superior wisdom of God. The Bible was given to correct our wrong thinking. The Bible shows us throughout its pages a struggle over wills. From the beginning when God placed man in the garden, man wanted to have his will and way over God’s. Even to this day, mankind wants full control, and God tells us He is in control. Therefore, it is our thoughts that must change, and not twist the Bible into our way of thinking.
Repentance is a change of mind resulting in a change of thinking. We are not to come to the Bible as critics; the Bible is to criticize us. We cannot come to the Bible infallibly, but by grace we can come humbly. If we come to the Bible in this way, a change will happen within us. Your freedom will be seen in the light of God’s mercy of election. I must repeat this needed caution here. One should never change the meaning of any doctrine of the Bible in order to fit their views. If change must occur, it must occur in us.
The doctrines of grace have found expression in two systems of theology commonly known as Calvinism and Arminianism. These two systems were not named for their founders, but for the men who popularized them. Over the next few weeks as God leads, I will show with full support from the Bible, that one system is God centered and the other is based on man and his feelings. The system of truth known as Calvinism was preached by Augustine in an earlier time, and before Augustine by Christ and the Apostles, being especially emphasized by the Apostle Paul.
The system of man known as Arminianism was proclaimed by Pelagius in the fifth century. Between these two there is no middle position; every man is either one or the other in his thinking. Some try to mix the two but this is not possible and is misguided thinking. To say that one is neither Calvinistic or Arminian is to evade the issue. Paulinism is represented by either Calvinism or Arminianism.
In the center of these systems stands the doctrine of election. Where you position yourself on election, places you in one camp or the other. We will take the Bible and show which system it supports. The true system is based upon the truth of man's inherent and total depravity; the false system is based upon the dogma of man’s free will.
Next week I will look at some common false teachings about election.