The Election of God

Most of the people of the world today live in democratic settings. The word ‘election’ is something we are quite familiar with. In our political processes, we find campaigns and promises, all in a bid to sway the will of a simple majority in a certain direction.

So, our general sense of election is a decision for the majority in favor of the One, based on set or perceived parameters.

When we turn to the Bible, however, we find another kind of election; the Election of God. Or in another way, the election of Grace.

1 Peter 1:1-2
[1]Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
[2]Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

This has been a subject of profound theological debate over the centuries, from the days of the church fathers until now, and I am not surprised. It is at the center of our understanding of the Redemptive work of God. We can’t afford to misunderstand it or ‘under’- understand it.

Well, I won’t be dabbling into it from a doctrinal standpoint, at least not in this post. However, I will simply be drawing our attention to a truth that is quite mind blowing:

God chose you.

Read that again; He chose you. I know that men have rejected you. Your family has rejected you. Your friends have rejected you. You are probably the poster child of rejection. It has left you scarred, dejected, depressed, feeling worthless etc. And I get it, it’s difficult.

But read it again. God, the God of all the Heavens and the earth chose you. He knows everything about you, and yet he chose you.

You have probably concluded that no one will ever choose you, or perhaps you have thought to yourself that if only people knew how messed up you were, perhaps they will show a clean pair of heels. You may be right.

But still, God chose you.

The word Elect in Hebrew means Chosen, a selection of choice. It is not a choice made out of a lack of options to choose from or a lack of a will to not choose.

The Election of God is an act of his sovereign will, wherein God according to his foreknowledge decided to choose us. It had nothing to do with us, but everything to do with Him.

To put it differently, in the day God made the choice of you, nothing you did would have made you more appealing to Him, and nothing you did would have made you more repulsive to him.

Dearly beloved, He chose you because He knew you. If you truly believe this, if it dawns on you, you will find that at the very least three things will happen to you. You will be liberated, you will be humbled, you will love Him with all your heart.

The absence of any of these three signals a defect in your understanding of the election of God.

In the Election of God, He is One choosing in the favor of the many. He chose us first before we could ever consider choosing Him.

Beloved, God has chosen you, if you can believe it. It will change your entire landscape.

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Over the course of the month, the Election of God would be my theme, we would explore it closely. If you have not yet subscribed to the blog, this would be a great time to do so!