Introduction. When speaking of God’s election (those who are picked out, selected or chosen), confusion often arises because there are two distinct and different uses of election. The first centered on God’s need to be just. As a God of righteousness and justice, He saw everything that would need to be accomplished and paid for in order to offer salvation to those who had incurred the debt of sin (Rom. 3:21-26). He therefore created an eternal purpose that would bring Christ and the church into being (Eph. 3:8-11) and chose those who would work with Him to do it. A second election centered on the choices God made because of His love and mercy. As a God of grace and compassion, God foresaw those who though they had sinned and fallen short of His glory, still loved Him, trusted Him and sought to serve Him. This second election and selection would identify and draw all His elect into a single family of God with Abraham as their father.
Abraham was chosen and became one of God’s true elect ones because of his faith. He was the perfect embodiment of everything God desired in men and women after they sinned and fell short of His glory. They can no longer bring God a perfect life, but they still want to bring Him a humble and penitent heart and a full submissive faith and trust that never questions and always submits. Abraham had all of this. He was the perfect person to become the father of all those in the future who would share his spiritual characteristics.
Everything God told Abraham to do, he did as soon as possible and exactly as God asked and expected him to do. Three of these things are recorded and used in the New Testament to give us an example to follow. When God called him at the age of 75, he went (Heb 11:8-10; Acts 7:2-5). When God made him wait until he was 99 and no longer possible to have a son, Abraham never wavered, but always and completely trusted God to fulfill His promise (Rom. 4:16-32). Finally, when God asked Abraham to offer his son and all the promises Isaac represented as a sacrifice, he got up the next day and did exactly what God asked him to do (Jas. 2:20-24). Because of these things, God chose Abraham to become the father of all His elect ones. (Rom. 4:9-17; Gal. 3:6-9; 4:21-31; Isa. 51:1-3).
Abraham was chosen and became one of God’s true elect ones because of his faith. He was the perfect embodiment of everything God desired in men and women after they sinned and fell short of His glory. They can no longer bring God a perfect life, but they still want to bring Him a humble and penitent heart and a full submissive faith and trust that never questions and always submits. Abraham had all of this. He was the perfect person to become the father of all those in the future who would share his spiritual characteristics.
Everything God told Abraham to do, he did as soon as possible and exactly as God asked and expected him to do. Three of these things are recorded and used in the New Testament to give us an example to follow. When God called him at the age of 75, he went (Heb 11:8-10; Acts 7:2-5). When God made him wait until he was 99 and no longer possible to have a son, Abraham never wavered, but always and completely trusted God to fulfill His promise (Rom. 4:16-32). Finally, when God asked Abraham to offer his son and all the promises Isaac represented as a sacrifice, he got up the next day and did exactly what God asked him to do (Jas. 2:20-24). Because of these things, God chose Abraham to become the father of all His elect ones. (Rom. 4:9-17; Gal. 3:6-9; 4:21-31; Isa. 51:1-3).