DIVINE "ELECTION"
"Elect", "elected" are words found in the KJV New Testament. However, those words are often used to support a theology known as the "doctrine of election", particularly within Reformed Theology, and thus ties in directly with Calvinism's doctrine of predestination which says that God has "elected" (chosen) who will be saved (and, as a result, who will NOT be saved).
The Bible clearly states in 2 Peter 3:9 that "God is not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance!"
We at BibleTruthforToday believe that many people have placed the emphasis in the wrong place - that divine election is NOT about God picking who (individually) will be "saved", but rather that God "elected" (foreordained) that Jesus Christ would be the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of man, and that those who put their trust in Him are saved because they are "in Him", not because God picked and chose them, nor are they excluded solely on the basis that God did NOT pick them.
Secondly, God "elected" a people group called Israel through which He would demonstrate to the world things concerning Himself, and through which He would bring to pass His promises made to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden regarding a future deliverer (namely, Jesus Christ, the Messiah). Similarly, God also "elected" that there would be a group of believers (those who believed the fulfillment of those promises to Adam and Eve) who would constitute the "body of Christ" (the Church).
Thirdly, God "elected", or chose, certain people to do certain jobs - sometimes based on the very abilities which God had given them, and sometimes in spite of the lack of any natural ability. Following are just a few examples of being chosen for specific service, not for "salvation".
God chose Abraham for a purpose ("Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Gen. 12:1-3);
God chose Moses to be the "deliverer" of Israel from Egypt; ("Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:10);
God chose Jeremiah to be a prophet ("I ordained you a prophet to the nations" Jer. 1:4);
God chose Jonah to go on a specific mission ("Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me".” Jonah 1:2);
Jesus chose men to be his disciples ("And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him." Matt. 4:18-22);
Please read the important information at this LINK !
We quote below from the web site of GotQuestions.org:
“The words translated “predestined” in the Scriptures referenced above are from the Greek word proorizo, which carries the meaning of “determined beforehand”, “ordain”, “to decide upon ahead of time”. So, predestination is God determining certain things to occur ahead of time. What did God determine ahead of time? According to Romans 8:29-30, God predetermined that certain individuals would be conformed to the likeness of His Son, be called, justified, glorified. Essentially, God predetermines that certain individuals will be saved. Numerous Scriptures refer to believers in Christ being chosen (Matt. 24:22,31: Mark 13:20,27; Romans 8:33, 9:11; 11:5-7,28; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thes. 1:4; 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1-2, 2:9; 2 Peter 1:10). Predestination is the biblical doctrine that God in His sovereignty chooses certain individuals to be saved.”
We at BibleTruthforToday do NOT agree with the above statements from GotQuestions.org!
In support of our understanding of the Scriptures, we cite from Dave Hunt’s “What Love is This?”, pages 230-231:
“The word “elect” is used in a variety of ways. It refers to the Messiah (Isaiah 42:1; 1 Peter 2:6), to Israel or Jews (Isaiah 45:4; 65:9’22; Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27), to the church (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12; Titus 1:1), to both Israel and the church (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; Luke 18:7), to angels (1 Timothy 5:21), and to a lady (2 John 1,13). These verses cover every mention of the word “elect” throughout the entire Bible. As can be seen, not once is that word used to designate a special class of persons whom God has marked out for salvation and whom alone He loves.”
“Nowhere in Scripture is election unto salvation but always to blessing and service.”
“Marvin R. Vincent, an authority on biblical languages explains, “Ekloge, election [is] used of God’s selection of men or agencies for special missions or attainments….[Nowhere] in the New Testament is there any warrant for the revolting doctrine that God predestined a definite number of mankind to eternal life, and the rest to eternal damnation.””
Recommended reading:
"What Love is This?", Dave Hunt
Excerpt from that book can be found HERE.
A summary of some of the relevant issues can be found at http://www.hccentral.com/delect.html .
We direct you to the following sites for further evaluation:
www.middletownbiblechurch.org/reformed/reformed.htm
https://www.wayoflife.org/database/calvins_camels.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism
The following video is also very helpful:
http://www.congdonministries.org/video-directory/tulip-series-videos.html