The election hath obtained it

'The election hath obtained it'

— Romans 11:7

When Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers he said, ‘We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth’ (2 Thess. 2:13).

We know that the doctrine of divine, sovereign, eternal election is not contrary to all the promises of the gospel. You know the promises: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ ‘Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved’ ‘He is able to save unto the uttermost, them that come unto God by him.’ ‘He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.’ ‘Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.’ ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’ Election does not restrict the gospel invitation. It simply guarantees the fact that some will receive it. Election does not limit the promises of the gospel. It simply secures a people to enjoy those promises. The gospel of the grace of God says that any man in all the world who comes to Christ in faith will be saved. And the gospel also declares that there are some who most assuredly will come to Christ, because God has a chosen them in eternal election.

And divine election is in no way contrary to the plain statements of Holy Scripture about man’s responsibility. What does God require of you? ‘This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent’ (John 6:29). You cannot believe, unless God the Holy Spirit creates faith in you and causes you to believe. Yet it is your responsibility to believe. You must repent. You must believe the gospel. You must trust Christ. You cannot save yourself. The Son of God alone can save you. But there are some things you can do. You can pray. You can read the Bible. You can go to hear God’s servant preach the gospel. You can confess your sin. You can seek the Lord. You can sue for mercy, crying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’ If you do seek the Lord with a sincere, believing heart, it is because he has chosen you and caused you to believe.