Election in Salvation
God wants all to be saved, God
makes it possible for all to be saved, God offers help and aid so that all can
be saved, and yet, God forces no one to be saved...
The ideal in a democracy is for every eligible
and well-informed citizen to exercise his right to vote, and (barring due
process for disenfranchisement) that right to vote is a sacrosanct privilege
and responsibility guaranteed by the country's constitution, for without it, no
nation can be recognized as a true democracy.
This ideal of 100% participation in an
election is an actual possibility: even hillbillies in the remotest backwoods,
and those burdened with illiteracy or physical handicaps are enfranchised, for
the government must provide sufficient polling places as well as recourse to
absentee ballots so that no qualified citizen is denied the opportunity to cast
his vote. And of course, citizens are not merely given the opportunity to vote,
we are positively encouraged and aided in this regard!
However, no election comes close to that ideal
level of participation - not because it's an impossibility, not because it's
discouraged or impeded, but only because citizens are not forced to vote, and
so many tragically choose not to be a part of the election process. In the last
American presidential election, for instance, fewer than 60% of eligible voters
cast a ballot. For the "off-years," when the White House is not up
for grabs, the national turnout for congressional, state, and local elections
is invariably less than 50%.
Now, I offer these sobering statistics not
only to perhaps inspire more conscientious citizenship in our earthly
democracies, but even more importantly, to cultivate future citizenship in the
heavenly theocracy, because, as I will explain, the issue of ideal vs. actual
voter participation parallels the issue of ideal vs. actual creature salvation.
It is not the intention or desire of God that
any person He creates suffers eternal damnation. Rather, the ideal would be for
every single rational creature of God to elect to take part in God's plan of
salvation. And God makes this an actual possibility: even those Stone Age men
born into the most pagan and savage tribes of long ago could embrace salvation
through faithfulness to the God-given light of conscience and the unflagging
pursuit of Truth. The psalm sings of this universal divine appeal: "Praise
the Lord, all you nations, glorify Him, all you peoples!"
But it wasn't enough for God in His plan of
creation to make salvation possible for all - God deigned to encourage and aid
His children in every way possible, and so He enlightened our world with Divine
Revelation, beginning with His chosen people, and then, as Isaiah reminds us,
proceeding "to gather nations of every language." And with Godly
Grace, He holds out His helping hand at every moment to guide and discipline
us, to keep us on the straight path to Him through the narrow gate.
God wants all to be saved, God makes it
possible for all to be saved, God offers help and aid so that all can be saved,
and yet, God forces no one to be saved, and so many tragically choose not to be
a part of the salvation process! People elect to ignore God's commands and the
light of conscience. They are seduced by this world's empty campaign promises,
and thus cast off divine discipline in order to cast their lot with lewd
licentiousness. They stand up to be counted as pro-choice for the most selfish
pursuits, even at the cost of innocent lives. They ratify immorality and
endorse Godlessness and blasphemy. And more often than not, they vote with
their feet to absent themselves from God's house, forgetting that the day will
come when, having thus disenfranchised themselves, they will find the door
locked for an eternal term, and the Voice from within saying, "Depart from
Me, all you evildoers!"