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| Earl Gillespie |
The Election of God
Doctrine Freedom of the Will
Part #2
Doctrine Freedom of the Will
Part #2
The "Doctrine of Election" is taught in the Scriptures, and that it applies not only to "service," but to "salvation." The Doctrine of Election means that God has chosen some to be saved and others to be lost, yet this is not acceptable to many as they teach that the Scriptures clearly state that all men are lost. "For there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Roman 3:22-23. Does the use of this verse and the above statement present an accurate representation of the truth or does this present an irreconcilable difference in the interpretation of the scripture? Paul says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." He did not say, we all are lost. Moses and David were elected by God to serve a particular purpose in the establishment of his Kingdom, yet they sinned.
Based upon a particular and pointed interpretation, there are many irreconcilable differences in the scripture, such as the age of the earth, the creation of the different races, or even what day of the week Jesus was crucified, just to name a few. During the season of Easter the question is often revisited, "If Jesus was buried on Friday and resurrected on Sunday, how is that three days?" The increase in the knowledge of good and evil causes man to question, even his creation. Many are able to base their beliefs upon one segment of the scripture which is a contradiction in itself, then there are Bible students who have stepped away from the indoctrinated views and are seeking to find a deeper understanding of God and his Word.
It is undeniable, The Election of God is seen all through the Scriptures. God chose Abel instead of Cain, Shem instead of Ham and Japheth, Abraham rather than Nahor, Jacob, the trickster rather than Esau the generous-hearted, Ephraim the younger is preferred before Manasseh the elder, and so all down through the Old Testament we see the selecting hand of God, not only in the choice of individuals but of kings and nations. As proof texts we have "For He said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Romans 9:15-16. "Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth." Romans 9:18. As a young child in Bible Study I was well aware that Pharoah was ready to give up the fight, but God said to Moses, "I will harden his heart." "Hash not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" Romans 9:21. "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." John 15:16.
Simply put, the “elect of God” are those whom God has predestined to salvation. They are called the “elect” because that word denotes the concept of choosing. From these scriptures we see that God has "elected" a group of people even before the foundation of the world. Some were selected for salvation and some were cast aside. This concept does not set well within the church and it very well shouldn't as we will attempt to explain later. The concept of God's chosen people is first found in the Old Testament. God chose Israel as His special people. "And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power" (Deuteronomy 4:37). "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6 // Deuteronomy 14:2). Now for a point to ponder, Paul was not chosen because he was actively seeking repentance for the deeds he was doing, he was elected to be a spokesperson for Jesus. If we rephrase the statement made in the opening of this paragraph to say the elect of God is those whom God are predestined to fulfill a specific purpose in the in the Kingdom, a window of illumination should appear. In the makeup of a Kingdom there are many different positions, some are selected, some elected and some are filled based upon a person's desire to be of service to the Kingdom.
Now, on the other hand, we have the "Doctrine Freedom of the Will" as taught by the church. "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." John 5:40. The last call of the Bible is a general call. "And the Spirit (Holy Spirit) and the bride (the Church) say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17. Jesus final message to the church in the Book of Revelation was, “whosoever will let him come.
How are we to reconcile these seemly apparently contradictory statements of Scripture? First lets establish a few guidelines, without these guidelines our dissertation will digress into nothing more than an overworked fairy tale. There are many different groups mention within the Bible, angels and demons, the Jews, the Gentiles and the church. Of these groups, some are earthly bodies and some are spiritual bodies, the church is a spiritual body. Problems have arisen because the existing church as a spiritual body on a natural plateau became overly possessive and began to claim the blessings of Abraham. The blessings of Abraham are earthly blessings never intended for the church. If the church, the bride of Christ is a spiritual body, then it blessing are of a spiritual nature. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:32 teaches us that we should, "Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:" These three groups are mention in one statement or verse, indicating that they are separate entities and each having their own special makeup, they must remain separate, one does not supersede the other. The church is the 'Bride of Christ', the Jews will forever remain the 'Bride of the Father', who for the present he has divorced.
What would happen if we began to shape the scripture so that the directives that applied to the children of Israel applied to the church, or even the gentiles? We would have a polluted and non-sustainable gospel. In the beginning of Jesus ministry, the disciples were cautioned not to go into the way of the Gentiles. As with the teaching in parables, he was being selective in his message. Prior to the formation of the church, the message of the Kingdom was to the Jews only. The church, the bride of Christ, did not replace the Jews. The church, or the 'Saints of God' have a special mission as the Holy angels of God.
The second step to reconciling the perceived difference in the scripture is that we must be aware of the difference between ages and dispensations within the Holy Scripture. We also must be conscious of who is talking, what is being talked about and who is being spoken to. Whether it is a message to the Jews, a message to the Gentiles, or a message to the Jews and the Gentiles which make up the church. In most instances the message is different. In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul admonition is, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." To claim the message to Moses is a message to the church the scripture is quoted, Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. It is easy for the pious elite to preach that this mean we must do everything that is written in the Bible, yet even the presentation is a contradiction and violation of the established order set forth by God in the Old Testament. Paul explained it this way in 2 Timothy 3:16, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The third step is understanding the concept of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven or just plain simple Heaven. To simplify I will just use the word Kingdom, Jesus often spoke of the Kingdom, indicating that it was his intent to establish his Father's Kingdom here on earth. The watered down concept of Jesus coming back is,”I just want to be ready when he come” does not speak to the makeup of the Kingdom. The watered down version of Heaven is a cloud hopping, sprouting angel wings, sitting on a cloud concept that has regressed to the beliveability of a good fairy tale. It is the place that we want to go, but life here on earth is so much better.
Remember James and John come to Jesus with a special request? Mark 10:36-40 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory (Kingdom). But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. Those that it was predestinated even before the world began.
The kingdom of God does not appear as a peripheral topic in Scripture. Both testaments speak of God’s kingdom. Students of Scripture must be taught and understand the kingdom in order to properly apply its truths and understand its implications. Too often the readers of Scripture, and many churches in particular, tend to limit the topic of the kingdom of God into a discussion merely of the earthly Messianic kingdom of one thousand years duration. In the same fashion, the discussion, too often addresses the matter of the future land of Israel alone. On the other hand, many pastors and church members automatically assume that the kingdom of God refers only to greater spiritual realities with reference to salvation and either ignores or deny outright the reality of a literal and an earthly kingdom being established here on earth.
Next
Part #3
Doctrine Freedom of the Will and Foreknowledge'
