Chosen by Grace: Understanding the Doctrine of Election - Kuza

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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This is perhaps the most thorough explanation of the Reformist/Calvinist doctrine of election we have read. The author asks the right questions and tries to answer them. He acknowledges the confusion brought by the doctrine, and attempts to clarify.

Unfortunately, he fails. He fails because his entire explanation is built on presumption, that the doctrine is true. But that is the matter to be demonstrated. 

We are certainly delighted the author quotes Scripture. But he misuses or misinterprets almost all of this. Regretfully, we must deem this Bad Bible Teaching.

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Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “If God chooses who will be saved, then do our choices even matter?” (This is a good question, one the author does not answer.)

Or, “That sounds unfair!” Or maybe you’ve never really thought about it, assuming it’s just something for theology professors and old church history books. So, here’s the truth: the doctrine of election is not just a theological concept that pastors learn in seminary. It’s a beautiful, humbling truth found in Scripture that should lead us to worship. It answers the question, “Why am I saved?” Not with pride, but with awe and gratitude. As J.I. Packer once said, “To know that from all eternity, my Maker planned to give me life… is the most humbling and most strengthening knowledge I can ever have.”

 
What Is Election and Why Does It Matter?

In the Bible, election refers to God’s sovereign choice to save some people from the mass of fallen humanity. It’s the divine act of God choosing certain individuals to receive his grace, not based on anything they have done or will do, but solely because of his love and purpose. Paul says in Ephesians 1:4–5, “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world… according to the purpose of his will.” (This is one of the primary texts Calvinists will cite as proof of their doctrine. However, they incorrectly interpret this passage. It does indeed contain a profound statement of election, but a careful Bible student would ask, "To whom does Paul refer?" We should not assume Paul was talking about us.

In actual fact, Paul directly tells us who are the elect: 

Ep. 1:11-12 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, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

The elect ["we"] were the first to hope in Christ. That is not us.

If we are not among the elect, then what is our status? Paul again directly tells us: 

Ep. 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

 So we were included when we believed. We are not the elect, we were joined with the elect at the moment of our salvation.)

This is not about favoritism—it’s about mercy. No one deserves salvation. Romans 3:10 reminds us, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” If God didn’t choose anyone, no one would be saved. (This does not follow. God is certainly not required to choose. But God not choosing does not mean no one would be saved, it means no one was chosen.)

Why does understanding the doctrine of election matter to us today? Because it speaks to our identity. (How does the author know he's one of the elect? The doctrine supplies no assurance at all, because the identities of the elect are part of God's hidden will:

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

There are certainly millions of people who think they are Christian. They go to church, they are kind and generous, but in they reality are false converts. The thing about being a false convert is that they don't know they are false converts and will fall away.

There is no way the author can know if he or anyone else is truly saved. So rather than providing assurance, the doctrine introduces uncertainty.)

In a world where everyone is constantly trying to prove their worth through relationships, academics, hustle, or even church service, election says, “You were chosen in love before you ever did anything right or wrong.” That is freeing. As Jen Wilkin wisely notes in her book Women of the Word, “The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.” If we don’t understand the truth of election, our love for God will always remain shallow. We’ll think we chose him, but in reality, he chose us first (John 15:16). (Error Alert: In this verse Jesus was referring to the disciples.)

 
Election Throughout the Bible

Election is not a theological invention of John Calvin (as often assumed); (Every doctrine is creation of man. Doctrines are the product of a human effort to assemble the Bible into precepts and explanations.)

it is woven into the fabric of the Bible. (The interpretation is most certainly derived from the Bible, but what the Bible teaches is often at variance with interpretations.)

Let’s take a quick biblical journey to see how God’s choosing is an original part of his grand redemptive plan.

 
(a) In the Old Testament

God chooses Abraham, not because he was the best man in Ur, but because of divine mercy (Genesis 12:1-3). Then he chooses Israel, a small and unimpressive people, to be his treasured possession. Why? “It was not because you were more in number than any other people… but it is because the Lord loves you…” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). Even within Israel, God chose Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau (Romans 9:10-13). Paul writes, “Though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad… in order that God’s purpose of election might continue.” (Now we are coming to the nuts and bolts of the matter. Election is indeed all over the Bible. We do not deny the plain teaching. 

However, the important matter is, who are the elect? As discussed above, we believe that Paul clearly taught that as far as the Church, the elect are those first century believers, particularly, Jewish believers, who are the "firstfruits." [Romans 11:16, Revelation 14:4]. All the NT election verses can be explained by this concept.)

