There’s an election happening this year, and chances are it’s made its way into your social media feeds, dinner table conversations, and maybe even your own thoughts. But Pastor Josh White asked a different question on February 4, 2024 at Grace Bible Church of Phoenix — what does the Bible say about the election that God has already decided?
Election: A Theme From the Very Beginning
Pastor Josh opened by noting that election and predestination are topics he both enjoys and dislikes preaching on — partly because they’ve caused countless arguments among believers over the centuries, and partly because they’re genuinely hard to understand. His approach was humble: rather than arguing for one side, he wanted the congregation to let Scripture speak.
One striking observation: election isn’t just a New Testament idea. It’s a thread that runs from Genesis to Revelation. God chose Abraham. He chose Isaac over Ishmael. He chose Moses to lead Israel. He chose David as king. He chose Mary to bear the Messiah. He chose Paul to go to the Gentiles. Every time God chooses someone for a role in His redemptive plan, it’s to demonstrate that His choices are based on grace — not human effort or merit.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
— Isaiah 55:8-9
The Order of Salvation: 10 Steps From Eternity Past to Glory
To frame the discussion, Pastor Josh walked through a systematic theology outline of how God saves and redeems a person — ten steps that stretch from eternity past to the resurrection of the body:
- Election — God chose us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)
- Calling — The gospel goes out and God calls us
- Regeneration — Being born again, given spiritual understanding
- Conversion — Faith and repentance, turning from sin toward Christ
- Justification — God credits Christ’s righteousness to our account by grace
- Adoption — We become God’s children forever
- Sanctification — The Holy Spirit progressively transforms us into Christ’s image
- Perseverance — We endure, holding fast to our hope
- Death — For believers, to be present with the Lord
- Glorification — Resurrection to glorified, resurrected bodies
What’s striking is that the first step — election — happens before we were even born, before we made any decision whatsoever.
What Scripture Says About God’s Choice
Pastor Josh then walked through several passages that clearly teach God’s electing purpose:
“Even as he chose us in him 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 through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will.”
— Ephesians 1:4-5
Paul tells the Thessalonian believers they were chosen — the Greek word hairesis, meaning “the act of picking something out.” God picked us. And in Romans 9:9-11, the pattern is repeated with Isaac and Esau — God chose Jacob over Esau before they had done anything good or bad, so that His purpose of election would stand not because of works but because of Him who calls.
“God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
— 2 Thessalonians 2:13
Jesus Himself said in John 15:16 — “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.”
Acts 13:48 makes it especially clear: “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” Notice — they were appointed, and then they believed. Both are present in the same verse.
The Other Side: We Must Respond
But the Bible is equally clear that we have a role. Romans 10:9-10 is explicit: if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. That’s an action. That’s a choice. And the New Testament word for belief (pisteuo) is in the active voice — we are the ones who believe. It’s not done through us or to us — we do it.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
— John 3:16
Ephesians 1:11-12 holds both together: we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the counsel of God’s will — and yet those who were the first to hope in Christ did exactly that: they put their hope in Christ. Both divine election and human response are taught simultaneously in Scripture.
Evidence of Election: Faith, Love, Hope, and Assurance
Back in 1 Thessalonians 1, Paul writes to the believers and gives them concrete evidence that they’re saved — not to make them proud, but to confirm their calling and election (v. 4). The evidence? Their faith was producing works, their love was showing up in labor, and their hope was causing them to endure — especially as they faced persecution.
And then Paul adds one more piece of evidence: full conviction (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Not just casual belief, but genuine assurance. The Thessalonian believers lived with conviction about everything Paul taught them — and Pastor Josh pointed out that the apostles were willing to die for that faith. They wouldn’t have done so unless they were fully convinced it was true.
“We desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
— Hebrews 6:11-12
So What?
Election is one of those doctrines that humble us. We didn’t save ourselves — God chose us before we had any capacity to choose Him. That should produce gratitude, not arrogance. And yet we are called to respond — to put our faith in Christ, to confess His name, to endure in hope.
If you’re a believer, yourAssurance isn’t based on feelings. It’s based on the character of the One who called you. God chose you. The evidence of that choice is visible in a life that keeps trusting, keeps loving, and keeps showing up even when it’s hard.
And if you’ve never trusted Christ — if you’ve been waiting for the right moment, the right feeling — here’s the invitation: turn to Him now. He is calling you. The question is whether you’ll respond.
Scripture References
- Ephesians 1:4-5 — Election before the foundation of the world
- Romans 9:9-11 — God’s choice of Isaac over Esau
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13 — God chose the Thessalonian believers
- John 6:44 — No one comes to the Father unless drawn
- John 15:16 — You did not choose Me, but I chose you
- Romans 10:9-10 — Confession and belief lead to salvation
- Acts 13:48 — Appointed to eternal life and believed
- Ephesians 1:11-12 — Predestination and human response together
- 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 — Evidence of calling: faith, love, hope, conviction
- Hebrews 6:11-12 — Encouraged to have full assurance of hope