Post 93 - Unconditional Election: What Sayeth the Scriptures?

"Depart from me, I never knew you."

--Matthew 7:23

"Depart from me, I never chose you."

--Calvinism 101

There is no denying that a doctrine of divine, unconditional election is biblical. Throughout both Old- and New Testaments we find people being chosen by God in what appears to be an unconditional selection--that is, a choosing of people not based on any quality revealed in the person and not based on God's foresight of anything the person will do.

God's "purpose of election" (Rom 9:11) in the Bible is actually a wonderful outworking of His grace and love for the world, yet Calvinism has imposed a unique, unbiblical understanding that distorts divine election into something altogether foreign to Scripture. Here's what Calvinism proposes:

“All (people) are not created on equal terms.”[i] God, from before the foundation of the world, divided all people into two groups; those he chose to save (the elect), and those who were not chosen to be saved (the non-elect/reprobate).

God’s choice was not based on anything in the person, including foreseen faith. The elect will go to heaven. The non-elect will go to hell. God’s election is unconditional and final.

[i] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III.21.5

In other words, according to Calvinism, everyone's eternal destiny has been unchangeably predetermined, which means that for a relative few there is a guarantee of heaven, but for most people simply being born is a foreordained eternal curse.

But, what sayeth the scriptures?

Election and the Heart of God

At the heart of the Calvinistic doctrine of unconditional election (the "U" of the T-U-L-I-P acrostic - see Post 90 - Calvinism: a Primer) is a profound misunderstanding of both God and the gospel. Sadly, Calvinism completely misses the very heart of God's plan of salvation, which means they miss the very heart of God for his creation.

[Jesus] saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. (Mar 6:34)

Jesus cried out and said, "[I came} to save the world" (John 12:47).

Compassion for lost souls--that's the heart of God. The salvation of the world--that's the plan of God. All of Scripture is the revelation of God's love for the lost and his plan to save them through his Son. Divine election is the clever strategy God employs to ensure the success of his plan.

To be clear, few Christians believe that the salvation of "the world" means that every individual in the world will be saved. Yet it is evident from Scripture that Jesus' death, once for all, made salvation possible for everyone--the chosen and the unchosen--without exception.

God's Purpose of Election

Our first introduction to unconditional election in the Bible is God's perplexing choice of a moon-worshiper named Abram. While the "why" of God's choice is a mystery, the "for what" of God's choice is clearly revealed:

I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that... all the families of the earth will be blessed through you... and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen 12:2-3, Gen 22:18)

"So that... " initiates a purpose clause that reveals the "for what" of God's choice. God chose and blessed Abram/Abraham and his offspring (Israel/Jesus) so that... they would bless "all the families" and "all the nations" of the world.

In other words, the elect were chosen by God to bless the non-elect. That's it. That's God's purpose of election in Scripture. Throughout the Bible. God sovereignly, unconditionally chooses people, glorifies them with divine gifting, and entrusts them with the responsibility of blessing the (non-elect) world. Simple. Biblical. Benevolent.

Election: A Strategy for Kingdom Growth

In view of Jesus' stated purpose to "save the world", divine election then, was God's clever, kingdom-expanding, world-saving strategy--a form of grace from a benevolent God who, in effect, divinely "conscripted" people into service. The elect were given the responsibility to model and share God's love, grace and mercy with the world, thereby persuading others of his goodness and inviting them into the covenant community.

'Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.' (Mat 22:9)

The Parable of the Talents (Mat 25:14-30) is a wonderful illustration of God's strategy of employing the elect to draw the non-elect into the kingdom. In the parable, the Master (God) gives his servants (the elect) large sums of money (gifts/divine enablement) and holds them accountable to "reap where he did not sow and to gather where he did not scatter."

In other words, the chosen were to return to the Master increase/profit from those not chosen--from "outsiders" (Col 4:5), "pagans"/"unbelievers" (1 Pet 2:12). And since God is in the soul-saving business, profit is simply the salvation of more lost souls.

Election unto Salvation?

Contrary to what Calvinism proposes, God's purpose of election in the Bible has very little to do with one's personal eternal destiny but everything to do with the success of God's gracious plan to save the world. Here's what is clear in Scripture:

(1) the elect were chosen and called by God

(2) the elect were gifted/divinely enabled for kingdom service

(3) the elect were held accountable for their calling and gifting

The Calvinistic idea of election unto salvation is completely foreign to Scripture with one notable exception. The twelve apostles were prophesied to be "raised up on the last day" (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54) and seated on twelve thrones in God's kingdom (Luke 22:30). This prophetic assurance of heaven was only given to the apostles, yet even the apostles never presumed upon God's prophetic grace. (More on that when we discuss the 'P' of T-U-L-I-P.)

Again, contrary to Calvinism, divine election was never an unconditional guarantee of heaven. Heaven has always been conditioned on abiding faith.

Final Thoughts

The biblical truth that God's purpose for the elect was to bless the non-elect is diametrically opposed to the unbiblical Calvinistic understanding that there is no hope for the non-elect.

The stark difference between the biblical view of God's purpose of election and Calvinistic view can be summed up like this:

The Bible: through the elect, to the world

Calvinism: through the elect, to the elect; the rest of the world be damned.

Additional Resources:

Book - God's Elect: The Chosen Generation - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gods-elect-john-chipman/1139224593?ean=9798306463629

Video - https://youtu.be/I6v0HKD4yZk

Next Post: Limited Atonement - What Sayeth the Scriptures?

Here's a link: https://www.bibleinsights.net/post/post-94-limited-atonement-what-sayeth-the-scriptures