Election, or to elect, is the concept whereby someone or something is chosen for a purpose. As biblical election refers to when God, and God alone, has made a decision to chose one thing/person as opposed to another, usually for reasons only known to Himself.
No one should argue that God is not the elector, and has every right and privilege in order to elect what He elects, though much ink has been spilled on the who, or what question for which He chose what has been chosen. Ps 115:3, says He does what He pleases, and Isaiah 55:8-9, His ways and thoughts are not the same as ours, i.e., divine and sacred
While we may not understand the who, or what, we can understand the why:
- God's election is to service, for the specific group individuals
- For the church, it is all those who are positionally in Christ, effectuated through faith in Christ by Christ for the purpose of fulfilling His mission or for the good works for which is prepared for those in Christ.
- For Israel, the same form of election described in the Old Testament in that the Israelites were chosen as servants of the LORD
- The scriptures emphasise that election is centred on Christ. Jesus is the chosen one, and individuals become part of the elect by being united with Him through faith.