Sinful by Nature, Redeemed by Christ: The Doctrine of Election

Human beings are not born morally neutral. Scripture teaches that we enter the world with a fallen nature inherited from Adam, spiritually dead in sin and unable to save ourselves. Yet that is not the end of the story. The doctrine of election teaches that before the foundation of the world, God freely chose a people in Christ—not because He foresaw merit or faith in them, but according to His sovereign grace.

• The Father elects, the Son redeems, and the Holy Spirit gives new life.

That distinction matters. Election is God’s gracious choice unto salvation; redemption is the work Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection. We are sinful by nature, chosen by grace, and redeemed by Christ.

Sinful by Nature: What We Inherited From Adam

Humanity’s fallen condition began with Adam’s disobedience. Romans 5:12 (LSB) says:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Adam acted as the representative head of humanity. Through his fall, sin and death entered human experience, and all his natural descendants inherited guilt and corruption. David acknowledged this fallen condition in Psalm 51:5 (LSB): “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

• This does not mean that every person is as outwardly evil as possible. The doctrine of total depravity means that sin affects every part of us—our minds, desires, motives, wills, and actions. Apart from God’s grace, no part of human nature remains untouched by sin, and no one can make himself right with God.
• Ephesians 2:1 (LSB) describes people apart from Christ as “dead in your transgressions and sins.” Spiritual death is not mere weakness. Sinners remain active and responsible, but their hearts do not naturally love God or submit to Him. Romans 3:11 (LSB) states, “THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD.”

Scripture therefore does not portray humanity as a group of innocent people arbitrarily assigned to judgment. We stand guilty in Adam, and we willingly confirm our fallen condition through our own sins. We need more than moral improvement; we need God to give us life.

What Is the Doctrine of Election?

The doctrine of election is the biblical teaching that God chose, before creation, those whom He would save in Christ. His choice was not a reward for human goodness, religious effort, or foreseen faith. It arose from His own gracious purpose.

Ephesians 1:4–5 (LSB) says:

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love, by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

Election and predestination are closely related, but they emphasize different truths. Election refers to God’s choice of a people in Christ.

Predestination describes the destiny God appointed for those He chose: adoption as His children, conformity to His Son, and final glory (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:29–30).

God did not choose people because they first chose Him. Romans 9:15–16 (LSB) says:

For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the one who wills or the one who runs, but on God who has mercy.

If salvation ultimately depended on fallen human will, no one would be saved. Election humbles human pride because it places the beginning of salvation entirely in God’s mercy.

Election Is Not the Same as Redemption

It is important to speak precisely: we are not redeemed by election. We are elected by the Father and redeemed by the Son.

Election is God’s eternal choice unto salvation. Redemption is the price Christ paid to free sinners from guilt and judgment. Ephesians 1:7 (LSB) says of Christ, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our transgressions, according to the riches of His grace.”

The saving work of God is beautifully Trinitarian:

• The Father chose a people in Christ before the foundation of the world.
• The Son accomplished redemption through His obedient life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection.
• The Holy Spirit applies Christ’s saving work to those the Father chose by giving new life, granting faith, and sealing believers for their promised inheritance.

Titus 3:5 (LSB) explains that “He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” Salvation is not a cooperative achievement between God and a spiritually neutral person. From beginning to end, it is God’s gracious work.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (LSB) declares:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast.

Faith is necessary, but faith is not a work that earns salvation. It is the empty hand that receives Christ, and even our ability to believe depends on God’s grace.

Is Election Unfair?

The doctrine of election can sound unfair if we begin with the assumption that humanity is innocent and that God owes everyone salvation. Scripture begins somewhere else: all have sinned, all are accountable, and no one deserves mercy.

• Justice gives sinners what their guilt deserves.
• Mercy gives guilty sinners what they could never deserve. God is never obligated to show mercy, or mercy would no longer be mercy. Yet He remains perfectly just in all He does.

