Several years ago, I changed my view on election, predestination, and being chosen. I have written in various places about this, though I cannot think if I have ever written about it online.
But today I read a great quote over at Mark Woodward’s blog, EveryTongue. The quote is by Christopher J. H. Wright, from his book, The Mission of God’s People (p. 72):
Election [i.e., the choosing] of one is not rejection of the rest, but ultimately for their benefit. It is as if a group of trapped cave explorers choose one of their number to squeeze through a narrow flooded passage to get out to the surface and call for help. The point of the choice is not so that she alone gets saved, but that she is able to bring help and equipment to ensure the rest get rescued. “Election” in such a case is an instrumental choice of one for the sake of many.
In the same way, God’s election of Israel is instrumental in God’s mission for all nations. Election needs to be seen as a doctrine of mission, not a calculus for the arithmetic of salvation. If we are to speak of being chosen, of being among God’s elect, it is to say that, like Abraham, we are chosen for the sake of God’s plan that the nations of the world come to enjoy the blessing of Abraham (which is exactly how Paul describes the effect of God’s redemption of Israel through Christ in Galatians 3:14).
A while back, I read a similar quote from David Bosch, in his groundbreaking book, Transforming Mission (if you haven’t read this book, you must). Here is what he wrote (p. 18):
The purpose of election is service, and when this is withheld, election loses its meaning. Primarily Israel is to serve the marginal in its midst: the orphan, the widow, the poor, and the stranger.
Election, I believe, is not God choosing some to go to heaven, while everyone else goes to hell. Election is God choosing some to accomplish His mission and purpose in the world, for the benefit of all. Sometimes, God chooses unregenerate people (such as Pharaoh, Cyrus, and Judas) to accomplish His purposes. But every single person who believes in Jesus is chosen as well. We are the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus to the world.
Eventually, I will write about all the Scripture passages on election, showing how they support this idea. Until then, what are your initial thoughts?
Yeah I totally agree. I think this is really important and totally changes the way we see ourselves in relation to what God is doing. Our pastor has preached on election and predestination the last couple of weeks from Ephesians 1, and I think missed the point of what Paul is saying (hence why I’ve been thinking about this stuff lately!)
By the way the first quote is actually from Chris Wright’s new book – The Mission of God’s People – although he definitely says similar things in The Mission of God.
Oops! I have read “Mission of God” but not “Mission of God’s People.” I didn’t even know he had that book. Thanks for the correction. I will fix the post.
It’s very good – I’m about half way through it at the moment. It’s more practical and aimed at a general Christian audience compared to Mission of God which was quite in-depth and more scholarly.
I’m reading the volume called “Following Jesus” in the same series right now. I’m only about 20 pages in so far. I added that Wright volume to my wish list.
I have come to see election and predestination as applying to all people. That is, every human being is predestined to adoption as a child of God through Jesus Christ. It is true that some – perhaps many – will never receive this adoption while they live on the earth. But sin loses its grip at death and everyone sees God then (Romans 6:7).
As for the related concept you raise, I fully concur that God chooses some for special purposes but it it always for the benefit not of the one He chose, but for others. That is, He chose the Jews to bless the Gentiles, He chose Moses to bless the Israelites, He chose Jesus to bless the world. Therefore, if you believe you’ve been chosen by God for some purpose, that purpose is for the blessing of others. To fully abstract the idea, God always chooses the subset for the sake of the set.
I like that idea that he chooses the subset to bless the set. That makes sense in a lot of passages. Thanks!
oh man !!!
you made my day.
never tought about this that way.
that’s just incredible.
it reminds me the way Michael Frost (and many others in other words, like NT Wright, Bonhoeffer, and even Ellul) explain the kingdom of God as being some kind of a “trailer” for the Kingdom that is coming, and christians would be already living the the Kingdom reality right here in this world, where it seems to the eye that there is no kingdom of God at all.
I think the Church (with a big C, as christianity as a whole), took a bad road when it all reduced “salvation” as a question of knowing if yes or no someone is going to go to heaven. And then, all the debate is corrupted already from the start by this wrong take on the issue.
NT Wright says that the protestant answer (salvation is by faith, not deeds) is a good answer to a wrong question. And I really think he is right.
Then if “my” individual salvation is not the point, all the debates that are built on this foundation, which seems to me to be one of the cornerstone of the catholic (and by extension the protestant) faith, are just pointless (calvinist/arminianism, faith/deeds, can we achieve perfection (methodist) or not, etc etc)…
Yes, a lot of the age-old debates start to disappear. I am going to have to go watch that NT Wright video. Thanks for the link.
Jeremy,
You have really been on a roll lately. Great blog entries the last week. I know you are looking at moving toward quality over quantity, but it looks like the quality is pretty much there.
Anyway, about election. The most recent teaching I have recieved on this has been that our election is IN Christ. That Christ is God’s chosen one, the firstborn, and that we become partakers of HIS election when we are placed into Christ at the moment of belief. According to this way of thinking, we are only elect once we are IN Christ and like Mike said is His post. this is really pretty much open to everyone, not exclusive like the Calvinists teach. Still not sure I agree with this totally,but it presents an interesting argument against Calvinistic election.
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I agree with our election being IN Christ. Ephesians 1 is pretty clear on this. I don’t know where you heard that teaching, but it sounds pretty close to what I believe. I will write more in time…
I’ve been really struggling with the concepts around election recently as I’ve been having conversations with a calvanist.
You’ve helped me understand a lot of these questions. However, here is another puzzling verse in 2 Tim 2:10. It seems to suggest in this verse that the elect may not have salvation. Which is interesting. Perhaps the elect talked about here are Israel?
