The doctrine of conditional election to salvation

Isaiah 57:15:” For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is
Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (KJV)
Luke 18:13-14:” And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes
unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you; this
man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself
shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (KJV)
1 Pet. 5:5b:” …God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (KJV)
Who are the chosen children of God? The Gnostic heretics of the early church taught that men
are so depraved in their sins that they are not even able to respond to God´s call to repentance.
Sinful persons have no longer any free will. This teaching was later taught by Augustine (d.
430), who during his dispute with Pelagius, started to argue for God´s unconditional
predestination of certain individuals to salvation. Pelagius had argued for the opposite wrong
position and denied that human beings have a sinful nature. The reformers Luther and Calvin
of the 1500s were unfortunately very effected by Augustine’s´ teachings, and adopted them.
Since they believed the doctrine of predestination, they used a number of proof-texts from the
Bible to support this doctrine. But, does God really randomly choose who will be saved and
who will be condemned? This is a very big subject, so let us just examine a few principles of
the Bible that contradicts unconditional election, in favor of a conditional one.
God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He sees right into the hearts of people and knows
everything about the thoughts and motives of their hearts (1 Sam. 16:7; John 2:25; Acts 1:24).
God chooses those who are humble before him, and who are small in their own eyes. Jesus
has come to save all who are convicted of their sins, have broken hearts and understand that
they are unworthy of salvation (Luke 5:8; 23:40-42).
God does not randomly choose who will be saved and who will be condemned, because he
loves everyone, even those who crucified Jesus (23:33-34). Jesus, who is the express image of
God´s person (Heb. 1:3), has commanded his disciples to love their enemies and do good to
them (Luke 6:27). God is perfect and no hypocrite. He is of course living in accordance with
his own commandments. This means that he loves all sinners and wants to bring them to
repentance (Ezekiel 18:23; Rom 2:4). Or, would anyone claim that the love of Paul for sinners
was greater than God´s love for them? Paul wished that he himself were separated from God,
if that could help the unbelieving Jews (Rom. 9:3).
God is love and he cannot be unjust. This means he cannot randomly choose whom he will
save. He loves the whole world and is calling everybody to the wedding of his dear Son with
his bride, the Church (Matt. 22:9; Rev. 22:17). Who, then, are those who are only called, but
not chosen (Matt. 22:14)? Answer: Those who are not worthy (Matt. 22:8). The Pharisees and
the Scribes rejected God´s plan for them, and did not let themselves become baptized by John
(Luke 7:30). God called them to abandon their pride and boasting of their own piety and
righteousness and submit themselves to the righteousness he wanted to give them through
faith in his Son (Rom. 10:3–4). By rejecting this calling, they caused themselves to become
unworthy of eternal life. That is the reason why God did not choose them to receive salvation.

Other people who are not elected by God to salvation are those who love their lives in this
world. They live for money, cars, houses, human glory and pride. They are not willing to
forsake all they have and let Jesus be Lord over everything in their lives. The word of God
cannot bear fruit in them, because it is choked by worldly concerns (Luke 8:14). Because of
their love for different things in this world, they are not worthy to take part in God´s great
feast in his kingdom, even though they were called (Luke 14:16-24).
People who resist the holy Spirit, when he convicts them of sins they have to turn away from,
are not chosen either. Think about Felix in Acts 24:24-25. What if he, who brought Paul from
his prison to hear about Jesus, had received God´s calling? Felix was unwilling to receive
Paul´s message about righteousness, temperance and judgment, because he wanted to
continue to live in sin, human glory and in riches. Because of that he had not been elected for
salvation.
If people do not have a free will to resist the holy Spirit and God´s word, why does Jesus
rebuke the inhabitants in Korasin and Betsaida because they had not repented and received his
message (Matt. 11:21)? Jesus knew that the cities of Tyre and Sidon would have repented if
he had done the same miracles in them as he had done in Korasin and Betsaida. Therefore,
God will judge them even harder because they had actually listened to his own Son, but not
received his message to repent an believe. Perhaps they thought, like the Pharisees, that they
were wise and righteous. Jesus said in the same context that he only reveals the truth to those
who are like little children (Matt. 11:25). Those who are humble and understand their need for
God´s grace receive salvation (Matt. 5:3–4; 18:3–4).
When king Saul was humble and small in his own eyes, God chose him to become the first
king of Israel (1 Sam. 9:21; 15:17). After a time, however, he became proud and trusted more
in his own wisdom than in the word of God. He was eventually rejected by God and lost his
throne (1 Sam. 15:11-12; 18–28). Or why were Josua and Caleb chosen to enter into the land
of Canaan, but not the rest of the people of their generation of Israel? It was because of their
firm trust in God´s promises to give the country to them. They did not let their courage faint
because of the strength of their enemies (Num. 14:22-38). The rest of the people, on the other
hand, were not chosen because they had unfaithful and hardened hearts (Heb. 3:7–19).
God´s chosen people will become dressed in white robes when they meet their bridegroom
Jesus in his kingdom. Who are they? They are those who reach the final salvation and eternal
rest because they kept their faith until the end, obeyed God´s words and put to death the deeds
of the flesh by the Spirit. (Rom. 8:12-13; 1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7) They walked in the light in
this way and the blood of Jesus cleansed them from all sins they fell into in their weakness (1
John 1:7–9). In Rev. 3:4–5 Jesus said that the few members of the church in Sardes who had
not defiled their garments would walk with him in white, because they were worthy. He will
not blot out their names from the Book of life. Thereby, Jesus is clearly implying that there
are people who have actually had their names in the Book of life, whose names will be erased
from it.
We can conclude that the word of God teaches a conditional election of people to salvation,
not an unconditional one. Many are called, but few are chosen (Matt. 22:14). May we make
sure that we are among those who make their call and election sure, by remaining in
faith(fullness) until and putting to death our sinful desires by the power of the Spirit, until the
end of our lives.