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Election
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Most of the verses are listed in the document, however, some of the longer passages are not.
Election
Election is a subject that is debated among Christians quite frequently. Calvinism and Arminianism are the two extremes. I prefer to emulate Paul, who was neither. They contradict one another, and you know what? They both use the exact same thing to prove their position: The Bible. Calvinism teaches that only the elect will be saved and Arminianism teaches that those who persevere will be saved. [1 Corinthians 14:33: For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.] He is not a God of disorder, and we need to keep this in mind at all times. But, it’s particularly applicable when studying Scriptures.
Is election the same thing as salvation? [2 Corinthians 5:14: For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:] [John 1:9: That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.] Each and every person who comes into the world can be saved.
What does it take to be saved? In Acts 16:31, in response to the Philippian Jailor’s question, “What must I do to be saved?” the answer is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved.” The aorist tense of the verb “believe” is used and not the present tense. The aorist tense is punctiliar action; it’s an event; you graph it with a dot (·). The present tense is a process; it’s continuing action; you graph it with a line (¾). You believe one time and you are saved!
You don’t have to continue believing (being faithful) to stay saved. That would be the case if the present tense had been used. There are no works involved on your part to get saved; you don’t have to be faithful to stay saved; you don’t have to perform good works to prove that you’re saved. All the works necessary for salvation have been completed by the Lord Jesus on the cross! John 3:3 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born [aorist] again from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” When you are born from above, you are placed into the family of God. Just like a baby here on Earth, you cannot be unborn. The action cannot be reversed. You are in the family forever, and nothing (not even you yourself) can ever change that!
[2 Timothy 1:9: Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,] “Before the world began.” Literally, “before times age-lasting”. The beginnings of our purpose in God is from before time was reckoned by ages or years or cycles of any sort. It’s from the time before the world existed as we know it. This idea goes along with the idea of Christ’s pre-existence. In that timeless present, grace was given to us in God’s decree, even though we did not yet exist! Before time, God had a purpose and a calling for us! Isn’t that exciting to think about?
But, we see in 2 Timothy 1:9 that Spiritual salvation comes before the calling. We are told in Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Not all are called! The many in this verse are called not unto salvation, because the invitation to be saved is not limited to just many, but it’s to every person who comes into this world. The calling is a holy calling and it’s given after a person is saved. Out of the many that are called, a few are chosen or elect, or called-out.
[Hebrews 3:1: Wherefore, holy brethren [talking to obedient saved people], partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;] The holy calling is a heavenly calling and 1 Thessalonians tells us that it is unto his Kingdom and glory. [1 Thessalonians 2:12: That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called [present, active, participle] you unto his kingdom and glory.]
All who are saved will see the Kingdom, but not all the saved will enter the Kingdom. [Matthew 7:21: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.] Not all his children are doing his will. This is talking about saved people. If you have any doubts about that, [1 Corinthians 12:3: Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost Spirit.]. [Matthew 7:21] Not all his children are doing his will. In John 14:15 Jesus says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
That’s the calling. [Ephesians 1:4-5: According as he hath chosen [elected; from eklegomai; to call out from; middle voice – for himself] us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children [son placement; not modern-day adoption] by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,] Election takes place within the body of Christ! It’s from among those whom he knew would be saved. The elect are to become sons, “According to the good pleasure of his will”.
[Romans 8; mark it] [Romans 8:29-30: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them [the saved] he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.] [All three are aorist, active.]
[Romans 9] Make no doubts about it: God is sovereign in election! [Romans 9:11] Jacob was elect! [Romans 11:5-6] It’s not of works, it’s of grace! Galatians 5:4 says, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” [Romans 9:12: It was said unto her, The elder [greater] shall serve the younger [lesser].] The greater shall serve the lesser. This is talking about position within the family! It’s not talking about being born into the family. [Romans 9:13] This is a preference. Remember, “love” and “hate” are relative terms. We are told to love God and hate our parents.
[Romans 9:14] Here is sovereignty of God mentioned again.
[Romans 9:15] Jacob was blessed.
[Romans 9:16: So then it is not of him that willeth [Jacob or Esau], nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.] This is based strictly on God’s will! The last shall be first.
[Romans 9:20] The spirit of Esau said, “I object!”
[Romans 9:21: Hath not the potter power over the clay [Jacob and Esau], of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour [Jacob], and another unto dishonour [Esau]?] God is sovereign! [What is a vessel of dishonour?]
[1 Corinthians 6:19-20: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.]
[1 Corinthians 12:18: But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.]
[2 Timothy 2:20-21: But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.]
So, just who are the elect? If you think back to the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob was last in the family, and he had a bad reputation. He was the younger child, and although he had been promised many things, he was sneaky in the way he went about it. Keep that in mind as we read [1 Corinthians 1:26-29: For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.]. The elect are those who cannot glory in their own abilities or positions in life. Jacob could not glory in anything he had done. He was a sneak! But, God later changed his name to Israel (A prince of God).
[James 2:5: Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world [kosmos; earthly] rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom [heavenly] which he hath promised to them that love him [keep his commandments]?]
I want us to talk about adoption a bit and make sure we understand what the Bible is talking about. To our way of thinking, when you say “adoption”, you are talking about a child being born to one set of parents, and then being adopted by another set of parents.
Well, there are many people who talk about being adopted into the family of God. When you are born into the family of God, is it necessary to also be adopted into the family? When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we are born from above into the family of God. Being born into the family of God, means adoption (in modern terms) is not necessary.
