Truth About Bible Election

Truth About Bible Election

Bible election is an important issue and finding out the truth about this is very important. There are two thoughts on this. One is that we are all predestined to be saved or lost and there is nothing we can do about it. The other is that we have a free will choice to be saved or lost. John Calvin was the well known teacher of predestination, but which belief is the truth? We need to let the Word of God in the Bible tell us the truth about this important subject of Bible election.
2 Peter 1:10 ...'Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.' ... Have a good think about this verse concerning Bible election. What does Peter say? He says to "give diligence to make your election sure". Those words "give diligence" means to make every effort. Now why would we need to make every effort to make our election sure, if we are already predestined to be saved or lost and there is nothing we can do about it? Already it seems like we have a problem with this Calvin predestination teaching.
Ephesians 1:4-5 ...'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: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.' ... Hold on, do we have a contradiction here? No, this is straight forward enough to understand. God HAS predestined us, we are elected to be saved, BUT we are to make that election SURE, by giving diligence to live according to the faith we proclaim. Do you see that? The fact that we are elected to be saved, doesn't mean that we ARE saved automatically. Take another look at 2 Peter above. We need to make every effort to make that calling and election sure. Now take a look at this next Bible verse:
1 Timothy 2:3-4 ...'For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.' ... Do you see that? It is God's will that ALL mankind be saved. But will everyone be saved? No, why? Because those who are lost have CHOSEN to be lost. And those who are saved have CHOSEN to be saved and made every effort to make their calling and election sure. God calls us and elects us to be saved, but then we need to accept that calling and election and live a life following the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. If we don't make our election sure and we don't live a life worthy of the calling, then we will be lost!

Philippians 2:12 ...'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.'

What did Jesus say to the rich young ruler when he asked "what must I do to be saved"? Jesus told him that he must keep the commandments (Matthew 19). When did Christ ever say .. "you are already chosen so don't worry". Or .. "you are not chosen so don't bother trying"? This is just not Biblical.
Do you see why I said at the beginning that Bible election is an important issue? There are many professing Christians who think they are predestined to be saved and cannot be lost and therefore are living worldly lives thinking they are saved. They are going to have an awful shock when Jesus returns and He says "depart from Me, I never knew you". (Matthew 7:23)
Have a look at the following Bible verses:

Revelation 2:10 ...'be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.'

Revelation 3:5 ...'He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.'

Revelation 3:11 ...'Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.'

Matthew 24:13 ...'But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.'

James 1:12 ...'Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.'

Do you see a work that is to be done by those of us who are called and elected? Now take another look at Revelation 3:5 above. It says that IF we overcome the world (through Christ) we will not have our names blotted out of the book of life. What does this mean? It means that we CAN have our names blotted out of the book of life, if we don't make our calling and election sure. Do you see this truth about Bible election?
It's God's will that all men are saved, and He has foreordained the characters that will entitle men to salvation, but He does NOT compel anyone to receive Christ Jesus, to possess this character, and to be saved. This is a matter of individual choice, and the Word of God in the Bible is very clear about this. So it is down to each and every one of us as to whether we accept God's saving grace and build characters worthy of His calling. Characters that will be "faithful unto death". Characters that will "overcome". Characters that will "hold fast" the faith. Characters that will "endure to the end". This is the truth of Bible election. By worshipinspiritandtruth.net