Reference: Election
Fausets
(See ELECT.)
Hastings
The idea of election, as expressive of God's method of accomplishing His purpose for the world in both providence and grace, though (as befits the character of the Bible as peculiarly 'the history of redemption') especially in grace, goes to the heart of Scripture teaching. The word 'election' itself occurs but a few times (Ac 9:15 'vessel of election,' Ro 9:11; 11:5,7,28; 1Th 1:4; 2Pe 1:10); 'elect' in NT much oftener (see below); but equivalent words in OT and NT, as 'choose,' 'chosen,' 'foreknow' (in sense of 'fore-designate'), etc., considerably extend the range of usage. In the OT, as will be seen, the special object of the Divine election is Israel (e.g. De 4:37; 7:7 etc.); but within Israel are special elections, as of the tribe of Levi, the house of Aaron, Judah, David and his house, etc.; while, in a broader sense, the idea, if not the expression, is present wherever individuals are raised up, or separated, for special service (thus of Cyrus, Isa 44:28; 45:1-6). In the NT the term 'elect' is frequently used, both by Christ and by the Apostles, for those who are heirs of salvation (e.g. 24/22/type/leb'>Mt 24:22,24,31; Lu 18:7; Ro 8:33; Col 3:12; 2Ti 2:10; Tit 1:1; 1Pe 1:2), and the Church, as the new Israel, is described as 'an elect race' (1Pe 2:9). Jesus Himself is called, with reference to Isa 42:1, God's 'chosen' or 'elect' One (Mt 12:18; Lu 9:35 RV, Lu 23:35); and mention is once made of 'elect' angels (1Ti 5:21). In St. Paul's Epistles the idea has great prominence (Ro 9; Eph 1:4 etc.). It is now necessary to investigate the implications of this idea more carefully.
Election, etymologically, is the choice of one, or of some, out of many. In the usage we are investigating, election is always, and only, of God. It is the method by which, in the exercise of His holy freedom, He carries out His purpose ('the purpose of God according to election,' Ro 9:11). The 'call' which brings the election to light, as in the call of Abraham, Israel, believers, is in time, but the call rests on God's prior, eternal determination (Ro 8:28-29). Israel was chosen of God's free love (De 7:6 ff.); believers are declared to be blessed in Christ, 'even as he chose' them 'in him'
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you."
And Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you will say to the house of Jacob and you will tell the {Israelites}, 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and [how] I bore you on eagles' wings and I brought you to me. read more. And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for me out of all the peoples, {for all the earth is mine}, but you, you will [belong] to me [as] a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you will speak to the {Israelites}."
Or has a god [ever] attempted to go to take for himself a nation from the midst of a nation, [using] trials and signs and wonders and war, with an outstretched arm and with great and awesome deeds, like all that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
And because he loved your ancestors he chose their {descendants} after them. And he brought you forth from Egypt {with his own presence}, by his great strength,
For you [are] a holy people for Yahweh your God; Yahweh your God has chosen you to be for him a people, a treasured possession from [among] all the peoples that [are] on the face of the earth. "Yahweh loved you and chose you not {because of your great number} exceeding all [other] peoples, for you [are] fewer than all of the peoples,
If Yahweh of hosts had not left us survivors, we would have been as few as Sodom, we would have become like Gomorrah.
And {even if only a tenth part remain}, {again she will be destroyed} like terebinth or like [an] oak, which although felled, a tree stump [remains] in them. [The] seed of holiness [will be] her tree stump."
Bind up [the] testimony; seal [the] teaching among my disciples. And I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will await him. read more. Look! I and the children whom Yahweh has given to me [are] like signs and portents in Israel from Yahweh of hosts, the one who dwells on the mountain of Zion.
Look! [here is] my servant; I hold him, my chosen one, [in whom] my soul delights. I have {put} my spirit on him; he will bring justice forth to the nations.
