Election

Definition and Meaning

Election is the teaching that God chooses those who will attain salvation. Korean churches also refer to it as taekhasim ("God's choosing") or taekjeong ("choosing and setting apart"). It is treated within the broader doctrine of predestination. Whereas predestination refers to God's plan as a whole, election refers to the part of that plan in which he determines who will receive salvation. Denominations differ over whether the basis of election lies solely in God's will or in his foreknowledge of human faith.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, the chief example is God's choosing of Israel as his own people (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). In the New Testament, the principal texts include "he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4), as well as Romans 8:29-30, Romans 9, and 1 Peter 1:2.

In the fifth century, Augustine, in his controversy with Pelagianism, emphasized that election arises not from human merit but from God's grace. During the Reformation, John Calvin systematized this teaching. Later, Arminianism advanced "conditional election," the view that God foreknows who will believe and chooses them on that basis. In response, the Dutch Canons of Dort (1618–1619) affirmed "unconditional election," the view that election is not grounded in God's foresight of human faith or works. In the eighteenth century, John Wesley emphasized prevenient grace, which is given beforehand to all people, and the human response to it. In the twentieth century, Karl Barth reinterpreted the doctrine of election by presenting Jesus Christ as both "the electing God and the elected man."

Practice in the Korean Church

Most Korean Presbyterian denominations adopt the Westminster Confession of Faith as their doctrinal standard. These denominations teach unconditional election and connect it with the perseverance of the saints, the teaching that the elect will never finally fall away from salvation.

Denominations in the Wesleyan tradition, such as the Korean Methodist Church and the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church, generally lean toward an understanding that emphasizes the human response of faith together with God's grace. Pentecostal bodies such as the Korea Assemblies of God hold a similar view. Because Baptists place great weight on the autonomy of the local church, both Calvinist and non-Calvinist views are found among them, depending on the congregation and pastor.

In congregational life, expressions such as "God's chosen people" and "his chosen children" are widely used in prayer, preaching, and hymns. Questions about the doctrine of election frequently arise in connection with assurance of salvation, the motivation for evangelism, and human responsibility. Discussion of human responsibility and free will in particular is treated in the article Predestination and Free Will.