Election & Predestination

Election and Predestination: God's Sovereignty, Our Responsibility

Introduction: A Question of Justice or a Mystery of Mercy? Predestination is one of the most misunderstood—and misrepresented—doctrines in Christian theology. Does God choose who will be saved in advance? If so, do we really have free will? What about those who never hear the gospel? Is God unjust? These are not just philosophical questions—they’re deeply personal ones. They strike at the heart of how we understand God's character and how we respond to His calling.

But before we run to either extreme—fatalism or works-based salvation—we need to do something radical: read our Bibles carefully. Then, we need to understand how Christians throughout history have approached this topic. What we’ll find is not a simple answer, but a faithful tension.

What Is Election and Predestination?

In basic terms:

• Election means God's choice.

• Predestination means God has a plan in advance.

The Greek word for “elect” (ἐκλεκτός, eklektos) appears over 20 times in the New Testament and refers to people God has chosen—particularly for salvation (e.g., Matthew 24:22, Romans 8:33, 1 Peter 1:1-2).

The word “predestined” (προορίζω, proorizō) means “to decide beforehand” and appears in texts like Romans 8:29–30 and Ephesians 1:5, 11.

God’s Foreknowledge and Our Free Will

Paul writes in Romans 8:29: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son…”

This introduces the concept of foreknowledge (πρόγνωσις, prognōsis), literally “knowledge beforehand.” But is this passive foresight or active foreordination?

Here's where many fall into the trap of false dichotomies.

“If God chooses, we must be robots.”

“If we choose, God can’t be sovereign.”

Not so fast.

The Bible never presents God’s knowledge and our choices as mutually exclusive. In fact, it often presents both together:

• “Work hard to show the results of your salvation… For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:12–13)

We work. God works. We choose. God foreknows.

To say God knows who will choose Him isn’t to make us sovereign—it’s to acknowledge that God knows all things. That includes how we will respond, even while honoring our free will.

The “Man on the Island” Thought Experiment

One common objection goes like this: “What about the man on the island who never hears the gospel? How is it fair if he never gets a chance?”

Here’s where two things must be said:

1. God is just and merciful. No one will be able to accuse Him of unfairness.

2. God may know that the man on the island is the very one who would reject the gospel even if he heard it.

In other words, God’s omniscience doesn’t violate our free will—it reveals it.

Romans 1:20 teaches: “Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

And 2 Peter 3:9 affirms: “He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

So we can affirm both God’s perfect knowledge and our responsibility to respond.

Calvinism vs. Arminianism

Throughout church history, two major theological camps have wrestled with these truths:

Calvinism (Reformed Tradition)

• Emphasizes God’s sovereign choice

• Teaches total depravity, unconditional election, and irresistible grace

• Key texts: Romans 9, Ephesians 1, John 6:44

Arminianism

• Emphasizes human responsibility

• Affirms prevenient grace—God enables us to respond

• Key texts: 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, Acts 17:30

Most modern Christians unknowingly adopt a hybrid. That’s not necessarily a cop-out—it’s a recognition that Scripture doesn’t resolve this into neat categories.

What the Early Church Believed

The Church Fathers wrestled with election too—long before Calvin or Arminius.

• Justin Martyr (2nd century): “We have learned that those who live reasonably are Christians, even though they are considered atheists.”

• Irenaeus: emphasized God’s foreknowledge and our cooperation

• Augustine: moved toward sovereign election, but still affirmed responsibility

• Clement of Rome: reminded believers to “be of humble mind, laying aside all arrogance, and pride.”

What’s consistent is this: God calls, and we must respond.

Theological Balance: Mystery and Tension

Instead of resolving the tension, Scripture invites us to trust within it.

Romans 9 teaches that God “has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens whomever he chooses.” (v.18)

Romans 10 then says: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (v.13)

One chapter affirms God’s right to choose. The next calls everyone to respond.

This is not contradiction. It’s paradox with purpose.

So, Who Are the Elect?

The elect are those whom God calls, foreknows, and justifies—those who are in Christ. Romans 8:30 outlines a chain of calling, justification, and glorification that centers on conformity to Christ, not hidden fatalism.

And we’re never told to figure out who’s “in” or “out.” We’re told to preach the gospel to all. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:22:

“I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.”

Practical Application: Assurance and Evangelism

Predestination should never lead to pride or laziness.

• It gives us assurance: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:38)

• It inspires urgency: “How can they hear unless someone tells them?” (Romans 10:14)

So we trust in God's sovereign plan—and obey His clear command to go into all the world.

Final Thought: A Mystery to Be Lived, Not Solved

In the end, predestination is not a problem to be solved—it’s a mystery to be lived.

We don’t know the limits of God’s choosing.

We only know the reach of His love.

And so we go, and preach, and invite—all while knowing that God is at work behind the scenes, calling His children home.