Election
FAITH: A Celebration of the Canons of Dort • Sermon • Submitted
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· 1 viewGod is omniscient, all knowing. He knows all people's hearts, by His good, perfect will, He chooses some for salvation. Those who are saved, know it.
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This afternoon, we begin studying the Canons of Dort. In 1618-1619, delegates of Reformed churches convened in the city of Dordrecht for the great Reformed Synod. The delegates were not from the Netherlands alone, but from some 27 other countries.
We might well wonder why such a synod was necessary, coming just over 100 years since Luther’s attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church. What had emerged in the Protestant faith that demanded such a long meeting of synod (they did not meet continuously for two years, but gathered together on several occasions for the purpose of addressing a serious error, or departing from the Reformed faith in five points.
Jacobus Arminius taught conditional election based on forseen faith, universal atonement, partial depraivity, resistible grace and the ability to turn from grace. The delegates to Synod considered all five points and responded with the Five Articles against the Remonstrants, or the Canons of Dort. In these Canons are contained the Reformed doctrine on these points, unconditional election, limited atonement, total depravity, irresistible grace and the perseverance of the saints.
In reading the Canons, you will quickly notice that there are two parts, a positive and negative part. The positive part teaches the Reformed doctrine on the subject, and the negative part repudiates the Arminian error. The Canons are pastoral in nature, focussing on the assurance of our faith, on account of our Supreme, Everlasting, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign God, who not only has created all things, but knows all things.
Two points before we dive into the first head of doctrine. The Canons are organised according to the five points raised by the Remonstrants, but points three and four are combined into one chapter. Nevertheless, we rightly consider that there are five points of doctrine taught in the Canons. Also referred to as the five points of Calvinism, many have exercised a useful mnemonic: TULIP or FAITH or even more recently, BACON. For our purposes, we’ll stick with the traditional TULIP: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints. The order they are presented in the Canons is slightly different: ULTIP, but since that doesn’t spell anything, they moved the third point of doctrine to the front to spell tulip.
The second point worth noting is that the adjectives used in the first four doctrines, Unconditional, Limited, Total, and Irresistible, are not actually necessary, as it is enough to consider the doctrines of election, atonement, depravity and grace. That being said, the Remonstrants and followers of Arminius will use adjectives, such as conditional election, unlimited atonement, partial depravity, and resistible grace. For our purposes, we will focus on the points of doctrine themselves, less so on the adjectives. Let’s first turn to consider the state of humanity.
State of Humanity
I applaud the authors of the Canons for addressing the most contentious doctrine first, addressed right here in the first article. The doctrine of election seems unfair. How can a good God, choose some people and not others? How can some people be consigned to eternal death, and some to eternal life? What is God’s criteria? How does He know? How is it possibly fair?
The fact of the matter is that God does know, and He is perfectly fair in His judgement. To understand this, we need to get outside of ourselves and instead look at things from God’s perspective. In the beginning, God created everything, and it was very good.
Soon after creating man in His own image, male and female, the first parents, Adam and Eve sinned by listening to Satan instead of God. They rebelled against God’s commandment and they chose to sin instead. They elevated themselves, their own desires, their pride. It is no wonder that Satan attacked them. They represented, we represent everything Satan wanted to be, but could never be. Satan wanted to be like God, or even greater than God Himself. Here is humanity, possessing gifts, abilities, a nature, will, and character that is more than Satan could ever have. His sole desire was to destroy man, all mankind.
And so, he lied and manipulated Eve into thinking that by sinning, she could become what she already was, natively, like God. And Adam was there with her, and he went along. Their sin plunged themselves and all humanity into utter ruin, such that the state of humanity is one of total depravity.
Now, we’ll get into this in more detail in the third sermon, but we have to address this now. The state of humanity is one of total depravity. Human beings are depraved. That is, utterly, impossibly, completely unable to do any good, out of themselves. Depraved means to be without good, morally corrupt, wicked. Indeed, prior to the flood, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). Essentially, all humanity is dead in their trespasses. All humanity since the fall into sin, was devoid of true life, the true light of God.
In contrast to many people in the world today, and many well-intentioned Christians, people are not basically good, but are basically wicked and morally corrupt. Such is the goodness and graciousness of God that the world is not as terrible as it could be. Nor is it as good as it will be in the new heaven and the new earth.
God would have been justified in leaving Adam and Eve in their sinful state. He would have been justified in exacting His righteous judgement upon them immediately, in taking their lives from them. He would have been justified in leaving them, and all their descendants in a perpetual state of sinfulness, and willful wicked destruction. But God is a God of love. And God’s unconditional Love is seen in His unconditional election, or election.
God’s Unconditional Love
Rather than leaving all humanity in darkness, wickedness, and ultimate, eternal punishment and death. God in His love, elected some to salvation. Remember, no one, no, not one deserves salvation. God, in His love, chose some.