Who [is] blind but my servant or deaf like my messenger [whom] I sent? Who [is] blind like the one who is repaid or blind like the servant of Yahweh? You see many [things], but you do not observe. [His] ears are open, but he does not hear.
who says of Cyrus, 'My shepherd,' and he shall carry out all my wishes; and saying of Jerusalem, 'It shall be rebuilt,' and [the] temple, 'It shall be founded.'"
Thus says Yahweh to his anointed one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subjugate nations before him, and I uncover [the] loins of kings to open doors before him, and [the] gates shall not be shut: "I myself will go before you, and I will level [the] {mountains}. I will break [the] doors of bronze and cut through[the] bars of iron. read more. And I will give you [the] treasures of darkness and treasures of secret places so that you may know that I [am] Yahweh, the one who calls [you] by your name, the God of Israel, for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen one. And I call you by your name; I give you a name of honor, though you do not know me. I [am] Yahweh, and there is none besides [me]; besides me there is no god. I gird you though you do not know me,
I [am] Yahweh, and there is none besides [me]; besides me there is no god. I gird you though you do not know me, so that they may know from [the] rising of [the] sun and from [the] west that [there is] none besides me; I [am] Yahweh and there is none besides [me].
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came out from [the] womb I consecrated you; I appointed you [as] a prophet to the nations."
"You only have I {chosen} of all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, by what will it be made salty? It is good for nothing any longer except to be thrown outside [and] trampled under foot by people. You are the light of the world. A city located on top of a hill cannot be hidden, read more. nor do they light a lamp and place it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it shines on all those in the house. In the [same] way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
"Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
And unless those days had been shortened, {no human being would be saved}. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.
For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect together from the four winds, from [one] end of heaven to the [other] end of it.
And a voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, [my] Chosen One. Listen to him!"
And will not God surely {see to it that justice is done} to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night, and will he delay toward them?
And the people stood there watching, but the rulers also ridiculed [him], saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if this [man] is the Christ of God, the Chosen One!"
For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.
Everyone whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never throw out,
Now this is the will of the one who sent me: that everyone whom he has given me, I would not lose [any] of them, but raise them up on the last day.
Now this is the will of the one who sent me: that everyone whom he has given me, I would not lose [any] of them, but raise them up on the last day.
For this one the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Whenever he sends out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. read more. And they will never follow a stranger, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."
My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they will never perish {forever}, and no one will seize them out of my hand. read more. My Father, who has given [them] to me, is greater than all, and no one can seize [them] from the Father's hand.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and your fruit should remain, in order that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
to do all that your hand and plan had predestined to take place.
But the Lord said to him, "Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.
But the Lord said to him, "Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel.
So Peter opened [his] mouth [and] said, "In truth I understand that God is not one who shows partiality,
And [when they] heard these [things], they became silent and praised God, saying, "Then God has granted the repentance [leading] to life to the Gentiles also!"
to open their eyes [so that they] may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, [so that] they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
And we know that all [things] work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to [his] purpose,
And we know that all [things] work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to [his] purpose, because [those] whom he foreknew, he also predestined [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers.
Who will bring charges against God's elect? God [is] the one who justifies.
Who will bring charges against God's elect? God [is] the one who justifies.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But [it is] not as if the word of God had failed. For not all those [who are descended] from Israel [are truly] Israel, nor [are they] all children because they are descendants of Abraham, but "In Isaac will your descendants be named." read more. That is, [it is] not the children {by human descent} [who are] children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants. For the statement of the promise [is] this: "At this time I will return and {Sarah will have} a son." And not only [this], but also [when] Rebecca conceived children by one [man], Isaac our father-- for [although they] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain,
for [although they] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain,
for [although they] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain,
for [although they] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain, not by works but by the one who calls--it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger," read more. just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What then shall we say? [There is] no injustice with God, [is there]? May it never be!
Consequently therefore, {it does not depend on the} one who wills or on the one who runs, but on God who shows mercy.
Consequently therefore, {it does not depend on the} one who wills or on the one who runs, but on God who shows mercy.
So in this way also at the present time, there is a remnant {selected by grace}.
So in this way also at the present time, there is a remnant {selected by grace}.
