As I Ponder Election, I Experience Grace. I Am Humbled and Grateful

June 26, 2025 | by: Bret Willoughby | 0 Comments

Posted in: Guest Writers

An image flashed in my mind when Dale mentioned Election three weeks ago. I was transported to sitting in my living room and Leo, my house guest asked, “What if I am not one of the Elect? What will happen to me?”

The question brought sadness to my soul. My people-pleasing-self did not want to hurt his feelings. My theological-self knew the answer was simple; there is no hope apart from Christ. (Ephesians 2:12) My sinful-self answered, “Like you, Leo, I fall short of God’s standards. Not only do I deserve, but I earned judgement and separation from God.” Romans 6:23 says the “wages of sin is death.” Wages means I worked at being banished from God’s presence and yet I have experienced God’s unwarranted grace.

Election is the idea that God “chose us…before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons” (Ephesians 1:4-5).  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8: 28-29).

Election is a hard concept and raises hard questions about those who are not elected. I have learned the following while wrestling with the concept of “election.”

1. I should be humble because I earned and deserve the judgement my friend Leo and others who have not yet placed their faith in Christ will receive. It is so easy, no it is human, to say my shortcomings are not as bad as the person standing next to me. I am not that bad. I go to church; I try to be a good person. I have internalized God’s guidelines for living as outlined in the Bible. But God makes it clear if I fail in complying with God’s law in just one of God’s precepts, I have earned and deserve condemnation and separation from my Creator. We all fall short of God’s standard. “None is righteous, no, not one: no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12). I am no different than those who are not elected. I earned the same judgment they earned. It is only by God’s grace that I will be spared. I cannot manipulate God into extending salvation to me. God is not a slot machine. If I pray the right prayer, act the right way, attend the right church, baptize the correct way, believe the correct theology I cannot persuade God to extend Grace to me.

 

2. The church is full of imperfect people because we all fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23). There are no good or perfect people attending our church. There are only individuals trying to share the grace they have received from God with their fellow sinners. When the church is accused of being hypocritical, we should acknowledge our shortcomings. The doorposts of the church should read, “Only Sinners Welcome.” We fall short just like our accuser. “Let him who is without sin…be the first to throw a stone” (John 8:7).

 

3. We must go and share our good news with the lost. We do not know whom God has chosen. “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? How are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14). Our responsibility is to go and share the gospel. We are not responsible for anyone’s “conversion.” God is the one calling the lost to himself. God knows who the elect or chosen are, not us. We are only responsible to go and tell. Thank you, God, we have great news to share.

 

4. Election illuminates Limited Atonement the “L” of the acronym TULIP. If God is all powerful why don’t all sinners receive salvation?  Because only the Elect benefit from salvation.  If salvation were wholly dependent on my actions that would invalidate the unmerited favor God extends the Elect. Do I understand this fully? No. But I run to a posture of gratitude. I don’t deserve God’s grace. I earned judgment. 

For by “grace [we] have been saved through faith. And this is not [our] own doing but it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

As I ponder Election, I experience Grace. I am humbled and grateful.

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