This is something that I've been putting together for a few years from my Bible reading. It is a hot-button issue for sure and there has been debates on this issue for hundreds of years; The Elective Purposes Of God. Im going to start by saying that I have no degree in theology, I've never been to seminary, I'm not apart of any leadership in a church. Im not the most literate and educated person in the world. In fact, you may see a lot of wrong spelling, wrong punctuation, and maybe a wrong use of a phrase or word. but I think you will be able to hear what I'm saying.
Other than that I truly believe that Gods truth is plain and open. Jesus said "I have spoken openly to the world" also "I have done nothing in secret"(John 18:20), But I also believe that God hides His truth to those who think they are wise and approach the Bible with their own mind and reasoning. If you read through the Bible and like a child rely on the Holy Spirit to teach you, then you are on your way to a simple understanding of Gods Word. Don't think that only a chosen few will be endowed with special knowledge, if you believe that then you are running with the gnostics that Paul dealt with back then.
Now, the Bible says to "Rightly divide the Word of truth"(2 Tim. 2:15). This was key to my understanding of this matter, I always took this as to divide the single verse that I was reading, but it never made sense to me. You can split a theological hair ten ways, but if you take a verse out of context it only becomes a pretext. The Bible is a divided book, and what I mean is that there were different times where God dealt with the people differently, there were different ages, different dispensations. Now I believe right here is where the whole matter gets confused. We have a teaching that is in contrast to dispensational theology called "covenant theology", This teaching will apply a lot of the Old Testament writings to the New Testament Church. In this teaching some believe that the church has replaced Israel, this is where the waters start to get muddy, this is where we have to go back and "rightly divide". When we start to allegorize and spiritualize the Bible we can begin to make it say what we want it to say. But a Bible text only has one true meaning, the Bible says what is means and means what it says, if it doesn't mean what it says than what does it mean? We should never interpret the Bible through the lens of an obscure text, but always interpret an obscure text through the lens of the Bible as a whole. When the Bible writers put their pens to parchment, The Holy Spirit was moving them to write, God was speaking, and He was intending to say something, And it is our duty to simply believe that what God says is true despite lack of understanding.
Now, what is election? what does it mean? Some say it simply means choosing unto salvation, And that is mostly true. But the greek word "eklektos" or "election" really means a selection or choice by God. Its a general word for a selection and is not always used for salvation. Some say it only means that God has chosen some to be saved and some to be lost. but that cannot be true, Jesus was the "Elect One" of God, He was elected by God. Now, would Jesus need to be elected unto salvation? No, never! Jesus was elected by God for a task, a mission, and this word election is used, in that sense and meaning, the most when it appears in the Bible. Now, when I read the Bible and I see the elections or choices of God, I see that it is always redemptive, God is in the business of redemption. Jesus came "to seek and to save that which is lost", are you lost? If you aren't saved then I can say by the authority of this Word that God is seeking you. The Lords elected task was the plan of redemption, and you can see all the way back to the fall where God started his elected and selected redemption plan. God never ever elects people for everlasting hell, those in hell are there by choice, Gods elections are always redemptive or for a redemptive purpose in the future.
A look back at Genesis will show us a first peak into Gods redemption plan. After satan deceived eve in the garden, God cursed him and then said to satan "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel," (Gen. 3:15) This one little verse will span over the course of the entire history of mankind, it summarizes the entire Bible and is a wonderful promise that God will bring forth the Messiah, The Savior of the whole world. God had planned this out before He ever hung the earth in space. Revelation 13:8 says that Jesus was “slain from the foundation of the earth”, Nothing has taken God By surprise.
So, here we start with Abraham, God called Abraham and he obeyed Gods call, then God said to Abraham.. “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed My voice.”(Gen. 22:18) Abraham later had two sons, and this is the beginning of Gods elective process. Abraham had Isaac and Ishmael, but God told Abraham.. “In Isaac shall thy seed be called”(Gen. 21:12). Notice that nowhere in this text does it indicate anyone being saved or lost, God was going to use Isaac for His redemptive plan. And not only Isaac, but Isaac had two sons. Jacob and Esau, God didn't choose both sons but only one son. What did God choose Jacob for? Well, lets look and see what Gods Word tells us in Genesis 25:23, God told Rebecca.."Two nations are in your womb; two people will come from you and be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." God chose Jacob to be the leader of the great nation Israel, Paul would later use this sovereign choice that God made to expound upon Gods elective purpose with Israel in Romans 9. You might ask why God said He loved Jacob and hated Esau, Well, Paul said in Romans 9:13.. "As it is written, Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated." I looked up the greek word used here in the strong's concordance and it is "agapeō" which is different than "agapē" it means "to prefer" I also looked up the word hate and it is "miseó" it means "to renounce one choice in favor of another." so God choose Jacob to lead the nation Israel and not Esau. Why did God choose Jacob for this task and not Esau? We will never know, God made this choice before they were ever born. Time is like a parade, we see it only bit by bit as it passes by, But God sees it from above, He sees the beginning and the end all at one time.
Jacob would then go on to be called Israel, He would have twelve sons, but even then it was through Judah where the Seed would go, and then through King David. If you haven't picked up on it yet, The Seed is none other than Jesus Christ, this put Jesus as heir of the throne of King David. Jesus is the King of the jews, and one Day He will rule and reign from the throne of David here on earth. But not only was Israel elected by God to bring forth the Messiah, Paul in Romans 9:4-5 is talking about Israel and says.. "to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came," So, you see here that Israel is a God elected, God protected, but also a God rejected nation(temporarily that is). God established Israel for His redemptive purpose, through Israel came the law, the covenants, the fathers, the promises, and The Savior. And God did all of this.
