U – Unconditional election:
Defined:
The Westminster Confession of Faith (1648):
Chapter III, I. God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass…III. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto life, and others foreordained to everlasting death. IV. These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished (Palmer, p. 124).
And:
The doctrine of election declares that God, before the foundation of the world, chose certain individuals from among the fallen members of Adam’s race to be the objects of His undeserved favor. These, and these only, He purposed to save. God could have chosen to save all men (for He had the power and authority to do so) or He could have chosen to save none (for He was under no obligation to show mercy to any) – but He did neither. Instead He chose to save some and to exclude others. His eternal choice of particular sinners unto salvation was not based upon any foreseen act or response on the part of those selected, but was based solely on His own good pleasure and sovereign will. Thus election was not determined by, or conditioned upon, anything that men would do, but resulted entirely from God’s self-determined purpose (Steele & Thomas, p. 30).
Scriptural Considerations:
Calvinism says: Because of being born in sin (Hereditary Depravity), all of us are spiritually dead, so dead we are unable to even have faith. Therefore, in order for us to be saved, God alone had to save us. We know that everyone doesn’t “get saved” so, God had to choose those to whom He would give grace (Unconditional Election).
The first glaring contradiction between Calvinism and Scripture is the Bible’s teaching on the impartiality of God. Paul, in discussing the justice of God, emphatically states “…there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:11). Peter, after preaching Christ for the first time to the Gentiles, says:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34-35).
God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4) but only those who fear and obey Him will be “welcome to Him.” The problem keeping all men from being saved is not the sovereign will of God, but the arbitrary will of men.
The Bible does teach “election” and “predestination”:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will (Ephesians 1:3-5 NAS).
The phrase “He chose us” is from a word which originally meant “to lay out together.” It carried the idea of making a selection or choosing from among different objects or things. Those, therefore, who were chosen by God were chosen from what consisted of many varied groups or persons. Rather than an arbitrary choice of particular individuals, God chose to receive all those who are “in Christ.” He chose a class of people: those who in faith would obey Jesus (Hebrews 5:9).
This relationship called “in Him” or “in Christ” and is where “all” or “every spiritual blessing” is found (Ephesians 1:3). Ephesians the first chapter lists seven spiritual blessings that are found only “in Him”: 1. We are chosen (1:4), 2. We are predestined to be adopted (1:5), 3. We are given grace (1:6), 4. We are redeemed and forgiven (1:7), 5. We are allowed to know the mystery of His will (1:9), 6. We are to obtain an inheritance (1:11), 7. We are sealed with the Spirit (1:13). [See also Ephesians (Commentary), Glen Osburn, Contending For The Faith Pub.]
God’s decision or choice pertaining to whom He would save, was made before the world was built, that is, before its “foundation” was laid (Ephesians 1:4). Because of God’s impartiality this choice consists of individuals within a particular group. He chose to save those who had the quality of being “holy and blameless” (Ephesians 1:4; 5:27; Colossians 1:22). This separation from sin and guilt is attained only “in Christ,” and maintained by us (2 Corinthians 7:1; 2 Peter 1:10).
The word “predestine” means literally “to set out boundaries in advance.” God staked out the boundaries for the group he would adopt. The concept of this word is described in John’s gospel:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. And a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. Jesus therefore said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:1-9 NAS).
Ancient Sheep Fold
The imagery here suggests that the “sheep” represent people. God set out a boundary in advance that those in the “fold of the sheep” were to be the “saved.” The “fold of the sheep” represents the church where salvation is (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23). The way to get into that “fold” is through “the door,” which is Christ Jesus. God predestined, or “set out boundaries in advance,” that the “fold of the sheep” or the church be where salvation is and that “anyone” who wanted to be saved enter “through” Christ. Anyone? Yes, anyone: “If anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved” (John 10:9). Jesus also said “you are unwilling to come to Me , that you may have life” (John 5:40). (See also John 10:16 & Ephesians 2:14-16.)
By His sovereign decree, all those “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) are in that group called the church (Ephesians 1:22-23) of which Christ is the Savior (Ephesians 5:23). Whether a person is or is not in God’s church is dependent on whether that person has in faith chosen to obey Jesus (Hebrews 5:9; Romans 8:29-30). God’s call to come and be saved “in Christ” is offered to all through or by the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14). You get “into” Christ when in faith you respond to the gospel and are “baptized into Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). This is a general election, as opposed to the unconditional, particular election of the Calvinist.
– Glen Osburn