OK….so please tell me what you think “election” is….and what it is for…..?
What is the purpose of being “elected” and who have this rare privilege?
The word election in scripture has a very specific use. There are five instances where election is used. Contrary to the reformed position it is never used in the sense of being saved. All five uses show the meaning of being chosen for specific purposes.
Jesus Christ
Peter refers to Christ as the elect in I Peter 2:4,6, "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious." And to what was He chosen? Verse 6 tells us, "Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief comer stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded." Here, the Lord Jesus Christ is elect to be the chief cornerstone. Which means to be in a position of privilege and honor. It is clear that Peter does NOT mean that Christ was chosen to be saved.
Christ was chosen by the Father to occupy the office of Savior. As such He is the one chosen to bring blessing to mankind. It has nothing to do with Him being saved, for He was never lost. It has everything to do with His position and His calling in God's plan.
Secondly, Israel
In Isaiah 45:4 we find another election, "For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me." Here, Jacob, or Israel is called the elect of God.
Does this mean that all who are Israelites are automatically saved? Absolutely not! Israel was made a covenant nation before God. She was chosen in that respect, yet individuals within the nation still were responsible to exercise faith. Israel as a nation was considered elect.
To be a part of that nation, one had to be identified with that nation. Circumcision provided the means for identification (Gen. 17:9-14). Gentiles could also become part of the elect nation through circumcision (Gen. 17:12), and later, by taking hold of the covenant that was given to Israel (Isa. 56:6). These things identified a person with Israel and with the Lord.
We might ask, "Why is Israel elect?" The answer, ultimately, is because Israel was identified with Christ through the covenant, and Christ is elect. Why God chose or elected Israel. Here Jehovah puts it in the negative. Deuteronomy 7:7, "The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you, and
because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." Here again we see this principle of identification. Why did the Lord choose Israel according to this text? Israel was chosen because of the fathers.
The NT also defines the election of Israel. . One of the key passages is Acts 13:17, "The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought He them out of it." Why did God choose (or, "elect") Israel according to this passage? Israel was chosen to be exalted, and it is based on their identification with the fathers.
Romans 9:11, "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. It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Jacob and Esau represent two nations according to Genesis 25:23, "And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb...." The issue here is not which man was chosen to be saved, but rather, which nation would be chosen to serve God.
Romans 11:28, "As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes." Once again we see that identification with the fathers is the basis for Israel's national election. Because of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), the Israelites held a special position of blessing.
I Peter 1:2, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." Once again we find an election.
In chapter 2:9, Peter clearly identifies this election as national, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation..." (I Pet. 2:9). Peter is consistently using the word "election" in the same way that it was used of Israel in the Old Testament: that they were a covenant people, elect according to the foreknowledge of God.
In II Peter 1:10 "Therefore brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." To what election is he referring? Remember what Peter has already told his readers in I Peter 2:9, "ye are... an holy
nation." II Peter is written to the same group (II Pet. 3:1). It is the election as a nation which Peter has in mind and is saying to these people, give diligence to make your calling and election sure.
All of these examples we see the purpose of election is not picking certain ones to be saved, but rather, it has to do with putting them in a privileged position to minister to others.
Election of the Apostles:
Luke 6:13. Here is another passage which reemphasizes our point that election is not God's choice to save someone. Our verse states, "And when it was day, He called unto Him His disciples: and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles." Does their election here mean that they were automatically saved? No, Luke then lists the twelve chosen. Now we also know that Judas was of the chosen, however we also know he was not saved. Other texts that deal with the issue of Judas being chosen, but not saved. Acts 1:15f, John 6:70, John 13:17-18.
John 15:16 states, "ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you." It is essential to remember that the context here is with regard to the twelve apostles. "I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you." This is spoken in particular to the twelve apostles
as those who will have great authority in the kingdom. Verse 19 continues, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." The choice God is making here relates not to salvation, but rather to God's desire that the apostles bear fruit, and that whatever they ask will be given to them of the
Father. This last statement definitely pertains to the apostles under the kingdom program, and is not a "blank check" promise for all believers today. But again, the election taking place is not to salvation, but rather to a privileged position of service.
The Election of the Body of Christ - His Kingdom - the Church
Ephesians 1:3,4 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." The two little words "in Him" hold the key to understanding election.
Romans 8:33. Here we find another reference to the election of the Body of Christ. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect"? It is evident that Paul is using the word "elect" here in reference to a group, for it is in the plural. The question is, what group does he have in mind? Paul speaks of a new group in Rom 12, the Body of Christ. "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rom. 12:5). This Body of Christ is God's elect today.
Colossians 3:12. "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering." How do we know he is referring here to the Body of Christ? Two things should be noted. First, in the broader context of the Book of Colossians, Paul has already identified himself as a minister to Christ's body, "which is the church" (Col. 1:24). Therefore, these Colossian believers were a part of this body.
What is the purpose of the election of the Body of Christ? It is to serve as ambassadors of Christ and to be channels of God's blessing to mankind. Today it is not the nation Israel which is the channel of God's blessing to the earth. Instead, it is the Body of Christ.
The Election of the Apostle Paul:
The Book of Acts makes reference to Paul's election and its purpose: "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel (or an elect vessel) unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). Also in Acts 22:14, Annanias "a devout man according to the law" (verse 12) states, "The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of His mouth." Paul's calling was clearly to be an apostle, as he himself states, "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God" (I Cor. 1:1).
). Paul was very clearly called unto apostleship and to a position of privilege as a source of blessing to the Gentiles. This is consistent with the purpose of all of the five elections that we find in Scripture. -two individuals, Christ and Paul, and three groups, Isreal, Apostles, The Body of Christ.
From the book
The Power of God unto Salvation - Is the Gospel Enough" by Joel Finck.