 
(b) In the New Testament

In John 6:37, Jesus teaches, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (Dear reader, by now you are likely beginning to see a pattern. The elect are a small group of first century believers, particularly Jews. In this verse Jesus was talking to the Jewish rulers about Jewish things. We should resist the urge to insert ourselves into these verses.)

And in verse 44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (Again we should note that Jesus was talking to Jews about Jews. But more importantly, being drawn does not mean election, because later in John Jesus said, 

But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. [Jn. 12:32]

 We know that Jesus will not save "all men," so being drawn cannot mean election.)

Paul doubles down in Romans 8:29-30 with what’s often called the “Golden Chain” of salvation: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined… called… justified… glorified.” (Once again a careful Bible student would want to know who Paul was talking about. Who did God predestine? We should not be surprised that Paul directly told us in verse 23: 

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

It must be leaping out from the page by now, dear reader. The word "firstfruits." Paul was referring to a limited number of first century believers, not us. We even see this in the part of the quote the author skipped over in verse 29: 

...that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Jesus is the firstborn, or, firstfruits [1Cor. 15:20] of the firstfruits , and "brothers" was the way Jews referred to each other. The term eventually expanded to refer to every believer, but originally "brothers" was a Jewish expression referring to other Jews [Ro. 9:3, 1Co. 5:11, 1Co. 10:1, Gal. 2:4]. 

Therefore, verse 29 teaches that Jesus would be first among His Jewish brothers to receive the promised inheritance.)

Each step is God-initiated. None of it depends on us. Salvation is wholly an act of God (Jonah 2:9). Peter tells suffering believers, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood…” (1 Peter 2:9). (Indeed, we joined this group of chosen ones, but there is no hint of Individual election here. This is speaking of a class of people, not the individuals contained within it.)

Election is the anchor for Christians facing hardship, reminding them that their hope is not in their performance, but in God’s unshakable purpose. (Again we would note that it is not possible to know who the elect are, so there is no assurance or comfort derived from the doctrine.)

John Piper puts it like this: “God is sovereign, and we are all accountable and guilty for our sin and deserving of wrath. If God chose us to come to faith and to be saved from this guilty condition, it is owing to nothing in us.”

 
God’s Sovereignty, Our Salvation

Does election mean we’re just robots? Or that some people don’t have a chance? No. Let us carefully unpack this tension.

 
(a) God Is Sovereign

Scripture is clear that God is absolutely sovereign. That means he has full authority and power over everything, including our salvation. Psalm 115:3 says, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” Romans 9 paints a picture of God as the Potter and us as clay. Paul writes, “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16). R.C. Sproul said it best: “If God is not sovereign, then God is not God.” Since man is totally depraved and incapable of saving himself, it must be God who saves us according to his sovereign will (Ephesians 1:5). (As mentioned above, this is not about us.)

Those who come to Faith become his children by his will, not theirs (John 1:12-13). (Hmm. Let's quote: 

John 1:12-13 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

There is no mention of His will here. In fact, it contradicts the idea of election. We see that those who received Him and believed were given something. They received a right to become His children. 

We are surprised the author does not see the contradiction.)

 
(b) Man’s Response

Election does not at all cancel human responsibility. (Whoa. How can a human contravene the will of God if election is true? Therefore, how can a human be held responsible for a choice he did not make?)

Instead, it guarantees that some will respond to the Gospel. As Acts 13:48 says, “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” Scripture teaches that God intervenes in the lives of the elect and works in them, through the Holy Spirit, to enable them to respond to him in faith willingly. (Where does Scripture teach this, sir?)

They can only do this because they are his sheep and they hear his voice and follow him (John 10:27- 30). (Sigh. Jesus was referring to the lost sheep of Israel, those who hear His voice [literally, those who were physically there listening to Him.].

We are the other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. [John 10:16])

Charles Spurgeon once said, “If God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen him; and I’m sure he chose me before I was born, or else he never would have chosen me afterward.” How, then, do we reconcile verses like John 3:16 and 1 Timothy 2:4, especially for the non-elect? (Yes, good question.)

Romans 1:18-20 assures us that God has revealed himself to all humanity, but because of their sin, they suppress the truth, they do not acknowledge him as God, and their sin closes their eyes to God’s Grace. Consequently, they receive what is due them (Romans 6:23), eternal damnation–God’s perfect justice. (Sir, you did not answer the question. If God chose the destiny of all of humanity, then how is humanity held responsible for God's sovereign choice?)

