1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 - God's Choice

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.

Target Date: Sunday, 2 January 2022

Word Study/ Translation Notes:

4 – know – this participle (knowing) is in the active perfect tense. This means it was accomplished in the past and continues in effect.

4 – beloved – this verb (participle) is in the passive voice and the perfect tense. It is passive because it is something God does for them. It is a perfect tense because is it fully-realized.

He doesn’t refer to them as those who God is loving, nor as those who God loves. He chose this tense to indicate that God had loved them, and that His love is complete, not growing in their regard.

The participle in the present verse lays more emphasis than the adjective on the active exercise of God’s love as already consummated and resulting in a fixed status of being loved (perfect tense).

4 – He has chosen you – chosen=election.

By election is meant that act of free grace by which God destines individuals to become believers in Christ. Thus the Thessalonian converts were chosen or elected by God from among their heathen countrymen to become Christians. The ultimate reason of their Christianity was their election of God.

It is the relationship initiated by God to bring you from being an enemy of His to adoption as sons and daughters. What He did, He did when the only thing certain about you is that you were guilty in Adam – He saved you through the sacrifice of His Son.

??? The third descriptor follows quite closely from the second: God chose them (1 Thess 1:4). The focus here (eklogē) is not a kind of one-sided election (i.e. “predestination”), but more a testimony to how precious they are in God’s eyes. Imagine a couple passing by an alley and noticing a poor, homeless child lying on the ground half-dead. Their heart goes out to the child and they rush over and carefully scoop her up and find her care, later adopting her into their family. They were not forced to shelter her, but they went out of their way to rescue her and she becomes precious, one-of-a-kind, an object selected through persistent attention and interest. No doubt, in the midst of their trials and tribulations, the Thessalonians felt ignored by God. Perhaps they felt rejected. Paul responds tenderly: he chose you then, he loves you now.

??? No man is elected to be destroyed. You take the fatherhood out of God, you take the crown off the majesty of God, when you suppose that he could fore-ordain or elect any soul to wander in darkness. If he did I should abandon his altar and hate him. This word “election” is always used in relation to the temporal, and the immediate, and the superficial, always in the sense of setting in a certain direction, investing with certain responsibilities, and giving chance of certain destinies.

Calvin - “By faith,” say they, “we obtain salvation: there is, therefore, no eternal predestination of God that distinguishes between us and reprobates.” It is as though they said—“Salvation is of faith: there is, therefore, no grace of God that illuminates us in faith.” Nay rather, as gratuitous election must be conjoined with calling, as with its effect, so it must necessarily, in the mean time, hold the first place.

We should observe how Paul uses this concept here. It seems that Paul has two goals in using this doctrine of election in his prayer of thanksgiving. First, Paul is saying that God’s choice of these Thessalonians was the reason why they had faith, love, and hope. If we believe in the importance and reality of grace, we would not want it any other way! We would never want to say that God’s choice of these Thessalonians was based on their own faith, love, and hope. If we do that, we turn these virtues into works that gain God’s favor, and we certainly do not want to do that. So Paul was thankful that God chose these Christians and that God’s choosing them produced the fruit of faith, love, and hope.

Paul is using the doctrine of election to bring them assurance! How odd that is, at least to our way of thinking. The doctrine that often causes disputes in the Christian church is used by the Apostle Paul as a source of comfort. But remember, it is not comfort because we know the eternal plans and decrees of God. It is comfort because we see that plan unfolding before us in history. The Holy Spirit has brought the gospel to us, and we are following Jesus as disciples.

Thoughts on the Passage:

Geneva Bible: Knowing, beloved brethren, that ye are elect of God.

The NIV mistakenly places a paragraph break at this point despite the fact that vv. 2–4 string together three adverbial participles (“mentioning,” “remembering,” and “knowing”) that all modify the verb found in the main clause of v. 2, “We always thank God for all of you.” Therefore we should understand v. 4 as part of the sustained thanksgiving of the opening section of this book.

Paul is able to reinforce the connection between their new Christian way of life and the certainty of their salvation at the parousia or public manifestation of Christ.

In what is literally the first sentence written in the New Testament, the full responsibility of God in salvation, through His election, is confirmed and demonstrated.

In telling this to the church at Thessalonica, Paul and his partners were also reaffirming the hope they have in Christ, built not on how good they were, but built solely out of God’s election.

