Being a staunch 5 point Calvinist I frequently come across statements in my interaction with non-Calvinist. Since it takes me a while to write a response to them, I have decided to turn my responses into blogpost.
Here is a statement from my a dear brother with regards to whether election to salvation is corporate or is it individual and below is my response
STATEMENT: I agree with your statement that the doctrine of election can be found all over Scriptures but I don’t think that individual election to salvation is taught in the Bible.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not an Arminian. I have problems with the Arminian view of Eternal Security so I don’t consider myself to be one. So I’m neither. I go with what the Bible teaches.
I have read a lot about this issue and had been thinking which side is correct. Finally, I came to the conclusion that Calvinism is not taught in the Bible. Though I won’t say I’m that knowledgeable about it since I only do personal study and don’t really have any theological degree. But it doesn’t take a PhD to understand that God didn’t decree a man to suffer in Hell before he was even born.
RESPONSE: It is very good that you have a teachable heart. Keep it up.
Going to the issue, If it election does not refer to individuals that to what does it refer to ?
The Biblical passages that deals with elections speaks and refers to individuals. The evidence is in the wordings of Scriptures itself. God, before the foundation of the world, chose to elect certain individuals. (Mark 13:20; Ephesians 1:4-5; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17:8). The said individuals come from every tribe, tongue and nation were chosen by God, not because of anything they would do but because of His sovereign will (Romans 9:11-13; Romans 9:16; Romans 10:20; 1 Corinthians 1:27-29; 2 Timothy 1:9). God is sovereign and all powerful and could have chosen to save all men on the other hand he could have chosen to save no one considering that he is in no obligation to save anyone. Instead He chose to save some and leave others to the consequences of their sin (Exodus 33:19; Deuteronomy 7:6-7; Romans 9:10-24; Acts 13:48; 1 Peter 2:8).
The Old Testament and New Testament is replete with verses that speak of the doctrine of election and from the words of the text, it obviously speaks about individuals. The wordings of Jesus himself in the Gospel of John speak of the doctrine of election and it refers to individuals. (Romans 8:28-29, John 6:39, Romans 8:30, John 6:37, John 6:39, John 17:2, John 10:1-30, John 10:15, John 10:26-30)
Yes I have heard of objections on the doctrine on election that it does not speak of individuals and that it is corporate (referring to the church as an entity or nations) But the position just does not make logical sense. Aside from the fact that the above mentioned verses speaks of individuals, if election refers to the church, then who are those in the church? Are they not individuals ? Here’s an article that addresses the issue on corporate election. (https://bible.org/article/corporate-election)
There is another view espoused by Karl Barth that election refers to Christ as the only elected individual and that all people are included in his election. Again his view does not make sense as the Bible is replete with passages that refer to election of individuals.
Lastly let me quote the view of the well beloved Charles Spurgeon on the view that election does not refer to individuals:
“. . . It is the most miserable shift on earth to make out that God hath not chosen persons but nations… .If it were not just to choose a person, it would be far more unjust to choose a nation, since nations are but the union of multitudes of persons, and to chose a nation seems to be a more gigantic crime—if election be a crime—than to chose one person. Surely, to choose ten thousand would be considered to be worse than choosing one; to distinguish a whole nation from the rest of mankind, does seem to be a greater extravaganza in the acts of divine sovereignty than the election of one poor mortal, and leaving out another. . . .
. . . . In the very beginning, when this great universe lay in the mind of God, like unborn forests in the acorn cup; long ere the echoes awoke the solitudes; before the mountains were brought forth; and long ere the light flashed through the sky, God loved His chosen creatures. Before there was any created being—when the ether was not fanned by an angel’s wing, when space itself had not an existence, when there was nothing save God alone—even then, in that loneliness of Deity, and in that deep quiet and profundity, His bowels moved with love for His chosen. Their names were written on His heart, and then were they dear to His soul.” – Charles Spurgeon in his sermon entitled “Election” preached on Spetrember 2, 1855 and citing and explaining the passages Luke 18:7; John 15:16; 17:8–9; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:29, 33; 9:11–13; 11:7; 1 Corinthians 1:26–29; Ephesians 1:14; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1–2; and 2 John 1.”
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Spurgeon has also said this:
“Brethren, be willing to see both sides of the shield of truth. Rise above the babyhood which cannot believe two doctrines until it sees the connecting link. Have you not two eyes, man? Must you needs put one of them out in order to see clearly?” (Faith and Regeneration).
I spent a long time studying the free will v. election debate in my twenties, and today believe firmly that both are true, simply because the Bible says both are true. Several decades later I am content to leave the apparent contradictions to be sorted out for me as God sees fit (one of many mysteries, in fact, that my faith embraces). Though He has not seen fit to give me all the theological answers over the years, He has made Himself powerfully, undeniably real to me, and no one has been more surprised than me that that is more than sufficient. I do suspect that the apparent contradictions which puzzle the human mind concerning this are due to the differing realms of Time that God and humanity inhabit. I am convinced that somehow in God’s realm, where “a thousand years are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night” (Psalm 90:4), God’s divine election and the freewill of man merge, perfectly and completely. But we will never to grasp this fully in our linear, mortal mindset.
I also believe Zophar did get this right, in his reply to Job:
“7Can you fathom the deep things of God
or discover the limits of the Almighty?
8They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?
They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
9Their measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.”
Job 11:7-9