Chosen to Salvation

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1: 3-5 NKJV)

Salvation follows election as results follow prior purposes. No sinner is saved but whom God first chose to save him. No sinner is saved by accident, or randomly, or haphazardly, but all are saved "on purpose."

When the links in the proverbial "chain of causes" are traced backward to their first cause, salvation will be found to have originated in the secret counsels of Sovereign Lord God, in his act of election; And this act of election to salvation is an act of love to the creature, and such love to the creature is but an expression of God's love of and to himself.

It is out of love to himself, and to his own goodness, beauty, and glory, that he creates any creature in the first place, and it is out of love for his grace and mercy that he first suffered (or permitted or willed) his creatures to sin, for it was with an eye to revealing himself as a God of mercy and forgiveness, that both the fall and redemption were ordained.

Lord God's love of himself is the reason behind his will to create, his will to suffer man's rebellion, and of his free, sovereign, and gracious choice of persons to salvation; divine choice of individuals to salvation is the reason upon which all other lessor reasons are based, the source of every "spiritual blessing."

"But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thessalonians 2: 13, 14 NKJV)

When did God elect individuals to salvation? It was "before the foundation of the world," or "from the beginning." The saved were chosen to salvation before God ever created a single atom. It is not a merely "before" spatially in respect to time, but "before" in the sense of prior causation.

Men do not become holy in order to be chosen, but are chosen to be holy. Men are not saved in order to be chosen, for they are chosen to salvation. Men are not first justified and then chosen, but are chosen to be justified (or "without blame before him"). Sovereign God, in executing his sovereign decree of election to salvation, actually saves them by sending his Holy Spirit to sanctify (actually make them holy) and to bring them into a belief of the truth which is in Christ Jesus (actually saving and regenerating them in heart and spirit).

God's "election" of individuals to salvation is not the same as "selection." To select implies that what is chosen is chosen because it is the best or superior, and thus deserves to be chosen. This is not what the above verses, nor the Bible as a whole, teaches about Lord God's free, sovereign, and discriminating choice of undeserving rebel creatures. They rather show that the choice was from among equally undeserving sinners and not because of something in the chosen that moves or causes God to select them.

Election is not to be confused with a simple divine recognition of what men make of themselves, of their merits for being selected by God. Elect is not equal to "elite." To base election (as some do) on some superior quality in a person, would not only be a "selection" rather than an "election," but would also have God showing "respect of persons."

“Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles." (Matthew 12: 18 NKJV)

This is a citation from the prophet Isaiah. Christ is the only one who can truly be said to be both elected and selected. Remember that Paul said that Christians were elected "in Christ," before creation. The Father selected Christ and elected to place others within Christ, making them elect vicariously and elect in virtue of his superior election.

"And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”" (Luke 23: 35 NKJV)

But though some concluded wrongly that this one who was being put to death on the ignoble cross of shame could not be the Christ, God's Elect, yet he showed conclusively, by his resurrection, that he was indeed the Christ, the one true elect.

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all (all the elect), how shall he not with him also freely give us (the elect) all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth (the elect). Who is he that condemneth (the elect)? It is Christ that died (for the elect), yea rather, that is risen again (for the elect), who is even at the right hand of God (for the elect), who also maketh intercession for us (the elect)." (Romans 8: 32-34 KJV)

"And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob (the elect) have I loved, but Esau (the not elected) have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." (Romans 9: 10-16 KJV)

These verses show the absolute graciousness of God's choice of an individual to salvation. It is all of sovereign mercy, mercy that Lord God has a right to bestow, or not to bestow, and no creature has the right to complain or call God to account. No creature can say "why have you made me thus?"

Lord God does not have to get the creature's approval as to what he shall make that creature into, before (nor after) he make him. Lord God does not ask a man if he wants to be an angel, lion, or an insect. Lord God decides the destiny of each of his creatures. None can challenge his "maker rights."

"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (I Corinthians 4: 7 NIV)

"I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." (Romans 11: 1-7 KJV)

Why does one come to true faith and another does not? Do we ascribe the reason to the individuals themselves? Was one different, in the matter of coming to saving faith in the truth, because that difference was self created by the individual, apart from God, so that God merely recognizes this in his act of choosing? Or, is it not as Paul affirmed, that God "makes the difference"! (See also Exodus 11: 7 KJV) The difference is due to God's sovereign and free distinction based upon his own sovereign will and pleasure. "The election has obtained it, and the rest were blinded."

"Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." (I Thessalonians 1: 4 KJV)

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering..." (Colossians 3: 12 KJV)

"Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (II Timothy 2: 10 KJV)

"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall..." (II Peter 1: 10 KJV)

Lord God deals with the undeserving. When that is considered, he does no harm to any whom he opts not to show mercy, or as much mercy, as he does to others. The Lord owes no creature, certainly no rebellious creature, anything.

"Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?" (Romans 9: 18-24 KJV)

"We love him because he first loved us." (I John 4: 19 KJV) And, it is correct to say - "We choose him because he first chose us." His choice of sinners is the reason why those sinners come to choose him, and not vice versa. Such a scheme would give preeminence to the sinner, in his own salvation, and not to the Lord, and yet we are told - "In all things he must have the preeminence." (Colossians 1: 18 KJV)

"many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20: 16; 22: 14 NKJV)

"And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matthew 24: 31 KJV)

"And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?" (Luke 18: 7 KJV)

Friend, you can know that you have been chosen if you repent of your sins and come to Christ and trust and obey him.