Bereansearching Bible Studies

Introduction: “Election” Means That Only God Chooses Who Will Be Saved, Not Man

Election (God’s “choosing”) is a topic that is not very appealing to unsaved mankind, because it runs counter to the pride of man. It means that man has no “free will” with respect to salvation. Furthermore, “election” entirely removes mankind’s sovereignty over his or her’s own destiny, and raises God’s Sovereignty to being limitless. Salvation is entirely by God’s Grace alone. Grace is unmerited favor. Most importantly, “election” is the determining factor regarding a person’s ultimate destiny, whether that person is going to Heaven or going to Hell. (This post is excerpted from a longer post “The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye“)

Jesus emphasized the concept of election when he declared in Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few [are] chosen.” (please see also Matthew 20:16)

Election (God’s Sovereignty Regarding Salvation) is Explained by the Example of the Potter and the Clay

God makes it clear in no uncertain terms that He Is The Sovereign Creator, Who has total control over all of His Creation. And God specifically provides a most important analogy…that just like a potter can sovereignly form whatever he decides to create out of clay, so too is God able to do with His creation as He so determines (and, as in the case of the potter… if a created pot did not satisfy the potter, or if it is found to be marred in some way, then the potter could destroy it and/or remake it differently).

This is what we are explicitly told in the Old Testament in Isaiah 29:16, “Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?” and later also in Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand.”

Additional detail is provided later in Jeremiah 18:1-6, “¶The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make [it]. ¶Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter’s hand, so [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.“

And, even in the Book of Job, we are reminded of this fact. In Job 10:8&9, we read that Job, in his torment, cried out to God, “Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?” and again in Job 10:3, “[Is it] good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?“

This is reiterated in Job 34:18-20, “[Is it fit] to say to a king, [Thou art] wicked? and to princes, [Ye are] ungodly? [How much less to him] that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all [are] the work of his hands. In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.” Note the harmony also with Psalm 95:6, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” and particularly Psalm 138:8, “The LORD will perfect [that which] concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, [endureth] for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.“

In the New Testament, in Romans Chapter 9, the Apostle Paul referred back to this same very analogy (of God, The Sovereign Creator, being represented by the Potter, while humankind, as the creature, being represented as formed from the clay) that we have just seen in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Job, to expound upon, and further explain, God’s Sovereignty and God’s Election (choosing). The analogy begins with how this analogy applies to every individual who has or ever will live by the example of Rebecca’s twin sons (Jacob and Esau).

Beginning in Romans 9:10-15, “¶And not only [this]; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. ¶What shall we say then? [Is there] unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Note that the last verse is referring back to Exodus 33:19, “¶And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.“

Immediately following, the Apostle Paul expounds further by going on to say in Romans 9:16-24, “So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth. ¶Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?” 

Then next the Apostle Paul hearkens back to Isaiah 29:16, “Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? ¶[What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?“

The analogy is carried further in 2 Corinthians 4:5-7, where the believers, being indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit, can all say, “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ¶But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.“

 Also in 2 Timothy 2:20, we read of other “vessels” differing from one and other, “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.” For more on the meaning of this verse, please see this post, “1 Corinthians 3:12: Building with “Gold, Silver, Precious Stones” & “Wood, Hay, Stubble“?

Election Means Being Chosen Before Creation, Hence “Predestinated”

Anyone who claims to be a Christian should be familiar with the following verses that deal with God’s Election program and predestination…God chooses man, man does not choose God: 

Psalm 65:4, “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.“

Matthew 22:14, “¶For many are called, but few are chosen.” (passive voice) (also Matthew 20:16)

John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.“

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.“

Ephesians 1:4&5, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,“

Ephesians 1:11, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:”

Romans 8:29&30, “For whom he did foreknow (προγινώσκω(proginōskō)^G4267 “foreordained”), he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.“

Romans 9:11, “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; )“

And please, let us NOT forget that Jesus stated specifically, twice for emphasis, the following in 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.” and John 6:65, “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.“

Salvation is by Grace Alone, and NOT of Works

And we must remember that the body of believers, all of whom were predestinated before the foundations of the world, includes a remnant of the Jewish people as we read in Romans 11:5-8, “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. ¶What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.“

Note that the Apostle Paul was referring back to Isaiah 6:9&10 (just as Jesus also did earlier, see below), “¶And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”

Finally, we read in Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto  good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” And by being identified as God’s “workmanship”, the believer is reminded that God is the Potter, and that we are merely the formed clay, made into pots, and therefore the work of His Hands.

