Chosen by God

The topic of "election" or "Predestination" has been constantly misunderstood and mischaracterized. I was no exception, believing that there is something fundamentally unjust or unfair about God's choice of some and not others for salvation. I reacted emotionally to the very word, "election", because it smacked of elitism, of merit-based rewards by God and it even brought up images of the Holocaust. But as a non-denominational Christian, I had no real understanding of what election/predestination was until I read Sproul's book, then did the Bible study titled "Chosen By God". I thought I had it all figured out by insisting that predestination cannot possibly be true.Sproul, probably among the top 10 living theologians, makes this doctrine easy to understand and difficult to refute, since he is using the Bible itself to teach it. He brooms aside our predispositions to view God as somehow unfair to choose some and not others. But it's not quite so simple as we think.This doctrine, which I admit to once having abhorred for a very long time after becoming a Christian, is the minority view among committed Christians; if one does tackle this subject, one must put aside one's kneejerk reactions to the idea of predestination and be prepared to abandon the present Arminian consensus. Predestination is not what you think it is; it's far more intricate. On the surface, one's first reaction is "If predestination is valid, what about free will? Why even evangelize? Why pray at all?" Sproul answers these questions biblically and convincingly.While it is far too complicated to go into in this review, the basic doctrine does not state that God squashes our free will when He predestines some for salvation and not others. In fact, Sproul makes clear that we still have free will. We have the will to choose good or evil and God does not tamper with that freedom. What God does do, though, in His sovereignty, is to incline the heart of some toward Him, so that eventually, the person will choose God out of his *own* will. God has purposes for everyone from "before the foundation of the world". Even when Jacob and Esau were still in Rebecca's womb, and "had no chance to do either good or evil", God chose Jacob for salvation, to be the line through which Christ comes, while leaving Esau in the sinful state into which he was born.Learning the truth of the Doctrine of Election (or Predestination) has opened my mind to how much I really didn't know and how my own erroneous certainty as an Arminian kept me from knowing the deeper things of God. With this DVD/study, it is possible to expand your knowledge of how God works and how He chooses some and not others.It boils down to one thing: Because of the Fall of Mankind, all people are "spiritually dead", incapable of choosing the things of God, because all have sinned. In His mercy and grace, instead of dooming all of mankind to eternal death (the penalty for breaking God's law), He has chosen to save some by changing the inclinations of their hearts. This is mercy and grace, not capricious and sadistic election of some for no reason at all. Had He chosen to save all, all would be saved. And since all are clearly not saved, the logic demands a second look at this doctrine.I strongly recommend this study to every Arminian or Semi-Pelagian who thinks they cannot possibly believe in this doctrine. It will change your perspective.

Chosen By God is an excellent read penned by R.C. Sproul and published by Tyndale House. It was originally published in 1986 and has sold over 200,000 print copies. This book very clearly and understandably articulates the classic reformed doctrines of predestination and election. In classic R.C. Sproul style, the author makes difficult matters easily understood. No matter which side of this issue you happen to take, you would benefit from the understanding of reformed Christianity that this book promotes. I would give this book the official Theology Nerd five-star rating. Be sure to fill your pocket protector with markers, highlighters, and pens when you read this. You will surely want to take notes.www.TheTheologyNerd.comOne awesome part of this book is that R.C. Sproul does not ignore the claims of those who differ with Calvinism. Rather, he engages their beliefs. Of course, the result is total derailing, debunking, and dismissing of those arguments. In the process, there is plenty of material for those who want an answer as to why reformed soteriology is the right, true gospel. He draws from Scripture, theology, philosophy, church history, and practical examples to make a strong case for his belief system. If you are looking for rational material that illustrates reformational truth, then look no further.Of extreme practical significance is chapter eight, titled, “Can We Know That We Are Saved?” As would seem apparent, this chapter deals with the assurance of the believer. Can I know right now that I am going to wind up one day in heaven? There are many even within the church today who do not feel that they can answer this affirmatively. However, Sproul shows carefully through scripture that we do, in fact, have assurance. If salvation is presented and understood in a biblical manner, that salvation can be trusted. We are assured of our destiny as God’s people. The problem is that the modern church does not always clearly present what the Bible teaches, so questions remain as to people’s salvation. According to Sproul, this is entirely unnecessary. He masterfully weaves the theme that God desires us to rest in the absolute assurance that our destiny is safe, secure, and providentially based.In the conclusion, Sproul makes the following comment regarding reformed Christianity. ”It is a theology that begins and ends with grace. It begins and ends with doxology. We praise a God who lifted us from spiritual deadness and makes us walk in high places. . . We delight in our Savior who truly saves us and preserves us and intercedes for us. We marvel at His craftsmanship and in what He has wrought.” I believe that sums up the greatness of this subject well. Predestination, election, and reformed theology are all about the greatness and the glory of God. This book is designed to cultivate a passion for that understanding. If the book has one short coming, it is this: when I got to the conclusion, I was sad that there was not more to read. I found myself wanting to hear more and more. Of course, there are always more books to be read, and here at The Theology Nerd, we are all about the books.

