Election

It is not my purpose to try to explain Election so as to satisfy man's reason or content the carnal mind. This would be vain, for our reason or fleshly mind is "enmity against God" (Rom. viii. 7), and none can fully understand "His ways." Rom. xi. 33. Now because the natural mind is opposed to God and His truth, even very many professed Christians of various orders do not believe the Bible. So to humbly set forth Election by the scriptures, and notice some objections to it and encourage you to believe the Bible is my prayerful desire.

Then let us begin with the loving resolve to believe and obey God's word. Our Lord declares that all men are dead in sin and are entirely unable to save themselves from their lost rebellious State from a justly deserved hell.

While God saves all whom He has chosen to salvation, we must not conclude that any one is saved because better than others as held by Arminianism, for we are saved "not according to our works." Neither must we infer that the elect are better by origin or that they are saved because of a supposed spiritual existence in, and union with Christ before the world was, as claimed by Spiritual two-seedism; for God has "made of one blood all nations of men," and the Bible teaches that sinful men are saved by grace. Yes we are saved from sin by God's free favor mercifully bestowed on His inferior creatures, through the imputed obedience of Jesus Christ. Rejoice, O believer, because God loved and chose you before your smallest existence, yea, before the world began. II Tim. ii. 9.

Dear reader, if you love God and try to do right you are one of the elect and I love you the more. Your love and obedience prove you have been chosen. I Thess. i. 3, 4. Every Christian has two natures in conflict, the "old," and the "new man." Hence our obedience is imperfect. Yes, every child of God has the remaining corrupt dispositions called the "old man" or "fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." I Pet. 11. Our old man or carnal nature hates and rebels against God's choice of some persons to salvation as taught in the Bible; but our renewed soul or spirit does "magnify the Lord" and His truth. So with the flesh or carnal nature, we may serve sin by denying election; and by many wicked objections and misrepresentations we may seek to justify our pride and rebellion against God in denying this truth.

Led by the carnal mind, some misrepresent Election by supposing two young men trained by the same parents under the same influences; and that one of them is wicked and dies in unbelief cursing God, yet being one of the elect he is seated in heaven. Now this is a very unfair or unscriptural view of Election. For the Bible plainly teaches that the wicked shall be cast into hell," and that God has chosen us "that we should be holy." Thus, you see, none of the elect ever die while unchanged or wicked, for they have been chosen to holiness. Hence, Election or God's choice includes the New Birth and belief of the truth. II Thess. ii. 13. So instead of the elect dying in unbelief cursing God as unfairly supposed, we here find that God has chosen them to be changed and to walk in good works. Yes, poor, trembling one grieved by sin, though you feel unworthy, God has chosen you to be brought by the Spirit, through sanctification and unbelief of the truth of salvation.

With like unfairness the natural mind supposes that the other boy lives righteously, believes and loves God, and dies praying to the Lord for mercy; and yet not being one of the elect, he is sent to hell. But this as in the other case, contradicts the word of God. For instead of loving, praying believers being sent to hell, the Bible plainly declares that "Every one that believeth is born of God," I John iv. 7; and "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life," John iii. 36; and "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Rom. x. 13. Here we see, all who believe and love God and beg Him for mercy have everlasting life, are born of God, and shall be saved in heaven according to the election of grace.

Dear reader, with shame I confess that I once hated the doctrine of Election so often found in the Bible, and with wicked pride I presumed to condemn it and God as unjust. But now I rejoice and praise God that He has opened my understanding to love this comforting truth. When I look at my great sinfulness m the past and my remaining corruptness, I am made to wonder and adore my Lord's sovereign and rich mercy in choosing and saving me such an unworthy sinner.

When I read of election in the Bible, and the sweet hope that God foreknew me as a depraved wretch, and yet loved and chose me long before I in anywise existed, I rejoice with great joy. When we further consider that while like others, we deserved to be condemned according to our works when ruled by sin, and yet the Lord has now saved us, "not according to our works," but according to His own purpose and grace given or stored in Christ for us before the world began when we think of this I say, we are filled with gratitude and praise to God. Now we feel sweetly constrained to love and obey our Lord. We no longer yield to the carnal mind to fight against God and His word, but we now believe the Bible and "rejoice in the truth." Yes, we rejoice that we were chosen in Christ before the world--not as Spiritual Two-seedism claims that we were in Christ before the world, but the choice was in Christ before the world, in Christ is where we were chosen, "when as yet there was none" of us. We read in Eph. i. 4, "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy."

Since Election does not injure any one, but leads to good works and glory, it should not be opposed. But rather since man is justly condemned for his own sins, what a great blessing, my friend, that God should choose you and cause you to come to Him.

As we read, "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee." Ps. lxv. 4. Sometimes I have been tempted to infer that the apostles were chosen, but I am so glad others were chosen too. For an apostle writing to those not apostles, says, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth," and results in good works and a glorious home in heaven.

What amazing grace and wonderful love! God by His eternal purpose and grace has chosen us before the world, and now according to that purpose He sanctifies or purifies us in heart or in Spirit, by the renewing work of the Holy Ghost. And finally He shall also cleanse and save our body from the grave and seat us in glory.

Praise the Lord! This Election also reaches those dying in childhood. Yes, salvation is a gift alike to little babes and to older people. For since a man receives the "Kingdom of heaven as a little child," it appears that those dying in infancy are saved and so are all numbered with the elect. Thus through the imputed obedience of Jesus, infants and grown people are all saved alike by the grace plan. Yes, praise the Lord, we are saved "by grace, not of works lest any man should boast. And through grace, we are constrained by love and led of the Spirit, to save ourselves from wrong doctrine and bad practice." Phil. ii. 12, 13.

"The Lord's elect who can condemn, Since Christ has freely died for them? For them through grace He intercedes; From sin He saves-to glory leads."

Yours in love,

Hico, Tex.           M.D. DENMAN.