Follow Up On Election
Sunday, October 18, I preached from 1 Thessalonians 1:4 on the biblical doctrine of election. I know that this is a hard topic to hear taught and/or preached. Knowing that, I want to follow up by making several statements that I hope will help.
1. If election is a fairly new topic for you, don’t be surprised you are struggling with it. You are not alone. Most people (including myself) struggle when first hearing it.
2. I listened to the sermon twice after preaching it. I wanted to hear the tone that came across and I wanted to make sure I especially came across as gracious, as well as presenting a gracious and generous God. I believe, by God’s grace, I achieved this.
3. Keep in mind that God’s sovereignty, which includes His election unto salvation, is compatible with making free choices as humans and also with human responsibility. It is not either/or, but both/and.
4. Related to number 3, because the unsaved are dead in their trespasses and sins, that is, they are morally unable to see their need for Christ, to want Christ, and to trust in Jesus Christ, apart from God’s sovereign initiative, any effective and fruitful evangelism is impossible. God’s sovereignty, including election, is actually an encouragement to evangelism, not a detriment to it. This is one of the reasons that the modern missions movement was launched and taken forward in its beginning years (through the 19th and early 20th centuries) by those who taught the biblical view of election I taught Sunday.
5. The reality that different Christians have different views on election should not be an argument for either not taking a stance on what the Bible teaches, nor should it be a rationale for not teaching on it. It is not a “throw-away,” unimportant doctrine.
6. Believing in the biblical view of election has a number of practical and important implications for life and ministry, as I highlighted Sunday. Therefore, it needs to be taught. It also needs to be taught because we come across it often in Scripture and we should know what it means. In fact, it will be touched upon again as we go through 1 Thessalonians and then in 2 Thessalonians.
7. Just because I teach something does not mean you must believe in it without asking questions. We should be like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-15, and search the Scriptures to see if what I am teaching is accurate. Having said that, though, the fact that I have been a pastor in this church for 18½ years and I believe I have demonstrated that I try to take all and every part of Scripture very seriously and I seek to preach only what is in Scripture, I do believe you should consider seriously what I say. Of course I am not infallible in my Bible interpretation. However, I think this history should at least make us willing to listen, to look at what I way, to consider it, and not to reject it just because it differs with what you have previously believed.
8. I said in the sermon that I abhor the belief that says, “Since humans have freewill, God cannot save them,” as if God is dependent upon and subservient to our freewill. I did not say I abhor people who think this or that I abhor the belief in freewill. After all, I believe people make free choices and are responsible. The reason I made this statement is because this false belief belittles and dishonors God, at the same time it discourages us from bold evangelism and praying for the lost without ceasing.
Faith family, please know that the ultimate and first reason I preached this sermon is that I love God and want to glorify Him. My second purpose is that I love you and want to bless you with biblical truth. I will continue to do this without apology and with much prayer that everything I preach will be in love and with grace.
Please pray for me to these ends!
Your In-Need-Of-Prayer-Pastor,
Tom
1. If election is a fairly new topic for you, don’t be surprised you are struggling with it. You are not alone. Most people (including myself) struggle when first hearing it.
2. I listened to the sermon twice after preaching it. I wanted to hear the tone that came across and I wanted to make sure I especially came across as gracious, as well as presenting a gracious and generous God. I believe, by God’s grace, I achieved this.
3. Keep in mind that God’s sovereignty, which includes His election unto salvation, is compatible with making free choices as humans and also with human responsibility. It is not either/or, but both/and.
4. Related to number 3, because the unsaved are dead in their trespasses and sins, that is, they are morally unable to see their need for Christ, to want Christ, and to trust in Jesus Christ, apart from God’s sovereign initiative, any effective and fruitful evangelism is impossible. God’s sovereignty, including election, is actually an encouragement to evangelism, not a detriment to it. This is one of the reasons that the modern missions movement was launched and taken forward in its beginning years (through the 19th and early 20th centuries) by those who taught the biblical view of election I taught Sunday.
5. The reality that different Christians have different views on election should not be an argument for either not taking a stance on what the Bible teaches, nor should it be a rationale for not teaching on it. It is not a “throw-away,” unimportant doctrine.
6. Believing in the biblical view of election has a number of practical and important implications for life and ministry, as I highlighted Sunday. Therefore, it needs to be taught. It also needs to be taught because we come across it often in Scripture and we should know what it means. In fact, it will be touched upon again as we go through 1 Thessalonians and then in 2 Thessalonians.
7. Just because I teach something does not mean you must believe in it without asking questions. We should be like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-15, and search the Scriptures to see if what I am teaching is accurate. Having said that, though, the fact that I have been a pastor in this church for 18½ years and I believe I have demonstrated that I try to take all and every part of Scripture very seriously and I seek to preach only what is in Scripture, I do believe you should consider seriously what I say. Of course I am not infallible in my Bible interpretation. However, I think this history should at least make us willing to listen, to look at what I way, to consider it, and not to reject it just because it differs with what you have previously believed.
8. I said in the sermon that I abhor the belief that says, “Since humans have freewill, God cannot save them,” as if God is dependent upon and subservient to our freewill. I did not say I abhor people who think this or that I abhor the belief in freewill. After all, I believe people make free choices and are responsible. The reason I made this statement is because this false belief belittles and dishonors God, at the same time it discourages us from bold evangelism and praying for the lost without ceasing.
Faith family, please know that the ultimate and first reason I preached this sermon is that I love God and want to glorify Him. My second purpose is that I love you and want to bless you with biblical truth. I will continue to do this without apology and with much prayer that everything I preach will be in love and with grace.
Please pray for me to these ends!
Your In-Need-Of-Prayer-Pastor,
Tom
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