Articles 2-6 quickly cover the truth of God’s love, His mercy in sending messengers who bring good news and calling people to repentance and faith. The reality of His wrath remaining on those who do not repent and believe, how God is not responsible for such unbelief, and that the gift of faith from God is according to His decree.
And that’s where we get to the doctrine of election also known as presdestination. Election, not to be confused with our means of appointing certain officials in leadership. Rather, it describes the knowledge, from before creation, that God possessed concerning each and every human being.
Article 7, states it clearly, “before the foundation of the world, He has out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of His own will, chosen from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault from their primitive state of rectitude into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ, whom He fro eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect and the foundation of salvation.
The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, gave us this doctrine in Ephesians: He chose us in Him—the Father chose us in the Son, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will...”
God chose us. We did not choose Him. God chose before the foundation of the world. Now, many Christians can’t or won’t wrap their heads around this. They think they can chose. They think they are in control. They think they have the power and the responsibility. They think God chose them based on what they would do in response to God.
Rejection of Errors (Paragraph 5)
This error is rejected in paragraph five. There are many, particularly in Arminian churches today (Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Mennonite, etc.) who teach that God’s decision to elect, was based on His ability to look to the future—remember, God is omnipresent, which means all time, past, present, and future is as present to Him. He could look at you, and me, and He could see, that yes, on October 2, 2022, here we are, we’re in church, not just once, but twice, and that settles it, we are open to faith, and we’re good enough people to receive it!
The premise is that we are, or we have in ourselves, a foreseen faith, conversion, holiness, godliness, in ourselves, thus making us better than others, better than those who do not have it. The principle is that some people are more worthy of salvation, of election, than others are.
We see this in Christianity today, don’t we? There is a sense of innate goodness in some people, and not in others. There are those within some churches, who look upon themselves as better than others, not on account of God’s grace, but on account of their own faith, their own response, their own goodness apart from God.
But this idea is repugnant to the entire scripture. Election is not of works, but is from God’s divine calling as explained in Romans 9:11 “(for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls).”
The teaching of all scripture, from the promise first given in Genesis 3:15, to the calling of Abram, to the blessing of all nations through the nation Israel, to the calling of the twelve disciples. In all this, we see the will of God’s election. Even the disciples serve as proof: not only did they sin though they walked with, and learned from God the Son Himself, one of them betrayed Him. This too is of God’s will, His decision.
The doctrine of election is important. Without it, we think far too highly of ourselves. Without it, we think far too little of God. And yet, there is levelled against it, a false claim—if God alone chooses, how can anyone be sure they are saved? For certainly, if there is something good within, that is plainly seen, if there is some way I am able to choose, then, that should be assurance enough, right?
No, those who are in the Arminian camp have no more assurance, less, in fact. For, as we’ll see, they are in constant fear that they’ll backslide and loose their faith and their salvation. All the weight of faith and obedience depends upon them.
How Can I Be Sure?
So, how then does the doctrine of election answer the question, “how can I be sure?”
Article 12 states it plainly. In due time, though in various degrees and in different measures, God’s elect attain the assurance of their unchangeable and eternal election. Think about that for a moment. God is eternal, God is unchangeable. He elects, and what He decides is forever. He cannot change. He is not like man who is tossed to and fro. He is resolute. He has chosen you. And nothing can ever change that choice.
The assurance of our election is seen in our lives. We possess “spiritual joy and holy pleasure the infallible fruits of election pointed out in the Word of God—such as, a true faith in Christ, filial fear, a godly sorrow for sin, a hungering and thirsting after righteousness, ect.” This is why we are here Sunday morning and afternoon. This is why we abhor sin, confess it, repent of it, and hunger and thirst for righteousness, we strive continually for holy, obedient living. And when we are found in want, when we are hungry, we don’t sit around doing nothing, we go about getting fed, getting to business of living for Jesus.
We have in us, as seen in article 16, a living faith in Christ. We possess a confidence of soul, peace of conscience, an earnest endeavour of filial obedience. We don’t think too highly of ourselves, nor do we think of ourselves too much or too often. Rather, we think after God and others. We find within ourselves, quite apart from ourselves, for faith is the gift of God, we find the desire to be with God and His people. We desire to be obedient, and it rips us up, when we find we are not, or have not.
But for those who are not elect, they can be seen by the fact they are wholly given to the cares of the world and the pleasures of the flesh, so long as they are not seriously converted to God. Brothers and sisters, if you are in doubt, if you are lacking in assurance of faith in God, ask yourself, “Am I more concerned with the cares of the world and the pleasures of the flesh, or am I sick and tired of sin, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and seeking to glorify God in all that I do?”
If you cannot trust yourself to answer, ask a family member or a friend. They can tell you if the fruit of the Spirit, the evidence of faith is in you or not. Amen.