…WHEN THEY REALLY SHOULDN’T

Few Bible doctrines provoke stronger reactions than election. The idea that God chose some for salvation before the foundation of the world strikes us as troubling, even offensive. It seems to violate our sense of fairness, diminish human dignity, and paint God as capricious. We understand the resistance. Election confronts something deep within us—our desire for autonomy, our confidence in human ability, our demand that salvation operate on terms we find acceptable.

But what if our hostility toward this doctrine reveals more about us than about God? What if election, properly understood, isn’t a threat but a comfort—not divine caprice but grace?

 

FIRST, THE OBJECTIONS: WHY ELECTION TROUBLES US

“It demeans humanity.” Critics argue election reduces us to mere puppets, stripping away dignity and free will. If God chooses who will be saved, doesn’t that make us mere robots?

The biblical response is sobering: Scripture presents fallen humanity not as morally neutral choosers but as spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1), enslaved to sin (John 8:34), and unable to come to Christ unless drawn by the Father (John 6:44, 65). Election doesn’t demean us—it accurately diagnoses our condition. We’re not healthy patients rejecting medicine; we’re corpses needing resurrection. Election magnifies grace precisely because it acknowledges that left to ourselves, none of us would choose God.

“It makes God look bad.” Perhaps the most visceral objection: How can a good God choose some and pass over others? Doesn’t this make Him arbitrary, even cruel?

Here we must think carefully. If all humanity deserves judgement because of sin (Romans 3:23), God would be perfectly just to save no one. Election isn’t about God being unfair to the non-elect; it’s about God being merciful to the elect. The real question isn’t “Why not everyone?” but “Why anyone at all?”

Moreover, God’s choice isn’t arbitrary—it flows from His wise purposes (Ephesians 1:11). We may not fully grasp those purposes, and Scripture acknowledges mystery here (Romans 11:33-36), but God’s character remains good, His ways remain just, even when they transcend our complete understanding.

“It kills evangelism.” If God has already decided who will be saved, why bother preaching the gospel?

Remarkably, the apostle Paul—the greatest missionary in church history—held firmly to election and saw it as the very ground of evangelistic confidence. He wrote, “I endure everything for the sake of the elect” (2 Timothy 2:10). Why? Because he knew God would save His chosen people through the preaching of the gospel (Romans 10:14-17). Election doesn’t eliminate evangelism; it guarantees its success among the elect. God has ordained both the end (salvation) and the means (gospel proclamation). We preach with confidence because we know God’s word will not return empty.

 

THE BIBLICAL WITNESS: WHY WE MUST AFFIRM ELECTION

Election isn’t theological speculation—it saturates Scripture.

Jesus Himself taught it plainly: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). “All that the Father gives me will come to me” (John 6:37). These aren’t isolated statements but consistent themes in Christ’s teaching.

Paul makes election central to his theology. In Ephesians 1:3-6, he celebrates that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world.” In Romans 8:28-30, he traces salvation’s golden chain: those God foreknew, He predestined; those He predestined, He called; those He called, He justified; those He justified, He glorified. Every link is divine action.

Romans 9 addresses objections head-on, using the example of Jacob and Esau—chosen before birth, before either had done good or evil, “so that God’s purpose of election might continue” (Romans 9:11). Paul anticipates our protests: “Is there injustice on God’s part?” His answer: “By no means!” God has mercy on whom He wills (Romans 9:14-18).

The pattern extends throughout Acts: “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). In 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul thanks God “because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved.” The Old Testament established the pattern—Israel was chosen not for merit but by pure grace (Deuteronomy 7:7-8).

If salvation ultimately depended on human choice rather than divine election, then we—not God—would deserve the ultimate glory for our salvation. But Scripture insists: “Salvation belongs to the Lord” (Jonah 2:9).

 

WHY ELECTION COMFORTS RATHER THAN THREATENS

Here’s the surprising truth: election, when properly understood, actually brings comfort, not anxiety.

1. It anchors assurance in God, not ourselves. Our salvation doesn’t rest on our wavering will, our inconsistent feelings, or our fluctuating commitment. It rests on God’s unchanging purpose. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1:6). When doubts assail, we look not to our grip on God but to God’s grip on us.
2. It humbles pride and produces gratitude. Election eliminates all boasting (1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot congratulate ourselves for being wiser or more righteous than others. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). This creates not arrogance but wonder—not “I chose wisely” but “Amazing grace!”
3. It provides perseverance through trials. If God chose us before time began, if our names were written in the Lamb’s book of life before we drew our first breath, then nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:31-39). Our security doesn’t depend on our strength but on His faithfulness. Jesus promised: “No one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28).
4. It sweetens worship. Election transforms heaven from a monument to human merit into a temple of divine mercy. It ensures that for all eternity, redeemed humanity will sing not of their accomplishments but of the Lamb who was slain.

