Election and Free Will

Christians for years have debated over God’s election of people to salvation and people’s choice in the matter (free-will). Every time I hear that debate, I think of a story I heard about faith. A man was trapped on the roof of his house because of a great flood. He prayed for God to deliver him. Just then, a boat arrived and asked him to get in. He said, “No, I’ve prayed to God for help.” Soon, another boat came by. Again, he refused to get in, saying he was waiting for God to rescue him. Just then, a helicopter circled over him, saying it was the last chance for him to be rescued, and he waved them off, saying he was waiting for God to save him. Then he drowned. He went to heaven and asked God, “Why didn’t you rescue me, Lord? I believed that you could save me.” God answered: “Dummy, I sent you two boats and a helicopter. Why didn’t you get in one of them?”

In college, a roommate said, “In Christian life, we work as if God isn’t working. When we get to heaven, we realize he was working with us all along.” His words make sense to me. Think of Peter’s words:

“Hasten to secure your calling and election.” (2 Pet 1:10a)

If God alone was calling and electing, how could the readers hasten to secure it? Peter further said,

“By doing this, i.e., hastening to secure your calling and election, you will not fall” (2 Pet 1:10b).*

By his readers securing their calling and election, they would not fall. It seems like calling and election – God’s works – were in their hands! Perhaps it was mutual – “both . . . and” – actions all along, instead of an exclusive – “either . . . or” – situation. God had called and elected Peter’s audience, and they were to affirm it or secure it by them holding on to it, especially by adding excellence to faith, knowledge to excellence, empowerment to knowledge, perseverance to empowerment, reverence to empowerment, familial affection to reverence, and love to familial affection (1:5–7). When they added those characteristics to their Christian lives, they stood firm and didn’t fall, like a house built on a rock!

Peter had two sandwich-like structures here (also known as chiasm).

“Hasten [spudo] (v. 5) . . . . Hasten [spudo] (v. 10).”

“Add [epichoriyeo] (v. 5) . . . will be added [epichoriyeo] (v. 11).”

He wanted to show their part in salvation and God’s part in calling and electing. They both went together. Sure, God called and elected them, but they needed to add all those characteristics to their Christian living, securing their election and calling. It was like a lifeguard reaching out and grabbing a drowning person and that droving person holding on to the lifeguard with all might.

Peter concluded,

“In this way, your entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly added [epichoriyeo] to you.” (2 Pet 1:11)

People in Peter’s time knew of physical kingdoms with high walls around their cities and secured gates that only the citizens and residents could enter. Being people away from their homes, they would have felt unaccepted and unwanted by the residents. Peter affirmed that their entrance into Christ’s eternal kingdom was firmly secured, provided they kept adding other characteristics to their faith. Both . . . and.

* Peter had alliterated, repeating p three times: piudes oume pthisithe pothe.