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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

A Biblical survey of Election - Paul's letters



Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Review
We have explored what the Bible teaches on God's elective purpose of grace through the writings of Moses, the prophets, the words of Jesus in the Gospels and the Apostles' preaching in the Book of Acts.  We have discovered five main headings that we can use to summarize the Bible teaching on election:

1. Election's purpose: Godliness
2. Election's motive: God's love
3. Election's targets: Helpless people
4. Election's timing: Eternity
5. Election's blessings: Comfort

We also have noted that the doctrine of election in the Bible in no way conflicts or is at odds with the Biblical teaching of man's responsibility to believe and repent in salvation. 
Perhaps no other writer in scripture gives us as much detail on the subject of election as the Apostle Paul.  Thus in today's post we will survey what God has to say about Sovereign election in the Apostle Paul's writings.

A survey of the places where Paul deals with the doctrine of election
You cannot help but notice how much Paul talks about election in His letters.  A quick survey of some of the more major sections of His letters to reveal the amount of space he devoted to the subject:

1. Romans 8:28-30; 9:14-15; 11:17
2. 1 Corinthians 1:27-28
3. Galatians 1:15
4. Ephesians 1:1-13
5. Colossians 3:12
6. 1 Thessalonians 1:4
7. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
8. 1 Timothy 5:21
9. 2 Timothy 2:10
10. Titus 1:1 

Out of the thirteen letters attributed to Paul, 10 mention the doctrine of election.  An entire blog series could be devoted to the Apostle Paul's teaching on election.  For sake of space we will need to confine today's post to one passage that gives clear and additional detail to this teaching: Romans 8:28-30.  As you will soon see, all five of the headings we have discovered in having surveyed over 100 passages on election in scripture are contained in Romans 8:28-30.

1. Election's Blessing: Comfort  Romans 8:28
Romans 8:28 notes - "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."   How does Paul know that all things will work together for the good? He knows so because of what is to follow, namely the unfolding of the revelation on God's Sovereign election.  Election's chief practical point is to bring comfort to the Christian who is doubting, being persecuted or hurting.  But notice also...

2. Election's motive: God's love.  Romans 8:29
Romans 8:29a states: 29 "For those whom He foreknew....".  God's foreknowledge in salvation could just as easily be translated "foreloved".  How so? The word "know" in the word "foreknow" is the same word that Genesis 4:1 uses to describe Adam "knowing" his wife Eve or in Deuteronomy 7:7-8 and Amos 3:2 where God's "loving" of Israel above all nations and "knowing" of Israel above all nations can be equated.  1 Corinthians 8:3 states - "but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him." 1 John 4:19 says similar words: "We love, because He first loved us."  The link between God's foreknowledge of the believer and Eternal love for the believer is unmistakable.

3. Election's purpose: Godliness  Romans 8:29
Paul writes on in Romans 8:29 - "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren."  Predestination is often the subject of hot debate among Christians.  However when considered in Paul's "golden chain" of salvation, predestination has to do with God purposing to make those whom He has chosen into the image of His Son.  As we have noted this whole time, election's main purpose is the godliness of the Christian.  Predestination in the original Greek literally pictures someone drafting out an architectural plan or drawing out a horizon line. God literally planned every trial and triumph for the Christian that would forward their growth in Christ likeness, doing all without taking away the means of their growth: Bible reading, prayer and church attendance.

4. Election's Target's: Helpless people  8:30
Romans 8:30 states: "and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified."  Throughout the book of Romans we are told that while we were yet sinner's, Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6-8)  Ephesians 2:1-4 and 2:12 underscores the fact the all sinners, were helpless, without God and sons of disobedience and children of wrath.  Unless grace had intervened, no one would be saved.  God's foreknowledge (fore-loving) is the source of election, which in turn leads to predestination, which in turn leads to the Spirit's calling.  When does justification occur? According to Romans 4:3, justification occurs at the moment of saving faith. 

Again we repeat that Sovereign election does not negate, but rather includes the response of faith, being that faith is a Divine gifting that in turn is received to be a definite response of trust in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9) In a text that is heavy on doctrines such as election, foreknowledge and predestination, Paul is quick to remind the reader that justification by faith is part and parcel of God's ordained plan of salvation.   

5. Election's timing: Eternity  Romans 8:30
Romans 8:30-31 states - "and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"  So when does that last stage of "glorification" occur? When every believer is presented faultless and blameless before His throne with exceed joy. (Jude 24-25) God's elective purpose conceives of our salvation from the end back to the beginning.  What Paul has done is literally summarize how it is that salvation stretches from eternity unto eternity.  Such truth is also comforting, which is what prompts Paul to write what he writes in Romans 8:31-32.  

Conclusion
We have sketched out today how election is treated and discussed by the Apostle Paul in his letters.  By focusing on Romans 8:28-32 we saw all five of the headings we have discovered thus far in this study:

1. Election's purpose: Godliness
2. Election's motive: God's love
3. Election's targets: Helpless people
4. Election's timing: Eternity
5. Election's blessings: Comfort

More tomorrow....

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