Sovereign Election - How the Bible Speaks!

The key to understanding election is by holding the definition of God's Sovereignty in the back of your mind. It would be helpful to go back and read my latest blog on "God's Sovereignty and End of Life Struggles". The two most important ideas to remember concerning God's Sovereignty is God is the first cause and yet He is an uncaused cause. What this means is because God is an uncaused cause then nobody caused Him which means God answers to no higher authority. The fact that God is the first cause that caused all other things then He is above all of His creation and has no need of learning from or seeking wisdom or counsel from anyone. Therefore God does as He pleases and nobody gives God counsel or deters His plans.

The next logical question is to answer the Biblical terms of election, foreknowledge and choice. Nobody seems to care about how God made trees or animals. The biggest concern for man is how did God make man and how does He go about choosing them. Therefore I want to deal directly with God's salvation and how He determined to elect or chose people for salvation. How does the bible define election and foreknowledge?

Election is defined as "God Sovereignly choosing those who would become recipients of God's Heavenly blessing".  God has created and given all mankind all that He has created. However the Bible teaches that we have sinned and therefore are now under God's justice and must pay the penalty of our sin. But in God's grace, mercy and love He planned to send His Son Jesus Christ to the world to pour out His wrath upon His Son Jesus Christ in our place so that through simply receiving these truth claims we will receive from God not just the world in which we live but a redeemed world that God will remake and we will live eternally with Him in peace and harmony. The most debated and discussed doctrine in all of the Bible is this moment in history where man is saved by an agreement or decision to believe and know Jesus Christ as the Author of salvation. God uses several terms to define this election and by studying how God uses these terms will help us in understanding how the Bible speaks or how God speaks about Himself concerning His election.

The terms used by God to define His election are choose, elect, appoint, ordain, foreknow, foreordain, predestined, purposed, and prepared before hand.

Deut 4:37 “Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them.”
Deut 7:6-7 “The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous.”
2 Thess 2:13
 “from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth”
Eph 1:4 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”
1 Thess 1:4 “we know that he has chosen you” (ASV, “knowing your election”)
1 Pet 1:1 “Peter, . . . to God’s elect”
Acts 13:48 “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.”
Rom 8:29 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.”
Rom 11:2 “God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.”
1 Pet 1:1-2 “To God’s elect, . . . who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”
Rom 8:29-30 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. . . . And those he predestined, he also called”
Eph 1:5 “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance to his pleasure and will”
Eph 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”
Eph 1:9 “. . . the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ”
Rom 9:23 “the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory”
Eph 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

These verses speak of God's Sovereignty in that God speaks as the one who is in authority. God does not speak as though He is receiving counsel from another. God is not speaking as though there is someone above Him dictating what He must say and do. No, He speaks as though He is speaking from His own authority on the issue. These verses also speak as though He has not received or learned anything from human history. God is the great architect and He has written His blueprint and we are seeing His plan being erected or established. He elects solely on the purpose and pleasure of His Will. He does not find pleasure in our will. He finds pleasure in His will.

The verses that speak on human will leaves no room for man's will to change God's predetermined decision. Redemptive history is solely God's idea and He is the great architect and builder of this plan. When He speaks of choosing someone it is as if the choice has already been made.

He saves those with a precondition: His People.

Matt 1:21 “he will save his people from their sins”
John 17:2 “that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him”
Acts 18:10 “For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city [Corinth].”
 Eph 1:11 “the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”

Not the will of man:

John 1:13 “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God”
Rom 9:16 “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”

Not the works of man:

Rom 9:11, 16, “Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand . . . It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
Rom 11:5-6 “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”
2 Tim 1:9 “who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace”

Man Cannot:

Romans 8:7 "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot."
John 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day."

God speaks to every issue as the Sovereign God of the universe. He speaks as though nobody is above Him and He speaks as though He has consulted nobody. He is not learning from history or deciding in response to another's actions. No, He is choosing and determining in accordance with who He is - the Sovereign God of the universe.

This is extremely encouraging because God does as He wishes and we should not pray with anything less than the Sovereignty of God in our minds. God has full authority to do anything in the universe He wishes and when He determines to do something it is set in stone forever. The reason that we are saved eternally is we receive everlasting life. The moment one believes He is saved for all eternity. Our hope is not in a prayer card or a prayer. Our hope is in God's Sovereignty. "If He began a good work in you then HE WILL carry it through to completion" (Phil. 1:6). Your salvation this morning or any morning does not depend on your ability to continue to believe but on God's ability to continue to save. When we pray for the lost we need to pray for God to save. Pray that God will intervene and interrupt their desires and will. If God does not draw them away from the direction they are heading they will continue in that direction to their destruction. Our only hope is God and His Sovereignty. There is not one person that God is not able to save. He can save as many as He chooses. Pray for God to save.
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Works Sited:

1.) http://wrs.edu/Materials_for_Web_Site/Courses/Theology_3/Chapter_8--Foreknowledge_and_Election.pdf
2.) http://scripturetruths5.tripod.com/pande.html

The Sovereignty of God and End of Life Struggles

A Pastor once said "The most idolatrous hour of the American week is Sunday morning." The reason is most of us have created an image of God in our minds that we concocted rather than accepting the way God revealed Himself in Scriptures. In fact I write this before I get started because many reading this blog will not like some of the verses I will be quoting. God says some things about Himself that is hard for the human mind to grasp. However I encourage you to keep reading to the end of the blog because I think God reveals Himself not for fatalism but for our encouragement. In the end I will show you how the Sovereignty of God is an encouragement to every person in every situation.

A.W. Pink in his book titled "The Sovereignty of God" he says the following:
 
"The sovereignty of God. What do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Dan. 4:35). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Ps. 115:3). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is "The Governor among the nations" (Ps. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the "Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible."

