We are coming up to a Federal election in another five or six weeks … is it that long away? We will elect a particular political party to govern our nation for another four years. Day after day we hear one promise after another from the various parties in an effort to entice us to elect them. Sometimes I really tire of the games the politicians play to gain that vote. And I tire hearing one politician after another trying to destroy the character of their political opponent with rhetoric and innuendo. Elections are hard work for us all!
Today we consider another type of election – God’s election – as we continue our little series titled ‘The Essentials’! This teaching is a challenging one to say the least. Yet the doctrine of election is another one of the great Christian teachings that brings boundless joy to the soul for those who can come to grips with the enormity of the teaching. In a nut shell, the doctrine of election is about God choosing people to be His children. We can also call it adoption! Out of great love He chooses to adopt people to be His very own. People like us! All through Scripture God has chosen people to be His, and He often shows favor to a selected few. As we all know, not all people are blessed abundantly! People miss out and many people struggle over this truth. They declare that God is not fair! Yet, as I shared with you last week, we choose all the time … it seems strange that it is ok for us to choose our friends and who we will associate with, but it is not ok for God to do the same.
It is interesting to note that if we were to adopt a child today it would be us doing the choosing … not the child choosing us to be his/her parents! Jesus teaches this exact point to His disciples in John 15: 16, “You did not chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last”. The doctrine of election has been debated down through the centuries and, like it or not, it is very clear in the Scriptures. Today, we have the privilege of having Dr. Lewis Jones from AFES teaching us on this awesome doctrine. I pray that the Lord will give you much insight as you witness a loving and merciful God displaying His glory and majesty through election as the great Sovereign God!