They were thankful to God for His election of the saints in Thessalonica.

They recognized that election through the evidences listed before, but that is because we cannot see the heart.

Like when you place a seed in a pot to germinate, you cannot see the work in the seed directly. But when you see the root or stem emerge from the soil, you know the work inside the seed has been a success. And yet, it is not due to anything you did other than putting it in the dirt – God caused the growth.

The Thessalonians had begun well in the gospel, but these evidences proved that they were growing well.

The election of God was in the distant past, rather than in the recent past:

Some would locate God’s choice of the Thessalonians at their conversion or thereafter by defining the elect as “those who are continuing in faith and who are persevering in obedience” (Arnold E. Airhart, “I and II Thessalonians,” Beacon Bible Commentary [Kansas City, Mo.: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1965], 9:443). Yet Paul speaks of their election as a thing of the past, not as dependent on any human response, whether initial faith or subsequent faithfulness.

Knowledge of this prior choice by God was the root of Paul’s thanksgiving.

If this had been election based on their choice, the word would have been “confirmation” rather than election.

Matthew Henry - Observe, [1.] All those who in the fulness of time are effectually called and sanctified were from eternity elected and chosen to salvation. [2.] The election of God is of his own good pleasure and mere grace, not for the sake of any merit in those who are chosen. [3.] The election of God may be known by the fruits thereof. [4.] Whenever we are giving thanks to God for his grace either to ourselves or others, we should run up the streams to the fountain, and give thanks to God for his electing love, by which we are made to differ.

From the word translated chosen (eklogēn) comes the English “election.” That God has chosen to bless some individuals with eternal life is clearly taught in many places in both the Old and New Testaments (e.g., Deut. 4:37; 7:6–7; Isa. 44:1–2; Rom. 9; Eph. 1:4–6, 11; Col. 3:12; 2 Thes. 2:13). Equally clear is the fact that God holds each individual personally responsible for his decision to trust or not to trust in Jesus Christ (cf. John 3; Rom. 5). The difficulty in putting divine election and human responsibility together is understanding how both can be true. That both are true is taught in the Bible. How both can be true is apparently incomprehensible to finite human minds; no one has ever been able to explain this antinomy satisfactorily. This task transcends human mental powers, much as seeing angels transcends human visual powers and hearing very high-pitched sounds transcends human auditory powers. The Thessalonians’ response to the gospel message proved that God had chosen them for salvation.

We will not know, this side of heaven, WHY God has chosen us, but we can be assured of His choice when we persevere.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption - 1 Corinthians 1:26-30

The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers - Deuteronomy 7:7-8

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will - Ephesians 1:4-5

join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 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 - 2 Timothy 1:8-9

God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. – Romans 8:28-30

we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, - Ephesians 1:11

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

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. - Acts 13:48

Note that the evidences of this election were the work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. No “special” evidences were given, such as tongues, healings, or other miraculous events.

Even in the next verse, the fact that their conviction came in “power and in the Holy Spirit”, this gives no indication to any charismatic gifts that were in evidence. Those who wish to see that will, no doubt, assume it, but if those “spiritual gifts” were given as evidence, specific mention would have been made of them, at least in example.

If Paul’s (et al) intention was to detail the reason for their confidence in the salvation of God given to those chosen Thessalonians, it would be odd indeed if ecstatic manifestations of the Spirit were omitted if they had been present.

Sermon Text:

We continue this morning to look at this opening paragraph of this epistle to the church in Thessalonica.

And as we begin, I would remind you these are likely the first words of the New Testament that were written.

Many of you will recall also that these verses represent the salutation, or greeting, of this letter, which seems to have had input from each of the three men mentioned in verse 1 – Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

All the way through the epistle, the pronoun “we” is used of the team, showing us, although Paul may have been the primary writer, the others were involved and in full agreement with the text.

But even in the greeting, as I may have said before, Paul wastes no time in trivialities or pleasantries.

From the very beginning, once the writers are identified, they launch into important matters that we must become familiar with before continuing in the letter.

It is very much like they are picking up a conversation they left a while back, but both the writers and recipients remember.

For Paul and the evangelistic team, they had left a church in its infancy, to be protected and developed without their presence.

