(Jeremiah 31:3)  "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

    We would desire this morning to take a brief look at one of the most misunderstood and certainly one of the most hated doctrines contained in and taught in the Bible, that being the doctrine of Gods’ divine, sovereign and eternal election.
    In order to maintain some measure of continuity in our presentation we will attempt to adhere to the following outline as we study this subject. We will be submitting unto you for your consideration two major assertions. These affirmations will constitute the clear and plain declaration of what true Baptists have taught concerning this subject for almost two thousand years.
    I.) Firstly, we declare unto you that God did indeed elect or chose a particular number of individuals from the entire human race to be the recipients of His eternal divine love, favor and blessings.
    II.) Secondly, we declare unto you that those ‘elect’ individuals were chosen in the Lord Jesus Christ ‘before the foundation of the world’ and that their election was based solely and entirely upon the good pleasure of God since there was no foreseen merit in the creature. Plainly stated,  certain individuals were ‘elected’ simply because it pleased God to do so!
    In our endeavors to show what the Bible really teaches concerning this subject we will begin by looking at three false teachings to show what the inspired Word of God does not teach on this subject
    Those who would attempt to oppose the Biblical doctrine of election generally adhere to one of the following three false and unbiblical teachings.    
    1.) False Teaching Number One: There is no such teaching as ‘election’ in the Bible.

    Before we proceed into the main thrust of our lesson we desire to take but a few minutes and note some facts about the word elect.
    In the King James version of the Old Testament the word ‘elect’ is found four times. It is translated from the Hebrew word bachiyr, (baw-kheer'). A. H. Strong gives as its definition ‘select’. This Hebrew word bachiyr was used thirteen times by the Holy Spirit in inspiring the Old Testament authors. Four times the translation is ‘mine elect’, three times the translation is ‘my chosen’, four times the translation is ‘his chosen’, one time the translation is ‘thy chosen’ and one time the translation is ‘choose’.
    In the King James version of New Testament the word ‘elect’ is found thirteen times. In every instance the Greek word translated ‘elect’ is eklektos (ek-lek-tos'). J. H. Thayer gives as its definition ‘picked out’, ‘chosen’. This Greek word eklektos was used twenty-three times by the Holy Spirit in inspiring the New Testament authors. Thirteen times the translation is ‘elect’, three times the translation is ‘elect’s’, and seven times the translation is ‘chosen’.
    Let us now move forward and begin our examination of the subject of ‘election’ this morning by taking a brief look at the three generally held false notions of election.

    First there are those who deny that there is any trace of such a teaching in the Bible. Sadly many of those individuals have never read the Bible to any beneficial degree for if they had they would be aware that the phraseology of election, predestination or choosing is found throughout the inspired Scriptures.
    In the New testament alone the words elect, elects’, election or elected are used twenty three times.    As we previously noted the word elect is used four times in the Old testament
    In the New testament the ‘elect’ are also referred to as the ‘chosen’ as they are also spoken of many times in the Old testament.
    The divine act of God electing or choosing is taught in the New Testament words 'predestinate' and 'predestinated' both of which are used two times each in the New testament
    All told there are numerous scripture references to this glorious and God honoring doctrine. It has been said that there is not a book in the Bible that does not in one fashion or the other make mention of this manifestation of Gods’ divine and eternal love.
    It is not necessary, however, to have numerous Scriptures to make a Biblical truth valid. One Scripture is all that is necessary. The Bible is so intertwined and in such harmony that its wondrous teachings always compliment and illustrate each other.
    We may say based on the aforementioned mentioned statistical data that anyone who even casually reads the Bible must admit that there is some sort of teaching on the subject of election contained therein and therefore the notion that there is no such teaching as election in the Bible must be declared a false teaching.

    Secondly we have individuals who have read the Bible enough to see that they can not deny that there is some kind of teaching in the Bible concerning these words and the doctrine of election. But they refuse to accept the word’s plain and powerful meaning so they attempt to overthrow Gods’ doctrine of election and make their own doctrine of election and pass it off as the Biblical based doctrine of election.
    The nation of Israel is referred to by God as His elect nation in the Old Testament and many who would deny individual election cite these references and proclaim that ‘the Jews were an elect nation but that is the only election the Bible knows of’.
(Isaiah 45:4)  "For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me."

(Isaiah 65:9)  "And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there."

