Shorter Version of Adrian Rogers' Sermon on Election

 

 Now, if you say that only certain people are elect and only certain people, therefore, can be saved, you take all the “whosoever’s” in the Bible and make them a lot of mumbo jumbo.

 He says in verse 37: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that kills the prophets and stones them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.”

 

Now, friend, if they could not rather than they would not, this is the biggest charade in history. Jesus is weeping salty tears, and He said, “I would, but you would not.” That’s not unconditional election. The idea that a child is born into this world in the city of Memphis today, having done neither good nor evil, and that child does not have one-half of one chance to go to heaven. . . that child is going to hell because that child is not one of the elect. I totally, totally reject that with every bit of my being that there s a child born in this city anytime any day where God says that there is no opportunity, none whatsoever, there are only certain ones who are unconditionally elected. Jesus said, “I would have, but you would not.”

 How could a person therefore believe in a limited atonement? What’s the first verse you probably learned? John 3:16: “For God so loved the elect?” No? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that if the elect would believe on Him?” begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

 

Then Irresistible grace, you are going to get saved, no matter what. God is going to catch you, God is going to zap you, and you are going to be saved. You cannot resist the Holy Spirit of God. Turn to Acts 7 for a moment. Here is Stephen who is being stoned to death because of the message he preached and he says to them in verse 51: “Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears . . . ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do you.” Now, tell me that the Holy Spirit cannot be resisted. Stephen said He could. “You do always resist the Holy Ghost.” Sure the Holy Spirit can be resisted.

Remember Jesus said in Matthew 23:37, “I would but ye would not…” There is a classic passage over in Proverbs 1. Turn there with me for just a moment. This makes it about as clear as any passage. Proverbs 1:22, God is speaking: “How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and the fools hate knowledge. Turn ye at My reproof. Behold I will pour out My Spirit unto you. I will make known My words unto you, because I have called and ye refused. I’ve stretched My hand and no man regarded, but ye have set at naught all My counsel and would none of My reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity and I will mock when your fear cometh.” Isn’t this plain that He can be resisted? Go on down to verse 27-33: “When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you: then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

 How could a person therefore believe in a limited atonement? What’s the first verse you probably learned? John 3:16: “For God so loved the elect?” No? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that if the elect would believe on Him?” begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

 Now, they said that Paul was crazy. They said, “Paul, you’re out of your mind. You’re beside yourself.” And he says, “Whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge, that if One died for all, then were all dead.” How many did Jesus die for? ALL! All the dead! “If One died for all, then were all dead that He that died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto Him that died for them and rose again.” What Paul is saying is, “This is what motivates me, I’m not crazy; they were all dead and Jesus died for ALL.” He died for all. And if you do not say that Jesus died you might as well say with the same logic that all were not dead. That in Adam all did not die. But the Bible says that in Adam all died, even so in Christ are all made alive.” Friend, the hyper-Calvinist will say, “If you say that Jesus’ death was for all and all don’t get saved, then that makes His death ineffectual, it means He’s not sovereign.”

  How could a person therefore believe in a limited atonement? What’s the first verse you probably learned? John 3:16: “For God so loved the elect?” No? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that if the elect would believe on Him?” begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

 

Then Irresistible grace, you are going to get saved, no matter what. God is going to catch you, God is going to zap you, and you are going to be saved. You cannot resist the Holy Spirit of God. Turn to Acts 7 for a moment. Here is Stephen who is being stoned to death because of the message he preached and he says to them in verse 51: “Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears . . . ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do you.” Now, tell me that the Holy Spirit cannot be resisted. Stephen said He could. “You do always resist the Holy Ghost.” Sure the Holy Spirit can be resisted.

Remember Jesus said in Matthew 23:37, “I would but ye would not…” There is a classic passage over in Proverbs 1. Turn there with me for just a moment. This makes it about as clear as any passage. Proverbs 1:22, God is speaking: “How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning and the fools hate knowledge. Turn ye at My reproof. Behold I will pour out My Spirit unto you. I will make known My words unto you, because I have called and ye refused. I’ve stretched My hand and no man regarded, but ye have set at naught all My counsel and would none of My reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity and I will mock when your fear cometh.” Isn’t this plain that He can be resisted? Go on down to verse 27-33: “When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you: then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

 

There is no such thing as forced love. The idea that God has some irresistible grace, something that when you say, “I don’t want to be saved!” and He says, “Well, you’re going to be saved! I am going to make you love me!” No, that is ridiculous. That is not love at all! You become a robot! God gives us the privilege of saying “no” so that we can have the delight of saying “yes.”

 

 The last is Perseverance of the Saints. I believe in the eternal security of the believer, just as I believe in election, foreordination and predestination. But I really don’t believe it’s the perseverance of the saints. I believe it is the perseverance of the Spirit. Philippians 1:6: “He who hath begun a good work will perform it until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

The order is foreknowledge, election and predestination. Election looks backward to foreknowledge. Predestination looks forward to destiny. You see, God saw a street-fighting, teenage boy in West Palm Beach, that’s me; a fifteen year old kid getting into a lot of trouble, skipping school, getting into fights, telling lies, cheating and using bad language.

God saw that boy repenting of his sin. He said, “That’s one of My elect.” God saw him trusting Jesus and He said, “He’s one of My elect, and He’s going to be like Jesus. It is predestined.” “Whom He foreknew, them He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son.” 1 Peter 1:2: “We are elect according to the foreknowledge of God.”

Let me give you a verse. Turn to 2 Thessalonians 2. Here’s a verse that these people love to use, so let us look at it, beginning in verse 13: “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation.” Now that looks like some folks are just chosen for salvation. Again, a classic example of not finishing a verse, not reading the entire verse. “God hath chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” The ones that are chosen for salvation are the ones that the Holy Spirit of God convicts and they believe the truth.

You see its 180 degrees. It is not that they believe because they are chosen, but they are chosen through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. It is 180 degrees from what people try to twist those verses to mean. The classic verse is in Romans 9. Turn there for just a moment. Let us see Isaac and Jacob and Esau. Let’s begin in verse 10, “And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father, Isaac, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of him that calleth, it was said unto her, ‘the elder shall serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”’

Now someone will say, “There it is, folks.” Election right there in the womb. Neither one has done a thing. God says He is going to save Jacob and He is going to damn Esau. I did not read that there. It did not say anything at all about salvation. It says that the elder shall serve the younger. How do you spell salvation? S-E-R-V-E? It doesn’t mention salvation there at all. If you will read this passage of Scripture, God is talking about his dealing with the nation of Israel. This is national, not personal. He is not talking about personal salvation here and I defy you to show me where it mentions personal salvation, heaven or hell, it does not! It mentions exactly as it happened that the birthright came to the younger. Esau, the mountains of Edom and so forth became subservient to Israel.

Well, you say, “What about that part where it says ‘as it is written, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated?”’ When did He say that? He didn’t say that before the twins were born. He said that 1300 years later. That’s a quote from the Book of Malachi. That shows where God laid waste the mountains of Edom because of the sin of these people and when the Bible says that God hated, even there it does not mean that God hates as we use the word hates when we say, “I hate you.” Jesus said, “If any man come after Me and hate not father and mother and houses and lands and all that he has, he cannot be My disciple.” It means to prefer one against the other. And God deals with the nations of the world! The Jews are God’s chosen people! Here, He is talking about nations! Read the whole thing! Paul is explaining the nation Israel.