Facts about the Election of Grace

An election which does not lead a person to believe the gospel, confess in his heart, confess Christ in baptism, and identify whole heartedly with the Lord’s church is not the election of grace.

Election which does not give a person a new birth, a new heart, a new nature to love Christ, to love one another and to live and express that love daily is not the election of grace.

An election which does not result in a new walk, a new attitude, a new spirit of unity and fellowship is not the election of grace

An election which does not make a person generous toward others, liberal in his support of the gospel ministry, liberal toward his house and other families and who had not learned that it is more blessed to give than to receive, is not the election of grace.

An election which does not (in time) produce these fruits of the Spirit, a growth in grace, the knowledge of Christ, which delivers a person from a covetous spirit, the vanity of the flesh and the pride of self is not the election of grace.

There was a time when only God knew we were His elect! There came a time when we knew that we were elected by God! There comes a time when others know that we are His elect!

FAITH

We must carefully distinguish between faith and presumption. Faith is founded upon evidence, but belief without evidence is presumption. A very sound philosopher has said that “to believe without evidence is the part of a fool.”

Another distinction which must be made is the difference between faith and delusion. To believe on false evidence is delusion The nature of these two errors differs but little, and the effect is the same. My heart grieves - and grieves intensely - while I reflect upon the unnumbered thousands of my fellow mortals who, by these errors, have been led, and are now deceived, to their eternal ruin. There are, no doubt, now, many millions in the habitations of eternal despair who, while in this world, pleased themselves with the belief that they were the special favorites of heaven, and scarce felt a doubt that death would usher them into the abodes of heavenly glory.

It is a part of the experience of almost every child of God, that he has occasional fears that he is in a deceived state and cherishing false hopes. Such fears are not very pleasant, but they are very useful. They prompt us to a more careful and critical examination of the subject, and thus lead to more enlarged knowledge of the way of salvation.

Jesus Christ is the object of saving faith: “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” But we are not at liberty to make Him what we would have Him, and then believe on him according to what we have made Him. We must believe on Him just as he is set forth in the gospel; and the evidence upon which we must found our faith is the word of God. To believe on Him thus is not presumption, for we have the sure word of God as the foundation of our faith. Neither is such faith delusion, for the evidence upon which we believe is truth - infallible truth - for it is the testimony of Him that can not lie, and will not deceive. - Copied and revised