The Encouragement of Electing Love

Another way that the Biblical doctrine of election has very practical implications for our lives and should deeply affect us, is in the strong encouragement and comfort we can draw from it as those who belong to Jesus Christ, even when we sin. Again, from Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism, Joel R. Beeke, pg.70:

Election is profoundly encouraging and comforting for believers. It tells us that God chose us rather than that we chose Him (John 15:16), and that He chose us even when He knew all about our sin. He knew our personalities, our flaws, our hypocrisy, our depression, and our coldness, and yet He loved us and determined to make us like Christ.

Think of Peter, whom Christ knew so intimately. Jesus knew that one night Peter would warm his hands by a fire and swear that he had never known Christ. He knew that one day Peter would stumble again in trying to compromise the gospel in Paul’s presence. He knew Peter would struggle with hypocrisy all his life. Yet Christ still chose Peter, setting His love on such a sinner.

Dear believer, Christ continues to choose sinners. That is good news. But the greatest news of all is that Christ chose you and me, knowing our entire life ahead of time and knowing how disobedient we would be. How encouraging this electing love is to help us press on and to be "steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58b). Election does not discourage us from well-doing, writes Calvin, but makes us "devote ourselves to the pursuit of good as the appointed goal of election" (Eph. 1:4).

I don’t know about you, but for me, the greatest sinner that I know-- though sin no longer reigns over me, it nevertheless does remain in me-- the fact that the infinite/personal God, fully knowing from eternity every one of my sins (even those I would commit after trusting the Savior) and all the ways that I (still) fall short of His glory, nevertheless set His love upon me to rescue me in Christ from my deserved doom and does not, indeed will not, give up on me--well, in the words of the apostle: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

How great is the encouragement and comfort that the implications of this great doctrine brings to us--and what an impetus to holy living!