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The Election of Grace: Our Choice



Oftentimes debates arise about God’s sovereignty in our salvation and His involvement in the outworking of our lives for good or for evil. How much of our destiny is dependent on God, and how much is dependent on us? The Bible speaks clearly and extensively on this subject, but I want to highlight one aspect in particular that is clearly illustrated throughout the histories of the Biblical characters: our choice. I will be focusing on three separate instances where the election of grace as shown through our choice is made manifest: Isaac and Esau, Saul and David, and Samuel and the sons of Eli.
Jacob and Esau were both born at the same time, and God had prophetically declared that the older would serve the younger, but this was a result of their own choices and cultivated dispositions. Esau was rash and passionate, focused on pleasure and a wild life. He despised his sacred birthright, and sold it to Isaac for a pot of soup. Jacob on the other hand, although deceptive and imperfect, cultivated a love for spiritual things and a self-denying disposition. It was by their own choices that the younger came to rule the older.
 The beginning of the book of Samuel shows the contrast between the sons of Eli, who were proud and arrogant, disregarding the things of God and indulging their wicked, selfish desires, and the consecrated and meek Samuel, who ministered faithfully to the Lord. The sons of Eli were not chosen by God to fall into sin and perish; rather, through the improper discipline of their father and their own choices to go down a path of rebellion, they dishonored their calling and disqualified themselves. This story shows the simple beauty of dedicated service to God, and the complex ugliness of a life in the service of sin. Samuel was grafted in as a priest, and he was faithful, while the priests by birth were unfaithful and despised their high calling. 
We see the same with Saul and David. Saul seemed to be more of a ruler naturally, with a strong stature and confident demeanor. He started off well, but the Lord soon rejected him because of his unfaithfulness and pride. David was a shepherd boy, with no real reputation. He did not at first possess the same qualities as Saul, but he was faithful, and God chose him to be the king.
The call sounds down the line to the present, calling upon the servants of God today to choose for ourselves  who we will serve; whether we will be faithful to God or not. The theme for these passages seems to be both the importance of fidelity, and the way God calls us. Those who were first appointed as Gods workmen were unfaithful and self-centered. If they had been faithful and embraced their calling, God would have had no need to replace them, and they would have been accepted. Yet they despised their call and served self over God, and so God raised up humble people and grafted them in to fill the position. These humble men were faithful to God and true to their calling. Jacob was the younger brother and not entitled to the birthright, but he was seen more faithful than his brother. Samuel was not a child of Eli, and maybe not even a Levite, yet he was chosen by God and dedicated to His service over the wicked sins of Eli. David was a young man, seemingly lesser than his brothers, just a shepherd boy, and yet God chose him to replace the raging Saul. God does not see things as we see, but He looks upon the heart. His judgment is unerring.
This message is relevant to us today because we too have been called by God to a high calling as ambassadors for Christ, as coworkers in the plan of salvation, and it rests with us to determine whether or not we will be true and faithful to our duty; it is up to us to decide if we will serve God or self, if we will be humble or proud, if we will be faithful or perverse. We should strive to be like Jacob, valuing the spiritual above the carnal. We should strive to be like Samuel, serving the Lord in humility, faithfully performing what He has given us to do.  We should strive to grow in grace and in favor with God and man. We should strive to be like David, a man after God’s own heart. 
We see that our election depends not so much on where we are or our circumstances, but upon our faithfulness to God. God is willing for all to be saved, but the choice ultimately lies with us. Those are called who will meet the conditions, who will strive to be faithful, who will work our their salvation with fear and trembling. But those who will serve themselves and be careless with their responsibilities will disqualify themselves. The choice lies with us today. What will you do with your election?


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