God chooses certain people to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. This is known as election. The document discusses who the elect are, why God chose them, and how they are saved by grace through faith in Christ. It also addresses the relationship between election, free will, God's will, and universal grace. While some concepts like election by grace alone and God extending universal grace to all seem paradoxical, Scripture supports both. Ultimately, the complex questions about election, free will, and God's secret will that are beyond human understanding are not to divide Christians, but to humble us and lead us to gratitude for God's gift of salvation.

2. WHAT is election?
Election is God choosing certain people to be
adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ
“Justification by faith alone as seen from God’s
perspective” (Wengert)
“as many as were appointed to eternal life
believed” Acts 13:48

3. Election & Freewill
What?
Where?
How?
Who?
Why?
When?
I CHOOSE YOU

4. WHO are the elect?
Body of Christians
“For many are called, but few are chosen”
Matt 22:14
Old Testament
God chose Israel
Duet 7:6 “The LORD your God
has chosen you to be a people
for his treasured possession,
out of all the peoples who are
on the face of the earth”
New Testament
Jesus chooses 12 disciples
Luke 6:13 “And when day
came, he called his
disciples and chose from
them twelve, whom he
named apostles”

5. WHY did God choose us?
“[God] saved us and called us to
a holy life not because of
anything we have done but
because of his own purpose
and grace. This grace was given
us in Christ Jesus before the
beginning of time.” 2 Tim 1:9
“The Lord set his love on your
fathers and chose their offspring
after them, you above all
peoples.” Duet 10:15

6. HOW are we saved?
By grace through faith in Christ
“the human race is truly redeemed and reconciled
with God through Christ, who, by His faultless
[innocency] obedience, suffering, and death, has
merited for us the righteousness which avails
before God, and eternal life.” (FC. XI.15)
“[Holy Ghost] will be efficacious and active in us,
convert hearts to true repentance, and preserve
them in the true faith” (FC.XI.17)

7. Our Free Will?
Christians and Non-Christians:
We are all equally sinful & enemies of God, dead in sin.
BUT
By grace, HS works Faith in the elect (Christians)
Why not others?
They reject HS gift
“The one who rejects
me…has a judge” John 12:48
Are we saved because we do
not reject?
NO, then it becomes works
How are they able to resist HS? ---- WE DO NOT KNOW
Not revealed in Scriptures.
After the Fall, our minds lost the natural spiritual understanding.

8. God’s Will?
The “will of God… is good and acceptable and
perfect” Rom 12:2
The Lord “works all things according to the counsel
of his will” Eph. 1:11
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some
count slowness, but is patient toward you, not
wishing that any should perish, but that all should
reach repentance” 2 Pet. 3:9

9. Paradox?
“By grace alone” God saves a few
God extends “Universal Grace” to all

10. By Grace Alone
Nothing in us, makes God want us.
“[God] saved us and called us to a holy life not because
of anything we have done but because of his own
purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ
Jesus before the beginning of time.” 2 Tim 1:9
“While we were
still sinners, Christ
died for us”
Romans 5:6

11. When By Grace Alone is
Abandoned….
Arminianism & “foreseen faith”
Because God is omniscient (knows all)
He chose elect because he knew they would
have faith
Become our works that save us

12. When Grace Alone is Abandoned….
“Foreseen Faith”
Why did Phil punch Ned?
He knew Ned would come up
to him and talk to him
According to “forseen faith,”
Why did God choose us?
He knew we would come to
him and have faith in him.
WRONG!!!
Groundhog Day

13. Universal Grace
God’s grace extends to all
“[Christ] died for all, that those who live might no longer
live for themselves” 2 Cor. 5:15
God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth” 1 Tim 2:4

14. When Universal Grace is
Abandoned….
Calvinism & double predestination
• “Calvin and his adherents boldly rejected the
universality of God's grace” (FC.XX.222)
• Christ only died for the elect (certain people)
• God determined who to save and who to damn
before eternity.
ISSUE: It’s LAW not GOSPEL

15. When Universal Grace is Abandoned….
Double Predestination
Why did the aliens never move ?
The Claw determined who would be
chosen and who would stay in the pit
If double predestination is true….
- Why can’t I wait and do nothing?
- Why should I evangelize?
- Why can’t I live recklessly?

16. How can we have both?
Our human brains cannot comprehend both
Grace By Faith & Universal Grace
existing together
But Scripture Supports them BOTH

17. It’s okay to not know
Scripture is silent
The Fallen man cannot discern God’s secret will.
‘For who has known the mind of the Lord?’
Rom 11:34a
We are only to trust what is revealed to us by God in the Word
2 Tim. 3:16-17, "All Scripture is inspired by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may
be adequate--equipped for every good work."

18. Martin Luther
“Only in the light of glory would we be able to
understand God’s election.”
“ Election is a comforting article – if treated properly.”
(Formula of Concord.XI.1)
Humbling
Gospel
Gratitude
Relief

20. Works Cited
Busch, Edward E. "The Predestinarian Controversy 100 Years Later." Currents In Theology And Mission 9,
no. 3 (June 1, 1982): 132-148. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed
October 16, 2014).
Laetsch, Theodore. The Abiding Word, Volume I. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946.
Lueker, Erwin L., The Concordia Bible Dictionary. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1963.
Lutheran, observer. "The Predestination Controversy in the Lutheran Church." Andover Review (Boston, Mass.) 3, no. 17 (May 1, 1885): 477-
481. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 16, 2014).
The Lutheran Study Bible (ESV). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009.
McCain, Paul Timothy. Concordia, The Lutheran Confessions, A Reader’s Edition of the Book of Concord. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
2005.
Mueller, Steven P. Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess. Eugene, OR: Write: Permissions, Wipf & Stock, 2005.
Schaff, Philip. "The Calvinistic system in the light of reason and the scripture." Andover Review (Boston, Mass.) 17, no. 100 (April 1, 1892):
329-338. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 13, 2014).
Schmelder, William J. "The Predestinarian Controversy : Review and Reflection." Concordia Journal 1, no. 1 (January 1, 1975): 21-33. ATLA
Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 16, 2014).
Wengert, Timothy J. "The Formula of Concord and the comfort of election." Lutheran Quarterly 20, no. 1 (March 1, 2006): 44-62. ATLA
Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 16, 2014).