Election in Protestant Doctrine
Pope Shenouda III addresses the subject of election and responds to the Protestant understanding that God has chosen certain people for salvation and that they cannot perish.
He explains that faith alone does not mean that a person has become chosen in a way that cannot change, because Scripture presents examples of people who believed and then apostatized or walked in sin.
He emphasizes that God desires the salvation of everyone, and that election related to salvation is not based on divine favoritism or injustice toward others.
He also explains that God has given human beings free will, and therefore their response to God’s call and their walk in the path of goodness are connected to their personal choice.
Spiritual Message
The teaching emphasizes that divine grace works together with the human person, but the person is called to cooperate with it by his own will rather than being merely a passive recipient without responsibility.
He explains that God’s foreknowledge of the future does not mean that God forces a person to make a particular choice, but that God knows beforehand what a person will freely choose.
He gives examples such as Judas, Samson, and Saul to show that calling, gifts, or ministry by themselves do not guarantee eternal destiny, because a person can use what God has given him either for good or for evil.
He also explains that spiritual and natural gifts are not the measure of salvation; what matters is how these gifts are used and how the person walks before God.
Educational Lesson
Pope Shenouda also discusses the relationship between justification and sanctification, rejecting the reduction of salvation to a single moment separated from the journey of faith, repentance, and holiness.
He emphasizes that Christian faith is not merely an intellectual acceptance of Christ, but a living and fruitful faith that works through love and bears fruit in a person’s life.
He also explains that the forgiveness of sins is connected with the work of Christ and His blood, and that a person receives the efficacy of this work through the means taught by Christian teaching, including faith, baptism, and repentance.
Practical Spiritual Application
The practical application is for a person to live in spiritual watchfulness and not rely merely on a calling, a gift, or theoretical knowledge of the faith.
He should abide in God, struggle against sin, use his gifts for good, and respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in his life through his free will.
A person is responsible for his choices and conduct; therefore, the commandment, spiritual struggle, reward, and punishment have meaning, and Christian life becomes a continual journey of faith, repentance, and holiness.
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