Election I. Introduction A. America is all too familiar with elections 1. Presidential elections every four years 2. Congressional elections every two years 3. Along with primary elections and municipal elections, seems like Americans are always going to the polls! B. Despite all the buzz and hype, elections in America come and go C. Yet there is a far more important kind of election that has been going on for millennia D. According to the Scriptures, God has been electing people for salvation for thousands of years! E. Let us spend some time searching the Scriptures regarding the matter of election 1. What is election? 2. Who is elected? 3. How are they elected? 4. Why does God elect people for salvation? 5. When are people so elected? II. What is Election? A. Election in Webster's: the act of choosing; choice; the act of selecting one or more from others; the act of choosing a person to fill an office or employment; choice; voluntary preference; free will; liberty to act or not; power of choosing or selecting; discernment; discrimination; distinction. B. We find two Greek words often used to describe "elect" and "election," ekloge and eklektos 1. Both words refer to the chosen or the choice of persons 2. Consider Luke 23:35: Christ the Chosen/Elect (eklektos) of God 3. 1 Thessalonians 1:4: your election/having been chosen (ekloge) by God C. Therefore, we can understand that "election" and "the elect" refer to the choice and those who are chosen by God D. Knowing, then, that the election of God refers to His choice, we can now seek to know whom He has elected III. Who Are Elected? A. In a previous covenant, we can see that God chose, or elected, Israel of all the nations 1. Deuteronomy 4:37: God chose the fathers of the Israelites and their offspring 2. Deuteronomy 7:6: God chose Israel to be His people for His possession 3. Deuteronomy 7:7: The choice was not based on greatness but humility 4. Romans 11:28: The Jews were blessed by their election, and God still loves the Jews and desires their repentance B. The New Testament, however, demonstrates a different set of elect/chosen people 1. Colossians 3:12: Colossians as God's chosen ones/elect 2. 1 Thessalonians 1:4: "you", being the saints in Thessalonica (v. 1), are chosen by God/the elect of God 3. 1 Peter 1:1: Peter addresses his letter to the "elect exiles" in eastern Asia Minor, and the letter makes it manifest that he speaks to Christians, not Jews 4. 1 Peter 2:4, 9: those whom Peter addresses are "chosen/elect of God," "chosen/elect race" 5. 2 John 1:1, 1:13: John addresses his letter to the "elect lady" and speaks of the "elect sister" 6. It is not as if no Jews are part of the elect, as Romans 11:7 establishes, yet that whole passage demonstrates that Gentiles were also part of the new elect C. Based on this evidence, we can see that the Apostles considered the Christians in the churches to be God's chosen people, God's elect D. Seeing, then, that Christians are God's elect, we can now ask how they were chosen IV. How Are Christians Elected? A. The Scriptures explicitly speak of God's elect, as we have seen, but the Scriptures do not say a whole lot about the basis upon which Christians are elected B. The passage that comes closest is Romans 11:5, establishing that a remnant still exists, elected/chosen "by grace" C. What does it mean to be "elected by grace"? How are Christians elected? D. Does God elect Christians based on merit? 1. By no means! No one is worthy of salvation by their own deeds; all have sinned (Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:8-10) 2. No one is going to make Heaven because they were perfect, save the Lord Jesus Christ! 3. God's election of Christians, then, cannot be based on how "great" they are E. Does God elect Christians based on nationality, ethnicity, intelligence, gender, or some other characteristic? 1. Again, by no means! God is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11, Galatians 2:6) 2. God makes it clear that there is no distinction between persons based on any such category (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11) 3. God's election of Christians cannot be based on some racial/ethnic/gender category F. Does God elect Christians based on some predestined arbitrary decision, made before the foundation of the world? 1. Such a view is inconsistent with the Scriptures 2. God establishes in 1 Timothy 2:4 that He desires all men to be saved 3. 