We need to stop this!
The term "elect" (chosen) is not used in scripture as an umbrella term to cover all the saved of all the ages.
It always has specific addressees. Just as surely as it would
be a mistake to take "chosen" in OT texts and apply them to NT
Christians (unless we have textual grounds for doing so) so it's a
mistake to take "chosen" when addressed to Christians and say
it refers to all the saved people of all the ages. The NT elect are not
the OT elect nor are they the saved of all the ages.
The elect in the NT are Christians—those
who have been called by the gospel to faith in Jesus. We have no
textual grounds for taking the term (for example in Ephesians 1) and
saying the chosen ones in that text are the people of all the ages since
Adam. NT elect are called by the proclamation of the gospel about
Jesus. The work of Jesus Christ embraces people of all the ages but
within that work there is a peculiar group of people who have been
chosen to be the "body of Christ". Abraham is "saved", of course, but he
is not part of the NT elect. Melchizedek is "saved", of course, but he
is not part of the NT elect. Moses is "saved", of course, but he's not
part of the NT elect, "the body of Christ". Moses was not a Christian! Abraham was not a Christian and Melchizedek was not a Christian.
They're embraced in the universal work of God and are
saved, certainly (Hebrews 12:18-24), but their place is not in the
peculiar people (the NT elect) who serve a purpose no other saved people
served or can serve!
You only have to look at the
texts to see the error of using NT "elect" passages for all the saved of
all the ages. The Thessalonians are chosen by the gospel about Jesus and belief of that gospel (2 Thessalonians 13-14). The Ephesians were called by the gospel of truth about Jesus
(Ephesians 1:3-14, esp. 13) and so on. For some of us it suits our
theological purposes to make "elect" equivalent to "saved" but we have
no textual grounds for doing this. It's perfectly legitimate to do
systematic theology but that must only be done based on actual texts.
God
purposed the coming of "the last Adam" before the world began; in fact,
the creation was brought about with the immortal Adam in mind
(Colossians 1:15-16) and God purposed and brought into being the NT
elect who would not only enjoy life in Jesus but would function in the
world as "the body of Christ," the new humanity of the risen Lord; the
extension (so the speak) of Jesus' incarnation.
To
take the NT doctrine of the Church and make all the texts relate to all
the saved of all the ages is to take leave of the actual texts we're
dealing with.
Understand that the work of Jesus
affects all the ages and the entire human family but within that
universal work of God in Jesus there are specific moves and acts of God
to bring about his eternal purpose. Two of them are the OT elect and the
NT elect. These are not to be confused though they are intimately
related. The NT elect are not to be confused with the entire number of
all the "saved".
Find a text that speaks of the elect in the NT and you find people who are elect through the gospel of Jesus Christ. That
means we can't place Moses or Hannah or Samuel or Ruth in the NT elect.
The NT elect arrive on the scene only when Jesus arrives and they are
the creation of God via the gospel that makes them into the image of
Jesus and they live out the truth that Jesus is the returning Lord of All.
We
need to stop treating NT texts about "election" as if they related to
"all the saved of all the ages". "Saved" and "elect" are not co-extensive. Click here for a little more.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.
From Gary... This is a different spin on this. Never heard it put like this before- will have to think about it...
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