How the Bible Defines: Election

Greetings. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Election. Sometimes I am called Elect, and sometimes Chosen depending on the context and who is speaking. Anyhow, I want to thank you for taking the time to get to know me for who I am. Over the years I have seen many people mistakenly assume they knew me well. Some embraced me as if I were a trophy, or held me aloft like a theological banner. But there are others who cringe when I enter a room as if they preferred I didn’t exist. They avert their eyes and refuse to look at me, as if I were an enemy who would capture and imprison them if they looked directly at me. But I’m not a monster. In fact, I think if those who feared me knew me for who I am, they would love me and rejoice to be with me.

Not that I blame people for disliking me. If I were actually like what many people claim, I wouldn’t want to share a room with myself either. I’ve seen what some people have said about me, and to be honest, I don’t know where these definitions originated. But there seems to be a growing trend among people to assume these definitions are true and accurate portrayals of who I am. Do you know what definitions I’m talking about? They go something like this, “Elect: chosen, chosen by God: to obtain salvation.” I have seen this kind of definition on multiple websites, in many commentaries, and increasingly in study Bibles. Even some dictionaries will slip in a definition like this. But I tell you, that isn’t me.

Or at least, it wasn’t me. I realize that as a member of a living language, my definition may change over time. Once a definition begins to stick to a word, it kind of defines who we are. But, as a member of the Greek language, “chosen by God for salvation” was not a definition I originally carried. That definition was attached to me sometime after the Holy Scriptures were completed. Looking back, I can see it was after I was given that definition that people began to dislike and avoid me. So, I really appreciate you taking the time to look a little closer at me and perhaps begin to see the beauty God intended to display in me.

Where to start in explaining who I really am? I think maybe a good starting point is to share that, as a scriptural Greek word, I had three forms. Scholars tell me that my original form was that of a simple verb, an action word. From my verb form (eklegomai) came an adjective (eklektos), and then a noun (eklogē). Similar to many other words, each of my forms were closely related but carried different connotations. Please don't feel that you need to memorize the Greek words, for I will reference each form using the associated Strong’s number. In some ways, numbers are easier to keep track of, and maybe a little easier to understand (especially if you are not familiar with Greek).

Verb Form

My Greek verb form was assigned the number G1586. As a typical verb, I described an action performed by an individual. The action I described was a choice, a selection. Not just any random choice, mind you, but a deliberate and careful selection of an object for one’s self. Of course, having limited scope regarding the type of choice I described reduced the number of times I was used in Scripture, but I don't mind. I'm not the type of word that feels the need to be used all over the place. In my opinion, the more frequently a word is used, the less intrigue it has. Besides, I am used more frequently than some of the other words, such as “Propitiation.”

As I was saying, my verb form described a deliberate choice. An example of this kind of choice is in the story of Lot when he separated from Abram. After evaluating the surrounding region, Lot chose (that's my verb form!) the plains of Jordan for himself. You can see that I didn't bother with the little choices of life. I described the big, significant choices, where careful consideration was involved. Of course, Lot's choice turned out to be a poor one, but I didn't discriminate on the quality of the choice I described, so long as it had significance.

On occasion, I have had the honor of being used to describe a choice made by God Himself. Actually, not to brag, but, more than once I was called upon to describe God's choices. A few examples include the choice of Aaron to be the priest, and the choice of Jerusalem as a place where He would set His name. There was also His choice of the twelve apostles. Oh yes, and the choice of Israel as the people of God. That was a big choice. There were a few other choices, but there was one choice that Scripture never employed me to describe, and that was: the choice of certain individuals to receive righteousness or salvation. I imagine that will surprise some people, but it’s true. I will not expand on this now, but it will be discussed in greater detail later on.

Adjective Form

Moving on to my adjective form, it was given the Strong's number of G1588. Typical of adjectives, this form was used to describe an object, to make clear the type of object. If one didn't know better, one might predict that my adjective was used to describe an object as a selected object. For example, the chosen plains of Jordan; that is, the selected plains. Indeed, there were occasions when my adjective form was used in this way, but they were rare. Instead, my adjective usually described an object as desirable, something that would certainly be selected if there was a choice to be made.