This does not mean that God forces morally neutral people to reject Him. Scripture teaches both God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. People reject the light because they love darkness (John 3:19–20), and God rightly holds them accountable. At the same time, everyone who comes to Christ comes because the Father has graciously drawn and enabled that person (John 6:44).

We should not speculate beyond what Scripture reveals or try to identify the elect by looking into God’s hidden decree. Jesus gives this sure promise in John 6:37 (LSB): “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out.” No sinner who truly comes to Christ will be rejected.

Sin Brings Judgment, but Christ Saves From Condemnation

Those outside Christ remain under condemnation, and Hell is real and eternal. People are not innocent victims of an arbitrary destiny. We are fallen in Adam, guilty of our own sin, and accountable before a holy God.

John 3:18 (LSB) says, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Revelation 20:15 (LSB) warns,

And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Hell displays the seriousness of sin and the justice of God. The cross displays both His justice and His mercy: Christ bore the judgment sinners deserve and saves everyone who believes. Romans 3:26 (LSB) describes God as “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Election Does Not Cancel the Gospel Call

Some ask, “If God chooses whom He will save, why preach the gospel or call anyone to believe?” Because God not only appoints the end—salvation—but also the means by which His people are brought to faith. The gospel is proclaimed to everyone, and God uses that proclamation to call His people to Christ.

Acts 17:30 (LSB) says that God “is now commanding men that everyone everywhere should repent.” Jesus proclaimed in Mark 1:15 (LSB), “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Romans 10:13 (LSB) promises, “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

The gospel does not tell sinners to discover whether they are elect before coming to Christ. It commands them to repent and believe. If you recognize your guilt and need of a Savior, do not look inward for worthiness or try to decode God’s secret counsel. Look to Jesus Christ. He lived the righteous life sinners could not live because He was sinless, died as the substitute for His people, and rose from the grave. Turn from sin and trust Him alone.

No prayer, ritual, baptism, good work, or religious decision can earn salvation. Only God saves. Those whom He saves respond to the gospel in repentance and faith.

Election Produces Humility, Assurance, Holiness, and Mission

The doctrine of election is not given to encourage pride, fatalism, or endless speculation. It is meant to shape the Christian life.

• Election produces humility. If salvation rests on God’s mercy rather than human merit, boasting is excluded. The believer can only say with 1 Corinthians 15:10 (LSB), “By the grace of God I am what I am.”
• Election strengthens assurance. The salvation God planned, Christ accomplished, and the Spirit applied will not fail. Romans 8:30 (LSB) says, “and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified.
• Election leads to holiness. Ephesians 1:4 (LSB) says that God chose His people “that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” Election never excuses ongoing rebellion. Saving grace changes the heart and produces repentance, obedience, and love for Christ.
• Election fuels mission. God has chosen to save His people through the preaching of the gospel. Christians therefore proclaim Christ confidently, knowing that the results do not rest on human cleverness but on God’s power.

Conclusion

We are sinful by nature. Scripture teaches that we are fallen in Adam, guilty of our own sin, spiritually dead, and justly under condemnation apart from Christ. Our need is desperate, but God’s grace is greater.

The doctrine of election shows that salvation begins with God, not us. The Father chose a people in Christ, the Son redeemed them by His blood, and the Holy Spirit brings them to life and faith. No one is saved by merit, and no one who truly comes to Christ will be cast out.

Do not use election as a reason to delay or speculate. God commands all people to repent, and the gospel promises salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. Turn from sin and trust in Christ alone. There’s no second chance to accept Christ once a person dies.

Key Takeaway

Humanity is sinful by nature and unable to save itself. God’s sovereign election is His gracious choice of a people in Christ, not a response to their foreseen merit or faith.

The Father elects, the Son redeems, and the Holy Spirit gives new life. Election magnifies grace, redemption magnifies Christ, and the gospel calls everyone to repent and believe.

Learn More

To continue studying what the Bible teaches, you may also enjoy these related articles on TreasureTop:

• Does God Predestine People for Heaven and Others to Hell?
• What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?
• How Do I Know If I Am Really Saved?
• What We Believe