There are two important aspects of God's Sovereignty. First, God is the first cause of all other things and He is an uncaused cause. This means that everyone and everything traces his/her cause back to the Source and Origin of their existence and everyone originates from God. Therefore God is the Supreme cause of all things and nobody caused Him. This means that God is self existing and nobody caused God. God is infinite and eternal and nobody is above Him. Therefore God freely does what He wishes with nobody above Him to consult or dictate what He can or cannot do. Secondly, since God is self existing and the cause of everything else He is all powerful and all wise. Therefore He never has to lower Himself to less wise humans to ask them what He should do. Neither does God have to wait for or ask humans anything to gain knowledge in making any decision. God is not waiting to see what we do so He knows what to do, neither is there any corridors of history to look down to make  the decision of election. God chooses, determines, elects, and ordains according to His Sovereignty.

2 Chronicles 20:6
“O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?"


God's Sovereignty actively ordains everything. Deuteronomy 32:9 reveals to what extent He Sovereignly rules all things. "‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand." God is the source of life, life originates from Him and life depends on God sustaining it therefore when God ceases to sustain life death occurs.

1Samuel 2:6-8
“The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.  He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory."

Remember this revelation is for your encouragement not your fatalism. God doesn't want you to think this is God's Sovereign plan for my life so I have to just learn to deal with it... that's not much encouragement and God's Word is to edify us and encourage us. Let's look at several more examples of the extent of God's Sovereignty and then I will show you how this becomes encouragement. 

God's Sovereignty includes matters of "chance". I place chance in quotations because with God's Sovereignty there really isn't any fate, chance, good or bad luck just GOD and His Sovereign will. Proverbs 16:33  "The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord". Take Proverbs 16:33 with 1 Samuel 2:6-8 and you see a remarkable truth. Proverb 16 speaks of "casting lots". If you remember the soldiers cast lots at the foot of the cross to see who would get Jesus' clothing. Today we would say, dice are cast into the lap and every decision is from the Lord. If God makes rich and makes poor and the dice are cast and the decision is the Lord's then we see how Sovereign God is in delegating who is wealthy and who is poor. We can also now see the responsibility the rich have to help the poor. The riches are not yours. They are to be used for God's purposes. Where much is given much is required! (Luke 12:48)

God's Sovereignty includes the actions of wicked men. I just finished a two year study of the Book of Genesis and the last study was a study of the Life of Joseph. At the end of Joseph's life and the end of the Book of Genesis Joseph is encouraging and comforting his brothers. They were concerned about Joseph's revenge after his father passed away. Joseph tells his brothers do not be concerned because "what you meant for evil God meant for good" (Genesis 50:20). When the brothers placed Joseph in the pit they meant it for evil but God meant it for good. When the brothers sold Joseph into slavery they meant it for evil but God meant it for good. Therefore the wicked and God have the same intent but they do not share the same motivation. God is motivated to goodness while the brothers motivation was evil.

God's Sovereignty includes the actions of evil spirits. 1Samuel 16:14-16 " But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.  Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”

Most people think there are two Sovereigns in Heaven God and the Devil. Spiritual Warfare is the war between God and Satan and we are hoping good wins out. The reality is God is the Source and Origin of all things. Satan is Lucifer the most beautiful, majestic, and glorious angel God created. Therefore, God is the only Sovereign and Satan was created and is sustained by God Himself. The life of God gives life to Satan. If God wanted to put an end to Satan then He could stop sustaining him. God Sovereignly uses the evil spirits to do His will.

God's Sovereignty also includes the good actions of men. John 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit..." Ephesians 2:10 " For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Philippians 2:12-13 " Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

God's Sovereignty includes the actions of good angels. Psalms 103:20 "Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word." Psalms 104:4 "Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire." It makes perfectly good sense that if God Sovereignly controls the actions of wicked Angels that He also controls the actions of good Angels".

God's Sovereignty includes the actions of animals as well. The most popular story in the Bible is Daniel and the Lion's den. God closed the mouths of the Lions so they would not harm Daniel (Daniel 6:22). God's Sovereignty includes all aspects of His creation (Psalms 104).

In conclusion I want to mention two important points. On the one hand the Bible tells us not to question God's Sovereignty. Job 33:12-13 "“Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man. Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words." Remember God does not have to consult anyone above Him and He does not seek knowledge or wisdom from those less wise than He. We do not advice God or tell Him what He can or cannot do (see also, Romans 9:19-24).

On the other hand God's Word is for edification, comfort and encouragement so how does God's Sovereignty encourage and comfort us. I believe you have to take into consideration God's Omniscience and Omnipresence along with His Sovereign Omnipotence. Remember everything you've read about God's Sovereignty and then consider his Omniscience and Omnipresence.

Psalms 139:7-12
"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You."
God can be found in any given situation!! God is Omnipotent. He is Sovereign over all areas of life. He is Omniscience: Wise beyond measure. He is Omnipresent in every and all situations. Therefore, Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near." Psalm 32:6 "For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found..."


If God is Sovereign and He wounds and heals then when you are wounded... where does your help come from? If He made you poor then who will lift you out? Where does your help come from? Where will you turn if you turn from God? Listen God sustains life, determined your days (Job 14:5), and it is appointed that all men die once and then face the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). But do not forget that God walks with you through the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4).

The most encouraging thing about end of life struggles is God is measuring out your situation by His wisdom, sovereignty and authority. He is present in your struggles and walking with you. He can be seen and found in your situation. The end of life is not a time to be bitter and resentful. It is a time to draw near to God!! Look for God's hand of Sovereignty in every aspect of your circumstance.