Canons of Dordt (14)

There is a sovereign election of sinners. The Scriptures speak clearly of this election. The question is: How do we know whether we are chosen? Our fathers mentioned the fruits of election, such as true faith in Christ, filial fear, a godly sorrow for sin, and a hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

So it is possible to attain assurance of this eternal and unchangeable election. This assurance will not make us proud and big people. It will lead to humiliation and thanksgiving. This we read in Article 13:

The sense and certainty of this election afford to the children of God additional matter for daily humiliation before Him, for adoring the depths of His mercies, for cleansing themselves, and rendering grateful returns of ardent love to Him, who first manifested so great love towards them. The consideration of this doctrine of election is so far from encouraging remissness in the observance of the divine commands or from sinking men in carnal security, that these, in the just judgment of God, are the usual effects of rash presumption, or of idle and wanton trifling with the grace of election in those who refuse to walk in the ways of the elect.

Grace humbles man and makes him small before God. It never makes high-minded and proud Christians. Pride always comes from the corrupt nature of man, which wants to exalt himself above God and his fellow creatures. Therefore it can never be the fruit of the gracious assurance of our election in Christ. For this election implies that it is a free and sovereign act of God and that there was not any reason in man that he was chosen. If one truly lives out of the fruits of election, something else will be seen in his or her life.

Four Consequences of this Assurance

Our fathers mention four consequences of this assurance.

A daily humiliation before God. If we really have been shown what unworthy, undeserving creatures we are, then this election will be a wonder to us, a wonder that makes us small. That which comes from heaven brings man down into the dust before God. That which comes from man makes him important and exalts the creature. Therefore almost- Christians, no matter how orthodox and humble their talk, miss that true humility and do not know that place in the dust before God. However, the more grace God gives, the deeper we will bow before that great, merciful, gracious God, who looked upon one who never would have asked for Him.

Adoring the depth of His mercies. When faith may be in exercise and we, by the Spirit's testimony, may know the things that are freely given to us, we will adore God's sovereign mercy. We will worship Him. That teaching of the Holy Spirit is so necessary. The more we learn to know of our sin, guilt, and misery, the more we will learn to know the necessity and preciousness of Christ. If we may see the condescending love of God in Him who is the unspeakable Gift, and we may know something of His sovereign, electing grace through Christ, it will bring us to adoration and worship.

Cleansing themselves. The sense and certainty of election will also lead to sanctification. This cleansing of ourselves means that there is a heartfelt desire to purify body and soul from sin, that is, to live holily before God. Then we hate sin, seek to flee from it, and earnestly desire to live a life of gratitude to God in the fear of His Name. In a way of continuing discovery we will understand that all we can bring forth is but stinking fruit; but we will beseech the Lord to renew us, that we may be temples of the Holy Ghost. We will grieve over our failures and that we still offend such a gracious and merciful God, and we will seek the sanctifying power of the risen Christ.

Rendering grateful returns of ardent love to Him. The love of God shown to enemies will break the hardest hearts, and the more we learn of that undeserved love to those who continue to sin against Him, the more it will kindle our love in return to Him. As the apostle said, “We love Him, because He first loved us.” Love does not want to offend the object of its love, but on the contrary, it desires to please it. So the sense and certainty of God's election will give us the earnest desire to glorify Him, also in our walk. There are no words to describe what this means, “Who first manifested so great love towards them.”

False Accusations

No, this will never make us careless or slothful in the observance of God's commandments. This was the false accusation of the Remonstrants against our Reformed fathers. They said, “Your doctrine of election makes man carnal and careless. For it does not matter how you live; if you are chosen, you will be saved anyway. You may as well sin and live as you want.”

This accusation has no ground at all. We have seen that the fruits of the knowledge of our election are humility, adoration, sanctification, and a heartfelt love to Him.

However, there are indeed people who misuse this doctrine greatly. They do not know that God's service is a service of love. There are indeed those who presume they belong to the people of God, while they do not know the longing for and pursuing after a righteous walk and life before God and have no desire to be delivered from their sin. They “refuse to walk in the ways of the elect.”

It is evident that our fathers spoke of two kinds of people: those who truly are humbled and love the Lord; and those who live with vain presumptions but have no desire to walk in God's ways. However, God sends also His calling to the unconverted, “Repent ye and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Our Responsibility

God's decrees also include our responsibility. If we live under God's Word, we are called sincerely by Him to salvation. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none beside Me.” God's ambassadors pray in Christ's stead, “Be ye reconciled to God.” It will increase our judgment if we have lived under the gospel callings and have neglected so great salvation. The apostle Paul earnestly admonished those who profess the name of the Savior, “And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).

There is therefore the question, “Where do we stand before God?” God's dear children know something of indwelling pride, and they see that there is so little of tenderness and a humble walk before God. They are afraid of deceiving themselves, and therefore they often pray with Psalm 139, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

How necessary self-examination is for all of us. Paul warned in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”

Are you glad that there is an all-knowing God? Can you say with Peter, “Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee”?

O wonder of grace if we, by the light of Word and Spirit, may see the fruits of God's sovereign election in our life. It will lead to spiritual joy, a holy delight, and cause us to worship and praise Him.

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