What then? What Israel was searching for, this it did not obtain. But the elect obtained [it], and the rest were hardened,
What then? What Israel was searching for, this it did not obtain. But the elect obtained [it], and the rest were hardened,
For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you will not be wise {in your own sight}, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,
With respect to the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sake, but with respect to election, [they are] dearly loved for the sake of the fathers.
also [greet] the church in their house. Greet Epenetus my dear [friend], who is {the first convert} of Asia for Christ.
For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
You are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by all people, revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, inscribed not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of human hearts.
For God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," [is the one] who has shined in our hearts for the enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But when the one who set me apart from my mother's womb and called [me] by his grace was pleased
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. read more. Blessed [is] 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 blameless before him in love,
just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, [that] we should be holy and blameless before him in love,
just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, [that] we should be holy and blameless before him in love,
to the praise of the glory of his grace that he bestowed on us in the beloved,
in whom also we were chosen, having been predestined according to the purpose of the One who works all [things] according to the counsel of his will,
For by grace you are saved through faith, and this [is] not from yourselves, [it is] the gift of God;
For the one at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure, is God.
For the one at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure, is God.
giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you for a share of the inheritance of the saints in light, who has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred [us] to the kingdom of the Son {he loves},
Therefore, as [the] chosen of God, holy and [dearly] loved, put on affection, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience,
I testify solemnly before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these [things] without prejudice, doing nothing according to partiality.
Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of the chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth that [is] according to godliness,
in order that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands [and to] love their children,
not stealing, but demonstrating all good faith, in order that they may do credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything.
looking forward to the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with every good [thing] to do his will, carrying out in us [what is] pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom [be] the glory {forever}. Amen.
equip you with every good [thing] to do his will, carrying out in us [what is] pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom [be] the glory {forever}. Amen.
[By his] will he gave birth to us through the message of truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
But you [are] a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,
But you [are] a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,
These are those who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. These [are] the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were bought from humanity [as] first fruits to God and to the Lamb,
Morish
??????, 'choice.' Spoken of :
1. the Lord Jesus: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect (bachir) in whom my soul delighteth." Isa 42:1; 1Pe 2:6. He was fore-ordained to be a mercy-seat through faith in His blood. Ro 3:25, margin; 1Pe 1:20.
2. Cyrus, who was called by God to be His 'shepherd' to work out His will, saying to Jerusalem, "Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." Isa 44:28; 45:1-4. It was Cyrus who released the captives to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Ezr 1:2-3.
3. When Jacob and Esau were born, Jacob was elected for blessing, and his descendants as the only nation chosen by God for His special favour. Ro 9:11-13; Am 3:2.
4. When God again restores Israel into blessing it will be a remnant that will be chosen, whom He calls His 'elect.' Isa 65:9,15,22; 24/22/type/leb'>Mt 24:22,24,31; Ro 11:28.
5. Elect angels. 1Ti 5:21.
6. Election of persons to eternal life. Ro 8:29-30,33; 11:5,7; Col 3:12; 1Th 1:4; 2Ti 2:10; Tit 1:1; 1Pe 1:2; 5:13; 2Pe 1:10; 2Jo 1:13.
The reason Christians feel a difficulty as to the doctrine of election to eternal life, is because they do not see the extent of the fall of man, and his utterly lost condition. Were it not for election, and the prevailing grace that follows it, not one would be saved. Christ died for all, and the gospel is proclaimed to all, Ro 3:22; Heb 2:9; but alas, except for the election and grace of God, none would respond. Lu 14:18. God must have all the glory.
Another error that has caused a difficulty as to 'election ' is the idea which some maintain that as some are ordained to eternal life, others likewise are fore-ordained by God to perdition, called 'reprobation.' But this is not taught in scripture
See Verses Found in Dictionary
"Remember the word that Moses Yahweh's servant commanded you, saying, 'Yahweh your God [is] giving rest to you, and he is giving you this land.'
"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. And he himself has appointed me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever among you [who is] from all of his people, may his God be with him and may he go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may he build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is the God who [is] in Jerusalem.
