[b]Election & Predestination - J.D.F.
Main Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-6
God has chosen a people for himself (vs. 6 – “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved”) from the foundation of the world (vs. 4 – “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love”).
God has predestined many things from the foundation of the world. These include more than the predestination of a chosen people:
The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8 – “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” and Acts 2:23 – “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain”).
Names were written in the book of life from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).
God’s works were completed from the foundation of the world (Heb. 4:3 – “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world”).
His eternal kingdom has been prepared from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34 – “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”).
God chose us unto sonship from the foundation of the world (vs. 4-5 – “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will”).
In eternity past God gave us grace (2 Tim. 1:9-11 – “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles”) and predestinated us to share in his life (Titus 1:2 – “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began”).
God initiates the fulfilling of his predestination of a people by making a covenant with Abraham (See Gen 12-17).
In the new testament we see that Paul tells us that Unbelieving Jews are branches broken off the tree and believing gentiles are grafted in (Rom. 11:20 – “Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear”), for God has chosen that there would always be a remnant (Rom. 11:5 – “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace”) which is according to the election of grace, and not by works (Rom. 11:6 – “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”).
God’s covenant was made with Israel and not the Church (Isa. 45:4 – “For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me”; 65:22 – “They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands”). Only when we believe are we grafted into the remnant and saved (Mark 16:16 – “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned”).
God is eternal and has foreknowledge (1 Pet. 1:2 – “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied”, Rom. 8:29 – “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied”). However, this foreknowledge does not mean that God will force salvation on those he knows will seek after him. We should be clear on this point though, that those who seek after him become part of God’s elect, which God has willed to exist, even, “from the foundation of the world”.
We see then that God has fore-willed, his elect and also that he has foreseen individual salvations according to his foreknowledge, but we cannot overlap the choosing of a people with the foreknowledge of individual salvation. We see why Paul writes about the predestination of saints with regard to being a holy people. God has willed that his people would be holy (Lev. 19:2 – “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy”).
Now that we have looked at what election is, let’s look at what election is not.
Election is not assurance of salvation. The book of 1 John is majorly given to assurance of salvation and it does not speak of election as an assurance of salvation. In fact there is no one passage of scripture that talks about election being an assurance of salvation. Only if God forced a salvation on someone by his will can you be assured that you will be saved since God will bring all things that he wills to pass. However, since this is not the case, we see that election in not assurance of salvation. Jesus said, “My own know me…and they shall hear my voice (John 10:14, 16).
Election is not unconditional. Election is according to the foreknowledge of God (1 Pet. 1:2 – “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied”), not according to his will (compare Eph. 1:5 with verse 4). Though God elected the nation of Israel, many Israelites are under the wrath of God. Not all tribes entered the promised land, Judas betrayed Jesus, and many Jews, “missed their visitation” (Luke 19:44).
The Death of Christ was for the world (John 1:29; 3:16; 1 John 2:2, 1 Tim. 2:6; 4:10). It is possible for everyone to be saved. Those who believe will be saved (Mark 16:16, John 3:15, Acts 16:31, Rom. 3:22, 26, 1 John 2:12).
According to the good pleasure of his will God has chosen that the Lamb would be slain before the foundation of the world, he has chosen a people for himself from before the foundation of the world, and he has chosen this people to be “holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph. 1:4b,5). We see God initiated the elect by making a covenant with Abraham. We see that unbelieving Jews, by putting their will against God (2 Pet. 3:5) were taken out of the group called the elect, and that believing gentiles were brought into this remnant, called the elect (Rom. 11). This group which God has chosen for himself, he has also made provision for from the foundation of the world through his son who has many spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Eph 1:3) and that this people are for the glory of God (vs. 6).