Election

I. We need to avoid these two extremes.

A. That election is everything. The elect are going to be saved regardless of what we do or say. God will draw them to himself regardless so it is best if we leave them alone and let God do His thing. It is wrong to preach the gospel to the lost (or to the saved, for that matter.) This is hardshell-ism.

B. That election is nothing. It doesn't matter. We don't need to drown the doctrine of election in a sea of theology.

1. Don't say that "God voted for you and the devil voted against you, and you cast the deciding vote." There is no scripture for this in all of the Bible.

2. Let's keep God as "Lord of Lords and King of Kings" in the matter of salvation, not giving the glory to man, but to God.

3. Let's keep looking to God to save sinners, not man to help God save sinners.

C. The right attitude - believe both election and preaching to the lost.

1. Believe election as taught in the Bible.

a. Paul taught election - Rom. 8:33 - Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?

b. Peter taught election - I Peter 1:2 - Elect according to the foreknowledge of God.

c. John taught election - II John 1, 13.

d. Jesus taught election.

1. John 6:37 - All the Father giveth me shall come to me.

2. John 6:44 - No man comes except the Father draw him.

3. John 6:63-65 - Explanation of verse 37 and 44.

2. Believe in preaching the gospel to the lost.

a. Paul preached to the lost.

1. Acts 16:14 - Paul preaching to Lydia.

2. Acts 17:2 - Paul's habit was preaching to the lost.

b. Peter preached to the lost. Acts 10:34-43 - to the household of Cornelius.

c. Christ preached to the lost. Luke 19:10 - Christ came to seek and save the lost.

3. Look to God to save the lost through the blood of Christ, for salvation is of the Lord.

II. What is election? - a choosing

A. Chose - eklego - to chose, out from, to pick, single out, to chose out.

B. Elect - eklegtos - chosen, choice, a laying out.

C. Chose and elect comes from the same base Greek word.

D. We ought to believe election because the word is in the King James version of the Bible 27 times. We believe in the trinity, yet the word "trinity" is not found in the Bible at all.!

E. Election is God chose man, not man choosing God.

1. Acts 13:48 - Those ordained to eternal life believed, not those that believed were ordained to eternal life.

2. Is. 45:4 - Israel is called "mine elect".

3. Matt. 24:31 - The angels shall gather together "His elect".

4. Luke 18:7 - God shall avenge "His own elect".

5. Rom. 8:33 - Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?

6. Note the progression in the above verses (#'s 3-5).

F. Nobody can come to God except God draw him. Destroys the theory that God votes for you and the Devil votes against you, and you make the deciding vote.

1. Ps. 14:1-3 - Nobody had chosen God when God looked upon men. (This destroys the view that God looked in the future and elected those he saw by foreknowledge would believe.)

2. Rom. 3:9-18 - Everybody is exactly the same. All are lost without Christ.

3. Eph. 2:1-3 - We were quickened (saved) by Christ, when we were just like everybody else.

III. Why were we elected?

A. Eph. 1:5 - The good pleasure of His will.

1. Many folks believe God is unjust in doing His will, but believe they are just in doing their will.

2. Rom. 9:18-21 - These verses are for those people who believe God is unjust in doing what He wants to with what belongs to Him.

3. The whole argument boils down to two things:

a. Do you believe God is completely sovereign?

b. Do you believe man is completely, totally depraved?

B. Greek word refers to: "to pick, single out, to chose out".

C. It is wrong to emphasize "selection from among others, or preference above others."

D. The main thought of election is appointment by God for a certain object or goal.

IV. When were we elected or chosen?

A. Eph. 1:4 - Chosen before the foundation of the world. Remember that chosen and election come from the same base Greek word.

V. When are we saved?

A. Eph. 1:11-14 - Talks about the "Day of our salvation".

B. Col. 1:6 - When they knew the grace of God in truth - a practical application of the grace of God in salvation to them personally.

C. Rom. 10:13-17 -God sends preachers to preach to the lost.

VI. What does election make the saved person do?

A. Col. 3:12-17

1. Verse 12, 13 - It doesn't make us hard, but tender toward God and our fellow man.

2. Verse 14 - love, which is the stuff that bind together, showing true spiritual and physical completeness.

3. Verse 15 - Let the peace of God rule in our hearts.

4. Verse 16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.

5. Verse 17 - Do all in the name (authority) of Christ.