If I Can Only Choose What God Has Already Decreed, Then How Can My Choice Be a Real Choice?Predestination vs Free-willIf personal salvation is decided in advance by an immutable divine decree, what is the sense or urgency of the work of evangelism?

must read it. biblical based and RC writes really well . leart a lot from it. everyone who wants to study predestination should read it

This is a classic of Sproul. In a nutshell the book explains the five points of Calvinism as captured by the acronym TULIP. But more correctly stated the five points are: Radical corruption, Sovereign election, Limited atonement or Definite Atonement, Effectual grace, and Preservation of the saints.We are by default Arminian in that we believe we somehow play a part in our own salvation. If this is true, it will make our salvation uncertain however small our part is because knowing ourselves there is no guarantee that we will cooperate with salvation. If the bible is true about our nature, we know for sure that in our own nature we will not choose Christ, so it will definitely fail. “If man is truly dead in sin and in bondage to sin, a mere potential or conditional atonement not only may have ended in failure but most certainly would have ended in failure. Arminians have no sound reason to believe that Jesus did not die in vain. They are left with a Christ who tried to save everybody but actually saved nobody.” (p. 180)We are by default Arminian because before we have the Spirit dwell in us, we are blind to the spiritual truth. The doctrines of grace are counterintuitive, so we do need the Spirit to help us see. We believe so that we start to learn and to understand. Why do we need to understand? Because it gives us assurance, maximises our joy and delight in Christ, maximises our praise to Him and glory to Him, clinging us even closer to Christ. Generally our spiritual growth and maturity requires us to know that. But I am surprised how it is not universally taught everywhere at church. I have been at church for 30 years and rarely hear it systematically taught; I learnt it until I learnt it myself. This is a great loss to believers who would not fully grasp the Sabbath rest if they do not know the five points of Calvinism – the biblical truths of our salvation. It is negligent of pastors if their sheep are ignorant of them.I have come across the attitude that laymen need not know these about their faith as if it is beyond them. Let them live with their inconsistency of their belief – Sproul does say in this book that it is better to be inconsistently biblical than consistently unbiblical. But not even try to explain to those you are pastoring? Isn’t this a bit patronizing?Sproul was a teacher. He never patronised. Rather he tried his best to bring the loftiest things of God to be within our reach. We can sense his sincerity in laboring the points to us. He does not dodge any difficult questions but seek to give us the best available answers to them. He puts the best of our Christian heritage out there within our reach and let us absorb as much as our capacity allows us. He does not restrict our diet by prejudging what we should learn. This is consistent in all his teaching and writing. I thank him for that. I have listened to this teaching series already and I am glad to refresh myself once again by reading it.

This book is a must-have for any Christian, who loves Christ and is growing in relationship with our gracious and amazing saviour.It's a book you will and can read multiple times and continue to learn (similar to the Bible)RC Sproul explains and describes Jesus profoundly and gives the reader a different, powerful perspective on divine election and predestination.Many a professing Christian can and does struggle with this topic, while others who claim to be Christian deny it.RC Sproul puts many of the arguments to the test, to the point where I personally was moved as well as convicted on some matters.I personally and strongly recommend this book.

RC Sproul is a gifted teacher and always enjoy when he speaks. This is one of his best.