Jerry Shugart
Well-known member
"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet.1:2).
The Greek word translated "elect" is an adjective and it describes those who are are "chosen" (Thayer's Greek English Lexicon).
We can see that being chosen is through the instrumentality of the sanctification of the Spirit. One of the meanings of the Greek word translated "sanctification" is "separation to God...1 Pet.1:2" (Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words).
So we can understand that being chosen is through the instrumentality of the Spirit when He separates a person to God. That happens when a person is baptized into the body of Christ by one Spirit:
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor.12:13).
That is exactly what this verse is speaking about:
"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" (Eph.1:4).
Once a person is "in Him" or "in Christ" he is saved:
"Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (2 Tim.2:10).
So we can see that being chosen before the foundation of the world is in regard to salvation since the elect are chosen "in Him." In other words, no one can be chosen "in Him" unless salvation is secured.
That fact is confirmed by the following verse where the "sanctification of the Spirit" is tied to salvation:
"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thess.2:13).
This verse is speaking about being chosen for salvation before the foundation of the world and one of the ways that a person is chosen for salvation is through believing the truth found in the gospel. The other way is through the agency of the Holy Spirit when baptizing the believer into the Body of Christ.
The idea of "Unconditional Election" was invented by the Calvinists. Well known Calvinist teacher R.C. Sproul teaches that being chosen by God before the foundation of the world is not based on something foreseen in us:
"The grounds of our election are not something foreseen by God in us but rather the good pleasure of his sovereign will...Reformed theology insists that God's election is based on nothing foreseen in the individual's lives, this does not mean that he makes the choice for no reason at all. It simply means that the reason is not something found in us" [emphasis added] (Ibid., 146,147).
Sproul also says,"The Reformed view holds that we are elected 'unto' faith and justification. Faith is a necessary condition for salvation but not for election" [emphasis added] (Ibid., 145).
The problem with this idea is the mistaken idea that a person can be "in Christ" but not yet saved:
"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" (Eph.1:4).
A little common sense will go a long way when it comes to understanding what is taught in the Bible about election.
