There are many doctrines in the Bible, and there are many concepts and ideas that remain difficult to understand. Yet what is never confusing or hard to comprehend is a good old-fashioned story about two brothers. And so, in this episode, I will talk about the doctrine of election, which will be made simple and clear through an Old Testament narrative about Jacob and Esau.
Let’s begin with the text. Genesis 25:19–26 says:
Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham became the father of Isaac; and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger.”
When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them.
What the rest of the Old Testament story about the brothers makes clear is that the younger twin, Jacob, was chosen, while the older, Esau, was not. To put it plainly, Jacob was subsequently saved, while Esau was not (see also Romans 9:6–13). Even more, before either twin was even born, God told Rebekah that “the older shall serve the younger.” This meant that before either child could do anything, it was already predetermined who would be selected. So, in recognition of this fact, what made Jacob so special? After all, the firstborn being the servant spat in the face of everything good and decent. Culturally, it was offensive for the second-born to come in first place, so how are we to understand Jacob being chosen over his brother?
Jacob owed his supremacy to sovereign election. And what is election? In plain language, election means that God elects or chooses some people to be saved. Hence, Jacob was not inherently special but was made special because of God. Everyone who is elected is ultimately saved, and thus, everyone who is elected goes on to heaven. The Westminster Confession of Faith says (III, 2–5):
“Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions; yet hath He not decreed any thing because He foresaw it as future, as that which would come to pass, upon such conditions.
By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death.
These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite that it can not be either increased or diminished.
Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of His free grace and love alone, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto; and all to the praise of His glorious grace.”
For additional Scripture references, see Acts 13:48, Romans 8:29, Ephesians 1:4, and II Thessalonians 2:13.
Because Jacob owed his determination to sovereign election, he did not owe his election to natural rights. He could not look to his parents, to who he was, or to what he did to explain why God chose him, for as Romans 9:10–11 says (italics mine):
[I]t is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” And not only that, but there was also Rebekah, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls.
Consequently, the reason anyone has ever been saved is that God first elected them.
But let’s explore the dynamics of Jacob and Esau further. What else can we glean from a plain reading of Genesis 25:19–26?
First, Jacob and Esau were twins—meaning that biologically, they both came from the same source, and neither had an advantage over the other. They both grew and developed in the same womb, so even their environments were the same. Yet they were not equal when it came to election. This tells us that even under the Old Covenant, being chosen was independent of biology. This fact finds additional proof in the life of Abraham, who fathered Ishmael, Isaac, and many other offspring (Genesis 25:1–11). Yet, only Isaac was the child of the promise.
And so, getting back to Jacob and Esau—because election is independent of biology, being born of Abraham wasn’t good enough. Being born of Isaac wasn’t good enough. Even being born first wasn’t good enough. God simply chooses whom He decides to choose, for He will have mercy on whom He will (Romans 9:15). Election is all of grace.
Second, to demonstrate that it was decidedly His choice, God reversed the small distinction Esau did have⎯being born first⎯and chose Jacob.
Third, God’s purpose was stated before either child was born. This means that election was not conditional upon either twin’s performance but unconditional based on God alone.
At least one person is thinking to themselves that election doesn’t seem fair. They may object and even suggest that there is injustice in God because He elects some and not all. This is exactly the issue the apostle Paul raises in Romans 9 when he uses the story of Jacob and Esau to highlight the sovereignty of God in election. Romans 9:14–18 says:
What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? Far from it! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.” So then, it does not depend on the person who wants it nor the one who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
In other words, the apostle answers the objection of the so-called “injustice” of election by grounding our thinking in the divine nature—that is, the fact that God is merciful. Mercy is not deserved; mercy is given freely. Mercy is also not fair because fairness demands getting what you deserve.
You see, by nature, all sinners deserve justice—that is, not to be elected. If everyone deserves to be condemned, then the great mystery is why God would show mercy to anyone. The answer, of course, is because God is merciful. And since God owes mercy to no one, there is no injustice when mercy is not shown. Furthermore, the next verses in the Jacob and Esau story show us (Genesis 25:27–34) that the birthright Esau did have, he gave away in a moment of hunger for a bowl of stew. Accordingly, Esau gave up something precious and eternal to satisfy his own appetite right now. The point is that no unfairness was done to Esau because he merely lost what he regarded as having no value. In contrast, even though he may have been a “trickster,” Jacob saw the benefits of being an heir to a divine promise and wanted to have the status of the firstborn. The point is that whether a person is elect or non-elect, their ultimate attitude toward God reflects their election.
Another Old Testament illustration of this dynamic can be seen in the days of Noah. Yes, on the one hand, God only chose to preserve eight people on planet Earth in the ark. On the other hand, even though they had more than a century to repent, the masses did not seek refuge in the only vessel that would deliver them. Noah never had to fight away masses at the door of the ark when the Flood came. People merely continued doing what they were doing because the ark was not important to them.
Perhaps there is a more sanctified Bible interpreter who can see a clear picture of Christ in the birth narrative of Jacob and Esau. I certainly cannot, but what is made abundantly clear in the rest of the canon of Scripture is that election cannot be separated from redemption. After all, a person can be chosen, but then you must ask, “Chosen for what?” The answer, of course, is that the elect is chosen for redemption (again, see Romans 8:28–30 and Ephesians 1:4–5). As II Thessalonians 2:13 says:
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
Where a crystal-clear connection to Christ becomes evident is in how election plays out in the drama of redemption. That is to say, God is merciful, but He is also just. He cannot choose you and then assign you a seat in Paradise without dealing with your sin problem. Hence, when Christ died on the Cross, He died to pay the penalty for all the sins of the elect. Redemption is therefore particular (not universal), and this theme runs through the whole Bible: There is always a portion faithfully following God, while the rest rebel against Him. Election is therefore actualized in the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. All the elect will one day rise to glory with Christ.
Election is one of those doctrines that may rub some people the wrong way because it is an offense to the self that wants to take all the credit. Yet, if anything, election both deepens our appreciation of God and gives us a resilient hope.
You see, whenever we decide to help someone, we tend to ask two questions. First, we ask, “Do they deserve help?” The second question we ask is, “Will this inconvenience me?” But God doesn’t think like that. None of us deserved His help. And our redemption most certainly inconvenienced God because it cost Him His Son. Yet, He still helped us because we needed help. That’s how divine logic works: Help those who need help. Period. No qualifiers. And the love of God is so profound because He died for those who were actively rebelling against Him. As it says in Romans 5:8–11:
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
So election deepens our appreciation and adoration of God for His love—for His choosing us when we ought to have been passed over.
Even more, election also gives us a God-glorifying, Christ-celebrating, resilient hope. Why is that? Because if God chooses you, no one can un-choose you. Once God chooses you, you are chosen forever because the Lord neither makes mistakes nor changes His mind. Why would a feeble, frail, and fallen sinner be better off with any other predicament? As Jesus says in John 6:37–39:
Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of everything that He has given Me I will lose nothing, but will raise it up on the last day.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal