SUNDAY April 14, 2024

The Doctrine of Election

...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world....
Ephesians 1:4

Before the foundation of the world God chose us! He already had us in His mind and heart. However, in that choosing, God gave each one of us the privilege to respond to that election; we all have a free will.

The word chose in the Greek language means “the act of picking out” or “chosen out for oneself.” God picked or chose you for Himself. He called you by name to save you and deliver you. In His perfect time, the Holy Spirit convicted you of your sin, and you responded by faith and became a child of God. Like a potter with the clay, the Lord then began to mold and shape your life. He desires to make you usable in building His Kingdom.

Many people struggle with the doctrine of God’s election. Calvinists believe that only a few people are chosen for salvation. When we study the Scriptures, we find this is not true. What is true is that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Salvation is available to anyone, not just the select few: For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). God gives everyone the opportunity to be saved, right up until the very day they die.

What I want to make clear is that you and I cannot bring anyone to Jesus Christ––brother, sister, mother or friend. No one can come to Jesus Christ unless they have been convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we remind ourselves that salvation is a work of God, then we should not worry so much about our loved ones and friends, but commit more time to praying for them. As we are faithful to pray, God will do the work.

Often those who have been thrust, forced and pushed into accepting Jesus never last in their commitment to Christ. Christians should never force the gospel down people’s throats. It is better to rest in the Lord because, in His time, He will give you an open door to share with them about salvation. Genuine salvation only happens when those chosen and called by God are convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit.

When a man is not deeply convicted of sin, it is a pretty sure sign that he has not truly repented. Experience has taught me that men who have very slight conviction of sin sooner or later lapse back into their old life.
~D.L. Moody~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!