How The Bible Defines:
Election
clearing the muddied waters of Calvinism
What if I told you the word ‘elect’ does not mean ‘chosen by God for salvation’?
Do you get uncomfortable when someone mentions ‘the elect’ in a Bible study?
In your daily devotions, do you feel like skipping over verses that mention ‘election’ or ‘chosen’?
Do you struggle to grasp the meaning of Ephesians 1?
It is not uncommon to find the word ‘election’ defined in a Bible dictionary as ‘chosen by God for salvation’ or something similar. Many dictionaries and lexicons include an alternate definition: ‘choice, select, best in its class.’ A close look at the New Testament will reveal a number of passages where this word occurs without a clear indication of the intended definition. In these passages, how are we to determine which was the intended meaning?
How The Bible Defines: Election uses proven methods to uncover the meaning of ‘election’ and its underlying Greek words. Written to Bible students with limited knowledge of Greek, this book will:
- Reveal the identity of those whom God chose and the purpose for which He chose them.
- Uncover the scriptural meaning of election by looking at contexts in the Septuagint and the New Testament.
- List every occurrence of the underlying Greek words in the Septuagint and the New Testament.
- Refresh and encourage you in the concept as the inspired authors intended.
The Greek Old Testament is an often overlooked resource that provides rich scriptural contexts from which to derive the meaning of key biblical words. You are cordially invited to embark on an exploration of Old Testament stories and passages that contain ‘election.’ Along the way, you will see what the inspired writers meant when they used the word in certain stories, such as that of Korah’s rebellion and of the remnant in Isaiah’s prophecy. By the end, you just might find that one of the above definitions has no basis within the pages of Scripture.
The following excerpts are provided to give you a glimpse into the contents of the book. You will have the opportunity to read the introduction and the conclusion. Information that supports the conclusions are contained in the book.
Westbow Press is the publisher and the book can be obtained from their site. It can also be found on the sites of many favorite retailers, include Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and ChristianBook.com (formally CBD).
There are a number of options for obtaining a digital copy of the book. Books2Read has a current list of the options.
Sample Chapters
Introduction
Election is personified in the introduction chapter. She describes her various forms of verb, adjective, and noun.
Elect: LXX
A rather long excerpt that looks at how G1588 was used throughout the LXX. Perhaps the key contribution of the book.
Conclusion
The conclusion is split in the two chapters. The first concluding chapter takes a look at the apostles doctrine regarding election.
Finale
The final chapter of the book reviews the concept of election and how it fits within the process of salvation.