What follows formed the basis of a couple of recent small group studies.  I should point out that the choice of topic was theirs, not mine!

Eph 1:3-14  is a good place to start: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves…he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.  In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

We see here repeated and joyful references to the purpose of God in ‘choosing’, ‘predestining’ from eternity those who in time would benefit from all the blessings of salvation.

Let’s begin to unpack the subject of divine election under a few headings.

1. Motivation

Two questions in particular are likely to crop up in any discussion of God’s election:-

Is it fair – is God not unjust to choose some and not others?

Is it reasonable – how can does divine election possibly be made to square with human responsibility?

We’ll come back to these questions later.  But, for the time being, let us reflect on our possible motivation for asking them in the first place.

The fact is, that we can err in our thinking simply because we ask the wrong questions, and then get upset because we don’t get answers that seem satisfactory.

But it is a striking thought that Jesus him hardly ever gave a straight answer to a simple question!  In fact, I can only think of once instance (Mt 27:11):-

Q: “Are you the King of the Jews?”

A: “Yes, it is as you say.”

And even that, under the circumstances was hardly a straightforward answer, but I’ll leave it there for now.

For our present discussion, the question and answer record in Lk 13:23 are especially relevant:-

Q: “Lord, are only a few going to be saved.”

A: “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door.”

It seems that our Lord strongly discouraged speculative questions such as this, and immediately shifted the discussion to something more personal and more practical.  We should note this and take it to heart.

2. Revelation

With sovereign election, as with any other challenging doctrine, we need to cast ourselves on God’s revealed word, go as far as it takes us, but refuse to go any further than that.

Deut 7:7f The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you.

These words, addressed to God’s chosen people the Israelites, show clearly the futility of trying to enquire into God’s reasons for choosing to set his love on certain people.  ‘God’s loves you because he loves you!’ – that’s what this text says, and we cannot go further than that.

Deut 29:29 – ‘The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may follow all the words of this law.’

Again, we have here words that were originally addressed to the Israelites.  However, they have a general application.  There are certain things that only God knows, or can know.  There are other things that God has revealed, and it is these that we should know, believe, teach, and obey.  So it is with divine election: there are aspects that lie beyond our knowledge and our powers of reason; but there are other aspects that we should cling, because they are clearly taught in Scripture.

2 Tim 1:9 [God] who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

What we find is that both divine sovereignty and human responsibility are revealed in Scripture.  Sometimes, they are both taught at the same time:-

Ge 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

The same thing (the betrayal of Joseph by his brothers) was, from a human point of view a malicious act against an individual and yet, from another perspective, part of God’s plan for good for many.

Acts 2:23 – “You, with the help of wicked men, put Jesus to death by nailing him to the cross”, and yet at the same time this was according to God’s ’set purpose and foreknowledge.’

Phil 2:12f – ‘Work at your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.’

And here, the Christian life itself can be described both as us ‘working at our salvation’ and the result of God’s empowerment within us.

So it is, then, with salvation.  In the words of A.W. Tozer, ‘salvation is from our side a choice, from the divine side it is a seizing upon, an apprehending, a conquest by the Most High God. Our “accepting” and “willing” are reactions rather than actions. The right of determination must always remain with God.’

Many find the following illustration helpful.  Let us view salvation as a door through which we pass. Over the door as you approach it are words from Rom 10, ‘Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved’. But then, looking back at that same door after you have passed through it you read the words from Eph 1, ‘Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.’

And there is an order in which we should approach these things.  As the great evangelist George Whitefield said, ‘Let a man go to the grammar school of faith and repentance before he goes to the university of election and predestination.’

One of my favourite explanations of the relationship between divine election and human responsibility comes from C.H. Spurgeon:-

That God predestines, and yet that man is responsible, are two facts few can see clearly. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory, but they are not. The fault is in our weak judgment. Two truths cannot be contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one part of the Bible that everthing is fore-ordained, that is true; and if I find, in another Scripture, that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is only my folly that leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other. I do not believe they can ever be welded into one upon any earthly anvil, but they certainly shall be one in eternity. They are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the human mind which pursues them farthest will never discover that the converge, but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, when all truth doth spring.

3. Interpretation

Sometimes, in discussions about the biblical teaching on election, the plea is made, ‘But that’s just your interpretation’.  But that is a counsel of despair that we would not dream of using in relation to any other kind of literature.  We would strive to understand, to determine the author’s intention, to capture the real meaning.  Of course, we would sometimes disagree with one another and we would sometimes get it wrong.  But we would not lamely give up and say, ‘That’s just your interpretation.’  And even more so with the Holy Scripture, which we believe has been given to us by its divine author with the intention of making his truth clear, not obscure.