(Isaiah 65:22)  "They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands."

    There is no doubt whatsoever that the above Scriptures are references to the nation of Israel. No one who believes and loves Gods’ Holy Word would attempt to deny that obvious fact.
    However, we would point out that there is a definite and distinct difference between the temporal and material blessings which many citizens of Israel enjoyed as a result of their nationality and the eternal and spiritual blessing which many Jews as well as Gentiles have received, are receiving and will yet receive.

    There are many more questions which could be asked that would demonstrate that Israel's' election as a nation is not the only and moreover it is not the primary election taught in the bible.

(Genesis 1:22)  "And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."

(Psalms 65:4)  "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple."

    Please not that the Psalmist declares that it is the individual that is blessed of God, ‘the man’, and there is no mention whatsoever of the nation of Israel.

(Numbers 3:4)  "And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father."

(Numbers 16:32-33)  "And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. {33} They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation."

(Malachi 1:3)  "And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness."

    We could also mention evil Jezebel and how the dogs ate her according to Gods’ prophecy and a host of others but there is no real need to do so. It is sufficient to say that there are numerous examples of people who were of Abraham's' blood line and who yet were not objects of Divine love but were moreover objects of divine hatred, which hatred was manifested in time by divine wrath.

    The answer to that question is so glaringly obvious that it really needs no response.
    Those Israelites who were recipients of Gods’ spiritual and eternal blessings were so blessed as individuals in every case.
    We read in the New testament of individuals who were elect and who were certainly not Jews.

(1 Thessalonians 1:1-4)  "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. {2} We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; {3} Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; {4} Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God."

    Therefore the notion that Biblical election refers to the nation of Israel only must be declared a false teaching.
    I once read an attempt to explain election in which the writer said that he knew about election and he then proceeded to declare that God voted for him, the devil voted against him and he, (by his own free will) cast the deciding vote. Such a statement not only manifests a great ignorance of one’s own depravity and God’s absolute holiness but it also is a blasphemous stench in the nostrils of our thrice holy God. It is in effect saying that the devil has equal power with God and that man has more power than both of them. We need to guard our every word and make sure that each and every word we speak always redounds to the glory of God.

    This heresy is probably more insulting to God than any other false teaching concerning election for it attempts to dethrone God and make Him motivated by His creatures. It also defies simple logic and common sense.
    In the upcoming presidential election people will not be voting for a candidate because the know that he is going to be victorious. In casting their vote for a candidate they are choosing him to be victorious, they vote in hopes that their vote will make their candidate victorious. However, as feeble and impotent humans they are not able to guarantee that their choice will be victorious. If an individual knew that a certain candidate was going to be victorious then that individual would not waste their time voting for him for it would be sheer folly and illogical to do so. Are we so vain as to deny that the God who, in our creation, gave us a measure of logic has no logic of His own and thereby charge Him in acting in an illogical manner?
    Lets us note a few things concerning this abominable teaching that God elects individuals based on His foreknowledge of their belief.
    If God elected people based on their foreseen faith then He would be motivated by His creatures and His eternal plans and His actions would be the results of the creatures’ actions.
    What does the bible say relative to Gods’ motivation and His eternal plans?

(Daniel 4:35)  "And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?"

(Job 23:13)  "But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth."

(Ephesians 1:11) "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"

    We see here very clearly that God is motivated in regards to His eternal purposes solely from His own good pleasure.
    As we just mentioned it would not be logical for God to elect someone to salvation if He was doing so because He knew that they would believe on His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ for they would believe anyway, whether elected or not.
    People were not elected unto salvation because they would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But, all who have ever believed, do believe or shall ever believe on Christ as their Lord and Saviour do so because they were elected before the foundation of the world.
    Therefore the notion that God elects individuals based on His foreknowledge of their belief must be declared a false teaching.
    We trust that these few brief preceding words regarding the aforementioned false teachings will help prepare our hearts and minds that we may now seek to know what the Bible does indeed teach on this subject.
    Permit me to once again put the previously stated proclamations before you for your consideration. The affirmations which Baptists have held for almost two thousand years.

    I.) Firstly, we declare unto you that God did indeed elect or chose a particular number of individuals from the entire human race to be the recipients of His eternal divine love, favor and blessings.
    There are so many clear scriptural reference on this point that it is difficult to know where to begin. In an attempt to cover all of our points in our allotted time we will limit ourselves to a maximum of five references.