 
(c) Salvation Is By Grace Alone

Other religions and false teachers will teach that we earn salvation through good works. However, the heart of election is this: salvation is by grace through faith alone. Ephesians 2:8–9 expounds further, “For by grace you have been saved through faith… not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Salvation by grace through faith alone does not necessarily intersect with election.)

While we were dead in sin, unable to do anything about our depravity, the Father chose us in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-2:4). (Again, we dealt with this above.)

Now this is grace; we did nothing to earn God’s mercy, yet it was lavishly poured out on us (Romans 5:6-11) and we could not receive it except by the power of the Holy Spirit working faith in us. A correct understanding of election births humble awe, not pride. Why me? Why was I drawn to Christ, while others still resist? The only answer: grace. (The author is doing his best to isolate us from the salvation process, in the sense that everything comes from God's side, even faith. If we made a decision to believe, the Calvinist would deem this a "work," which would mean God's sovereignty would be diminished. 

This is a crucial issue. Calvinists like the author needs to draw this line in order to make salvation itself conform to the doctrine of election. Thus a decision must be a "work," because a "work" would negate sovereign election. 

However, there is nothing in the Bible that describes the act of faith as a "work." The only reason it's a "work" is because the Calvinist needs it to be.)

 
Election and the Good News

Some may think, “If God has already chosen who will be saved, why share the Gospel?” (Another good question, which the author will not answer.)

Just after reminding us of those who respond (Rom. 10:10-13), Paul gives us a reason to share the gospel. Paul writes, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15). Paul’s letter to the Romans was all about assuring them that the gospel he proclaimed would always produce fruit. (Where does the book of Romans tell us this? We searched Romans for the word "fruit" and the word never appears in the context of the believer or the Gospel producing it.)

His treatise on election wasn’t meant to determine who would be saved. (The doctrine necessarily requires consideration of the elect are.)

It was meant to assure them that their efforts in proclaiming the gospel would never be in vain. (The author begs the question. Why is it not in vain? If God has chosen the saved, no human action or failure to act will cause any change in who are the elect.)

How, then, did the people of God in the Old Testament repent? God sent them prophets to call them to repentance and warn them about God’s judgment. While God is sovereign in his salvific work and knows the elect from the non-elect, he graciously invites us to participate in his work through verbal proclamation (Matthew 28:19-20, Ephesians 4:11-12). (He "graciously" invites us into meaningless and futile work?)

God uses the preaching of the Gospel to call his elect. That’s why we must preach, teach, and evangelize passionately, knowing that God’s Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). (?? But sir, you did not answer the question. We certainly concede the biblical commands to evangelize, but you need to explain, what is the purpose in obeying a command that changes nothing?)

 
Election Produces Worship and Assurance

When you understand that your salvation was planned before the world began, you don’t walk in fear; you walk in security. Romans 8:33-34 says, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” If God chose you, no one can unchoose you. We say with Paul in Ephesians 1:6, “To the praise of his glorious grace.” (Yet again we must ask, how does anyone know who are the elect? How do we know we are not false converts who will fall away? There is no security in election, because the elect are not knowable.)

Also, notice that whenever Scripture speaks of election, it doesn’t address non-Christians. Instead, those portions of Scripture are meant to remind believers that the hope they hold was cultivated by God, who graciously ordered all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11). For the Christian, that should give them an assured confidence that their hope is sure. (Why?)

 
Chosen to Live, Love, and Go

Let’s close with this: The doctrine of election is not meant to spark division, but devotion. It’s not about cracking the code of God’s mind. It’s about standing in awe of his mercy.

You and I, sinners, rebels, wanderers, have been chosen. Not because of grades, beauty, tribe, status, or church position. But because of God’s sovereign love. Before we ever heard the Gospel, God had written our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 13:8). (Sighhh. Let's quote: 

Rev. 13:8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast — all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

The verse does not say that the names were written from the creation of the world, it says that the Lamb was slain from the creation of the world.

Is the author deliberately lying to us, or is he simply mistaken?)

What should this truth do in your heart? It should humble you. You didn’t save yourself. It should free you. You don’t need to earn God’s love. It should excite you to share the gospel. The elect still need to hear the Gospel. It should anchor you. Your salvation is secure in God’s eternal purpose.

So go out with boldness. Share Christ. Love deeply. Rest fully. And worship gladly. For your name, by grace alone, is etched in heaven.