So even when they express their thanks to God for the church in Thessalonica, they list in three participles the character of those thanks:

1. Mentioning them constantly in their prayers.

2. Remembering their faith, love, and hope, and the evidences of those graces.

3. Knowing that God has chosen the Thessalonian believers. – the verse we will look at this morning.

In reality, the entire passage – verses 2 through 5 – should be read as a single, complex sentence, because it comprises one thought – the reasons for the thanks they give to God.

It is a little unfortunate the ESV begins a new sentence at verse 4, but that is likely simply a readability choice because in our day, we tend to prefer shorter sentences and simpler thoughts in our reading.

The way it is rendered keeps it in the context of their thanksgiving, so it delivers the same meaning.

Unfortunately, the New International Version begins an entirely new paragraph with verse 4, divorcing it completely from the preceding statements.

I might not have even mentioned this, since I never use the NIV in my sermon preparations, except more than one commentary brought up the error.

I will not go into the issues with this choice, other than to say it was the wrong choice, fundamentally because it is not in line with what the original text said.

Perhaps the most direct translation is from the Geneva Bible:

Knowing, beloved brethren, that ye [y’all] are elect of God.

Here, in the first sentence written in the New Testament, is the glorious doctrine of election.

This morning, I would like to dive into this doctrine, considering the following:

What does it mean to be “elect of God”?

Then, if the Lord is willing, next week to consider some objections and misunderstandings of this doctrine?

1. What does it mean to be “elect of God”?

1.1 Salvation is initiated by God’s choice – it is God’s work.

I suppose first we must define what we mean by “salvation.”

Recall the Fall of Adam in Genesis 3.

Adam is given a single law – don’t eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

And rather than obeying that law, he strolled with his wife, Eve, and, after they were tempted, they both ate.

At that moment, his sin brought death to them both, to the entire creation, and to all his descendants.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned - Romans 5:12

This is talking about the one sin of Adam and its consequence.

This isn’t Paul saying that the sin of Adam merely made us CAPABLE of sin and death; he is saying we are GUILTY of that one, original sin, and all our other sin flows from that poison spring.

through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men - Romans 5:18

through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners - Romans 5:19

When it comes to our standing before God, we are all BORN hopeless – sinners in our very beings.

It is not that we, at some point, commit willful sin and lose our salvation at that point – we never had it to begin with in our fallen state.

So salvation, according to the Scriptures, is the ability to stand before God guiltless and blameless – entirely innocent.

Put another way, it is the ability to withstand His holy and righteous justice and judgment that destroys all that are tainted by the Fall.

As Paul preached to the men of Athens:

God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness - Acts 17:30-31

It is tempting to think that this kind of call to repentance is outdated in our modern time, where people make up their own virtues and ethics, and the idols people bow most to are images of themselves.

But I promise you, on the authority of Scripture, that this message of repentance is just as necessary today as it was in those godless times.

That is salvation – remaking fallen people through Jesus Christ into people who are pleasing to God.

And that salvation is still solely the work of God.

The Savior He promised immediately after the Fall –

The seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head and suffer a wound to His heel,

This is Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, Who had ALWAYS been determined to bring God’s salvation.

What is the alternative? You might ask.

The alternative would be that we could, in some way, save ourself.

That there might exist some other hope of salvation other than in Jesus Christ.

What would that alternate salvation need to entail?

1st – It would have to ensure that the original sin, and the guilt and taint that passed to us, was completely erased.

2nd – It would have to pay for all the sins we have committed in our lives.

3rd – It would have to have a mechanism to ensure that, once cleansed, we would never sin again, or at least, would never incur the guilt of sin again.

4th – All this while maintaining the perfect, complete holiness of God, who cannot allow the least sin into His presence without judging and punishing it.

If you are going to stand before a holy God, you can’t have the smallest error, the tiniest sin, even a sin in a single stray thought.

It would be more destructive to you than walking into an MRI with a steel plate in your body.

Or going into the vacuum of space with a hole in your spacesuit.

Only in Jesus Christ can anyone be saved.

1st – He deals with the original sin of Adam and removes it.

Romans 5:17-19, which I quoted in part earlier, I now put before you as a whole:

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

This is not a simple comparison, where Paul is saying something as trite as “see the interesting parallels between Adam and Jesus.”

It is not his intention, in the main, to simply compare the two at all.

What he is proclaiming is that God, in holding all people responsible in Adam for that original sin, enabled the single sacrifice of Jesus to be effectual to all people as well.