Way back in Genesis when God told Abraham that through his "seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed", it came to pass through Jesus Christ. Israel is a special nation in Gods sight, but along the way, Israel rebelled against God. So God sent prophets to them to restore them, and they rejected the prophets and killed them. As the weeping prophet Jeremiah wrote concerning Israel in Jeremiah 18:6-10.."Look, as the clay is in the potters hand, so are you in My hand O house of Israel! The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation whom I have spoken against turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, If it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, Then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it." And this was Israels direct response to that.. "That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will everyone obey the dictates of his evil heart."(Jer. 18:12).
God was patient with Israel, God loved Israel, God wanted Israel to repent, but they would not, And God endured their rebellion and let them go. But God in His infinite Wisdom and Holiness would use Israels rebellion to show His Power and to bring Redemption to the world by His mercy and grace. As Paul says in Romans 9:22-26 "And what if God, desiring to display His wrath and make His power known, endured with much patients objects of wrath ready for destruction? And what if He did this to make known the riches of His glory on objects of mercy that He prepared beforehand for glory, on us the ones He also called, not only from the jews but also from the gentiles? as He also says in Hosea: I will call not My People, My People, and she who is unloved, beloved. And it will be in the place where they were told, you are not My people, there they will be called sons of the living God." Some of us may not like this picture of God, but I tell you, God was patiently enduring Israel, And God was heartbroken over Israel. But God was going to pour out His mercy on not only the jews but also the gentiles.
The Bible says that Israel is Gods treasure. Look at what Jesus says in the parable of the hidden treasure in Matthew 44:13.. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." As Jerusalem is geographically in the center of the map, it is temporarily desolate and hidden. But Jesus has purchased the field, and in the end will have his treasure Israel. Paul says in Romans 11:25-26.. "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the gentiles come in. And so all Israel will be saved."
Look here at the heart of Jesus in Matthew 23:37, Jesus is weeping as He is looking over Jerusalem.. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city who kills the prophets and stones Gods messengers! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let Me. See! your house is left desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." Jesus was heartbroken over their rebellion, They later rejected Jesus Himself and would be the ones that physically put him on the cross. But Jesus still showed mercy to Israel before the cross. Jesus focused His ministry on Israel first when He said to the disciples.. "Don't take the road leading to other nations, and don't enter any samaritan town. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."(Matt. 10:5-6). Our Lord is full of mercy, Jesus focused on Israel, But there were glimpses' of that time when Jew and Gentile would be one and there would be one flock, this was the mystery of the church, the church that God will elect through Christ to carry on the mission to bring the Good news to the whole world. This happened fully in Acts 13:46-48, Paul and Barnabas said to the jews.. "It was necessary that Gods message be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and consider yourself unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the gentiles! For this is what the Lord had commanded us: "I have made you a light for the gentiles to bring salvation to the ends of the earth." When the gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the message of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed."
Jesus gives us a picture of this in the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22:2-14.."The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants saying, 'tell those who are invited, "see I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."But they made light of it and went their own ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious, And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then said to his servants,'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.' So the servants went out into the highways and gathered together all who they found, bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, He saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless, The king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"For many are called, but few are chosen."
Theres a lot here that I haven't covered, but the sum of what I am saying is this. God has made a way for us, God has worked through time to bring salvation to us. God even planned the very crucifixion of Jesus Christ. God used Israel for this mighty redemption plan. And now the church is elected to carry on Gods plan and purpose. But God still loves Israel, and God will save them and keep His Promises with them. Look at what Paul says in Romans 11:11 & 15 "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the gentiles, how much more their fullness!...For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" And Israel will be accepted again by Gods grace.
Why did the gentiles receive salvation, and why was the nation Israel rejected? Paul sums it all up in Romans 9:30-32.."What shall we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness have obtained righteousness, namely the righteousness that comes by faith. But Israel pursuing the law as righteousness, has not achieved the righteousness of the law. Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by Faith, but as it were by works." Listen folks, since Abraham until now it has always been by faith. You must have on the wedding garment, That is Christ, and you put it on by faith. If you aren't saved, you can be now by faith in Jesus Christ, you can enter into the appointed and elected body of Christ. You don't have to run around and worry weather you are the chosen frozen or not, listen, We can see how God has been pursuing us. Here you see how God has worked to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. This started before the world was made, you had nothing to do with it, God planned it and brought it to pass, Jesus Finished His work and suffered on the cross, the only thing we can do is reach out and receive this marvelous wonderful Gift of salvation that God has prepared for us. And because God has preplanned it, we can be assured that He will complete it when we He comes back to steal away His church from this world. This is only by the sheer mercy and grace of God. Look at what Jesus says about the church in the parable of the pearl of great price in Matthew 13:45-56.. "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe.
I heard a story about a boy who came to his pastor wanting to be saved, he asked what must he do to be saved. The pastor looked at him and said "Turn from your sins to Jesus, believe and accept Him by faith". The boy looked at the pastor and said "is it really that easy?" the pastor said "Easy for you, Not for Him". What Grace the Lord has given us, If you haven't received this Gift, you can do it now. By faith you can accept Jesus and enter into this elected church. you can be apart of Gods mission and continue to bring His Gospel to the world. God finishes His wonderful Word with this beautiful invitation. "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." And the Spirit and the bride say "Come!" and let him who hears say "Come!" and let him who thirsts come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely."(Rev. 22:17)