Look! [here is] my servant; I hold him, my chosen one, [in whom] my soul delights. I have {put} my spirit on him; he will bring justice forth to the nations.
who says of Cyrus, 'My shepherd,' and he shall carry out all my wishes; and saying of Jerusalem, 'It shall be rebuilt,' and [the] temple, 'It shall be founded.'"
Thus says Yahweh to his anointed one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subjugate nations before him, and I uncover [the] loins of kings to open doors before him, and [the] gates shall not be shut: "I myself will go before you, and I will level [the] {mountains}. I will break [the] doors of bronze and cut through[the] bars of iron. read more. And I will give you [the] treasures of darkness and treasures of secret places so that you may know that I [am] Yahweh, the one who calls [you] by your name, the God of Israel, for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen one. And I call you by your name; I give you a name of honor, though you do not know me.
And I will bring descendant s out from Jacob, and a {people} from Judah to take possession of my mountain, and my chosen ones shall inherit it, and my servants shall settle there.
And you shall leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse, and the Lord Yahweh will kill you, and he will {give} his servants another name.
They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat. For the days of my people [shall be] like the days of tree, and my chosen ones shall enjoy the work of their hands.
"You only have I {chosen} of all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
"Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame will cover you and you will be cut off forever.
but Esau I have hated. I have made his mountain ranges a desolation, and [given] his inheritance to the jackals of [the] desert."
And unless those days had been shortened, {no human being would be saved}. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.
For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect together from the four winds, from [one] end of heaven to the [other] end of it.
And they all {alike} began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field, and {I must} go out to look at it. I ask you, consider me excused.'
that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For [there] is no distinction,
whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins,
because [those] whom he foreknew, he also predestined [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers. And [those] whom he predestined, these [he] also called, and [those] whom he called, these [he] also justified, and [those] whom he justified, these [he] also glorified.
Who will bring charges against God's elect? God [is] the one who justifies.
for [although they] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain, not by works but by the one who calls--it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger," read more. just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
So in this way also at the present time, there is a remnant {selected by grace}.
What then? What Israel was searching for, this it did not obtain. But the elect obtained [it], and the rest were hardened,
With respect to the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sake, but with respect to election, [they are] dearly loved for the sake of the fathers.
Therefore, as [the] chosen of God, holy and [dearly] loved, put on affection, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience,
who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
I testify solemnly before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these [things] without prejudice, doing nothing according to partiality.
Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of the chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth that [is] according to godliness,
not stealing, but demonstrating all good faith, in order that they may do credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything.
but we see Jesus, for a short [time] made lower than the angels, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that apart from God he might taste death on behalf of everyone.
who was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has been revealed in these last times for you
Watsons
ELECTION. Of a divine election, a choosing and separating from others, we have three kinds mentioned in the Scriptures. The first is the election of individuals to perform some particular and special service. Cyrus was "elected" to rebuild the temple; the twelve Apostles were "chosen," elected, to their office by Christ; St. Paul was a "chosen," or elected "vessel," to be the Apostle of the Gentiles. The second kind of election which we find in Scripture, is the election of nations, or bodies of people, to eminent religious privileges, and in order to accomplish, by their superior illumination, the merciful purposes of God, in benefiting other nations or bodies of people. Thus the descendants of Abraham, the Jews, were chosen to receive special revelations of truth; and to be "the people of God," that is, his visible church, publicly to observe and uphold his worship. "The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." "The Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you, above all people." It was especially on account of the application of the terms elect, chosen, and peculiar, to the Jewish people, that they were so familiarly used by the Apostles in their epistles addressed to the believing Jews and Gentiles, then constituting the church of Christ in various places. For Christians were the subjects, also, of this second kind of election; the election of bodies of men to be the visible people and church of God in the world, and to be endowed with peculiar privileges. Thus they became, though in a more special and exalted sense, the chosen people, the elect of God. We say "in a more special sense," because as the entrance into the Jewish church was by natural birth, and the entrance into the Christian church, properly so called, is by faith and a spiritual birth, these terms, although many became Christians by mere profession, and enjoyed various priviledges in consequence of their people or nation being chosen to receive the Gospel, have generally respect, in the New Testament, to bodies of true believers, or to the whole body of true believers as such. They are not, therefore, to be interpreted according to the scheme of Dr. Taylor of Norwich, by the constitution of the Jewish, but by the constitution of the Christian, church.