The phrase “adoption of children” is the translation of one Greek word, “huiothesia”. This word is the same word that is used in [Romans 8:15] and is a compound word containing the words “huios” and “thesis”.
The word “huios” means “son”. It’s a mature child or an adult child. Spiritually, it’s a person who is spiritually where God wants him to be. “Huios” is talking about maturity and son-ship, as opposed to nativity or simply being a child. Maturity and son-ship were not attained at birth. Instead, it waited until the thirtieth year.
So, we have the first half of “huiothesia”, which is “huios” or “son”. The word “thesis” means “to put”, “to lay”, “to appoint”, or “to ordain”. Not son-ship itself, but son-ship conferred. There is not a single hint to suggest that the word “huiothesia” means “adoption”. The word “huiothesia” means “To appoint as a son” or “ordain to son-ship”.
So, adoption is placing a child that has been born into the family into a position of a son. A good illustration of this is when a Jewish boy becomes a “son of the commandment” and a full member of the congregation at his bar mitzvah. The Hebrew word “bar” means “son”, and the word “mitzvah” means “command”. The root word, “tsavah” means to “enjoin” and is translated “appoint”, “charge”, “put”, or “command”. The elect were chosen to become sons before the foundation of the world, but have not been made manifest. [Romans 8:19] The manifestation of the sons of God will be made at the resurrection of the body. [Romans 8:23: We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit [that is to say], the redemption of our body.]
So, we see that the elect will be sons of God. [Job 1:6: Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.] [Psalm 82:6-7: I have said, Ye are gods [judges]; and all of you are children [sons] of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.] [Daniel 10:13: But the prince [Jacob’s name was changed to “Prince of God”] of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.]
The angels of God, even the fallen ones, are known as the sons of God and they are principalities, rulers, and powers in the heavens. We are told that if we are victorious over our enemies and keep His works to the end that we will have positions of authority over the nations and we will rule them with a rod of iron!
[Revelation 2:26-27: “And he that overcometh [ones being victorious], and keepeth [guarding] my works unto the end, to him will I give power [authority] over the nations: And he shall rule [feed or tend] them with a rod of iron...”
This is confirmed in [Revelation 17:14: These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen [elect], and faithful.]. The words “called”, “chosen”, and “faithful” are adjectives that describe the kings and lords that are with him. In Matthew 19:27-28, Peter asks the Lord, [Matthew 19:27-28: Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.]
[2 Peter 1; hold your place in Romans] Brethren must give diligence! Is diligence how we are saved? [2 Peter 1:4-10: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence [strive] to make your calling and election sure [stable;firm;steadfast]: for if ye do these things [verses 4-9], ye shall never fall [“ptaiO”; stumble; stagger]:] Is this spiritual salvation? If it is, then it’s a salvation of works! What we’re told in this passage is that we have to strive and work for stability in our calling and election and to do it in a hurry! Don’t waste time accomplishing this! We may stumble, but we don’t have to fall.
[Romans 11; hold your place in 2 Peter] Israel stumbled and fell, and what happened to them? They were cut off! [Romans 11:11: I say then, Have they stumbled [“ptaiO”; stumble; stagger; same as 2 Peter 1:10] that they [Israel] should fall [from “piptO”; to fall completely and for good]? God forbid: but rather through their fall [“para” + “piptO”; beside falling; a false step] [this] salvation [salvation of the soul] is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.] [Romans 11:16-17: For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the [holy, living] branches be broken off [being alive, they can be grafted in again; verse 23], and thou, being a wild olive tree [Gentiles; they are an olive tree], wert graffed in among them [you don’t graft in dead branches; if you do, don’t expect it to be successful and fruitful], and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree [the blessing of the nation of Israel];] To be “cut off” in the OT was not to lose your salvation, but to lose your inheritance in the land. Everyone who left Egypt was cut off, right? Well, all except for Joshua and Caleb and the children 20 years and younger. (Caleb was a Gentile. His name mean “dog” in Hebrew.)
[Hebrews 3:19: So we see that they could not enter in [the Land Flowing with Milk and Honey] because of unbelief [“apistia”; no faith.] The same is true here in Romans. [Romans 11:20-21: Well; because of unbelief [“apistia”; no faith] they were broken off, and thou standest by faith [“pistis”; noun; the opposite of “apistia”.]. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.]
Israel fell because they had no faith. Israel was just (they kept the law), but they would not live by faith (more than just keeping the law). [Hebrews 10:38: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man he [the just one] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.] Those who have faith need to add to their faith so they can stand and not fall. Those who fell and were cut off did not lose their salvation. If they did, then Moses and Aaron lost their salvation. If you or I are cut off, we don’t lose our spiritual salvation either, but we will not have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom. It will affect our inheritance.
[2 Peter 1:11: For so an entrance [seeing is being saved; entrance is more than just seeing] shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting [age-lasting] kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.]
As we looked at a moment ago, Romans 11:21 tells us to, “Be not high minded, but fear.” We need to give diligence to confirm our calling and election by adding to our faith. What do we need to be adding? Those things outlined in 2 Peter 1. “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”
If we do these things; if we add these things to our faith, then we will be spared and not cut off as some of the nation of Israel were, even though they were elect or called out. What is our promise? [Revelation 20:6: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first [better] resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.]
That’s an outstanding promise! I want to be a part of that and I want you to be a part of that!
). Also Adam said she was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. We as Christians and believes of Jesus are the bride. There won't be any Christians discarded off to the side... we (us Christians) will be the few out of the true believers of Jesus.