The Order of Salvation. Election (Part 3).

God's Decree: A People Chosen, Foreknown, and Predestined

In my fellowship with other Christians, one of the saddest and strangest things I've come across is the completely unexplainable neglect given to the topics of the Election, Foreknowledge, and Predestination of God. There are even whole churches that reject it. And even if some churches acknowledge these truths, they change the meaning of the words. Actually, what I find sad isn't that people deny election (because I really haven't ran across that many at all), but that they don't define it biblically - and worse yet, they don't even talk about it! I find it hard to imagine not talking about this subject, as anyone who knows me knows. I know I'm speaking for many people cries throughout history when I say these topics should in no way be controversial. God very carefully gave us plenty of Scripture to get'em right. Lordwilling, I can get whatever audience I have to wipe off the dust on these topics.

Election: God chooses out of all mankind some of them to be His people.
Foreknowledge: God sets His love unconditionally upon this chosen people.
Predestination: God sets these chosen and loved peoples' destinies to be saved in Christ.

Church Error
I think right away we can see offense in these definitions for these words. Where's faith in this picture? Where's man's will in these definitions? What role do we play in becoming elect, foreknown, and predestined? Because of this offense, a lot of circles wrongly define these terms as follows:

Foreknowledge: God looks into the future and sees who will believe in Him.
Election: God chooses those, whom He foresaw to believe in Him, as His people.
Predestination: God sets these chosen peoples' destinies to be saved in Christ when they, by faith, give their destiny over to God.

And these definitions come from looking at Romans 8:29, "Those whom God foreknew He also predestined...". And looking at that verse, sincere people say, "Ah! God looks into the future and sees who are faithful and predestines them!" So why did/do so many men faithful to studying the Scriptures reject this logic?

I hope to accomplish two things:
1. To show why the second set of definitions are not biblically possible
2. To biblically argue why the first set of definitions are correct

1) So if God truly looked into the future to see if you had faith or not, would He ever find you in a state of belief?

Apart from God's predestinating grace, these verses explain what would happen,

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
(Genesis 6:5)

The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good, not even one.
(Psalm 14:2-3)

So if God looked into the future He would only see that "every intention of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually," and that "all have turned aside", and that "there are none who do good." So is there anything good in you that God would have saw? Again, Scripture says,

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
in which you once walked, following the course of this world,
following the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
carrying out the desires of the body and the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
(Eph. 2:1-3)

One must acknowledge that this was his condition outside of Christ. Or do you suppose that apart from God's predestinating grace (that "but God" that comes in verse 4) you would by your own will not be "dead in trespasses" or not "follow the prince of the power of the air" or not "live in the passions of your flesh" or not be by nature "children of wrath, like the rest of mankind"? Would God look into the future and see you naturally being a child of faith and forsaking your sin for Christ?

Conclusion: There is nothing in you that God would foresee that would cause Him to choose and predestine you.

But Praise God!
2) Considering our fallen condition, praise Him that that's not what being foreknown means! I hope now to argue that God foreknowing a people has more to do with setting His love upon them before they were even created! It would only be fair to say this much though, yes the word foreknown means "to know beforehand". But to understand the word 'know' as to mean God looked into the future to see what you would do would only be torturing the meaning here, right? When the Bible speaks of someone knowing someone, what does it often mean? Perhaps you thought of when Adam knew Eve (Gen. 4:1) and then it says "she conceived and bore a son." So it's completely fair to say that 'knowing' someone has more to do with an intimate passion, not simply having knowledge of a fact about someone.

Look at how God describes His love for Israel, His chosen people, the people God foreknew (Rom. 11:2),

The LORD appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
(Jeremiah 31:3)

God's love for them was everlasting, but now the question arises: did Israel do anything to earn or deserve this love? One fair reading through the Old Testament should answer that question. Now a more personal question: Did you do anything to deserve the love of God?

God's Foreknowledge is not a Common Thing
And then also added to that a final question: Does God foreknow all men? In other words I'm asking is this intimate saving love that God sets upon His people a common thing that all men everywhere have?

Consider Jacob and Esau. When looking at both their lives, did not Esau seem to be more righteous than Jacob? Nevertheless, God did not foreknow Esau as He did Jacob (Rom. 9:13). Even if you want to translate that "loves less" the word literally means to detest and to persecute, just look at how much less God loved Esau (Malachi 1:2-4). The people that God loves less are judged in eternal hell.

Are all men saved?

And someone said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?"
And he said to them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow door.
For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door,
and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying,
'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you,
'I do not know where you come from.'

Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence,
and you taught in our streets.'
But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from.
Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'
In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
but you yourselves cast out.
(Luke 13:23-28)

God's choosing and foreknowing a people unto Himself is not universal. Why is it important as Christians to acknowledge this? As Hebrews 10:29 (depending upon your translation) says it is offensive to God to count His Son's blood an unholy thing, which means to count it as a common thing. Not that we are to limit the Gospel and not invite all men to partake of it, but that we should consider that God's grace we Christians have is a very rare thing that the world knows nothing about. You shouldn't count it as something so common that just any and everyone can walk down an aisle and receive it by chanting a prayer. No, salvation requires grace and faith in the heart - there is no simple 3 step plan that people can perform, it requires an Almight God to circumcise a man's heart (Deut. 30:6), and He chooses when and when not to do it (example, Deut. 29:2-4). Grace and faith are much bigger than that! Many people are called to come to Christ, but only a few are foreknown and drawn by God. You should rejoice in God with fear and trembling.

For many are called, but few are chosen.
(Mt. 22:14)

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws Him.
And I will raise him up on the last day.
(John 6:44)

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
(Psalms 2:11)

So next Lordwilling we'll look at God's Election and Predestination.