Sunday, September 28, 2008
Election....a Biblical Word
In a day in which there are so many misrepresentations and misunderstandings of this Biblical concept - a day in which many preachers and churches cower at the thought of dealing with this doctrine, I thank God that I am at a church that listens, studies and is guided by sound Biblical teaching. I thank God that MSBC has grown doctrinally over the past 18 months and that we are now able to grasp truth and not be fearful of what others may say, believe or criticize. Our staff is not scared to preach this doctrine. However, be it understood that they preach it Biblically - not the misrepresented junk out there that misguided individuals may believe about it. Election is a biblical word. You can't avoid it and you can't ignore it and hold to scripture. At MSBC, we have chosen to address it, study it and learn about it because it is SCRIPTURE. Thank you to our staff for keeping us on track!
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2 comments:
I agree wholeheartedly with this post.
I am thankful that I have an understanding of the word election which is literally spelled out in the Bible more times than the words Christian or Trinity. Before being fully grounded in Biblical doctrine I would have just ran away from this type of preaching.
No need to run and hide over the subject as it just makes God's grace that much more wonderful.
There seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to this subject. The Bible is still necessary and Jesus dying on the cross was not a 'waste' when it comes to this subject. I mean God actually uses the word "elect" or "election" in His Bible numerous times. :gasp:
I like what John McArthur says in regards to the doctrine of election. Here's some comments from him regard it.
"This question of choice is called “election” because of the Greek word for those who are chosen—the Bible calls them eklektos. There are many such uses in the Bible (cf. Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 5:21; Tit. 1:1; 2 John 1), but one of my favorites is in Romans 8:33: “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?” The answer is, “no one,” but why? Is it because I chose God, or is it because God chose me?
One passage that is critical to the discussion is in the opening chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Immediately after his customary greeting, Paul launches in Ephesians 1:3-14 with a great song of praise. It’s only one sentence—but, with 200 words in the Greek, it may be the longest single sentence in religious literature.
Paul touches on all the great biblical themes in that hyper-complex sentence—sanctification, adoption, redemption, and glorification—and all of them rest on one foundational doctrine, the doctrine of election. The most superlative spiritual blessings stand on Ephesians 1:4—“He chose us [elected us] in Him before the foundation of the world.”
So the doctrine of election is biblical, but what does that passage really teach? I want to help you get a better grasp of that by pointing out what Paul teaches about election. If you are a believer, you can equip yourself for your next conversation on this topic. But more important, as one of His elect you can rejoice in the astonishing kindness God showed you before the world began."
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/GTYW02.htm
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