 

EMBRACING THE MYSTERY

Election remains mysterious. Even humbling. But it’s thoroughly biblical and central to the gospel of grace. Rather than recoiling from it, we should embrace it as the Reformers did—as the bedrock of assurance, the death of pride, and the fountain of praise.

The doctrine of election confronts our self-sufficiency. It offends our autonomy. But it offers something far better: a salvation that rests entirely on the character and purposes of God rather than the wavering will of man.

As Paul concludes after wrestling with these deep truths: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways!… For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:33, 36).

 

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RELATED FAQs

Did the early church believe in election, or is this just a Reformation invention? Election was robustly affirmed by the early church fathers, particularly Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), whose writings on grace and predestination deeply influenced the Reformers. Before Augustine, church fathers like Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch acknowledged God’s sovereign choice, though the doctrine wasn’t fully developed until the Pelagian controversy forced the church to clarify the relationship between grace and human will. The Reformers didn’t invent election—they recovered and clarified what Scripture and the early church taught.

• What’s the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism on election? Both traditions affirm election, but they define it differently. Calvinists hold to unconditional election—God chooses individuals for salvation based solely on His sovereign will, not on foreseen faith or merit. Arminians teach conditional election—God chooses those whom He foresees will believe, making human faith the condition of election. The key difference is whether God’s choice is the cause of faith (Calvinism) or the result of foreseen faith (Arminianism). RC Sproul and John Piper argue Arminian election ultimately makes human will decisive, while Scripture presents faith itself as God’s gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• Doesn’t election mean God creates people just to send them to hell (double predestination)? Reformed theology distinguishes between election (God’s active choice to save) and reprobation (God’s passive passing over). God doesn’t actively create evil in the reprobate just as He actively creates faith in the elect. As Michael Horton explains, God withholds the grace He wasn’t obligated to give anyone, allowing people to face the just consequences of their own sin. This is sometimes called “asymmetrical predestination”—election and reprobation don’t work the same way. God isn’t equally active in both; He mercifully intervenes for some while justly allowing others to continue in their chosen rebellion.

If I’m not elect, can I do anything about it? This question misunderstands how election works in the Christian life. Scripture never tells us to determine whether we’re elect before coming to Christ—it tells us to come to Christ, and in coming, discover we were chosen. As JI Packer wrote, “Election is not something that we are to speculate about, but something we are to be grateful for when we discover it.” If you sense conviction of sin, desire for Christ, or even just uncertainty about your standing—come to Him! Jesus promised, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). Your coming is evidence of the Father’s drawing.

• How do Reformed Christians explain missions to unreached people groups? Reformed missionaries have historically been among the most passionate and sacrificial, precisely because of election. William Carey, the father of modern missions, was a Calvinist who argued that God’s command to preach the gospel applies regardless of our understanding of His secret decrees. Timothy Keller notes that election provides confidence that God has His people among every tribe and tongue (Revelation 7:9), guaranteeing that gospel work among unreached peoples will bear fruit. Election doesn’t eliminate urgency—it fuels it, because we know our labour is never in vain.
• What about “whosoever will” verses? Don’t they contradict election? Verses like “whosoever believes in him” (John 3:16) and “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13) are genuine invitations without restriction. The question is: who will come and believe? Jesus answers: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). As theologian Sinclair Ferguson explains, the “whosoever will” passages describe the breadth of the gospel invitation (everyone who comes will be saved), while election explains the depth of human need (no one comes unless effectually drawn). Both are true: the invitation is universal, but the response requires divine enablement.

Doesn’t belief in election make Christians lazy or presumptuous? Historically, the opposite has proven true. The Puritans, who held firmly to election, were known for rigorous self-examination, fervent prayer, and zealous evangelism. John Piper argues election produces not presumption but wonder, not laziness but gratitude-fuelled obedience. Scripture itself connects election with holiness: we’re “chosen…to be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:4). Peter urges believers to “be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election” through godly living (2 Peter 1:10). True understanding of election leads not to complacency but to amazed worship and transformed living.

 

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