The material we are going to read about is far too cerebral to
not start out with a joke. So, here's something to put a smile on
our faces before we talk about much weightier topics.
An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big
city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.
"Well," said the farmer, "it was good. They did something
different, though. They sang praise choruses instead of regular
songs." "Praise choruses?" said his wife. "What are those?" "Oh,
they're OK. They are sort of like regular songs, only different,"
said the farmer. "Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife. The
farmer said, "Well, it's like this - if I were to say to you:
'Martha, the cows are in the corn' - well that would be a
regular song. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:
'Martha, Martha, Martha,
oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA
the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows
the white cows,
the black and white cows,
the COWS, COWS, COWS
are in the corn,
are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,
the CORN, CORN, CORN'
Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times,
then that would be a praise chorus."
The next weekend, his nephew, a young, new Christian from the
city came to visit and attended the local church. He went home and
his mother asked him how it was.
"Well," said the young man, "it was good. They did something
different, though. They sang hymns instead of regular songs."
"Hymns?" said his mother. "What are those?" "Oh, they're OK. They
are sort of like regular songs, only different," said the young
man. "Well, what's the difference?" asked his mother.
The young man said, "Well, it's like this - if I were to say
to you, 'Martha, the cows are in the corn' - well, that would
be a regular song. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:
'Oh Martha dear Martha, hear thou my
cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.
For the way of the animals who can
explain
There in their heads is no shadow of sense
Hearkenest they in God's sun or His rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.
Yea those cows in glad bovine,
rebellious delight
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.
So look to the bright shining day by
and by
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn
Where no vicious animals make my soul cry
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.'
Then if I were to do only verses one, three and four and do a
key change on the last verse, well, that would be a hymn."
Election Perspectives
This past Sunday we spoke about how God loves and cares for all
people of the world. We spoke of God's desire to see people come to
Him in confession and repentance. While all Christians believe that
God loves all people in a general way, distinctions are made as to
whether God desires to see all turn to Him in confession and
repentance. Typically, these discussions have broken down between
those who believe in unconditional election and those who believe
in conditional election.
Unconditional Election states that in eternity
past, prior to the creation of anything, God decreed a number of
things (this is typically known as supra-, infra- and
sub-lapsarianism-for a breakdown of each, go here http://www.ministryserver.com/bible/glbible/l_.htm).
One of the things that He decreed was who would be objects of His
grace. Some also state that God additionally chose who would be
objects of His wrath (others state that we were all objects of His
wrath-He simply chooses us out of that 'grouping'). According to
this approach, those who God decreed would receive His salvation
are throughout Scripture called the elect. Those who are not chosen
are described as objects of wrath (Scripturally) or the non-elect
(theologically). This choosing of the elect is in no way dependent
on anything that God foreknew about them (whether they would place
their faith in Him, etc.-John 15:16) but was purely based upon His
sovereign choice and thus is 'unconditional' election. There is no
way for mankind to know who of those currently dead in sin are
elect and so it is appropriate for us to present the Gospel to
everyone. Romans 9, John 6 and Ephesians 1 are the primary sources
for this perspective, though there are many other verses that are
used for support.
Conditional Election also states that God
decreed a number of things in eternity past. However, this approach
states that God foreknew those whom He would elect conditioned upon
His foreknowledge of those who would place their faith in Him. The
primary Scriptural support of this is 1 Peter 1:1-2. Those who are
not elect are objects of wrath but they are objects because they
have refused to believe in Jesus. Only God knows who will
eventually place their faith in Jesus and so it is appropriate for
us to present the Gospel to everyone.
So Who's Right?
Well.let me start by saying that this is a debate that's been
going on for at least 1,700 years-we're not likely to solve it on
this blog! However, I do have some thoughts that hopefully
contribute to the way that people think about these things.
There are problems with both approaches. If one holds to
Unconditional Election, then they must also hold to the idea that
God has either actively or passively (though, I've never been quite
sure how God can act passively.) chooses those who will for all
eternity be separated from Him. What this means is that this
non-elect person was created for the sole purpose of bringing glory
to God by being separated for all of eternity from God. Given God's
continual offer of salvation in both the Old and New Testaments to
all people in all places, this would seem to be somewhat
contradictory of the nature of God. Why offer salvation to people
whom God has never intended to save.?
Conditional Election doesn't hold any fewer problems. If God's
election and choosing of people is based upon their faith, then
there is a sense in which God's salvation of people is completely
hinging upon mankind.not a very promising prospect.
But how is it possible for God to elect from eternity past and
yet at the same time not base the election on what people are
doing?
An important question for us to ask is, Biblically who are the
elect? In the OT, the idea of being elect, or chosen, is applied to
corporate Israel and to the Messiah. We recognize this because we
often speak of the Jewish people as the 'chosen people.' However,
this also points out something we need to be aware of-simply to be
chosen does not necessitate that a person is elect (not all the
chosen people were saved). Thus, we must always use the context to
determine whether a 'choosing' is the same as 'election.' In the
NT, three words are used for the elect: eklegomai (v. to choose);
eklektos (adj. Chosen, choice, elect); ekloge (n. election). Of the
50 uses of these words, a vast majority of these are used in
reference either to Israel or to the elect of the end times. A
minority of these are used specifically of church-age Christians in
a theological sense (again, in a way that suggests eternal election
as opposed to choosing-see Luke 6:13 for a non-theological sense).
There are no theologically significant (i.e. pertaining to God's
choosing in eternity past) uses of election in the OT or NT where
election is applied to any individual other than Jesus. Nor is
there any Biblical distinction between the elect and non-elect in
the unrepentant state. So, the scriptural burden of proof that God
individually elected people seems to be lacking.
But this lack of evidence for individual election is what we
would expect. In Ephesians 1:4, Paul states that we have been
chosen 'in Him.' This is a significant term throughout the NT and
especially in Ephesians 1. 'In Him' we are the righteousness of
God, have life, are a child of God, and are blameless (there are
many more.do a word search on 'in Him', 'in Christ' and 'in
Jesus'). I am none of these things either on my own or because God
has decreed it from eternity past. Instead, I am these things
because my faith association with Jesus is such a spiritual
connection that Scripture states I am 'in Christ.' So, the question
that needs to be asked is not whether some are elect or not-Christ
is the only one elect from eternity past-but how am I placed in
Christ? Ephesians 1:13 tells us it is through belief in the
gospel.
1 Peter 1:1-3 and Romans 8:29 in their simplest meanings
recognize that God foreknew who would believe in the gospel and so
from eternity past we have been elect-but again, not because God
individually chose me but because God individually chose Christ and
I am in Christ. Some will state that this is nothing more than the
conditional election that we have described earlier. I believe it
is distinctly different.
God HAS unconditionally elected-He has unconditionally elected
Jesus. Our election IS conditional-it is conditioned on us being
'in Christ.' We are placed in Christ when we believe, but it is not
our faith that God conditions our election on. So, the two
positions are not so much wrong as focusing on the wrong
thing-people-instead of focusing on the primary object of God's
election-Jesus.
Therefore, it is accurate to state that God both loves all
people and desires all people to come to Him in confession and
repentance.