Election or Evangelism? Which paradigm is right? And they are paradigms! They are flavours of thinking that settle questions and decide actions before cognitive reasoning manages to assert itself and actually allow us to think things through.

Election

Based on many scriptures like Mark 13:27 which point to God’s very purposeful choosing of some people for salvation and His clear rejection of others. In the paradigm of election, evangelism seems somewhat mute and pointless against the breadth of God’s power to pre-determine things according to His own thoughts. To the elect, effort can seem somewhat pointless; as God has chosen us and nothing I do changes this. Sin and repentance can seem almost trivial beyond the moment of conversion. Fellowship with the saints doesn’t carry urgency. And righteous ‘works’ are only likely only motivated out of humanistic compassion. ‘I am elected to salvation, and this, by grace.’

Evangelism

Again based on many scriptures (like Matthew 28:19), the paradigm of evangelism defers always to the importance and sufficiency of our works. We must witness. We must make disciples. We must instruct about sin’s sinfulness, confession and repentance. We take people and baptise them, disciple them, teach them, pray for them, intercede for them, and save them from an eternity of separation from God. And nations must be challenged. Without our actions and interventions, a person may go to hell. Evangelism upholds the thought that everyone is master of their own destiny, and not God. We must keep our salvation by holding tight to Christ, remaining in close fellowship with Him, praying always with all kinds of prayers, and staying closely in God’s Word.

So which is it?

Typically Pentecostals like myself find they have both paradigms operating at the same time, often in conflict. Neither convinced that our efforts are trivial, nor convinced we should be doing nothing. Fully comfortable in our election yet ceaselessly motivated to evangelise. We acknowledge that God himself is perfectly comfortably with the tension between paradigms.

In truth, God has always chosen to reveal his love for all, through people. People connect with people. And being God, His revelations to us are but glimpses of the edges of His thoughts, reasons and plans. So we find not only does He have a will independent of us, He also knows who will choose Him, and how this will come to pass. Thus we should neither stop telling people about God, nor every question the security and capacity of grace to save despite us.

Election through evangelism? Evangelism serving election?

So we find that election reassures us we are safe in God’s hands, and evangelism reassures us we are not robots. Election compels evangelism to walk in grace and not be forceful and intense; and evangelism in turn compels the elect to understand just what a blessing is to to be able to say yes to God.

Got it? Simple aye.