The particular interpretative challenge I should like to pursue briefly here is around the meaning of foreknowledge’.

Consider the following two texts:-

1 Pe 1:2 [God’s elect]…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.

Rom 8:29 Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

The argument is sometimes mounted, that these teach that divine election is based, not on God’s choice from eternity past, but merely on his anticipation of who would would believe.

I believe that this argument is flawed in a number of ways.  In particular, it does not do justice to the biblical meaning of the verb ‘to know’ when the object of the verb is a person or persons.

Consider the following:-

Ge 18:19 For I have chosen (literally, ‘known’) [Abraham], so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

Am 3:2 “You only have I chosen (literally, ‘known’) of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

Jer 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  Here, ‘to know’, ‘to set apart’, and ‘to appoint’ are virtually synonymous.o

Mt 7:23 “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

1 Pet 1:20 [Christ] was chosen (literally, ‘foreknown’) before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

I conclude, therefore, that the biblical meaning of ‘foreknowledge’, far from undermining the doctrine of sovereign election, actually confirms it.

4. Application

The doctrine of election, as taught in Scripture, does not encourage speculation.  On the contrary, it is always presented as an intensely practice doctrine, intended to promote a range of positive outcomes.

Interestingly, in only one passage – Romans 9:14ff – is election discussed as if it might be a problem.  And here, Paul gives short shrift to those who advance two common objections to the doctrine:-

To the objection, ‘It’s unfair’, Paul replies, ‘Not at all!’

To the objection, ‘It’s unreasonable – it doesn’t square with human responsibility,’ the apostle responds, ‘Who are you, O man, to talk back to God!’

So, the Bible has little time for objections to the doctrine of sovereign election.  What it does do is link election to a range of practical aspects of Christian belief and behaviour.  Here are some of them:-

Praise and adoration

Eph 1:3 – ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world.’ Verse 14 – ‘…to the praise of his glory.’

Rom 11:33ff Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.

Assurance

Rom 8:33-38 – Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?

Professor Donald MacLeod says that a richer expression of God’s love is found in Calvinistic views of election than in Arminian views.  ‘Arminianism believes that God so loves all men that he has made their salvation possible, if only they believe. It also believes that God so loves all men that he offers them this salvation freely. The Calvinist believes all that and the Arminian nothing more. But the Calvinist believes, in addition, that God loves some men – not a tiny, pathetic clique, but a multitude which no man can number, drawn from every race, language, colour and culture – with a unique and special love. He has not only made their salvation possible and freely available. He applies it to each of them and cares for them…until they are completely Christ-like…According to Calvinism, this love does not embrace everybody, only a great multitude. But then, according to Arminianism, God does not love anybody as tenderly and intensely as this.’

Holiness

Eph 1:4 – ‘Chosen in Christ that we should be holy and blameless.’

2 Thess 2:13 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

2 Pet 1:10 Be eager to make your calling and election sure.

The following words, written by the Puritan Richard Sibbes, are apposite here: ‘Some are much troubled because they proceed by a false method and order in judging of their estates. They will begin with election, which is the highest step of the ladder, whereas they should begin from a work of grace wrought within their hearts, from God’s calling by his Spirit, and their answer to his call, and so raise themselves upwards to know their election by their answer to God’s calling. “Give all diligence,” says Peter, “to make your calling and election sure,” your election by your calling. God descends unto us from election to calling, and so to sanctification; we must ascend to him beginning where he ends.’

And J. C. Ryle says, ‘The Bible speaks of election through sanctification, and predestination to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. If these are lacking, it is a waste of time to speak of election.’

Witness

Far from undermining evangelism, the doctrine of election is consistent with the free offer of the gospel, and gives great confidence to Christ’s witnesses that God will sovereignly open people’s hearts in response to the proclamation of the message of grace.

Ac 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honoured the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

1 Thess 1:4f For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

And evangelism is not at all about trying to find out who is elect.  It is about proclaiming the gospel and pressing for a decision:-

‘If God would have painted a yellow stripe on the backs of the elect I would go around lifting shirts. But since He didn’t I must preach `whosoever will’ and when `whosoever’ believes I know he is one of the elect.’ (C.H. Spurgeon)