Many of us were never the favored child, picked first on the basketball team, or given the promotion of a supervisor within our company, but if you are saved, you are part of God’s elect for whom He chose before the foundation of the world. Our birth, athletic talents, or work ethic had nothing to do with our choices. What a glorious blessing to be part of the elect. Yes, before our conception, the Heavenly Father knew of our election. We are a chosen people. Paul taught in Romans 9:11, “For [Jacob and Esau] 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.” Further, Jesus in John 6:44 explained that “No man can come to me, expect the Father which hath sent me draw him.”
Romans 5:10 teaches that we were enemies of God. Thus, man, who is under the dominion of sin, would not have the desire to seek a Savior, but for the drawing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost enlightens the eyes of our understanding “that [we] may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” Much contention and debate are stirred by these principles. The Bible teaches that our God is supreme in part because of his exercise of providence and sovereignty. Thus, He is in control over all things and is not dependent upon anything. His knowledge is one of eternity and is not contained in our viewpoint of the continuum of history following a year-by-year outline. The Bible must still be preached and taught despite the election that man has free will to choose Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
As Charles Spurgeon preached nearly 160 years ago to his congregation, “brethren, it is neither your task nor mine to guess who God’s elect, apart from marks and evidences are.” Further, he proclaimed, “yet in the preaching of the word there is a discovery made of God’s secret election. We preach the gospel to every creature under heaven; we deliver God’s threats and promises to every sinner.” He explained, “that gospel is, of itself, through God the Holy Spirit, the discerner of the chosen ones of God, when they feel its quickening power and are raised from among the spiritually dead.” Our election is a blessed assurance for which we can rejoice in, even during the darkest of days. Here are five blessings of our election:
1. Enduring and Persevering Election
Our pastors and church teachers cannot overemphasize the importance of one being certain of his or her salvation. The intention is not to make anyone doubt the validity of his or her salvation. If one has been saved by the regeneration from the shed blood of Jesus Christ, he or she is part of the “elect.” In Hebrews 6:10-11, we are taught to give the “same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end” as we do to our work in the ministry. In 2 Peter 1:10, the apostle wrote to, “give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.”
Peter and the writer of Hebrews shared the same concern for those in the church who do not have salvation through Jesus Christ and, therefore, cannot endure and will “fall away.” The surety of our calling and election is solely through the grace of the Heavenly Father. Accordingly, the knowledge of our election is a blessing and gives us a greater desire to be more obedient and do more work for the furtherance of the kingdom.
2. Accepted Election
The elect is accepted by the Heavenly Father because we are holy, blameless, and adopted through the His son and our savior Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 1:4-6, Paul wrote to the church that not only are we a chosen people, but “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Our holiness is given by Him, “having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” In verse 11, we realize it was through Christ “whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”
His purpose is for all to come to the saving knowledge of the truth of salvation because of His great love. Timothy wrote that our Savior, “who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4. Accordingly, we are “now justified by his blood” and “saved from the wrath through him.” Our acceptance letter was written in red.
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3. Heeding Election
The protection and the avengement of the elect is a manifestation of the providence of God. John Calvin, in his commentary, wrote, “God declares that he will avenge believers, not for the purpose of giving a loose rein to their carnal affections, but in order to convince them that their salvation is dear and precious in his sight, and in this manner to induce them to rely on his protection.” Jesus, in Luke 18:7, said, “shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?”
Many bemoan our belief in eternal salvation as a license to sin without any worry about forfeiting our salvation. The Bible teaches to the contrary as eternal salvation gives a great love of our Savior and a desire to draw closer to Him in obedience. There are certainly consequences for the sins of the believer even after salvation. David did not lose his salvation following his commission of adultery and murder, but forfeited the joy contained therefrom. When we realize the cost and value of our salvation, sin brings misery into the life of the saved. Thus, the knowledge of our election should draw us closer to Christ and the desire to heed His direction.
4. Justifying Election
Paul, in Romans 8:33, wrote, “who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” If it is God who justified us by sending forth His son as a propitiatory means for our accusations, who “lay anything to the charge” on the account of the believer? Indeed, the believer is justified under the blood of the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Calvin wrote that our confidence in our justification through Jesus Christ “averts the danger of accusation” by our adversary. He discussed the second assault as one of condemnation, as mentioned by Paul in verse 34. Calvin continued by explaining that the condemnation of the believer is subverted “as no one by accusing can prevail when the judge absolves; so there remains no condemnation, when satisfaction is given to the law, and the penalty is already paid.”
The penalty and judgment for our sins were paid by Jesus, who suffered the wrath meted out by His Heavenly Father. Earlier in Romans 5:18, Paul explained that “by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” Because of our redemption through Jesus Christ, we are justified and viewed by God blameless as a joint heir with the Son.
5. Merciful Election
Paul in Romans 9:15 quoted the words of God to Moses when He declared, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” The unmerited favor of the Heavenly Father is given pursuant to his providential power. Many have issues with God’s declaration in verse 13, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Similarly, God hardened the heart of Pharoah “that [He] might display [His] power in [him] and that [His] name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
The blood-bought believer has no need to be discouraged, confused, or disheartened by God’s providential power. Conversely, we should rejoice because through Jesus Christ, “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will.” Our merciful redemption through the sacrifice of Christ is His will.
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Chad Napier, while an attorney by trade, his passion is filling the pulpits of local churches when needed and engaging a broader audience with his writing. He enjoys running and golf and recently completed his degree at Dallas Theological Seminary. Chad lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee with his wife Brandi and one-year-old Welsh Terrier LuLu.