Where Adam’s transgression brought death, Jesus Christ’s work brings abounding grace and the GIFT of righteousness.

Where Adam’s transgression brought condemnation for everyone, Jesus’s single work of righteousness brought justification to life.

Where Adam’s disobedience made sinners of everyone, the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ delivers righteousness to many.

2nd – He paid the price for all our sin.

Because we are born sinners, we all eventually sin.

all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23

So even if the guilt of Adam’s sin is removed, we all have plenty of sin – certainly more than the ONE sin it would take to condemn us to everlasting torment.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. - Romans 5:8-9

Put another way – Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6)

So even for those who deserve to die for their own sin and rebellion (and that is everyone), the death of Jesus Christ has paid the debt for those sins as well:

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. - Romans 8:1-2

3rd – He has given us a way to remain in Him forever, never “sinning our way” out of Him.

Salvation begins with a very simple command: repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ.

Repent – turn from your wickedness, selfishness, and self-reliance (that is self-righteousness), and turn to God through Jesus Christ to make you right with God.

Believe – trust Him to accomplish your salvation completely. And then trust Him to lead your very life – completely.

What begins with repentance and faith continues in repentance and faith:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

When we sin, we continue to leave those sins behind in repentance and look to Jesus Christ in faith.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. – Romans 5:10

And as we progress in our battle with sin, that is what the Scripture calls “sanctification” – or “becoming holy”.

Jesus Christ has saved us, “justified” us; the Holy Spirit continues to graciously remove our sin, patiently extracting them,

Toward the goal that we are completely remade to be like Jesus.

4th – God’s holiness, righteousness, justice, love, and compassion are ALL satisfied.

One of the most astounding portions of Scripture is in the 3rd chapter of Romans, verses 24-26:

We are justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

This is astounding because God created the perfect solution to an impossible problem – how to punish sin and still save sinners from His wrath.

The blood of sacrificed animals merely reminded people of the price of sin, but did nothing to remove their sin.

But those sacrifices pointed to the sacrifice God would make, once for all time, of His own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

He poured out His infinite wrath on Him, and showed us a portion of that agony by hanging Him on a cross.

God made Him to be a curse to free us who were under His curse.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” – Galatians 3:13

God wrote that Law so that Jesus could become that curse, redeeming (freeing, buying us back) us from the curse of the Law.

In doing that, God is, at the same time, just – and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus Christ.

Make no mistake – God is still holy and just if not a single man, woman, or child is saved.

He never was and never is compelled to save anyone.

There is no law of the universe that declares a single person DESERVES salvation.

Salvation proceeds completely from God’s love working through His choice.

As I plan to mention next week, God willing, many errors are made when we begin to think anyone DESERVES salvation.

Anyone allowing themselves to believe that is simply returning to the Tree in the Garden, declaring anew that “I” can decide what is good and evil.

Our most fundamental sin is trusting our own heart, our own understanding, our own wisdom, rather than the council of God Almighty.

1.2 The second thing, then, that is meant by “elect of God” is that those who are saved are Chosen by God from the fallen in Adam.

Let’s just say this up front: the Bible knows nothing about a universal salvation.

There is no teaching that declares that everyone will be saved, or will, at the very least, escape punishment.

This false teaching, perhaps more than any other except the deity of Jesus Christ, has led to more error and cults than any other.

Some, like the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses, simply declare that everlasting punishment, hell, does not exist.

Others, like the Roman church, hold to a false doctrine of purgatory, where those who had unforgiven sin on earth “work the guilt off” through divine penance for a period of time.

This false doctrine led directly to the Protestant Reformation because the “indulgences” that were being sold to build St. Peter’s chapel in Rome promised to reduce the time in purgatory for someone.

The indulgence seller, Tetzel, used to cry out:

“As soon as a coin in the coffer rings / the soul from purgatory springs.”

But the tradition of lighting a candle for the dead, praying a rosary, or other things are done to gain indulgences.

“early in his pontificate, when Francis declared that all those attending World Youth Day in Brazil in July 2013 would merit an indulgence if they also went to confession, took Communion at Mass and prayed for the pope’s prayer intentions. He also said that those who could not make the event in Rio could obtain an indulgence if they followed the events on television or radio or ‘by the new means of social communication’ — such as Twitter.”

The salvation God offers is based on His choice – His election.

You may ask how I can say that when I just finished talking about salvation being based on repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Both are true.

