Unconditional Election

The Light Shines in the Darkness...

Unconditional Election is, basically, the belief that God elects individuals unto salvation for no other reason than His own purpose. In other words, election is not based on the ‘foreseen’ faith, merit, or any other quality of an individual, but rather, it is for God’s own sovereign purpose and for His own glory. It does not mean that there are no conditions to salvation. Of course a man has to believe (i.e. have faith) in order to be saved. Unconditional election is not unconditional justification. Rather, it is only that God elects men (and gives them faith) for His own purpose. All Scripture quotes are from the NASB (emphasis mine):

John 10:25-26

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.”

Commentary:

Jesus states that His opponents did not believe because they were not His sheep. Notice that He did not say, “You are not my sheep because you do not believe.” He stated that they did not believe because God had not elected them. Thus, the implication is quite clear. God elects men so that they will believe and bear fruit, not because they believed and/or bore fruit.

John 15:16

“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

Commentary:

The text is clear. Jesus tells His disciples that they did not choose Christ but that Christ chose them. It was not that Christ chose them because the disciples believed in Him, but rather, they believed because Christ chose them.

Acts 13:48

When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Commentary:

Luke states that these people believed because they were of the elect. It does not say, “All who believed were appointed to eternal life.” It is the other way around. The basis of why they believed is because they had been appointed to eternal life.

Romans 9

Introduction:

At the beginning of the ninth chapter of Romans, Paul states that he is sorrowful because of the unbelief of his brethren, the Israelites. In verse 6, he is answering those who say, “Why should I believe you when the vast majority of your brethren do not believe?” Paul answers that not every child of Abraham is a true child of Abraham (i.e. in a spiritual sense; Romans 9:6). Thus, it is obvious from the outset that he is explaining why more individual Jews are not being saved. This is very important since many try to make this a passage about God’s blessing and cursing upon nations.

Romans 9:9-13

For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.” And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”

Commentary:

God chose Jacob, not because of anything that he did, but for God’s own purpose. In fact, if anything that God did were to be based on Jacob’s actions, it would have been to bring His wrath on Jacob. God elected Jacob and allowed Esau to go into apostasy because of His own purpose and not for anything that the two did. Some will object to the obvious interpretation of this and say that Paul is discussing the nations of Israel (i.e. the descendants of Jacob) and Edom (i.e. the descendants of Esau). They buttress this point by showing that the quote in verse 13 is from Malachi 1:2-3 where Malachi is talking about the nations of Israel andEdom. However, such an interpretation misses the point of Malachi entirely. Malachi uses the history of the two brothers, Jacob and Esau, to show why there was a blessing on Israel and a curse on Edom, and it was because of the history of the two brothers (as individuals). Second, it is clear that Paul is talking about the two brothers as individuals when, in verse 11, he sates that God elected Jacob while he was still in his mother’s womb for His own purpose.

Romans 9:14-18

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

Commentary:

Paul clearly states that the election of individuals is not based upon the willpower or actions of man. He uses Pharaoh, a historical individual, as an example of God using men for the express purpose of glorifying His name. Paul then gives the greatest statement about God’s freedom: “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”

Romans 9:18-24

So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

Commentary:

Paul anticipates a theoretical person’s objection to his statement that God has mercy or hardens whomever He wants to. The theoretical objection (v.19) is that if God foreordains all things to come to pass, then God can’t judge anyone for their deeds. Paul answers the person by saying that no creature can judge the Creator’s form of justice (Romans 9:20).

Next, Paul makes one of the most controversial statements in the whole Bible. He basically states that God has complete freedom over His creation to do as He wishes. God (i.e. the Potter) can create creatures that are destined to be pardoned and receive mercy (i.e. vessels of mercy), or He can create creatures that are destined for destruction (i.e. vessels prepared for destruction). James White comments:

“Why are there vessels prepared for destruction? Because God is free. Think about it: there are only three logical possibilities here. Either 1) all “vessels” are prepared for glory (universalism); 2) all “vessels” are prepared for destruction; or 3) some vessels are prepared for glory and some are prepared for destruction and it is the Potter who decides which are which. Why is there no fourth option, one in which the pots prepare themselves based upon their own choice? Because pots don’t have such a capacity! Pots are pots! Since God wishes to make known the “riches of His grace” to His elect people (the vessels prepared for mercy), there must be vessels prepared for destruction. There is no demonstration of mercy and grace where there is no justice.”

-James R. White, The Potter’s Freedom (Amityville, NY: Calvary Press Publishing, 2000), p.214.

Indeed, the fact that God foreordains all things to come to pass is clearly and unambiguously taught in this passage. However, those who prefer the doctrine of the pagan Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, try to get around this passage by saying that Paul is actually using imagery from Jeremiah 18 where God speaks about his ability to bless or destroy nations based on their response to God’s Law. Even though Jeremiah uses the Potter and the pots imagery, Paul’s words more closely mirror Isaiah’s use of the Potter and the clay. Compare Paul’s words with that of Isaiah’s (emphasis mine):

Romans 9:19-20

You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?

Isaiah 29:15-16, 45:9-10,

Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their plans from the Lord. They do their works in darkness, and say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” You have turned things around, as if the potter were the same as the clay. How can what is made say about its maker, “He didn't make me”? How can what is formed say about the one who formed it, “He doesn't understand what he's doing?”… “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker-one clay pot among many. Does clay say to the one forming it: What are you making? Or does your work say: He has no hands?...Yet Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands.”

Clearly, Paul is utilizing imagery from Isaiah, not Jeremiah, and every quote of the Potter and the clay in Isaiah above refers to the pots as individuals, not nations.

Ephesians 1:11-12

…also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Commentary:

Paul states without equivocation that the elect were predestined for God's own purpose. The purpose was to glorify Himself, and the basis upon which they were elected was His sovereign choice, not their foreseen faith or works.

2 Timothy 1:9

…who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity…

Commentary:

[Same as Ephesians 1:11-12]

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Also, some helpful audio on this topic can be found at:

http://www.straitgate.com/aom/dl/99.htm (January 16, July 17, 24, August 7)

Some helpful online reading can be found here:

http://www.mslick.com/romans9.htm

http://www.mslick.com/romans9b.htm

http://www.mslick.com/answers/randomness.htm

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/topic/election.html

http://aomin.org/Lenskirep.html