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Great question! I guess it would help us to understand who the “elect” really are. Biblically, it would appear that the elect are those who choose to cooperate with the leading of the Holy Spirit in salvation and obedience and who endure in faith until the end. The Scriptures tell us that the elect are those whom God has foreknown from eternity past that would so cooperate and so endure (Romans 8:29-30). But God’s election in the sense of his foreknowledge is not arbitrary. The Scriptures are loaded with warnings about the dangers of falling away if a believer is not actively pursuing authentic spiritual transformation in the Lord. This is particularly evident in Scriptures like Hebrews 6:4-6 and 2 Peter 1:3-11. Peter admonishes us to make every effort to improve in godly qualities such as knowledge, virtue, self-control, and love, and to be visibly increasing in these qualities regularly in order to assure our calling and our election. This does not mean that we must be perfect to be elect, but it does mean that we must consistently position ourselves such that we are in cooperation with the Holy Spirit’s transforming power in our lives, and this requires choice and effort on our part. 

This does not mean that we are saving ourselves, but that we are continually and intentionally abiding in Christ, exercising our faith by saying “yes” to the Word of God and the leading of the Spirit, and increasingly exhibiting authentic spiritual fruit in our lives. This is how we acquire objective assurance and emotional confidence that we are among the elect, as we increasingly desire God’s will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else, and as we become increasingly indifferent to worldly attractions and outcomes as did both Mary and Jesus when they said “yes” to their callings. 

I would encourage you to read and reflect upon John 15:1-17 and Matthew 13:1-9 and 18-30 to get an idea of how Jesus understood the nature of election in a practical sense. There is certainly an element of mystery involved when wrestling with God’s sovereignty and man’s free will within the theological framework of election and obedience, and we need to be humble enough to submit to this and not obsess ourselves with over-rationalizing or rigid dogmatism regarding this topic. Nonetheless, the Scriptures give us many clues that enable us to understand that election is a doctrine that should, on the one hand, give us great peace and rest for our souls, and on the other hand, compel us to make every effort to pray, serve, and bear much fruit as we grow in our love for God and work toward the expansion and the coming of God’s kingdom (Romans 10:14-15). 

Blessings,

Arnie Gentile

mychristianapologetics.com