This is because, as fallen people, we are incapable – entirely incapable – of following God’s command.

As impossible as a man born with no eyes seeing.

As impossible as a lame man walking.

As impossible as a deaf man hearing.

As impossible as a corpse standing and walking on its own.

It is no accident that those are some of the very miracles we have in the gospels that Jesus did.

In fact, when John the Baptizer was in prison, he sent a question to Jesus: Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?

Jesus’s reply to him was intended to build his faith and calm his fears:

Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. – Matthew 11:4-5

So, if it impossible for us to muster enough faith, enough goodness, enough obedience to call out to God, how can anyone be saved?

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), - Ephesians 2:1-5

We can repent and believe BECAUSE we have been made alive by God to do that very thing.

That is what we mean by “elect”, chosen by God – that He has made you capable of turning to Him.

Remember, He is not compelled to do anything of the sort, and no one could fault Him if He simply judged everyone in the world in their sin.

But because of the great love with which He loved us, He made us alive.

We are in the same state as Lazarus – dead, buried, and stinking in the grave.

But when Jesus came into Bethany and was chided by the sisters of Lazarus for not preventing their brother’s death, He told them:

Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? – John 11:40

That glory, I think, was not simply the raising of a man from the dead – he had done that before.

The glory of God He was speaking of is the picture of God’s salvation, because when He went to the tomb, we are told:

He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” 44 The man who had died came forth - John 11:43-44

The call was personal – for Lazarus alone.

The call was effectual – Lazarus returned to life.

The call was compelling – Lazarus emerged from the tomb.

Believers are not better than others, more deserving, wiser, or better-looking.

Believers are called because God has chosen them, and for no other reason.

And so the preaching of God’s call to repentance and belief in Jesus Christ may be made legitimately to every man, woman, and child on earth,

And those who the Lord has chosen will respond because He has made them alive.

Tell everyone about the gospel of Jesus Christ without a question in your mind of their “status” among the elect:

If they are elect, they will eventually, inevitably, come to faith in Jesus Christ.

1.3 The final thing this morning we will look at as to what “elect of God” means: it means Salvation is independent of works, even believing.

There are many who would deny the election of God in spite of the Scripture, claiming that God has some reason to save us.

That we provide Him some benefit, or fit His team better than those who don’t believe.

Or perhaps we have better upbringing, or have an accident of where we were born or the family and associations we have.

The first problem with those thoughts (aside from needing to redefine a great many Scriptures) is it makes salvation an accident, not an intentional work of God.

Those who believe this are compelled to be more persuasive, stopping at almost nothing to bring someone to Jesus.

This has been responsible for the great deterioration of the church in the last century and into this one – the mass-marketing of Jesus Christ, and the renovation of the church to be seeker-sensitive and inoffensive.

The second problem of these thoughts is that they, in every case, deny the grace of salvation, declaring things like “God chooses those who will eventually choose Him.”

Rather than understanding salvation as the whole work of God, they place God at our mercy for salvation.

He will only save us if we ask for it.

I often wonder of Christians who believe this can pray for someone’s salvation with a good conscience?

Because if they believe the person must believe before God calls them, what effect would their prayer have?

Perhaps that is why powerful prayer is also a great casualty in the Western church over this last century as well.

No amount of natural faith, sweet-talking, marketing, or obedience to the Law will bring you to salvation.

by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. – Ephesians 2:8-10

The great news about that is that if salvation doesn’t depend on you, you can’t mess it up.

Consider that if you DID have something to do with your salvation: you required innate faith, or you had to do good works.

But then something happened, and you stopped doing them.

Would your salvation be lost?

If your salvation relied in any part upon you, your beliefs, or your actions, you would be in constant peril from stumbling.

This is precisely why many of these Christians who do not believe in election also find no assurance of their salvation – because it depends on them remaining right.

I knew a young man one time who believed that if he died with a single unconfessed sin, he would go to hell.

It didn’t make him perfectly sinless – it made him terrified of death.

Because his faith was in the process, not in Jesus Christ and His salvation.

When we know that our election is sure in Jesus Christ because of God’s choice, we can declare with the apostle Paul:

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. - Romans 8:33-34

2. What are some objections and misunderstandings of this doctrine?

2.1 “Whosoever will…”

2.2 Reprobation.

2.3 Why stop sinning?

2.4 “You must believe this doctrine to be saved.”