One of the strangest things that has ever been said to me was something along the lines of

“I know the Bible talks about election, but what do you do with that?” The comment was amidst
the greater context of “practical biblical teaching.” His implication was that the doctrine of
election (though he did not deny it outright) is ethereal and has no bearing on the Christian life.
I have to say that this is a new one to me. I still shudder at the thought. One only wonders…if
election is impractical, what is practical?
There are a number of things that could be said in response, but one very practical thing
comes to my mind, namely the issue of sanctification. Sanctification is the process by which a
Christian becomes more and more like Christ – he, over time (a great many years, usually), will
find himself become more in love with Jesus and His Church. He will find that the power of sin
in his life gradually lessens over time. Sanctification is promised by God for every Christian – so
much so that those who are not sanctified are not Christians (cf. Heb 12.14).
How does the doctrine of election bring about sanctification? Well, let’s walk through
election first. Election is the doctrine which explains that God, before he created the earth,
decisively determined that particular individuals would choose to believe in Christ. The logical
consequent of this is called reprobation, the doctrine that states that those whom God did not
elect to believe in Christ will never believe in Christ.
There are many legitimate things to say, but I want to focus on one – humility. Paul says
in I Cor 1.30, “because of him you are in Christ Jesus.” God is the cause of our faith. God did not
save you because of you. He saved you because of him. Think about this – this should humble
any Christian. Christians are often quick to say “Salvation is of the Lord” but many of them will
also say, if only to themselves, “He saved me because I believed in him.” Now, this is true to a
point, but it does not answer the question of why the individual believed in him. I would like to
suggest that this is not just a point of contention between the Calvinist and the Arminian. It is
much more than that. It is a reversal of the roles of God and man. In the popular scheme, man
does the choosing and God follows suit. However, Scripture clearly says that “in love he
predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to
the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Eph 2.5-6). When
Satan tempted our first parents in the garden, note that he offered them (falsely) the opportunity
to be like God (Gen 3.5). This is the tendency of all humans – to be their own gods. And living
as if you were God is no way to fuel your sanctification.
A.W. Tozer said that the most important thing about a person is what he believes about
God. This applies here. A person who understands that God chose to rescue him from his
malady, not because of himself, but because of God’s free grace and great mercy, will naturally
be humbled by that fact. A person who maintains, against God’s Word, that his salvation is on
the grounds of his decision (or that it is an agreement between the will of God and the will of
man) will not as easily be given to humility.
If you are a preacher or a teacher (or a Christian parent!), you need to teach this to your
people, whether they are over 100 or just a few years old. God actively opposes the proud. He
gives grace to the humble. Our sanctification is on the line – and according to the author of
Hebrews, along with that lies eternal consequence of one kind or another. Take some time to
think about this and mull it over. God chooses those whom he will, because he will. Proper
thinking about God leads us to a better relationship with Him, and this is undoubtedly part of the
sanctification process. I would say that this is intensely practical.