Sovereign Election

Ephesians 2:6–7 (LSB)

     6       and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

     7       so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

The doctrine of election is a teaching in the Bible that is foundational to all that God is accomplishing in Jesus Christ. Without an understanding of the truth of election, the gospel becomes shallow, impotent, and man-centered. It loses its mooring in the glory of God, and His unspeakable kindness to men.

In this essay, we will give a brief introduction to the history of election, examine its foundations, and draw conclusions.

A Brief History of Election

The argument of election has been constrained to the controversy of the doctrine following the Protestant Reformation (1517). Prior to that, the official Roman Catholic Church did not hold to Reformed election. It is beyond the scope of this essay to explain the Catholic position on election, as it requires an explanation of far more than the doctrine itself. However, it was the Roman Catholic Church’s position that God chooses to save people on the basis of the person’s good works, influenced by God.

However, the treatment of election is traditionally handled in a few different ways outside of the Catholic Church. First, some will say that God responds to the faith of men by electing them once He views their faith from His vantage point. This view is called the Arminian position, a position championed by Jacob Armininius, a Dutch Reformed theologian (1560-1609). This position is summed up:

“Arminius did not deny the doctrine of election, but he insisted that it be understood as divine foreknowledge of what individuals would freely do with the liberty given them.”

Jacob Arminius was a disciple of the Protestant Reformation, but eventually become an opponent of the more celebrated theologian of the same, John Calvin (1509-1564). It was in response to Calvin’s teaching, especially through his successor, Theodore Beza, that Arminius was responding.

In relation to election, Calvin’s teaching is summarized this way: “To Calvin, when one believes in Christ for eternal life, they are not only identifying with His death on the cross for the satisfaction of their sins, but also evidencing the fact that they have been predestined to that position.”

For John Calvin, salvation indicates that someone was selected by God for that condition. His faith is from God on the basis of God’s purpose, and not from his own resources.

To put both influences another way, God comes first in Calvin’s position (unconditional election) and God comes second in Arminius’ position (conditional election).

What The Bible Says About Election

The term “elect/election” is a term that essentially means “to single out,” “choose,” or “collect together” in both Hebrew (the language of the Old Testament) and Greek (the language of the New Testament).

The record of Scripture indicates that God is the One who elects, or chooses, by His own power and for His own purpose. Without a proper understanding of God’s eternal purpose, the rest of the Scripture unravels.

For instance, consider the following:

- Abraham is chosen by God: Nehemiah 9:7; cf. Genesis 12:1-3

- Jerusalem is chosen by God: 2 Chronicles 6:38

- Israel is chosen by God: Deuteronomy 14:2; Psalm 105:6; Isaiah 41:8-9

- Moses is chosen by God: Psalm 106:23

- David is chosen by God: Psalm 78:70 cf. 1 Samuel 16:13

- Jesus is Chosen by God: Isaiah 42:1-2;

There many other passages that affirm that God is an electing, choosing God. The fact that He does this in real time and history tells us that He has a plan, a purpose. Therefore, when people deny Election, they are also assaulting the fact that God has an eternal purpose that He oversees and does so impeccably.

What is that eternal purpose? God’s eternal purpose is recorded for us, verbatim, by King David in his second Psalm:

Psalm 2:8 (LSB)

          8       ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,

    And the ends of the earth as Your possession.

The Son is speaking in v.8. There, He recounts what the Father said to Him. The Father told the Son to request from Him “nations” and the “ends of the earth.” The word “nations” is the Hebrew word, “peoples.” The word “earth” is the Hebrew word, “ground/soil.” In short, the source of all election, is that the Father has a purpose, an eternal purpose. That purpose is that the Son would have a people and planet for Himself by the kindness of the Father.

Unless we grasp this, we will continue to argue concerning the doctrine of Election. It is understandable to be confused as historically the doctrine has had strong proponents, and critics. However, the fact is that the Scripture records for us that God chooses whom He wills, and does so without any influence outside of His own purpose for His Son.

We can put this another way, a better way. Paul the apostle gives us a summary of this reality for us to understand. He wrote:

Ephesians 1:4–5 (LSB)

     4       just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love,

     5       by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Later in Ephesians, running on the same themes as the first chapter, Paul writes:

Ephesians 3:11 (LSB)

     11       This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

The point is, as we will see, the election of God for some to salvation is all based upon His eternal plan which He inaugurated before the world began. It is for that purpose that God’s saints of all time were “chosen,” or elected.

The Biblical Foundation of Unconditional Election

The foundation of the teaching of Election in the Bible is found in God Himself. That is to say, God Himself established Election as a main component to His eternal work in time. As we saw in Psalm 2:8, that eternal purpose is in Christ Jesus. The work that the Son has done on the cross, and His consequent resurrection, is the cornerstone to the election work of the Father.

Isaiah 42:1 (LSB): “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;

My chosen one in whom My soul is well-pleased.

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the nations.  

The “Servant” identified here is the Servant referred to often in the book of Isaiah.Ultimately, this Servant is the One who will cause the Father to “justify the many” as a result of the Servant’s anguish from bearing their iniquities.

But, for our purposes here, just note the reference to this One is “My Chosen One.” He is identified as the Anointed One. This One is none other than Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. The Lord Jesus is Himself the “Chosen One,” the “Elect.” The entire ministry of the Messiah is based upon the will of the Father. And, in order to accomplish that will, the Messiah must be commissioned, as it were, to that work.

We see this commissioning spoken of often in statements from the Lord during His earthly ministry.

Matthew 26:39 (LSB)

     39       And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

John 4:34 (LSB)

     34       Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.

John 5:19 (LSB)

     19       Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing from Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same manner.

The Lord Jesus was bound to the will of the Father by the strong cord of love (John 15:31). This love compelled the Son to do all that the Father commanded Him to do. And, it is the election of the Son that commissioned Him to the work.

What Do We Conclude

Unfortunately, John Calvin and Jacob Arminius has structured the argument for and against unconditional election since the Reformation. Many men have written to defend, or destroy, each view of the doctrine of election over the centuries.

However, the doctrine of Election that states that salvation is on the basis of God’s purpose alone and by God’s work alone, is the correct teaching. This sovereign Election, a choice predetermined by the Father, is the teaching that God has a unilateral purpose, predetermined by the counsel of His own will, and that purpose can only be realized by His own electing work.

The extraneous issues of free will, depravity, and grace, are all built upon this foundation of the purpose of Election. The glory of God and His grand and unfathomable eternal purpose in the Son is without equal. The beauty, glory, and magnificence of God is on full display in the proper explanation of Divine Election.