Good thoughts. Divine election is something I have done extensive study and meditation on. Even now, after all that I still don’t comprehend the magnifiscence of God’s love toward us. Here is where I am now: God chose His elect in Christ and wrote their names in the book of life before the foundation of the world. Since God did not save us to individualistic lives but rather saved us into a community with Him in Christ, election is not only about individuals being saved. It is about the community of believers being saved.
This community is on mission to be Christ’s body in the earth, preaching and embodying a message of His Lordship and the coming of His Kingdom. There is no room for doubt whether the Lambs book of life exists. We know that to be so. We also know that our names were written there before creation. It is all part of God’s purpose. The question is: what is that purpose?
This is the corporate view of election, right? Or something close to it anyway. I definitely think it is a better view than the Calvinistic individualized election to eternal life. I really like how this view emphasizes the mission of the corporate body on earth.
I believe it is both individual and corporate. There are names of individuals written in the book of corporate life. God chooses individuals (Isaac and Jacob) to be a part of his chosen people (Israel).
Yes, that might be quite close to my view. Jesus, of course, is the ultimate individually elected person, in whom is the corporate church, which is a mass of individuals. Ha ha. Confused, yet?
Jeremy, when it comes to, choosing, I’m talking about choosing for salvation. Not some special purpose, I know there are some of those, example Pharaoh. But is there a passage that actually applies to a person who has not trusted in Jesus as there saviour. Where is says God choose them for salvation? I tend to think that choosing relates to believers only not those who have not believe in Christ for salvation. Just a question, I’m not trying to be argumentative at all, just wondering.
Thanks
Ask away! I love questions, and even disagreement.
It has been years since I have studied this in depth, so my memory is a bit rusty, and I would have to pull out all my notes as a refresher. But if I remember correctly, there is no single verse in the Bible which says that God chooses someone for “eternal life.” The word “salvation” is a slippery word in Scripture, and context must always be looked at to determine what the author is talking about.
Regarding someone like Judas, the same word is used for him in John 6:70, as it is for believers being chosen in Christ in Ephesians 1:4. So the issue does not seem to be the word “chosen” or “to choose” itself, but what the person or group is chosen for.
Does that help?
a very good video about the church blessing the people among who she is by Michael Frost
and another one
awesome. Thanks!
Hi Jeremy,
Can you please share what your previous view on election was and then perhaps briefly explain how you now view election? Thanks!
Liam,
I used to believe the common view of election, that it was God choosing which individuals he will “save.” That is, every single person is destined for hell, and God chooses to rescue some of them and give them eternal life.
My new view is that election has little to do with who gets eternal life and who doesn’t. Instead, it is about God’ mission in this world, and who He uses to accomplish that mission.
Does that help?
Jeremy,
Yes, it does. Thank you. If you post anything further about your views on this in the future, please let me know. It sounds interesting and I would be curious to see what prompted your change and how you now view some of the passages in Scripture dealing with election with a more of “missional” focus rather than one of individualized salvation.
I’m not sure exactly when I will get to it, but I hope soon to start making some regular posts about various theological categories. This discussion on election would be part of that.
Jeremy, that is such a refreshing view on election. Just the other day I came across something by Piper where he was explaining his belief in double predestination, namely that “Just as God chooses whom He will save without regard to any distinctives in the person, so also he decides whom He will not save without regard to any distinctives in the individual.” Yuck. I was about ready to punch the next person who even mentioned election.
You’ve succeeded in redeeming the idea for me. Thank you. I look forward to hearing what else you have to say on the topic.
I cannot stand double predestination either.
A lot of people who believe in the individual election to eternal life view say they do not believe in double predestination because of how repulsive it is, but to me, it seems the logical conclusion. What is the difference between God “passing over” some he could have otherwise chosen, and actually choosing which ones to damn?
I am not sure how soon I will get to posting more about it. But when I do, I’ll let you know here.
thanks again Jeremy,
still meditating on your post 4 days after…
God reconciled me with election through your post.
It helped me make sense of election also. I wish I could recommend some books for you on it, but for the life of me, I can’t remember if or where I’ve ever read this view of election. I don’t think I just conjured it…
I’ve learnt election in the following basic way;
1) Christ was chosen to become the first fruit of the harvest.
2) The Overcomers are the Elite, the Barley Harvest – the Oxen.
3) The Believers are the Wheat Harvest – the Sheep.
4) The rest of the world are the Grape Harvest – the Goats.
Everybody must be judged. The Overcomers judge themselves rightly in their lifetime like Barley gets winnowed. Believers who miss the opportunity to become Overcomers, gets judged a little more harshly like Wheat gets threshed. The rest of the world’s judgment is pictured like a wine press – trodden and pressed. But in the end, there will be bread (barley and wheat) and wine (grapes) on the table.
Christ first, for the salvation of the Overcomers.
The Overcomers in their turn for the salvation of the Believers.
The Believers for the salvation of the rest of the world.
The first resurrection is for the Overcomers only – they receive their aionian life in that age – the Millenial Reign.
The second resurrection, resurrection of the dead, is for the rest of the believers and the rest of the world. The Believers receive their aionian life in that age (the age after the Millenial Reign) while the rest of the world receive their aionian judgment in that age – lake of fire, the fiery divine law.
The Believers will receive their rewards as well as their many and few lashes, and the rest of the world will be judged rightly until each one’s penalty is paid and have learned righteousness and believe in Christ. If someone’s penalty is too high to pay in the times given in the aion, the Law of Jubilee comes into effect which wipes the slate clean, once and for all.
And after all enemies are at Christ’s feet, He will hand over the Kingdom back to the Father.