The
Reformation: Its Causes and Its Theology
Lesson
7: The Theology of the Reformation:
Unconditional Election
By John C. Orlando, Jr.
I.
Everyone Believes in Election
A. The question is on what basis does God choose to save us?
B. Non-Reformation: God chooses those whom He foresees will choose Him.
C. Reformation: God chose sinners on the basis of free grace alone, not anything in them
D. Why do you believe, and your neighbor doesn’t?
II.
Proper Understanding of Unconditional Election
A. It doesn’t teach: that there are no conditions that must be met to be saved.
B. It teaches: God’s sovereign choice to save a person is based on His good pleasure alone...A person meets the condition of “choosing” Christ because God first chose him.
III.
Quotes:
"Those to whom [Divine Grace] is given, it is not given either according to the merit of works, or according to the merit of the will, but by free grace… " – Augustine
"A
man cannot be thoroughly humbled till he realizes that his salvation is utterly
beyond his own powers, counsels, efforts, will and works, and depends,
absolutely on the will, counsel, pleasure and works of Another - God alone. As
long as he is persuaded that he can make even the smallest contribution to his
salvation, he remains self-confident and does not utterly despair of himself,
and so is not humbled before God." – Martin Luther
“Those who reject the doctrine of election are also doing away with humility, for it takes real humility to see that we could not even start to turn ourselves to God.” - John Calvin
IV.
The Bible Says: Dt 7:6-7;Ps 65:4;Jr 1:5;Mt
11:25-27,24:31;Mk 13:20;Jn 5:21,6:65,10:26-29 Jn
13:18,15:16, 17:2,9-10;Ac13:48;Ro 9:10-16;11:5-10;1Cr
1:27-29;Ga 1:15,16;Ep1:4-5;Ph1:29 1Th1:2-5;2Th
2:10-14; 2Ti 1:9;Hb 2:13,12:2;1Pt 1:1-2,2:8-10;Rv 17:14;Ro
8:28-33
V.
Answering Objections
A.
Foreknowledge: Scripture never speaks of our faith as the reason God chose us:
“…signifies that the saints were all eternally present in Christ before the
mind of God…” – Pink
“foreknow
on God’s part means to "forelove". That God foreknew us is another
way of saying that He set His gracious and merciful regard upon us, that He knew
us from eternity past with a sovereign and distinguishing delight.” - C.
Samuel Storms
B. That’s not fair! Rom 9
- The Potter: Totally Sovereign; Thhe Clay: Totally Depraved
VI.
Affect on Sola Gratia, Solus Christus & Soli Deo Gloria
A. Grace Alone – If we are saved on the basis of something good God
foresaw in us, then salvation is not by grace (unmerited favor) alone, because
we would have merited God’s favor.
As
one Puritan divine put it, "There is no reason to be given for grace,
but grace."
B. Christ Alone - We are
saved not on the basis of any merit in us, but on the basis of the mercy and
merit of God and Christ alone. Christ
secured all we need for salvation.
C. God’s Glory Alone –
If we are not saved on the basis of God’s grace alone, then we share in the
glory for our salvation.