Election is not Salvation
Last Update: 2024, January 19
“What God does in time, he planned from eternity. And all that he planned in eternity he carries out in time. And all that he has in his word committed himself to do will infallibly be done…” —J.I. Packer
Election itself is not salvation, but unto salvation. This is one of the many theological nuances Non-Calvinists (NC) fail or refuse to take into consideration. A failure to accept this biblical fact means that passages such as 2 Peter 3:9 will be mishandled.
Here’s a perfect example of someone who is confused or hasn’t fully grasped Reformed Soteriology. NTEB put out this article, “No, The ‘Ordained To Eternal Life’ In Acts 13:48 Does Not Mean That God Saved People Before They Were Born As Calvinism Erroneously Teaches” And then went on to say this,
“Calvinism may teach, and it does, that no one gets saved until God ‘regenerates you’ in order for you to be able to believe, and then you become born again after God ‘flips your switch.’ But this is [not] what your Bible teaches, it says the opposite of that.”
Note the title of his article, “…Acts 13:48 Does Not Mean That God Saved People Before They Were Born As Calvinism Erroneously Teaches” Which is it NTEB? God saved people before they were born, or when God regenerated them? Calvinists and the Scripture don’t teach that people are saved before they were born—they’re elected/chosen yes, but not saved before they were born—otherwise there would be no need for repentance, faith or evangelism. Election itself is not Salvation but NCs refuse to hear this. They don’t want to believe it and ignore it to their own destruction. It’s the reason why you often hear this kind of objection, “If God already saved people before they’re born, then faith and repentance are pointless! It’s a waste of time to evangelize.” Says who?
Paul, Andronicus and Junia were the Elect. And yet in time, Andronicus, Junia and others came to faith before Paul did, “who also were in Christ before me” (Romans 16:7). Paul was chosen before he was born (Galatians 1:15) but others came to faith before he did, and there are many more who will come after Paul (cf. Acts 18:9-11). What does this mean? Simply this: The Elect don’t come into this world saved by default. It’s why, “…The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9). See my post on 2 Peter 3:9 here.
God is behind the scene drawing all of His Elect to Himself as seen in the life of Naaman, Cornelius and Lydia. We don’t know who the Elect are,
“If God would have painted a yellow stripe on the backs of the elect, I would go around lifting shirts. But since he didn’t, I must preach ‘whosoever will’; and when ‘whosoever’ believes, I know he is one of the elect.” (Spurgeon)
“Your business is to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. God’s business is to draw His own to Himself.” (Spurgeon)
Here’s a 3-minute clip by John Piper that sums up the reason why Christians that hold to a reformed Soteriology are persistent in their evangelism and preaching. It also explains why evangelists of the past were bold and fearless going to places they knew they might not come home alive.
“The greatest evangelists this world has ever known have been men who have believed in the sovereign, free election of God. Let us not forget that! Two of the greatest evangelists that England has ever produced have been George Whitefield and Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and they both preached and believed in unconditional election. They said that no man is saved unless God has chosen him and set him apart for Himself — the doctrine of Romans 9 — yet they were two men who were indefatigable as evangelists, urging men and women to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The same thing can be said of others in other countries: Howell Harris and Daniel Rowland in Wales; Jonathan Edwards in America, Samuel Davies, the writer of many hymns, and David Brainerd, who evangelized the Indians. All these men held this high doctrine of election, but they were indefatigable in their evangelism and in their praying. But here is another interesting thing. The founders of the great missionary enterprise, the modern missionary movements, were all men who held to this high doctrine of Romans 9. William Carey believed that if someone was saved it was because this was the purpose of God according to election; and yet he was, in so many senses, the father of the modern missionary movement.” —Martyn Lloyd Jones
“Election guarantees that evangelism will result in genuine conversions.” —R. B. Kuiper
“There will always be people who argue that the doctrine of election makes missions unnecessary. But they are wrong. It does not make missions unnecessary; it makes missions hopeful. John Alexander, a former president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, said in a message at Urbana ’…, ’At the beginning of my missionary career I said that if predestination were true I could not be a missionary. Now after twenty some years of struggling with the hardness of the human heart, I say I could never be a missionary [unless I believed in the doctrine of predestination].’ It gives hope that Christ most certainly has ‘other sheep’ among the nations.” —John Piper
Elect Not Yet Saved Scattered Abroad
Paul was chosen before he was born (Galatians 1:15) but others came to faith before he did, and there are many more Elect who will come after Paul (cf. Acts 18:9-11; 2 Peter 3:9) who are currently not saved.
Consider John 10:16, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” And John 11:49-52, “…being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.” Pair these two passages with John 17:20, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word…”
Christ calls His people “Sheep” even before they hear Him (John 10:16). The Elect are God’s children scattered abroad who don’t know Christ yet (John 11:52), and Christ prayed for them (John 17:20) and He will reach them with the Gospel (cf. Ephesians 2:17) and they will believe (Acts 13:48)!
Conclusion
Here are the points to keep in mind that are grounded in Scripture.
God has His Elect scattered abroad that are not yet saved (John 11:52; Acts 18:9-11; 2 Peter 3:9)
God’s Elect will respond to the Gospel at the appointed time (Acts 13:48).
God uses means. The Gospel and evangelism is one of the means God uses to draw the Elect to Himself (John 17:20; Ephesians 2:17).
Knowing that, we persist and endure for the sake of God’s Elect (2 Timothy 2:10).
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
—2 Timothy 2:10