So, I'm looking into the perspectives of Corporate and Individual Election in the Christian Church. The two main types of individual election are Conditional Election from a Wesleyan viewpoint and Unconditional Election from a Calvinist Viewpoint. Corporate Election is speaking of the nation of Israel and is being used in a shrewd attempt to put a halt to the Calvinist insistence that election is unconditional and act of the Sovereign will of God over totally depraved fallen man.
Scriptures for Unconditional Election: Ephesians 1:4, Acts 13:48, Romans 8:29, Romans 9:16, Romans 9:11-13, John 6:44. This list is by no means exhaustive in relation to the scriptures that support Calvinism.
Scriptures for Conditional Election: Ezekiel18:23, Ezekiel 33:11, Job 37:23, John 3:16, Acts 13:48, Romans 10:9, 1Timothy 2:3-6, John 12:32, 2Corinthians 5:14, 2Corinthians 5:15, 1John 2:2. Again, this list is by no means exhaustive in relation to the scriptures the support Wesleyan Arminianism.
If I didn't have the choice of conditional election saying that we have a choice to accept salvation over unconditional election saying we don't have a choice in the matter at all. I would might choose Corporate Election because it is about the predestination of the Nation of Israel in the Second Temple period and can be applied to the Corporate Election of the Church in the Church Age. In this view Christ Jesus is the Elect-One and all of the Christians and His Church are Corporately elect in him. This view of the Second Temple period and is that of the people of Israel in Jesus time and later in the apostle Paul's time. In this ideology Predestination is not about personal election as much as becoming a part of the Corporate Church through the elect one Christ Jesus. Where people are also often elected for a specific purpose which would relate to those called to salvation.
Calvinism and Predestination tends to generate more heat than light really. When you read Tulip with its Total Depravity; Unconditional Election; Limited Atonement; Irresistible Grace; Perseverance of the Saints. It may sound reasonable. In fact, when you read Romans chapters eight and nine and John 6:44 where Jesus says no one comes to me unless the Father draws him near to me. It may seem like game over and victory won to John Calvin.
However, that doesn't explain scriptures like Ezekiel 18 "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? Or Ezekiel 33:11 " Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?" Where God seems to be saying it is very definitely up the individual Israelite to take responsibility for their wrongdoing and to turn back to the Lord and repent in righteousness.
It doesn't explain those scriptures the state that Christ died for all like John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 1 John 2:2 "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." Hebrews 2:9 "But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." John 1:29 "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." All here being all of Israel. 1 Timothy 4:10 "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe." 2 Corinthians 5:15 "And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." ESV
So just as we are all predestined from the foundation of the World and can't come near to Christ Jesus lest the Father draws us near to him. There is no doubt Predestination is a definite theme in scripture. However, It is also fair to say that the atonement of Christ Jesus is unlimited. That Jesus died that all might be saved and through the delivery of the gospel to the World all are drawn near to Christ. Though, not all will avail themselves of God's Grace through the gospel and by believing on the Saviour.
Provision is made for them and in accordance with Jesus' description in the Parable of the Sower. Matthew 13: 2-9 "And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A Sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear."
All hear the good news of the gospel but not all will repent and some who are moved by the gospel will not go on in the faith. Others will repent and lead fruitful lives in Jesus Christ.
If those who are proponents of Calvinism and Election through the Sovereignty of God were balanced they would accept that the reality is that all of mankind has choice, and exercises that choice every moment of the day, all of the time. The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5: 1-5 demonstrates this principle clearly. "Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. NIV
In fact it's like deciding to save to buy a home. Very few people believe that they will achieve that goal without a lot of hard work and determination. Almost no one would embark on such a lofty challenge and sit around waiting for God to achieve it for them out of His sovereign will. To make things happen we all accept the need to apply force and expect that to be the case. So it is with salvation. We may be depraved and lacking in the ability to make such decisions but God gives us the ability to make that choice and expects us to exercise it. Just as He expects us to repent of our sins. He has sent His Helper, the Holy Spirit, to assist us with the heavy lifting but expects us to actually do the repenting.
So in the end is Corporate Election the great solution to the Election issue or is it Conditional or Unconditional Election. I think personally the answer is no. Corporate Election applies to Israel and may apply to the Church in the Church Age but there are scriptures that apply to the individual. You can add the caveats that some are elected specifically for God's purposes but even then I tend to think this is trying to force an application on scripture that doesn't naturally apply. The reality then is that while we find ourselves a part of God's elect. In the end those who refuse to believe were still called through the gospel and given that opportunity to believe through Grace itself in the truth of the gospel. Provision was made for all and that is a solid theme in scripture. As to Calvinism let it gather dust on the shelf. Christians have other more important things to do in obeying the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20
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