DOES ROMANS 8:33 TEACH UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION?
March 29, 2019
READ TIME: 1 MINUTE
QUESTION: Does Romans 8:33 teach unconditional election?
ANSWER: It’s clear the elect, in this case, are believers, but nothing is said as to how they attained that
status and certainly, nothing is said regarding any pre-creation, unconditional election unto eternal life.
This verse doesn’t teach that election is a decree of God, that it is eternal, that it is unconditional, or that it results in salvation. The word “elect” in this verse is simply a title for NT believers signifying valuation or worth and appraisal or assessment. Thus, its use parallels the election of Jesus Christ and the angels. As in Luke 18:7, nothing is said in this verse about how, why, or when anyone came to be called “elect.” The Calvinist would want us to think that just because the verse contains the word “elect” that his doctrine of Unconditional Election must be biblical. It’s clear from this verse and many similar verses that no one is elect until he is saved. The elect are said to be justified (this verse), they are depicted as holy and beloved (Col 3:12), and they have faith (Titus 1:1).
SOURCES USED
Badger, Anthony B. Confronting Calvinism: A Free Grace Refutation and Biblical Resolution of Radical Reformed Soteriology, page 180.
Vance, Laurence M. The Other Side of Calvinism, pages 376-377.