God's Great Salvation - How It All Began

There are some teachings in the Bible that disturb us when first we hear them or even perhaps they challenge our faith although we have listened to explanations of them on several occasions. One such doctrine is that of eternal punishment. We may wonder if such a severe penalty is what those who are very nice and kind deserve? There have been many attempts to minimise or re-explain this doctrine, yet the fact remains that it is taught clearly in the Bible.

So some have problems with what will happen at the end of the process of delivering salvation. And some have difficulties with what happened at the commencement of salvation as well. The Bible traces the beginning of salvation not to where we might initially think it would. We might imagine that it would say that the process of salvation began when Adam first sinned against God and brought about the situation of sin and punishment from which we need rescued. It is the case that Genesis 3 reveals that God had a plan of mercy for Adam and his descendants, that a Rescuer would come from within the human race and deliver sinners from the penalty of their sins. The deliverance would involve suffering for the Rescuer and destruction for his enemy.

Wrong responses

Yet the Bible states very clearly that the process of salvation began long before then. It says that God began it by choosing his people, or elected them to enjoy eternal life with him together in the full state of salvation. Often when people hear of this great truth, they make one or more wrong responses.

Some have the ostrich response. People used to think that an ostrich would put its head below the ground when danger threatens, an action that does nothing to remove the danger (that is not why they put their heads there – there are other reasons for doing so). So there are people who pretend that the doctrine of election is not real and that it will go away if they don’t think about it. But it is impossible to read the Bible and not find references to this doctrine.

Others have the fatalistic approach. They deduce that since the doctrine describes something from the long ago past, and which cannot be changed, there is nothing for them to do but wait and see whether it will be revealed to them if they have been elected. Usually the waiting involves engaging in various forms of sinful behaviour because after all, they say, nothing can change God’s mind on the matter. This view is a denial of human responsibility and is never an expression of piety.

Then there is the explanation approach in which some read about the doctrine in the Bible and then use human ingenuity to explain or illustrate it. The most common one that I have heard is that election is merely based on God’s knowledge of the future. An illustration that is commonly used is to imagine a person observing marbles rolling down a shoot. The observer can see what path each marble will take and does nothing to influence the path. Throughout its journey each marble is ‘free’ to travel in its own direction. Something similar is applied to God and election. He sits observing the choices we will make but does not force any to go along a certain path. The fact that some choose Jesus and others do not is their decision and not God’s. Of course, many genuine Christians actually believe this is what the Bible says, and they are called Arminians (after a Dutch theologian of the name of Arminius who taught ideas similar to this). Yet the Bible does not describe God as a passive observer hoping that somehow everyone will make the right choice. Instead it depicts him as the Initiator and Deliverer and Ensurer of salvation.

The right approach

It is very important, indeed it is essential, that we view all the difficulties we might have with the plan of salvation through the lens of accepting the gospel invitation given by Jesus. If we don’t understand why God will punish people forever, we should consider it from the fact that the gospel describes a free offer of salvation to everyone. Similarly, if we don’t understand why God should choose his people, we should look at it from the perspective that God offers salvation to each of us and that he will give it to us if we ask him for mercy. It is from the position of having been forgiven through faith in Jesus that we can look at election from a devout and coherent point of view.

We may have heard of the illustration of a person passing through a gate into a large estate. As he approaches the gate, he sees a sign inviting everyone to come in and receive benefits from the owner of the estate. Once he passes through the gate, he can look back and see a sign which describes what the owner thinks of him. In using this illustration, we should imagine a sinner coming to the gospel gate. He reads a sign assuring him that he is welcome to come through the gate providing he repents of his previous wrong actions against God and depends on Jesus for salvation. Once he goes through the gate, he looks back and above the gate he sees a sign which says that all who passed through it were chosen by God to do so before the world began. Such a person sees the gate now from two perspectives. It would be wrong for those outside the gate to try and see it from the perspective of those within it.

The point I am making is that election is not a barrier to salvation to anyone who hears the gospel. It is not a barrier preventing anyone here from going through the gate. If you have problems with the doctrine, come through the gate and get a better place to consider it from. We know that sometimes switching a position gives a better view. The best place to view election is after passing through the gate. What will you see about it when you do?

