Importance of Election/God's Sovereignty

[Bondman]

How important is election? I am newly reformed and I'm thinking that if someone is truly Arminian, isn't that a works-based salvation? Do we just say that they are confused?

Also, the truth of election inevitable comes up whenever I share the gospel. I tell people to pray and ask God for grace and mercy that He would enlighten them since they are naturally dead in trespasses and sins and would in no other way receive the truth. An elder recently advised me not to even mention election in evangelizing. Thoughts?

 

[Devin]

Here's my

Martin Luther once said something to the effect that the debate on freewill is important because we need to know how much to praise God for our salvation. We need to know how much to attribute to ourselves and to our God. While free will is related, I think this sentiment also applies to election.

At its worst, Arminianism can become a works-based salvation (look at Dan Corner for example). However, you'll find most Arminians know the catchphrases of evangelical Christianity. If you ask them if they believe they're saved by works, their internal alarms will go off and they'll strongly deny it. But, if you start to push them in certain areas, they find it hard to reconcile Arminianism and sola gratia.

Anyways, let me get back to election itself. Once you study the doctrine, it opens your eyes more and more as to how important and foundational to so many other areas of theology and the Christian life. It effects worship, evangelization, sanctification, how you read the Bible in general, etc, etc. Thus, it is a very, very important doctrine.

That being said, I think it could be argued that there are other doctrines more important and more in need of being proclaimed in our modern context. Justification, while not unconnected to election, is obviously one of the big ones, but there are others. Right now, it seems to me that one of the main issues is apply sola scriptura instead of just affirming it. If it was applied more often and with greater seriousness, these other doctrines would be addressed too.