"Elect According To The Foreknowledge Of God"
I Peter 1:2
Many try to destroy the doctrines of
absolute predestination and unconditional election by asserting that
"election is according to the foreknowledge of God." That, I grant,
is a very scriptural statement. But the Arminians, the freewillers, and the
work mongers make a very unscriptural interpretation of it. Contrary to Holy
Scripture they assert that God chose some to salvation because he foreknew, or
foresaw that they would choose to be saved, that they would repent and believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, that they would by the
exercise of their "freewill" decide to follow Jesus. The Bible no
where teaches such doctrine.
THE WORD OF GOD TEACHES US THAT MAN BY
NATURE HAS NEITHER THE WILL (John 5:40) NOR THE ABILITY (John 6:44) TO REPENT AND BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST. All the sons and daughters of Adam are by nature spiritually dead (Rom.
5:12;
Eph. 2:1-4), having no more ability in the spiritual realm than a dead man does
in the natural realm (John 3:3-7). We are all by nature morally depraved
sinners, incapable of doing anything good toward God (Rom. 3:9-19). As we are incapable of doing
anything good or spiritual by nature, we are not capable of believing on
Christ. Faith in Christ is a gift of God brought forth in the heart by the
sovereign, irresistible power of God the Holy Spirit in regenerating grace
(Psa. 65:4; 100:3; Eph. 1:19; 2:8; Col. 2:12).
ACCORDING TO HOLY SCRIPTURE, THE PURPOSE
OF GOD IN ELECTION IS AN ETERNAL ACT OF FREE, SOVEREIGN, UNCONDITIONAL GRACE
(Rom. 9:11-16;
Eph. 1:3-6; II Thess. 2:13-14). God did not choose us because of
anything good that he foreknew we would do or be. His foreknowledge of us,
according to which we were elected unto salvation, was his everlasting love and
foreordination of us unto life in Christ. Election could not have been based
upon foreknown goodness because there is nothing good in any man for God to
have foreknown! God chose us because he was determined to be gracious to us. He
was determined to be gracious to us because he loved us. He loved us because it
was his good pleasure to do so!
Don Fortner