(Psalms 65:4)  "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple."

(Jeremiah 1:5)  "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

(Acts 13:48)  "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

(Ephesians 1:4-5)  "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: {5} Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

(2 Thessalonians 2:13)  "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:"

    We see clearly here that there were people elected by God before there was any creation. Election is an eternal decree, made by the three persons of the Godhead somewhere in the unfathomable recesses of what humans refer to for simplicity of understanding as eternity past. We are well aware that in reality there is no such thing as eternity past or eternity future, but we use these terms in an effort to make our puny thoughts more understandable.
    We submit for your consideration that the number of those elect was fixed in the eternal council halls of God and can be neither added to or diminished from.

(Isaiah 53:11-12)  "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. {12} Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

(Mark 14:24)  "And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."

(John 17:2)  "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."

(Revelation 13:8)  "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

(Revelation 17:8)  "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."

    Those names in the Lamb’s Book of Life were entered therein simultaneously with the Godhead’s decree of election. Once entered a name will never be removed and no additional names will ever be added.

    II.) Secondly, we declare unto you that those ‘elect’ individuals were chosen in the Lord Jesus Christ ‘before the foundation of the world’ and that their election was based solely and entirely upon the good pleasure of God since there was no foreseen merit in the creature. Plainly stated, individuals were ‘elected’ simply because it pleased God to do so!
    We would like to begin our discussion of this point with a brief examination of what we trust is a familiar and precious portion of Gods’ word.

(Romans 9:10-13)  "And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; {11} (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) {12} It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. {13} As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."

    We see in the above portion of God’s inspired Word a sure and positive declaration that it is Gods’ purpose according to election and not on any foreseen merit that Jacob was an object of his Creator’s divine love, ‘that the purpose of God according to election might stand.’ It was also God’s perfect purpose that Esau was an object of God’s eternal hatred.

(Ephesians 1:3-5)  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: {4} According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: {5} Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

    It can not be over emphasized that those who are objects of Gods’ electing grace and love are in no wise deserving of that great blessing. They are as much sinners and depraved as the reprobate whose final abode is the eternal lake of fire. Both are clay from the same lump.
    There is a difference but the difference is of Gods’ eternal designs.

(1 Corinthians 4:7)  "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"

    It has been falsely claimed that those who hold the Biblical doctrine of election are proud or egotistical.
    However, I submit unto you that it is very doubtful that anyone who has a correct concept of the true Biblical teachings could be proud in themselves for they have nothing to be proud of. They have much to be thankful for but nothing to be proud of.
    Perhaps if we looked at the two opposing views of salvation, divine election and man’s freewill, we may be able to correctly determine who it is that is really proud and boastful.
    The believer in divine sovereign grace says, ‘I am a vile and depraved sinner and if God had not set His affection on me I would have never had any love for God. I am kept and preserved totally by the power of God. When I sin I will be chastised but Christ's blood has made me eternally acceptable in Gods’ sight.’
    The believer in man’s free will says, ‘Though I am capable of sinning I was not totally wicked. I exercised my free will and made a decision to choose Christ and I will keep myself by my good works so that I don’t lose my salvation.’
    Those who believe in mans’ free will always, in one form or another, will tell you what they have done and are doing.
    Those who believe in God’s sovereign grace will always tell you what Christ has done and what the Holy Spirit is doing.
    To those who, like the man who we mentioned earlier who said that he cast the deciding vote thereby breaking the tie, to those who would claim that they chose the Lord Jesus Christ, to those who claim that they ‘accepted’ Him, to those who assert that they exercised their free will and made a ‘decision for Christ’, to all of those we encourage them to seek a prayerful reading of John 15:16.

(John 15:16)  "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."

    Our sovereign Lord and God clearly and plainly declares that He is the chooser, He is the elector and that His people are the chosen and elected.
    In closing let us share the Biblical admonition relating to our glorying.

(1 Corinthians 1:29-31)  "That no flesh should glory in his presence. {30} But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: {31} That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."

    The doctrine of man’s free will is a lie from the father of all lies, satan. It deceives and deludes people into having a false and soul damning trust in themselves.
    The doctrine of God’s sovereign eternal election is taught in God’s inspired Word. It gives glory to God and teaches that there is only real hope and assurance in Him and the finished substitutionary atonement of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.