By Gary Ray Branscome
One source of the controversy surrounding the doctrine of
election stems from the egotistic assumption that God thinks the same way we do, or that His mind reasons along the same lines of logic
that He has given to us. However, nothing could be further from the truth! We only need to reason because we do not
KNOW! The words, “My thoughts are
not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts,” tell us that God’s mind is so far above our
mind that we cannot begin to understand why He has chosen some and not others (Isaiah 55:8-9). For that reason, humility
requires us to stop professing ourselves to be wise, admit our ignorance, and
simply accept what He has revealed about eternal election even if it seems
confusing and contradictory to our puny finite little minds.
We need to accept what the Bible says when God tells
us that: 1- He wants all men to be saved, and; 2- we are chosen solely by His
grace, yet; 3- God has not chosen everyone. If that is what God has revealed,
then that is what He wants us to believe and teach; even though it is a
stumbling block to those unwilling to admit their own ignorance.
The Bible tells us that God chooses to save individuals,
not just anyone who believes. The words, “Many are called, but
few are chosen,” tell us that God calls many to salvation, and
chooses to bring some to faith in spite of their resistance (Matthew 22:14).
The words, “God chose you from the beginning unto salvation,” tell us
that God has chosen those who will be saved from the beginning (2Thessalonians
The Bible tells us that those who are saved are not
chosen because of anything they have done. On the contrary, we all deserve
damnation. The words, “All
men, both Jews and Gentiles, are all under sin,” tell us
that we are all under sin, and no sinner is worthy of anything other than
damnation (Romans 3:9). The words, “Whoever
keeps the whole law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of all,” tell us
that there are no degrees of condemnation, even one unforgiven sin will send a
person to hell (James 2:10). The words, “He
did not save us because of works of righteousness that we have done, but
because of His mercy,” tell us that we are not saved because of things we
do (Titus 3:5). And, the words, “Then it [salvation] is no
longer by works: if it were grace would no longer be grace,” tell us
that works play no part in our salvation (Romans 11:6).
The Bible tells us that God actively brings those whom He
has chosen to faith, and keeps them from falling. The words, “God… has saved us, and called us to a holy calling,
not because of anything we have done, but according to His own purpose and
grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” tell us that God actively saves us, and chose to
save us before the world began (2Timothy
1:8-9). The words, “I
am convinced, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, that is in
Christ Jesus our Lord,” tell us that because God has chosen us, no one will
be able to take our faith from us (Romans 8:38-39). And, the words, “You… are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,” tell
us that God actively enables us to endure to the end (1Peter 1:4-5).
Those who deny that Christ has atoned
for the sins of all men, rob believers of their assurance of salvation, because
when the words, “He is the propitiation
for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
are explained away, no one can be certain that his sins were atoned for (1John
2:2). Likewise, those who claim that God has only chosen those He knew would
endure to the end also rob believers of their assurance of salvation, because
if it depends on us then no one can be certain that he will endure to the end.