Unconditional Election The word "elect" is in many places in the Bible, and the definition of this word is clear. It means to choose. Some have not appreciated this word in Scripture and have stripped it of its meaning. Anywhere they see this word they believe it simply means the believers or the true church. It does have this meaning, but the elect are so because God elected or chose them. Others have felt that the elect are chosen because God looked ahead with His perfect foreknowledge and saw those who would choose Him. He elected them because they elected Him first. The authority of Scripture differs - "We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4.19) Now while Arminius taught that God had special favor towards those who showed favor to Him, the Reformers believed that the elect were no better or different than any other fallen human. God is not a respecter of persons, and election proves it! He looked not to the value of the redeemed, but to His own merciful and gracious counsel. The distinction between the elect and the non-elect are not in themselves, it is in God's divine will, and that is why we call election 'unconditional.' "What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin." (Romans 3.9) Scripture is clear that man must have faith and believe in Christ to be saved. Here we must ask, does God elect people because they have faith, or do they have faith because He has elected them? Look around and the careful person will easily see that not all have faith. Is the difference seen here the result of man? Is salvation from the Lord, or is it according to man and God? Here again we must go to Scripture - "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." (Romans 5.8-10) Here it is clear that we were not only sinners, but His enemies, and He our enemy. And that while we were His enemies He reconciled us to Him. Do we share the same definition for the word 'enemy'? Again we must show how clear the Word is on this issue - "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2.4-10) What is your part in your salvation, sinner? Beyond the above verses God has taught us that it is He that elects according to His good pleasure: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." (Ephesians 1.3-11) "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." (Romans 9.15) "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2.9-10)Arminius continued to reject the Bible's position on election, supposing that God sent His Son to die for all men, and so we must go to our next topic: