Election And Free Will

God chose to save us and planned to do it long before we chose to believe and be saved. Some believe too strongly in one or the other of election or free will to the exclusion of the other. It can be puzzling to our limited minds, but according to the Bible both election and free will are involved in salvation. Quite often when we first become saved our emphasis is that I have received Jesus. Then as we grow in the Lord and our knowledge of the Bible it brings us to a firm belief in election. We can sometimes look into our past before we received Jesus and know that God was at work on our behalf even then. Since election and free will are both taught in the Bible, we should believe both doctrines rather than just one or the other, even though our minds cannot completely wrap themselves around both truths. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said that he would like to bang the heads together of those who only believed in one or the other. J. Vernon McGhee explained it this way: Before we enter it, the front of the door of salvation says whosoever after we are saved and see the other side of the door it says Chosen.

Joshua 24:15: And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Revelation 22:17: And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Ephesians 1:4: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

2 Timothy 1:9: Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Luke19:10: For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote this article on the subject:

In the resurrection of Christ, as in our salvation, there was put forth nothing short of a divine power. What shall we say of those who think that conversion is wrought by the free will of man, and is due to his own betterness of disposition? When we shall see the dead rise from the grave by their own power, then may we expect to see ungodly sinners of their own free will turning to Christ. It is not the word preached, nor the word read in itself; all quickening power proceeds from the Holy Ghost. This power was irresistible. All the soldiers and the high priests could not keep the body of Christ in the tomb; Death himself could not hold Jesus in his bonds: even thus irresistible is the power put forth in the believer when he is raised to newness of life. No sin, no corruption, no devils in hell nor sinners upon earth, can stay the hand of God*s grace when it intends to convert a man. If God omnipotently says, *Thou shalt,* man shall not say, *I will not.* Observe that the power which raised Christ from the dead was glorious. It reflected honour upon God and wrought dismay in the hosts of evil. So there is great glory to God in the conversion of every sinner. It was everlasting power. *Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him.* So we, being raised from the dead, go not back to our dead works nor to our old corruptions, but we live unto God. *Because He lives we live also.* *For we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God.* *Like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.* Lastly, mark the union of the new life to Jesus. The same power which raised the Head works life in the members. What a blessing to be quickened together with Christ!

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