Election....

Let me first start this blog off by saying I apologize for the long break. Not that I’m trying to come up with excuses or anything, but I am taking 16 hours of class and working atleast 12 hours per week. However, I still intend to blog because I like to get my thoughts down on paper and because I like to remind myself what my life is really about.

So I’m about to talk about a subject that is an extremely hot topic especially in the Southern Baptist Convention. I did not pick this to talk about because it is a controversially subject (even though it is). I did not pick this to talk about because I feel so strongly about it (even though I do). I picked this topic for two reasons and just two reasons. I want to talk about election not only because it is BIBLICAL but also because it is BEAUTIFUL. As with most theological subjects, I do not consider myself to be any kind of expert. However, the Word of God teaches this doctrine so clearly, it’s quite easy for me to show you how this is both biblical and beautiful.

Let’s start off with a definition of what election actually is. Election is the sovereign choice of God He made in eternity past to seek and save a lost person from his or her sins in order that they might be reconciled to God to give Him all glory, honor, and praise for their salvation and so they might be holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4-9). To further add on to this definition, this election is not based on anything the person receiving it has done or ever will do but given freely according to the pleasure of God’s will. Maybe at this point of the definition you are saying to yourself, “I don’t know about all this stuff. I mean, I thought it was OUR faith that saves us? Don’t we have a free will? And if we do have a free will how can God elect us in eternity past without us being robots? Why do we even share the gospel if God has already set apart some to save and some to pass over in condemnation? Vargas this doesn’t seem right at all!!!” These objections all deserve to be answered and I will do my best to show what the Word of God has to say about each one.

First, let’s address the objection that it is OUR faith and OUR will that determine our salvation. I have two verses that I think will lay this to rest. These are two of my favorite verse in all of scripture. Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” I’m positive that many of us have heard this verse numerous times. Let’s look at what this really says and what it means for this objection. Read this next part slowly and carefully. By GRACE we have been saved THROUGH faith. NOT of ourselves. We did not deserve to be saved but we were. We were saved but it was NOT of ourselves. This teaches that we are not saved of anything we did because it was grace! “Not even our faith?” you ask. Look again. What is the gift of God? Everything previously mentioned. The salvation by grace and the faith through which salvation is made ours is ALL part of the gift. I challenge you to read through this verse very carefully. The end of verse 9 screams that all sources of our salvation including the source of our faith is from God that no one may boast so God gets all the glory. This does not mean we are void of any action at all. We believe. This simply means that the ultimate source of our faith is from God and that God enables us to belief. Without God we would have no faith. That is what this verse means. This is not the only verse by any means that shows this. Check Romans 3:21-28 also.
Second, let’s address the objection that if election is true (see Acts 13:48, Ephesians 1:3-6, Romans 9:11-12, John 15:16, etc.) then man’s will is void and his will simply does not exist. Let me first give you a glimpse into the “will of man”. See if any of this sounds familiar to you. “There is NONE righteous, not even ONE; There is NONE who understands, There is NONE who seeks for God”(Roman 3:10-11) or “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was ONLY evil CONTINUALLY” (Genesis 6:5) or “For I know that NOTHING good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Roman 7:18) or maybe “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Roman 7:24). Ephesians gives us another picture when it calls us “dead” in our original state before God’s grace. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know many dead people who can do much. This type of language is used to convey that we are utterly sinful people! Our will is bent on evil apart from the grace of God. That is what the “will of man” is like. Only by God’s electing us in eternity past are we able to have faith in Him and receive the righteousness of Christ. Praise be to God! Are you starting to see why I say biblical and beautiful?

Third, let’s consider the proposition that if election is true (which perhaps we are convinced of very well based on the authority of scripture) then does that mean we don’t need to preach the gospel to this dieing world. I mean, if God already has it taken care of it why do we even need to do anything? If someone is elected, they will be saved bottom line right? Well....here's the thing. We can not take such an attitude without blatantly disobeying the commands of God. Did Jesus not tell us to “Go there and make disciple of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” and did Paul not also say that “we preach Christ crucified”? The redeemed of Christ are the means by which God uses to bring about the message of the gospel to the lost. Romans 10:14-15 says, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!’”. These objections to God’s election are not new and scripture is clearly not silent on the subject. What a blessing that we as the children of God get to be vessels for the best news anyone will ever hear.

This doctrine is so precious to me. I love it. I love the truth behind it and what it means for everyone. It means that though we have sinned greatly against God and though we deserve wrath and death God has elected individuals for salvation by His sovereign hand for His own glory! It means that God gets all the glory for our salvation. It means that God REALLY is sovereign! It means that we can go and preach the gospel boldly knowing that there are those who will respond because of God’s election by grace! It means God has had a plan all along and it means that we can rejoice greatly in it! That is what this doctrine means. That’s what it means to me and that’s what I hope it comes to mean to you. Its beautiful guys! Embrace it! I pray that each one of you would examine the scriptures to see that this is true.

For those of you that may still disagree I want you to know that I love you and I say all these things in the most loving way you can on a keyboard. I would love to talk about this doctrine or anything other biblical doctrine any time with anyone willing to do so in a productive and loving manner. And if you want something further to chew on check this quote out that I now have posted up on facebook. I close with the words of J.I. Packer -- "How, then, do you pray? Do you ask God for your daily bread? Do you thank God for your conversion? Do you pray for the conversion of others? If the answer is 'no', I can only say that I do not think you yet born again. But if the answer is 'yes'- well, that proves that, whatever side you may have taken in debates on this question in the past, in your heart you believe in the sovereignty of God no less firmly than anyone else. On our feet we may have arguments about it, but on our knees we are all agreed."