The Established Path of Discipleship

Like many of you, I’m sure, I breathed a sigh of relief when the 2024 election finally came to an end. No more political flyers cluttering our mailboxes, no more incessant robocalls, and no more apocalyptic warnings about the ‘most important election ever ‘. While I’ve always believed in the significance of elections and have dutifully cast my vote in each one, there’s a different kind of election that holds the ultimate importance: the one we learn about in the Bible.

One thing caught my interest as I listened to the various pundits analyzing the 2024 election results. They pointed out that President-elect Trump received an increase in votes from minorities, which means his voter base was more diverse than before. Based on this statistic, some political analysts hoped for greater unity in our country. One can hope, of course, but recent political history does not point to increased unity.

Listening to election analysis caused me to reflect on the most important election. Election is God choosing/electing to save individuals solely based on his good pleasure and divine will, not on foreseen faith or works. By ‘foreseen faith or works ‘, I mean that God’s choice is not based on any action or belief that he foresaw in us, but purely on his own will and pleasure. This election took place before the foundation of the world. This post is not meant to be an exhaustive treatment of election. Instead, I want to focus on a beautiful aspect of election: unity.

One of the most beautiful scenes in the book of Revelation is the diverse multitude gathered to worship Jesus in Revelation 7:7-12. This unified family of God, representing every nation, tongue, and tribe, proclaims, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Rev. 7:10)! This diverse multitude, with its rich tapestry of cultures and languages, underscores the inclusivity of God’s plan for salvation.

Revelation 13:8 and 17:8 indicate when this diverse multitude was chosen/elected: from before the foundation of the world. By ‘diverse multitude ‘, I mean a group of people from every ethnicity in the world. My point is this: when God chose to save and redeem a people for himself, he chose people from every ethnicity in the world. Not one ethnic group will be left out. God and only God can bring true unity where all people are made one in Christ (Eph. 2:14-15). Christ accomplished this unity through his life, death, and resurrection. He made one new man out of the two—a new humanity created in the likeness of Christ.

The most important election is when God, the Trinity (Tri-Unity), chose to elect individuals from every nation, tongue, and tribe to be his children. We, the Church, the elect, experience only glimpses of that unity in this fallen world broken by sin. One day, however, we will be a part of that diverse multitude worshipping before his throne. One day, we will dwell with the one who is perfect in unity in the new heaven and earth, which he has prepared for his elect. This ‘new heaven and earth’ refers to the future state, where there will be no more sin or suffering, and God’s elect will dwell in perfect unity with him.