Election

11-1 Election is a free act of the sovereign God in which from eternity,1 for reasons known only to Himself,2 and apart from any foreseen faith and/or goodness found in man,3 He graciously chose from among the fallen mankind a people unto salvation, that they might be conformed to Christ’s image.4 Those so chosen He redeemed by His Son5 and seals by His Spirit.6

1 Eph. 1:4,11.

2 Matt 11:27.

3 2 Tim. 1:9; Rom. 8:29-30.

4 Eph 4:13.

5 2 Thess 2:13.

6 Eph 1:13.

Review

Compatibilism (Calvinism) and Incompatibilism (Arminianism)

Free Will

Arminian: God created people with the ability choose or reject God, and this is possible through His prevenient (preceding or antecedent) grace

Calvinism: Man’s will is in rebellion against God and therefore will never choose God unless God intervenes and changes his will.

The Doctrine of Predestination (Rom. 9:14-24)

God is just

One humanity

verse 21-24 makes clear that all humanity come from the same lump of clay.

make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable us and another for dishonorable use..

God chooses to save some from this one humanity

The lump here is fallen and is therefore in need of grace.

Making His glory known through His wrath

v. 22 vessels of wrath prepared for destruction

I suggest that in v. 22, Paul is conveying that God bore with great patience the objects of His wrath, prepared for destruction because he chose to show His wrath and make known His power.

Displaying the fact that He is just is by making His wrath against sinners clear.

This idea is parallel with what we see in 9:17. There, God raised up Pharaoh for the purpose of showing His power in him so that His name (God’s name) would be proclaimed in all the earth.

Making His glory known through His mercy

v. 23: lit - in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels that He prepared for glory.

Remember the question in v. 14: is there injustice with God? This question was provoked by a potential objection to what was quoted in v. 13: Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. When we get to verses 22 & 23, Paul is challenging the hypothetical objector to show cause for rejecting that it is God’s prerogative to make known the riches of His glory through displaying His wrath and His mercy.

In verse 24, Paul makes clear that those whom God has prepared for glory are not called because they are Jews. It’s not because they are Gentiles. God has determined to display His glory in the calling of sinner from that one lump.

An Analogy of Justice (Matt 20:1-16)

An owner of a vineyard sends laborers to work it throughout the day. Beginning at 6 AM, then 9 AM, 12 PM, 5 PM, the owner hires and sends workers into vineyard.

At 6 PM, he has all the workers called off the vineyard to get paid, and paid them all the same wage (v. 9).

Objections by those hired early in the day began to come (10-11)

The owner replies by making clear that he was within right to do with what he has as he wants.

What’s often identified as the lesson of this parable is that eternal life is given without regard to who may seem more deserving than another, and that idea is certainly true.

But when it comes to our struggle to understand and embrace God’s sovereignty with our presuppositions about what is fair or just, we need to know that God is not unfair (unjust) when He us undeservedly kind to those who are undeserving.

This, I suggest is something we can take away from this parable.