After a thorough examination of the Scriptures concerning the issue of the election of believers, we have determined the content of this statement to be true. The thoughts in this statement have been properly preached and taught at Little Flock Fellowship Church for nearly 40 years. We will not deviate from this in our preaching and teaching. The core of these points come from our statement of faith, with additional clarity on point number 5 regarding the election of believers.

 

1. God exists in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19).

 

2. We believe the Bible to be fully and uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it is the only authoritative, inerrant and infallible Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).

 

3. We believe in the eternity and deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, inerrant teaching, substitutionary death and atonement, bodily resurrection, ascension to the right hand of the Father and coming again (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 24:36-43; John 1:1-3; Acts 1:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:14-16).

 

4. We believe that man, created in the image of God, was tempted by Satan and fell, and because of his consequent spiritual death, requires regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation (Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 3:1-24; John 3:3-5; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-4).

 

5. We believe that salvation consists in the remission of sins, the imputation of Christ’s righteousness and the gift of eternal life, received by faith alone, apart from works and that all true believers, once saved, are kept by God’s power, secure in Christ forever and assured of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word (Titus 3:5-7; John 6:37-40; 1 John 5:11-13).
   1. We believe that God chooses men to salvation
      1. But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. – 2 Thessalonians 2:13
      2. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as strangers, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. – 1 Peter 1:1-2

• Knowing, brothers and sisters, beloved by God, His choice of you; – 1 Thessalonians 1:4

1. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. – Ephesians 1:4

1. In addition to the Bible’s teaching of sovereign election, it also teaches human responsibility. No one can be excused for not being saved. Jesus Christ died as a sufficient sacrifice for the whole world, but some choose not to receive this free gift of God. God commands all men to be saved – or face the eternal consequence of hell. God desires that none would perish, but come to repentance. Man has a responsibility and a choice to be obedient to the Lord’s command to be saved.
   1. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. – John 3:16
   2. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. – John 3:36

• If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:9-13

1. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9
2. So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent… – Acts 17:30
3. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. – Acts 2:21

• By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. – Hebrews 11:5-6
• This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. – 1 Timothy 2:3-6

1. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. – Romans 1:20
2. And if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself. – John 12:32
3. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. – 1 John 2:1-2

• For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” – 1 Peter 2:6

 

 

 

• Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then should you die, house of Israel?’ – Ezekiel 33:11
• But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15

1. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. – Romans 3:21-26

• “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12

1. We believe that the individual who has placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation by faith alone apart from works is kept by God’s power, secure in Christ forever and assured of their salvation through the testimony of God’s word:
   1. He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. – Titus 3:5-7
   2. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” – John 6:37-40

• And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. – 1 John 5:11-13

1. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. – John 3:36
2. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. – John 5:24
3. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. – Rev. 3:5

 

6. We believe in the personal ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who, at the moment of regeneration (salvation), baptizes, indwells and seals each believer and by whose filling empowers for Christian life and service (John 16:7-15; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 5:18ff).

 

While this is a difficult concept to grasp, Scripture has much to say about the doctrine of election. We cannot isolate the Scriptures that indicate God does it all, for God certainly calls all men to repentance. Nor can we isolate the free will of man and ignore the Scriptures regarding God’s choosing of man. They must be taught together, using Scripture to interpret Scripture, when teaching the election of believers.

 

The Scriptures speak often of the sovereignty of God and we firmly believe this. At the same time, Scriptures indicate that within the plan of God, He gives man the opportunity to love Him or to reject Him. When man rejects Christ, he does not thwart the plan of God, but rather stays within the confines God has laid out – believe and live, reject Him and die eternally. God’s plan is so great that He has designed us to love Him and live or to reject Him and die.

 

William McDonald writes the following:

This poses a difficulty for the human mind. How can God choose some and yet offer salvation freely to all men? Frankly, this is a mystery. But the mystery is on our side, not on God’s. The best policy for us is to believe both doctrines because the Bible teaches both. The truth is not found somewhere between election and man’s free will, but in both extremes. W.G. Blaikie summarizes:

Divine sovereignty, human responsibility and the free and universal offer of mercy are all found in Scripture and though we are unable to harmonize them by our logic, they all ought to have a place in our minds.