2. To understand the nature of this "election," as applied sometimes to particular bodies of Christians, as when St. Peter says, "The church which is at Babylon, elected together with you," and sometimes to the whole body of believers every where; and also the reason of the frequent use of the term election, and of the occurrence of allusions to the fact; it is to be remembered, that a great religious revolution, so to speak, had occurred in the age of the Apostles; with the full import of which we cannot, without calling in the aid of a little reflection, be adequately impressed. This change was no other than the abrogation of the church state of the Jews, which had continued for so many ages. They had been the only visibly acknowledged people of God in all the nations of the earth; for whatever pious people might have existed in other nations, they were not, in the sight of men, and collectively, acknowledged as "the people of Jehovah." They had no written revelations, no appointed ministry, no forms of authorized initiation into his church and covenant, no appointed holy days, or sanctioned ritual. All these were peculiar to the Jews, who were, therefore, an elected and peculiar people. This distinguished honour they were about to lose. They might have retained it as Christians, had they been willing to admit the believing Gentiles of all nations to share it with them; but the great reason of their peculiarity and election, as a nation, was terminated by the coming of the Messiah, who was to be "a light to lighten the Gentiles," as well as "the glory of his people Israel." Their pride and consequent unbelief resented this, which will explain their enmity to the believing part of the Gentiles, who, when that which St. Paul calls "the fellowship of the mystery" was fully explained, chiefly by the glorious ministry of that Apostle himself, were called into that church relation and visible acknowledgment as the people of God, which the Jews had formerly enjoyed, and that with even a higher degree of glory, in proportion to the superior spirituality of the new dispensation. It was this doctrine which excited that strong irritation in the minds of the unbelieving Jews, and in some partially Christianized ones, to which so many references are made in the New Testament. The were "provoked," were made "jealous;" and were often roused to the madness of persecuting opposition by it. There was then a new election of a new people of God, to be composed of Jews, not by virtue of their natural descent, but through their faith in Christ, and of Gentiles of all nations, also believing, and put as believers, on an equal ground with the believing Jews: and there was also a rejection, a reprobation, but not an absolute one; for the election was offered to the Jews first, in every place, by offering them the Gospel. Some embraced it, and submitted to be the elect people of God, on the new ground of faith, instead of the old one of natural descent; and therefore the Apostle, Ro 11:7, calls the believing part of the Jews, "the election," in opposition to those who opposed this "election of grace," and still clung to their former and now repealed election as Jews and the descendants of Abraham; "But the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." The offer had been made to the whole nation; all might have joined the one body of believing Jews and believing Gentiles; but the major part of them refused: they would not "come into the supper;" they made "light of it;" light of an election founded on faith, and which placed the relation of "the people of God" upon spiritual attainments, and offered to them only spiritual blessings. They were, therefore, deprived of election and church relationship of every kind: their temple was burned; their political state abolished; their genealogies confounded; their worship annihilated; and all visible acknowledgment of them by God as a church withdrawn, and transfer red to a church henceforward to be composed chiefly of Gentiles:
and thus, says St. Paul, "were fulfilled the words of Moses, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish," ignorant and idolatrous, "people I will anger you." It is easy, therefore, to see what is the import of the "calling" and "election" of the Christian church, as spoken of in the New Testament. It was not the calling and the electing of one nation in particular to succeed the Jews; but it was the calling and the electing of believers in all nations, wherever the Gospel should be preached, to be in reality what the Jews typically, and therefore in an inferior degree, had been,
See Verses Found in Dictionary
What then? What Israel was searching for, this it did not obtain. But the elect obtained [it], and the rest were hardened,