Some verses that help to emphasize this last point:

1. Job 14:15, “Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.“).
2. Job 4:17, “Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?“
3. Job 12:9, “Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand [is] the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
4. 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who maketh thee to differ [from another]? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive [it], why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received [it]?” Everything that we are, and all that we have, is only by the Grace of our God and Maker. To Him be all the Glory! Amen.

Jesus spoke in Parables for a Reason

God tells us plainly and specifically, in three passages in the Bible, why Jesus spoke in Parables (and because God ordained it, this fact is not widely known or discussed in our world because the carnal man finds it offensive):

1. In Matthew 13:10-17 we read where the disciples questioned Jesus about His use of Parables, “And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias (Isaiah 6:8-10), which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”
2. In Mark 4:11+12 we read, “And he (Jesus Christ speaking to His disciples) said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables:  That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.”
3. In Luke 8:9&10, we read , “And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.“

One has to wonder, “How this can be?“, given that God states so very clearly and plainly how He uses parables to veil the mystery of the kingdom of God from unbelievers. This makes absolutely no sense from the perspective of normal human reasoning, and it is contrary to everything the world tells you about Christianity. This is because the reality is that salvation depends entirely on the supernatural intercession of God as He sees fit (Yes, whether one likes it or not, salvation is of the LORD!). Moreover, Jesus openly explains two of His parables (The Parable of the Sower as found in Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8) which anyone in the world can readily physically read in Matthew 13:10-16, Mark 4:14-20, Luke 8:11-15 (together with the companion “The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares” as found in Matthew 13:24-30, which Jesus explained in Matthew 13:36-43.)

So then, quite astoundingly, even when a parable is explained perfectly to someone who is not one of God’s elect/chosen, that parable will still mean absolutely NOTHING to an unbeliever beyond merely the intellectual!  That is why at the end of the Sower parable, Jesus said three times in Matthew 13:9, Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8 (respectively), “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” and “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” and “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.“

This appears, on the surface, both logically and intellectually, from a human standpoint, to not make any sense, and thereby raises the question, how is this possible? The answer to this conundrum is that even if a parable is clearly explained to a person who remains an unbeliever (one whom God does not intend to “hear” or “see” or “perceive” or “understand” the meaning), then the salvation imbuing essence (The Holy Spirit) will not be manifest…and the Word of God will still remain completely veiled or hidden to that person and that person will remain in an unsaved state. That is what makes true Christianity so scary, and so offensive, to carnal man.

Jesus consistently “spoke in parables”!

Matthew 13:34, ¶All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:” (and Mark 4:34) which fulfilled Psalm 78:2.

It was never Jesus’ intent to save everybody, or anybody who choses Him! (active voice), that is why we have Mark 4:12, “That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”  See also Matthew 13:13, Luke 8:10

And when we consider that the entire Bible is a “Parable”, it makes perfect sense from God’s perspective (but not man’s) that Election depends on the veiling of Truth through the use of parables, otherwise Jesus would have indeed always just spoken “plainly”. (please see also John 16:25-33.)

Moreover, parables are, themselves, just a “sign” that God’s Salvation Program is strictly by Election, because even when the parables are explained in plain English, if a person is not elect, then the explanation and teaching of the parables will still have no effect on that person. 

Conclusion

Dear reader, as hard as this post is to accept, we must remember that Jesus stated specifically, twice for emphasis, the following in 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.” and John 6:65, “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.“

However, just because Election is a predetermined grace upon one individual and not another…everyone, while still living, is not in any way absolved from turning back to God in repentance for sin, and thus everyone is still faced with a personal reckoning. Everyone needs to ask, “Am I saved or not?” IF this question is disturbing, then that is a positive sign of being fearful of God’s wrath to come on Judgment Day, and that God is instilling a desire to make peace with Him through the Atoning Sacrifice of His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who is unsaved, but becomes concerned with what the Bible says (because it is true and trustworthy), can still cry out to God for mercy…and God will show mercy. IF, on the other hand, the individual is disgusted, and dislikes what has been said above, and refuses to hear God’s Word, then so be it. God Is still The Creator, The Potter, and The Judge.

Let us not forget God’s warning in Isaiah 45:9, “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! [Let] the potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?“

Epilogue

Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.”

POSTSCRIPT

Psalm 2 provides a lot of pertinent information for us, if we only pay attention to it. All of Psalm 2 is about Jesus and His Sovereign Reign and His punishment for the rebellious.

Psalm 2:1-12, “¶Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying], Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him.“

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