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Introduction:
There are two kinds of people in the world – those who
are handpicked by God to be His special people (I
Peter 2:9-10) and those who are not.
The doctrine of election is one of the most profound and
yet most misunderstood teachings in the Bible.
Misconceptions ranging from election is unconditional to
election is miraculous to election is earned to election cannot be
forfeited are all taught in different churches today.
Peter, however, provided a primer on Christian election
that sets the record straight in I
Peter 1:1-2. Regrettably,
because of the modern misconceptions, even just trying to explain
the truth can be somewhat confusing.
Thus, we learn from I
Peter 1:1-2, we will use an analogy that might be helpful.
Remember a time when you were involved on the winning side
of a pick-up game of baseball or volleyball.
We are on the winning team and God is our captain.
But how did we get there and what does that mean for us.
Look at what Peter said. Discussion: I.
We are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father. A.
When we were playing baseball or volleyball, upon what
basis did we end up on the winning team?
Typically, we ended up on a team according to the team
captain’s knowledge of our ability to play.
Our election to God’s team is not different.
Peter said our election is in accord with, consistent with
and based on the authority of God’s knowledge.
Of course, our analogy does not perfectly fit.
The baseball team captain had to see us play before knowing
how we would fit. God
did not. His election was based on foreknowledge. B.
I am surprised, considering such a clear statement, that
our brethren traditionally claim God chose not to know who would
be a part of the elect until they actually live their lives.
As Paul told Timothy in II
Timothy 1:9, we were called according to God’s “grace
which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”
How could that happen if God chose not to know who was in
Christ until they actually arrived in the world? C.
But the great import of this is found in the promise of Romans
8:28-30. Whom
God foreknew would love Him, He predestined to be conformed to the
image of Christ. Those whom He foreknew are called, justified (that is,
declared innocent) and glorified (that is, we will go to heaven).
God is not going to forget that we are on His team, He has
known about us since before time began.
What a great comfort this is! D.
We must note very carefully that our election is according
to God’s foreknowledge, not His foreordination.
The Calvanist claims that God foreknew who would be elect
because He foreordained that they would.
The Bible says that God predestined based on His pre-knowledge.
Before time began, God knew who would love Him and He
handpicked us out of the masses of the world and made us a part of
His special people. II. We are elect in sanctification of the Spirit. A.
In our pick-up volleyball game, what was the actual
means by which we ended up on the various teams? The captains picked us and set us apart.
That is similar to our election.
The actual means by which we were put onto God’s team was
the sanctification of the Spirit. “Sanctification” being a fancy word that simply means to
be set apart for a holy use. B.
Do not be surprised by this statement.
Regrettably, because of the great deal of noise made by the
modern charismatic and Pentecostal movements, we hear a statement
such as “sanctified by the Holy Spirit” and automatically
think of miraculous power. While
we are clearly handpicked and set apart by the Holy Spirit, the
Bible just as clearly explains that this process is not by means
of a miracle. C.
According to I
Peter 1:22-25, the Spirit sanctified us through our
obedience to the truth. In John
17:16-19, the apostles would be sanctified by God’s
Word, which is truth. According
to II
Thessalonians 2:13, we are sanctified by the Spirit and
the belief in truth. II
Timothy 2:20-21 is a great passage, which goes beyond just
speaking of the moment at which we were put onto God’s team and
discusses our continuing growth as one of God’s special people.
This passage demonstrates that we continue to be
sanctified, that is, we continue to grow, becoming more and more
separate from the world and more and more useful to God, equipped
for every good work. However,
II
Timothy 3:14-17 says this process occurs through the
Scripture’s training. Thus,
we learn that the Holy Spirit sets apart, not miraculously, but
through the scripture He revealed (II
Peter 1:20-21).
III.
We are elect for obedience and the sprinkling of the blood
of Jesus. A.
When we were picked for the winning team, we had
responsibilities and privileges.
We were not allowed just to stand around, we had to play.
We had to do our best, working with the team.
When the game was over and our team won, we had the
privilege of being the victors, even if we did not spike the
winning point or hit the winning home run.
We partook in the victory simply because we were on the
winning team. B.
Our election to God’s team is similar.
We are not chosen in order to stand around idly and glory
in being on the winning team.
Rather, we are chosen in order to work and obey.
According to Ephesians
2:4-10, we were saved by God’s grace so we might walk in
His good works. According
to Romans
6:15-19, we were saved by God in order to cease being
slaves to sin and begin to be obedient slaves of righteousness.
If we go back to sin, we will lose what we have been given,
the gift of life, and receive what we have earned, the death wages
of sin. As I
Peter 1:14 says, we must be obedient children to God. C.
At the same time, God did not choose us so we could be
bound up in the fear of death over the sins we have already
committed and continue to commit.
Instead, He chose us so we could receive the sprinkling of
Jesus’ blood. According
to Matthew
26:28, Jesus’ blood was shed for the remission of our
sins. With all our
newfound obedience, we could not possibly earn the salvation we so
desperately need (Luke
17:10). That
is why Jesus died, to wash our sins away.
This also demonstrates that God did not choose us so we
could get caught up in a competition with our fellow teammates.
As Matthew
25:14-30 demonstrates, we are all chosen to be on the
team. In the end, we are victors not because we did so much in
comparison to others, but because we were on God’s team and we
all get sprinkled with Jesus’ blood. IV.
As the elect, we are pilgrims in the Dispersion. A.
Here is the place where our team analogy breaks down. When our teams were chosen up we went to separate dugouts or
opposite sides of the net. But
that is not how it works with God’s team.
The two teams are interspersed with one another, living in
the same world B.
Peter said we are pilgrims or sojourners.
Though we live in the world, we are not of the world (John
17:15-16). Our
citizenship is in heaven (Philippians
3:20). Because
we are pilgrims and only passing through, we must not become too
tied to this place. We
must abstain from the fleshly lusts and worldly living that
plagued us before we became part of the chosen (I
Peter 2:11-12) and we must keep our eyes focused on heaven
(Colossians
3:1-2). C.
Additionally, we are part of “the Dispersion.”
Peter, in order to describe what it means to be a part of
God’s elect, used a concept well known by physical Israel.
Regarding geographical residence, there were two kinds of
Jews – native Jews, who lived in the Promised Land, and the
Dispersion, who lived among the Gentiles.
This second group was among the Gentiles, but they were not
to be Gentiles. They were different. They
had a different culture, a different background, different
behaviors and a different God.
They stood out. Of
course, there was an inherent danger in being a part of the
Dispersion. Constantly
living around Gentiles caused many of the Dispersion Jews to lose
their distinction. They
became more like Hellenistic and less Jewish.
We are in the dispersion.
We are a chosen people in the midst of those not chosen and
we are to be different (Romans
12:2). Because
we are different, the non-elect do not understand us.
We think differently, act differently and pursue different
goals. The world will
mock and ridicule us (I
Peter 4:4), but we must not be influenced by them. Conclusion:
The question as we conclude then is, “Which team are you
on?” Have you
submitted to the scriptures and been set apart for God’s
service. The same
Peter who has given us this primer on election also explained when
we are put on God’s team. In
I
Peter 3:21, Peter said baptism saves us.
God sprinkles us with Christ’s blood which was shed for
the remission of our sins when we are baptized.
You cannot be elect without being baptized!
Will you submit today?
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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