No, this isn't a post about the presidential election . . . but the election vs. free will debate of theologians has had its own fair share of heated moments through the ages of church history. The arguments abound, and the hours I've spent discussing and musing on this particular doctrine may well outnumber any other. In the end, the doctrine of election remains both one of the most clearly stated in Scripture and one of the most paradoxical. Ephesians chapter one declares that God "chose us in Him before the foundation of the world" (v. 4), and a few verses later, we learn God's purpose in this mystery: "the praise of the glory of His grace" (v. 6). This, after all the scholarly studies and emphatic debates, is the essence of election -- God chose you, His child, not for any merit of your own, but that your ransomed life should result in praise and glory to Him.
Every point of doctrine has bearing on our lives, and it is a worthy pursuit to understand all we can about what is revealed to us. But there comes a point when the arguments must finally give way to the most basic faith: we know that somehow, God has seen fit to choose His saints, and yet legitimately include human responsibility. We may attempt to understand, to explain the paradox away, and yet it seems to me that the more we learn of the depths of God's mysteries, the more we see that is still far beyond comprehension. But for me, this brings a quiet sense of acceptance -- God is who He is, and that is enough. Whether the side I take in the election debate is correct or not, I do know that I am chosen to bring glory to my Lord, and I can do no better than this.