Election

Election is the plan of God for believers only, whereby He chooses or selects certain things to be true. The Greek word for election is “eklektos,” and means picked out, selected, or chosen for privilege. The question that must be answered in order to clearly understand this doctrine is “What are these things that God chooses for believers?” Please notice that it is not God choosing a person for salvation, as some teach; rather it is God choosing certain things to be true of believers. An unbeliever must use their volition to choose to believe in Christ or to reject Christ. (Ephesians 1:4)

This false doctrine, “that God chooses some to be saved and others to be lost,” is called “limited atonement.” What the Bible teaches is “unlimited atonement.” The Bible teaches that any person may come to Christ by faith. God is not willing that anyone should perish but that all should come to know Christ as Savior. (II Peter 3:9) At salvation, God has decreed (chosen or elected) certain things to be true for those who have believed.

Three Elections in History

There have been at least three elections by God in history. The first is Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind. The second is the election of Israel as a client nation. The third is Church Age believers as the Royal Family of God. Therefore, election is for divine production (service), not for salvation.

The Election of Jesus Christ

The first election by God took place in eternity past when the plan was formulated for the salvation of mankind. Jesus Christ volunteered to become the Savior and was elected to privilege by God, at that time. It is the inheritance of Christ that believers share with Him because of our unique relationship as Royal Family of God.

Jesus Christ was chosen by God the Father for a service. That service was for Him to become a human being, live a sinless life, and pay the penalty for sin by His death on the Cross. Christ now sits at the place of extreme privilege and honor, “the right hand of God the Father.”

God is completely satisfied with the work of Christ and He (Christ) has been given His rightful place of royalty in Heaven. As Royal Family of God, every Church Age believer has been elected to these same special privileges by God. These privileges begin at salvation and continue throughout all eternity. (I Peter 1:2; 2:4-10)

The Election of Israel

Israel was elected for a service to God. This service was to guard the Word of God and to spread the Gospel message. Of course, Israel as a nation failed to completely fulfill the purpose for which God had chosen them, even to the point of rejecting the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, their election was unchanged by their negative response to it. (Romans 4:3)

There was always a remnant of faithful believers that God used to fulfill the purpose for which He had elected them. This remnant remained faithful to the Lord through many hardships and trials, by utilizing the Faith-Rest Technique (mixing the promises of God with faith). (Romans 9:6; 11:1-6)

The Election of Church Age Believers

Church Age believers have been chosen by God for a service. This service is to be Royal Family of God, the royal family of Jesus Christ. Every person who believes in Christ during this dispensation becomes Royal Family of God. As royalty, it is the responsibility of each believer to fulfill their election by living the Christian Way of Life. (II Thessalonians 2:13-14) The Christian Way of Life involves a life of discipline in order to learn God’s grace system for success. There is no shortcut when it comes to learning Bible doctrine and applying it to our daily experience. Even Jesus had to learn Bible doctrine by studying. His study, of course, was from the Old Testament Scriptures. At the age of twelve, He confounded the Hebrew scholars with His knowledge of God’s Word. (Luke 2:41-52)

We must become knowledgeable of the doctrines of God’s Word and how they apply to our lives, if we are to “fulfill” our election. (II Peter 1:10) This requires a life of consistent and persistent learning accurate Bible doctrine. In order to fully understand spiritual information from the Word of God, believers must rely upon the teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit. Spiritual things are revealed only by the Holy Spirit to spiritual believers (those who are in fellowship with God and filled with the Holy Spirit). Being filled with the Holy Spirit is strictly a matter of a believer’s volition (free will). Personal sin removes our fellowship with God, resulting in the loss of the filling of the Holy Spirit. By naming or acknowledging our sin to God, we are restored to fellowship with God. This is God’s grace system and the only one that works. (I John 1:5-10)

Foreknowledge

God’s foreknowledge is often studied in connection with the doctrine of election. It is often erroneously stated that because God knew in advance who would believe in Christ, He chose them for salvation in eternity past. Nothing could be further from the truth, and this is in fact false doctrine. (Romans 8:29)

Foreknowledge is part of God’s attribute of omniscience. God, of course, knows all the knowable and He has always known it. It was no surprise to God when you believed in Christ, but God did not force you to believe. Foreknowledge never determines what is going to be, it is only the knowledge of what is going to be. Foreknowledge is an attribute; election is an act.

The foreknowledge of God makes nothing certain; it merely perceives what is certain. What God knows right now, He has always known. God even knows the possibilities, had we taken a different path in life. This does not, however, mean that God made all the choices for us; He leaves that up to us. Of course, God in His grace directs us, influences us, and He guides us to people, places, and circumstances.

Divine Decrees

God’s decrees are always certain, perfect, and unchangeable. God’s plan is always perfect. Only man is imperfect. Some decrees God chooses to carry out Himself. We call these decrees “immediate,” which include things such as Creation. God created time, space, and a place for mankind to live. He chose not to delegate this act to another.

When God chooses to allow His decree to be carried out by another source other than Himself, we call this “mediate.” For example, man was created with free will, which was decreed by God, in eternity past. With free will mankind is free to carry out the decrees of God in their lives, by choosing to believe in Christ and then choosing to fulfill God’s plan for their lives.

God decreed (immediate decree) that all believers in this age would become Royal Family of God. This fact will never change during the Church Age because God’s decrees never change, they are always certain. Therefore, as a believer in Christ you can be confident that when you believed in Christ you became royalty.

All of God’s decrees are given in order to bring honor and glory to Himself. All decrees regarding believers are designed by God for their maximum happiness and His eternal glory. Since God knows all of our thoughts, decisions, and actions, it only makes perfect, logical sense to completely rely on Him. By allowing God to fully influence our thoughts, decisions, and actions, we are assured of the proper fulfillment of His perfect plan for us.

Think for a moment about all that God has done to reach you, to provide the necessary tools for your happiness, His patience and love, His grace, and His blessings in your life. God elected us for a service. We know that this service is our “reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1-2) We know what this service is and we know how to accomplish it. We also know the alternative to fulfilling God’s plan. For believers who choose to fulfill this service, there awaits a life of peace, joy, and contentment. (Colossians 3:12-17)