This Election Thing

Unconditional election, what does it mean? Does it mean that a higher power has chosen some for some things and others for other things. Does it mean that He has shut out some people and has made it unfair for those who are “not” chosen? Does He give bragging rights to those who are “chosen”?

The quick answer to all of the above is no, no, no and no. Nothing could be further from the truth. But before I go further, let’s look at some definitions. Let’s first use the term election. What does election mean?

Well, let’s look at the closest thing we can to the description election. The country from which you are reading this (assuming not all my readers are from Canada) no doubt has political leaders. If the country in which you reside lives in a democracy, you no doubt have elections to put people in place to direct the people to the best of their ability.

Now, everyone involved is human, and there are mistakes, there are emotions, there are lies and there are honest people. But the key here is that when elections happen, the candidates do what they can beforehand to show their compatibility to the role so that people will “elect” them to their desired position.

The key here is that the candidates do not appoint themselves to the position, but are elected from an “outside” body, people, or decision makers to put them in place.

You see, election was never something someone could do to earn that place or choose it themselves. But always in the context of someone else appointing or electing. One can never say “I have elected myself to this position”. That would not be accepted in the human realm, how much less in the spiritual realm where God resides.

Now that we have somewhat of an understanding of what election is, let’s now tackle unconditional.

What does it mean? Well, if we look at the opposite, conditional means that there are conditions required to fill a task. Let’s look at some examples.

1.Someone getting a job as a doctor. He/she must have some conditions. He must have finished his/her university in biology, and medicine. He must have passed with a minimum GPA, must have missed minimum class. Must not be afraid of blood, must love to work with people, must love the public, must have a good memory, must be organized, must work incredibly well under pressure and the list goes on…..if these conditions are not met, it’s not likely he will be hired as a physician.
2.Someone building a house or a commercial building. Must have or know where to get the right tools, must know how to read a blueprint, must know where to get the material. Must be organized on where to start to finish properly…..otherwise, you may want a different builder.

Those are some examples of conditional selection, if I may. The selection of you, for the job at hand depends on the conditions you have met.

Now for the unconditional. It’s the opposite. If a mother or father unconditionally love their child, the child could do almost anything in his/her power to disobey his parents and they will still love him/her. Parents may not be impressed with the choice their child has made in some decisions, but none the less, the parents no doubt still love the child. This is the perfect example of unconditional love. That mom and dad, no matter the bad decision the child makes, still love him/her.

Now let’s put unconditional election together to see if we can make some sense of it. The perfect example, is in Ephesians 2 8-10
For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his wokrmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Another is Acts 13:48

And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

What is Paul trying to tell the readers here. That there is nothing you could have done, are doing or will do in your lifetime. God has elected a people for Himself. God will save a people for Himself.

Look at Romans 9

Paul is stressing to the church of Rome that just because someone was born of the blood of Abraham, does not mean they are children of promise. There is a difference, not everyone that was a descendant of Abraham will see heaven. Some were just as sinful as the nations around them. Some of them were idol worshipers.

And so Romans 9-11 brings this out. (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Here he talks about Esau and Jacob. That God’s personal election of people is the final say.

Before even either one of them were born (Isaac and Esau) which means that before either of them could have done anything good or bad, God loved Isaac and hate Esau.

Now does this make anything fair to the children of God and unfair to anyone else?

Here’s another aspect of it that people don’t understand about election. I am told often “well, doesn’t that prevent you from preaching the gospel since God already “chose” His elect?”

Absolutely not!!!!! Romans 10:17 – So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
And again Mark 16:15 – And He said unto them: go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel unto every creature.

Here’s the beauty of this, IF and that’s a big IF, God didn’t have His elect before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4) we would have no hope when we do preach the gospel. NO human knows who the elect are. That is NOT my job. My job consists of a few things on this planet. Preaching, studying, evangelizing, teaching, and so on.

All I can do is preach the word, spread the seed to everyone and anyone. I leave the business of saving to God.

Not in the least, as my previous article described the depravity of man, all men are running away from God as fast as their little legs can carry them. Were it not for God electing some, NO ONE would have any salvation. If we were to get what we truly deserve, everyone would have been damned to hell before even being born in this world. I thank God everyday, not for being elected onto salvation, but Him showing His mercy toward me a sinner.

Friend, if it were not for election, if you are saved, you would have never been saved. If you are not saved, you must first see your sin as God sees your sin. Absolutely disgusting, ungodly, and most of all, absolutely offending to God. Whether your hidden sins, private ones, public ones…..and cry out to God for Him to have mercy on you, a dirty, helpless sinner that is tied to sin like a prisoner to the chain.

I do NOT have faith in the sinner’s prayer that you can find on many sites, simply because it claims when you repeat it, you are saved. Nothing could be further from the truth. To be saved, God first shows you your sin, then works with your soul so you want to get rid of it, and you then see that you can’t do it. Then He saves you, when you finally give up all hope of salvation.

Were it not for election….
His Son would have been sent on that cross, and God would be depending on people that want to believe in His Son on their own will. If man was to follow his own will, which is evil based on what the bible teaches, NO ONE would have chosen His Son.

I pray dear friend that as you read this message, that you may see your sins just as God does, despicable, disgusting, evil and absolutely rotten before God. And that you see that God has a wrath toward you (John 3:36) that will not be satisfied until you repent of your sin and believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and the salvation of your soul.

I hope this very surface scratching article shows you a little more detail on why the doctrine of election is not something to be feared, but to be appreciated because were it not for it, none of us would be saved.