Seven observations

The first detail to observe is that election is an expression of the love of the Father. Away back then, when the plan of salvation was implemented, it had been agreed that each of the divine Persons of the Trinity would perform specific tasks in the outworking of this plan. The Son would become the Redeemer and the Spirit would become the Renewer of sinners. As far as the Father was concerned, his role involved him selecting those who would be redeemed. This selection does not mean that prior to it he did not love his people. Instead it means an eternal selection, that he had always loved each of his people in this unique and special way. As far back as we want to imagine, when we think about that moment we should realise that then, and long before, the Father loved his people. It is a love without beginning.

The second detail to note is that it is a love that is undeserved. This is a very important aspect of this doctrine that we should remember at all times. Often those who criticise this doctrine do so by saying that God the Father was unjust when he made his choice. He would only be unjust or unfair if we deserved his love. But the fact is that no one deserved it because those God chose came from a race of rebels against his law. It is not unjust for a government to release some rebels and punish others. The government was not obliged to pardon some. The fact that it did so is an expression of mercy and not of unfairness.

Third, we will see that the act of election was connected to Jesus. Paul reminds his readers in Ephesus that they were chosen in Christ. What does this mean? From the rest of the Bible we can say that it means they were given to the Son by the Father. Jesus refers to this donation by the Father and reception by the Son in John 17. In verse 6, he refers to his apostles and says about them: ‘I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.’ And in verse 24, he mentions all of his people: ‘Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.’

This gift of the Father to the Son was an expression of his love for his Son as well as his love for his people. A lover will want to give what he knows his beloved would appreciate, would enjoy and would want to keep. The Father knew what was suitable for his Son and gave him a people that he would delight in and would want to keep forever. The process of salvation began with love that was connected to the Son and all that he would do for them would reveal it.

Fourth, the details of the act of election reveal the unexpected. Paul writes this surprising description in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29: ‘For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.’ Whatever else this set of verses teaches, it makes clear that God did not choose the best. I can recall as a child playing football with my friends. Two captains would be nominated and each would take turns in choosing the teams. The same person was always chosen last because he was not any good. I suspect he illustrates those whom God has chosen. His reasons are not the same criteria that are found in worldly circles.

I recall reading the story of a very intelligent man who was glad the letter ‘m’ was in this verse, found in the word ‘many’. It would have been disastrous for him if it had been left out and instead of ‘not many’ wise it said ‘not any’ wise. But he was an intelligent man who found a greater wisdom. And there have wealthy people and powerful people who have discovered that God had loved them eternally.

Yet we have to remember that God’s ways are not our ways and that often, if not usually, he reveals his mercy to the poor, the despised and the needy. Of course, the world describes their experience as having a crutch to lean on whereas the reality is that God has enabled them to lean on his grace.

Fifth, the reality of election is a wonderful encouragement for evangelism. Paul found this to be the case in Corinth. Despite converts there he became discouraged and afraid because Luke tells us that ‘the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them’ (Acts 18:9-11). Without election, the fact is that there would be no converts. But realising that God sends his gospel with a purpose of saving those he has chosen, we should be encouraged to evangelise because that is the way that God has planned to gather in his people.

Sixth, the doctrine of election provides us with a strong basis for assurance. Did God choose us in the past in order to reject us in the future? Of course not, for as Paul reminded the Philippians, ‘And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 1:6). The fact that he chose his people should be an immense encouragement as they face the daily struggles of life.

Seventh, the doctrine of election should result in verbal praise of the Father. This is what Paul does in Ephesians 1:3ff when he praises the Father for the great salvation provided for undeserving sinners by the Trinity. Is his electing grace a feature of our prayers of gratitude to him, the God of all grace? I suppose the first people who thought about us were our parents. Yet, as someone as said, ‘Before I was ever a probability to them I was a reality to God.’

So as we conclude we can say that the doctrine of divine election should make us humble and hopeful. Humble because we do not deserve salvation, but hopeful that we will receive it.