2 Peter 3:9: the end of time has been delayed that so that more can come to repentance 4. How can it be that God seeks all men to repent and delays the end so that men can repent if He has already pre-determined who will be saved and who will be condemned? G. All of these possibilities are found to be unsatisfactory H. How, then, does God elect Christians? I. It would seem that God elects Christians on account of Christians electing God! 1. Matthew 22:14: Many are called, but few are chosen/elected 2. As we have seen, God calls all men (1 Timothy 2:4) 3. We recognize, unfortunately, that most will not take up God's call (Matthew 7:13-14) 4. When we look into the Scriptures for the basis of judgment--why salvation comes to some--we see that it is based on people having faith in Christ and being obedient to Him (Romans 2:6-8, Romans 3:24, Romans 6:16-23, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9) J. Election, then, is not based on some arbitrary standard, but on the basis of choosing to be a servant of God K. Now that we have seen how Christians are elected, we can seek to learn why God elects them V. Why Does God Elect Some? A. We get a clue as to the reason for election in Romans 11:5: election by grace B. God manifested His grace by giving of His Son for our sin 1. John 3:16: gift on the basis of love 2. Romans 3:24: gift as redemption C. God was willing, then, to give of His Son so that some could be chosen/elected D. God has the prerogative to choose no one; to elect none 1. He could have decided that mankind was too terrible to be redeemed 2. God made the choice to provide a means of election for those who would seek Him E. Why did God make that choice? 1. We get an idea from John 4:23: God seeks those who would worship Him in spirit and in truth 2. Just as a parent desires his or her child to love and obey him or her from the heart, so also God desires such from His children F. On account of this, God has paved the way for the election of all men: all they need to do is to elect to follow God 1. Unfortunately, most men will not make this choice 2. Nevertheless, His grace is present and open for all G. Let us praise God that He is willing to elect some and have association with us! VI. When Does God Elect People? A. Finally, having seen what election is, who is elected, how they are elected, and why God elects some, we can now seek to know when God elects people B. It is manifest from the Scriptures that original election occurs when one becomes obedient to Christ 1. As we saw in 1 Thessalonians 1:4 and 1 Peter 1:1, among other passages, those who comprised the churches in the first century were "elect" 2. We can see from Acts 2:38-46, among many other passages in Acts, that people believed in Christ, confessed His name, repented of their sins, were immersed in water for the remission of their sins, and sought to grow and develop in Christ Jesus, and comprised the local churches in the first century 3. These are those who are considered God's chosen ones, the elect 4. We can understand, then, that we become part of God's elect in the same way C. In America, one is not elected for life; one must be re-elected after a term of 2, 4, or 6 years to remain in the same position D. Likewise, in Christ, one must continue to strive to remain in the position of the elect of God 1. While it is not based on a specific temporal term, or based on the vicissitudes of man, election in Christ is never entirely guaranteed 2. 2 Timothy 2:10: Paul endures all things for the sake of the elect so that they may have the salvation in Christ: if the salvation were 100% guaranteed, why would Paul need to endure for them? 3. Titus 1:1: For the sake of God's elect, that they may have faith, Paul is an Apostle 4. Essentially, one must continue to elect Christ if they desire to be Christ's elect! 5. Colossians 3:12: there is an expected pattern of conduct for those who are God's chosen ones/elect 6. 2 Peter 1:10: we must strive to make our calling and election sure E. Election, then, provides us with the relationship and association with God that will lead to our salvation (1 John 1:3), yet we must maintain our obedience and faithfulness to taste that salvation after this life is done (1 John 1:5-10) F. Invitation/songbook G. Have you ever chosen Christ? If you have not elected Christ to be the Lord of your life, you are not one of His elect, and will not taste the salvation reserved for His elect! 1. The cost of your election, however, has already been paid on the cross by Christ (Romans 3:24) 2. Choose Christ today; become obedient as has been established, and be saved! H. Did you once elect Christ but have later re-elected Satan to rule in your life? You have the opportunity to change your vote today and return to God's elect I. Or perhaps you have elected Christ but seek encouragement: that is what we are here for, the elect of God encouraging the fellow elect J. Let us help you as we are able; come to the front as we stand and sing