the doctrine of election (revised)

unconditional election

according to wikipedia, 'unconditional election is the calvinist teaching that before God created the world, He chose to save some people according to His own purposes and apart from any conditions related to those persons'.

however, the calvinist view of unconditional election is not unconditional. if God loves all sinners in exactly the same way, He simply cannot choose to save some but not others. i am not appealing to our own merit (indeed, we have none), but God's unconditional love.

therefore, the calvinist view of unconditional election is false (and i am coming out of the calvinist closet).

conditional election

on the other hand, 'conditional election is the belief that God chooses, for eternal salvation, those who He foresees will have faith in Christ'.

the arminian view of conditional election

the arminian view of conditional election takes it to mean that God chooses, for eternal salvation, BASED ON those who He foresees will have faith in Christ.

in other words, God only loves those who He foresees will love Him. in other words, God's love is premised on those who He foresees will love Him. in other words, God's love is conditional.

this is patently unbiblical. it is clear from Scripture that 'we love because He first loved us' (1 John 4:19, NIV), not 'God loves because we first loved Him' (what?).

therefore, the arminian view of conditional election is false.

geisler's view of conditional election

geisler's view of conditional election (which he unpacks in 'chosen but free') takes it to mean that God chooses THAT those who He foresees will have faith in Christ will be eternally saved. at the same time, God also chooses THAT those who He foresees will not have faith in Christ will not be eternally saved.

God's love is unconditional. God loves all sinners in exactly the same way, 'that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life' (John 3:16, NIV). of course, whether we choose to accept or reject God's unconditional love is a different story.

the question is not why God only loves some (God does not only love some). the question is why only some love God. as geisler puts it, election is 'unconditional for God and conditional for man' (the sole condition being faith in Christ alone).

therefore, geisler's view of conditional election is true (not that it is about geisler).

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God is love, and even when we choose to reject Him, His unconditional love for us remains faithful (not because of who we are, but because of who He is). it is just that when we choose to reject Him, His unconditional love for us is expressed as divine justice.