Doctrine: Election (John 6:22-40)

Our doctrine this week is Election...

now…maybe some of you like me…hear that word and cringe a little bit..

maybe

At the end of our scripture this week, Jesus says: “All those the Father gives me will come to me” (John 6:37).

He speaks the truth that God chooses those who will come to Him. At the same time, election does not negate an individual’s responsibility to accept the gift of salvation offered by God through Jesus Christ. Key Points and Insertion of Doctrine into Passage: John 6:26-27, 29, 33, 35, 37-40 ● Election means God “chose us in him [Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:4). ● Election does not negate our responsibility- or our free will- to receive Christ for salvation (John 3:16-18). ● Sin’s curse has so impacted humanity that without the work of God the Holy Spirit, we are unable to seek God (Romans 3:10-18). ● Those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are the Father’s love gift to Jesus, the Son. ● Because of Christ’s finished work, God raises the elect into new life and seals them in Him forever. ● God’s elect grow in Christlikeness through the Holy Spirit who lives within them (1 Peter 1:1-2). ● When I do not believe in election, my perceived status with God rises from self-effort and my diligence in trying to please Him. Unable to meet God’s righteous standards, I ride the waves of my successes and failures without the security I long for. I fail to understand the fullness of God’s character and His heart to reach to sinners, which gives hope and eternal life.

● When I believe the doctrine of election, I rest assured and secure in the hands of the Father, grateful to the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I experience comfort, security, peace, and freedom as God’s child. I am given eternal life by God’s design. I share the gospel with confidence, knowing that the salvation of others depends on God’s work, not my eloquence.

● Because God chose to adopt us before creation, there is nothing we need or can do to earn His favor. – Jesus explained the only “work” God requires for salvation is that we believe, responding to the Holy Spirit’s conviction in faith and confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9). – Created and saved by God, believers reflect God’s image in word and deed by the Spirit’s transforming power. – How has the blessed assurance of being God’s child brought you comfort, peace, and confidence? ● Our election assures us of Jesus’s presence in our lives now and forever. – Through faith, the Holy Spirit lives within each believer, empowering them to live a fruitful, righteous life today. – Sealed by the Holy Spirit, believers approach eternity assured of God’s constant presence. If we can do nothing to earn salvation, there is also nothing we can do to lose salvation. – How has the assurance of eternal life with God transformed your perspective of God’s purpose for you? ● We can entrust the mysteries of election to the wisdom of our incomprehensible and trustworthy God. – Election recognizes our source of faith as an undeserved gift from God rather than a deserved reward for our spiritual accomplishments. We are called simply to believe and receive. – What questions regarding election do you have? Will you take them to the Lord? Will you trust Him with what you struggle to understand? – How does knowing God chose you as His own before creation impact and encourage you?