I’ve been having trouble with this one. Just how is it we are to view the term election or elect in the Bible? If someone is elected that usually means he has been chosen for a purpose. Is this a point where some are elected to certain purposes but all are elected to salvation? What do the Church Fathers have to say?

Odo-

A Calvinist views Election as God choosing whom He would save and whom He would allow to be damned. Calvinists view all mankind as on their way to hell. Man can do nothing to change this. Even the ability to seek God is not in man because he is so totally corrupt. Therefore, God randomly chose a people for Himself. He draws them to Him and Man cannot help but follow. This is what is refered to as "Irresistable Grace". This system of Theology makes man out ot be little more then puppets and robots that God saves and damns as He deems fit. Sin is viewed not so much as degenerative spiritual illness, but as a total break and eternal offence to God who must now eternally punish mankind; and since man cannot any longer seek God, He must do ALL the work for our Salvation, even choosing for us. I've often wondered why Calvinists put such emphasis on evangelization, since we can do nothing to change God's eternal will in who is saved or lost. They also have to ignore the many Scripture passages which speak of man seeking God's face, or opening the door to Christ when He knocks. Calvinism isolates about a dozen or so Scripture passages and builds an entire theology from them, totally separate from the rest of the Bible.

A more orthodox view of Election, I believe, is that God saw who would believe in Him, and so elects or preserves them unto the the last day, (1 Peter 1:2). He FOREKNEW, then He ELECTED. Faith is a gift for sure; but is is a gift that is given to everybody in different measures. Man has an innate knowledge of the Creator. Throughout human history, man has sought God. Therefore, to subscribe to Calvinism is to deny Natural Law.

We also see in Scripture that God sometimes allows a sinful person to continue in that sin unto the day of judgement, (2 Peter 2:9). This is not to say that God has intentionally blinded the person from birth, but that the person, of their own free will, has rejected God. Therefore, God allows him/her to continue in that sin unto their death.

Election, like all other biblical topics, needs to be taken in the whole context of Scripture.

Columcille