Election

Election is a very tricky subject. Many people do not want to hear it, they say it's Calvinism, mostly Arminians who say this. But Calvinism isn't the same as election. Election is a very, very Biblical concept. Let's assemble all the verses about election, analyze their contexts, and draw conclusions.

Matthew 24:29-31

Here, we see Jesus discussing the end-times, with the darkened sky and falling of stars from heaven, similar to the Sixth Seal in Revelation. Essentially, during the apocalypse, Jesus will return in glory. In doing so, with a trumped call, angels will be sent across the world to gather up the elect.

Romans 11:1-10

Here, we see Paul preaching to the Romans. Paul references Elijah, how God specifically uses the word kept when referring to men who stay faithful to him. Paul expands on this, saying that there are even now those kept in the faith, and this is by grace. Paul affirms that grace necessarily cannot be works-based, as it is a product of God; we cannot work our way into grace. Paul then elborates that many Israelites, such as the Pharisees, have been blinded by God, their hearts hardened into believing they can attain grace by works. The elect, however, have obtained this grace.

Romans 8:18-30

Paul here speaks to the Romans. He speaks how we will suffer for Christ, but the suffering now is incomparable to the glory of Heaven. We are slaves of sin, we willingly sinned but this led to our enslavement by Satan. Essentially, we have willingly walked into a trap. Yet still, we can be liberated from the deception and slavery of Satan only by God -- This is similar to the parable Jesus told, how the night-robber must first bind the strong man before robbing him. Those who have the Holy Spirit eagerly await heaven. This, heaven, is hope. And this hope that we will be saved by God, freed from sin and Satan and brought to heaven by Christ, this is saving faith. And because we cannot see heaven, this is why it is hope, and why it is faith, and not merely a goal but true hope. The Holy Spirit also what strengthens us and intercedes for us to God. For the faithful, all things, no matter how bad they may seem, are for our good. Finally, Paul discusses how the chosen have been foreknown by God -- known ahead of time, in soul and spirit. Remember when God talks about knowing someone, he means in the sense of having that relation with them of saving faith. After all, Jesus does say to the unbelievers "I never knew you". So those who God knew ahead of time, before creation, he has predestined to salvation. Not only this, but he has predestined them to be justified -- saved -- and glorified. At its core, this passage discusses that those whom God has called will suffer, but in the end will be saved. They will be saved by God's grace and election, which he has predestined from eternity, before all creation. They are not saved because of the actions they take, but simply because God has chosen them from before creation to be saved.

Ephesians 1:3-14

This letter from Paul to the church at Ephesus has many great passages about election. Paul discusses how we have been chosen before the world was created to be justified by his love. We were predestined for heaven, according to God's will. Because of this salvation, we are redeemed, forgiven, able to understand the scriptures, and gained the inheritance of heaven. When the elect hear the gospel, we believe in God and are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and having the Holy Spirit guarantees our salvation and inheritance of heaven.

Matthew 22:1-14

The Parable of the Banquet discusses essentially that the Jews were called by God as his chosen people, but rejected him. So instead, God reached out to the masses, the gentiles, for salvation. Many came willingly, and others were compelled by God to salvation. But then, even of those who are called, who hear the Gospel and the call, some will still reject it. So even those who do hear the call can still not be justified, because grace and salvation is only sourced from God. Again, it is emphasized, it is God's choice as to whether we are saved or condemned, and nothing we can do can change it.

1 Thessalonians 1:4-7

Finally, Paul's letter to Thessalonica. In here, Paul discusses how God has chosen us. This is because when they were preached to, not only did they simply believe the words, but they were filled with the holy spirit and absolutely confident in their faith. Again, we see that saving faith isn't just hearing the words and believing them, but having the Holy Spirit in you and an absolute conviction in God.

And now, the synthesis. We see salvation related to many things: grace, election, the Holy Spirit, faith, belief, hope. These things are all what make us saved. God has chosen us, predestined us, for salvation before the world was even formed. He knew us and had that relationship ready for us, before the Earth. And so, when we are on Earth, when we hear the gospel, a few things can happen. If we totally reject it, we are not elected and are condemned to hell. If we hear it, we can perhaps be called but not saved, not predestined for heaven. But if we not only hear the gospel, but we are filled with the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we are saved. The Holy Spirit works for us, strengthening us and interceding for us with God. Without the Holy Spirit, we are not saved. The Holy Spirit is in us because of God foreknowing and predestining us to salvation. Again, our salvation is based only in faith. Faith is not a work, though it manifests as good works. Faith cannot be considered a work, as faith comes from God by our election, not by our own decisions. As such, we cannot claim faith as a work, because it is not something we actively do. This is why you are saved by grace, not works, yet we are saved by faith; faith comes from God's grace, not our own works. We have absolutely no say in our salvation, but we are instead chosen by God as elect.