Election Conditional or Unconditional

[AnthonyB]

I was reading Jack Cottrell, describe how he thought salvation was conditional. I know Calvinist believe in unconditonal election.

I think I would prefer to think of it as "responsive election".

God offers salvation, and those that respond to that offer are saved
God initiates and we respond, he is the lover and we the beloved, he is the groom and we the bride.

Unconditonal election seems to be to diminsh the relation aspect by denying us a response to his love. God can only be loved because he first forces his creatures to love him.

Conditional election makes God seem more interested in us ticking of a check list rather then personally engaging with him in a covental relationship.

 

[Touma]

Okay, before I say anything I will let you know that I have a mixed theology of Arminian(Free Will Baptist) and RM backgrounds. I am aware of the Arminian view of election, but haven't studied what various RM teachers believe about it. That being said, I am going to give my view from an Arminian who is in the RM church.
This is from this site: An Outline of the FACTS of Arminianism vs. The TULIP of Calvinism | Society of Evangelical Arminians

God has sovereignly decided to choose only those who have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, for salvation and his eternal blessing. God has foreknown from eternity which individuals would believe in Christ. Among Arminians, there are two different views of election conditioned on faith:

Individual election: The classic view in which God individually chose each believer based upon His foreknowledge of each one’s faith and so predestined each to eternal life

Corporate election: Election to salvation is primarily of the Church as a people and embraces individuals only in faith-union with Christ the Chosen One and as members of his people. Since the election of the individual derives from the election of Christ and the corporate people of God, individuals become elect when they believe and remain elect only as long as they believe.

My belief (as of now. Who knows, it might change with more studying) is that God knows who will and will not accept salvation ahead of time, and thus chooses them to be part of the elect(the saved in Christ) when they choose to accept salvation by His grace. And I lean toward the idea that says "individuals become elect when they believe and remain elect only as long as they believe."

Maybe that gives a little bit more insight on the topic. If not, I can find plenty more resources for anyone wanting to know about the topic from both sides. It is a fascinating debate. BUT, we must remember that no matter is we believe that God has conditional or unconditional election in mind, we still have a job to go out and preach the Gospel and Glory of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

 

[AnthonyB]

Zilam,

Thanks for your response.

I think I'm on the conditional side but wary of the conditions becoming some sort of check list that people acheive.

When I asked my wife to marry me, our marriage was conditional to her saying yes.
Yet it would be wrong I think to look at a set of marriages note everything that was a condition of each marriage and create a list people wanting to get married had to do. That is my fear with contional election, people list the conditions that may be found in scripture and create a list of things that have to be done.

If when I asked my wife to marry me, had she proceeded to pull out a piece of paper and ticked off her reply as having moved her along the steps to marriage, I might have thought it odd.

God wants a relationship with us not a list filled with ticks. Does that make sense? Do you have any articles that discuss how to balance that?

 

[Touma]

Zilam,

Thanks for your response.

I think I'm on the conditional side but wary of the conditions becoming some sort of check list that people acheive.

When I asked my wife to marry me, our marriage was conditional to her saying yes.
Yet it would be wrong I think to look at a set of marriages note everything that was a condition of each marriage and create a list people wanting to get married had to do. That is my fear with contional election, people list the conditions that may be found in scripture and create a list of things that have to be done.

If when I asked my wife to marry me, had she proceeded to pull out a piece of paper and ticked off her reply as having moved her along the steps to marriage, I might have thought it odd.

God wants a relationship with us not a list filled with ticks. Does that make sense? Do you have any articles that discuss how to balance that?

I can't find any articles, but I can offer my own views. I agree with you. God doesn't require a check list, per se, just belief, and with genuine belief comes the struggle towards a life of doing good deeds. A check list alone with be works based salvation, so we know that cannot be true. So, we have to reason that we have to have genuine faith, which is shown by our works, and that is our election.