Ephesians
1:4 unequivocally sets forth the
doctrine commonly referred to as “Unconditional election,” and to argue
against truth, while claiming to be a Bible believer would not only be
enormously inconsistent, but would also manifest a deep rooted and
dangerous
deception. There is no doctrine in the Bible which magnifies God’s
sovereign
mercy more than the great truth of election. While the doctrine of
election
exalts God to His rightful place, it at the same time exhibits the
attribute
of mercy by declaring the helplessness of man to save himself. The
doctrine
of Sovereign election, and utter human depravity, are parallel truths
which
glaringly embellish the whole fabric of divine revelation. These
doctrines
are not found only in Ephesians one and the epistle to the Romans.
Although
one scriptural text or utterance would give them eternal validity, God
has in mercy colored every scriptural thread with these great truths.
Seeing
then, the scriptures are replete with these truths man is left without
a cloak for his ignorance of these doctrines.
The
spiritual ignorance and inability of man is due to his depraved nature,
where in his every facet is totally corrupt, so much so, that he cannot
do the first thing to please God. So, we are unavoidably driven to the
conclusion, if any are to be saved, God must do the saving, and seeing
God does save some, it cannot be successfully denied that He intended
to
save them before the world began. This fact is stated in the text, Ephesians
1:4, and various other scriptures, such as Acts 13:48, Romans
8:29,
II Timothy 1:9, etc. And we are reminded; “Known unto
God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts
15:18).
While
the decree of election is not salvation per se, it is a Divine
guarantee
that Jesus ‘... shall save His people from their sins.’ (Matthew
1:21) So it is, Ephesians 1:4 says, election is of God, and
merited by Christ. “He (God) hath chosen us in Him
(Christ).”
The doctrine of unconditional election is hated by the vast majority of
professing Christendom with a rancor that excels their animosity toward
the most loathsome reptile, and sadly, this God honoring doctrine is
vigorously
opposed by the so-called Fundamental Baptists. The Hardshell Baptists
have
from their beginning (1831-32) presented this glorious truth in a
deformed
posture, and have thereby driven many to the self- salvation camps of
the
Arminians.
When
the truth of election is correctly understood, it will become the means
of humbling pride, and purging human conceit. It will strip man of all
his supposed godliness, and evoke praise to the Lord of Glory. The
doctrine
when correctly held lays man in the dust of humility at the feet of
Him,
Who said, “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you ...” (John
15:16).
Until
the saved person comes to see the truth of sovereign eternal
unconditional
election he cannot come near to appreciating the finished work of
Christ
in his behalf, nor can he be an effectual disciple of Christ. On the
other
hand, the person who sees this truth in its proper light will realize
the
enormity of his sin, he will detest his old nature and will be enabled
by the Spirit to own his great debt to God’s free grace.
The
standard Arminian remonstrance is, “How about ‘Whosoever Will’?” Our
argument
is not with the scriptural teaching of “Whosoever will,” but with the
blasphemous
doctrine which claims God cannot accomplish His purpose to save from
sin,
lest man join his will to that of God’s, or that God must first get the
approbation of man before He can save him. The Bible does teach,
whosoever
will may come, but it teaches more along that line, Christ says, “All
that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me ...” (John 6:37).
In the same chapter (John 6:44) Jesus says, “No man can come
to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him ...” “May
come,”
speaks of permission. “Shall come,” speaks of ability. Election does
not
prevent a man from coming to Christ, he has the permission to come, and
nothing prevents him from coming except his own inherent depravity. No
man whoever came to Christ was ever turned away, and the coming of man
to Christ is of God’s enabling grace. God’s elect may come to Christ,
and
SHALL come to Him, and when they do come to Him they will then, and
only
then realize it was all due to the drawing power of the Father. “Blessed
is
the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee,...”
(Psalms 65:4). God says His people shall be willing, but their
willingness
is not the result of their power, but of His power. “Thy people shall
be willing in the day of Thy power ...” (Psalms 110:3).
Mans will is not to come to Christ (John 5:40), and left to his
own will is as sure to be in hell as Lucifer himself. But thanks be to
God, some are caused to see the righteousness wrought by them is as
filthy
rags in the sight of Him Who said, “Not of the will of man, but of
God”
(John 1:13). They come to Christ willingly and joyfully, but
this
willingness and joyfulness has for its basis, whether they are
conscious
of it or not at the time, God’s merciful decree of election. One can
search
in vain, not only the writings of Paul, but the whole of Scripture to
find
one person who claims that his coming to Christ has for its initiative,
his or her own decision, rather than God’s. We love Him because He
first
loved us, and we come to Him after He has first come in saving grace to
us. The chosen of God are the ones who come to Christ, and those who
come
to Him are identical with “whosoever believeth” of John 3: 16.
“Salvation
is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). To say man has a part in
his salvation is equal to saying the clay had a part in directing the
mind
of the potter, and thereby determined what and where it would be. But
you
know, and I know, and every sane person should know, there is no
cooperation
on the part of the clay with the potter. Yet, when it comes to
spiritual
matters, Arminianism divorces itself of all reasoning, and argues that
the clay has power over the potter. The question of the Heavenly Potter
is, “Hath not the potter power over the clay; of the same lump to
make
one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” (Romans 9:21).
To oppose the doctrine of Divine election is to go against the plainest
revelation of Scripture, and is in essence to deny the authority of
God’s
word. BEWARE!
Christ
says, “... Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of
the Father, cometh unto Me” (John 6:45). Man’s natural
intellect
is enmity against God (Romans 8:7), and cannot hear nor learn of
the Father. Therefore, man must be given a new mind and hearing ears
before
he can come to Christ, these are gifts of God’s elective grace, and it
is God’s prerogative to do what He will with His own.