Over the last few days, another election cycle has been closing in on us here in the United States. Now that the final votes are cast and are being counted and winners, and losers, are being declared, some people are gleeful, while others are sad, and some are fearful, while others are despairing.
Some therapists have noted that many individuals will be suffering from Post-Election Stress Disorder (PESD) or some other form of depression after the elections, even for a few days. Most individuals I know have said they are glad it is over. The last two years that the cycle has been in play were profoundly stressful, to put it mildly.
The appeals and pressures of the two major parties to motivate their own to vote or to sway undecided voters their way have been challenging, especially in a pandemic. It is of interest that some people have even used threats to get individuals to vote or not to vote. But winners claim that their efforts have paid dividends, as evidenced in the results they have worked so diligently to achieve.
What is of interest to me, is, to ask, how many workers or participants in the elective process, whether by voting, encouraging others to vote, or donating to the party of their choice, are as diligent about their “calling” and “election” for the kingdom of God? I am not sure how many might think that there might be such an intersection as I wish to draw, but there is a connection for me.
What I am asking of others I am asking of myself also. How diligent am I as I think about securing God’s kingdom? It is not that I do not know my own heart, but I do want the assurance that the same judgment I bring on myself reflects that which God is bringing on me. Or put another way, I need that clear-eyed vision to determine if my participation in the divine election is assured.
Yes, what has bought me to see the intersection, as I have, are the words of the Apostle Peter, as he wrote to the church he pastored:
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:10-12 NKJV, (Emphasis mine)
Growing up in the days when we read the passage in the Old King James Version, we recited it thus “make your calling and election sure,” then came the New International Version, which puts it thus, “make every effort to confirm your calling and election.” The question we asked was, what does such a phrase mean? I asked the question, personally, thinking that it was our privilege to cast a vote as participants in the divine election and hope that we would be on the winning side.
But then I came to realize that the election and the calling were not what I did, but it was what God has done for me from the foundation of the world and ratified at the cross through the death of his Son Jesus Christ. So it was up to me to cast my vote or make my choice or give my heart on the side that God has already chosen for me.
As is clearly to be understood, God is the one who does the calling and electing of all who will believe. One popularly quoted text from Scripture confirms this:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. – John 3:16 NKJV. (Emphasis mine).
Yes, the phrase “Whoever believes in Him” confirms the openness of the divine election. This thought is most significant because God does not force anyone to accept it. It is a free offer of salvation by faith. Alongside the calling and the election, there is a promise of the kingdom that is sure and steadfast.
It is not the kind of empty promise made in election seasons in just about every country of the world. It is not the kind of fantasy that the devil waves before us, as he did to Christ when he took him to the top of the hill and showed him “the kingdoms of the world, and their splendor” and said, “all these will I give to you if you will fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8, 9)
Yes, the calling and election are “sure.” They are already certified. Any effort that is made to secure them will not be frustrated. Peter’s encouragement for each of us who wishes to secure them is to be diligent in faith. Read his encouragement about diligence in the earlier part of the chapter. You will note that he says we must add godly qualities to our faith, such as goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)
By adding these qualities, a person will not “stumble” but will receive a rich “welcome into the eternal kingdom” of God. Many are saying that the election just past is not to be about character, but policies. I beg to differ, because character determine policies. Let us remind ourselves, that God looks at character before actions or anything else. It is about character.
I need not say more on this, except to encourage you, as a reader, to “make your calling and election sure.”
