Luke 14:15-24: "When one of those reclining with Him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is everyone who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” But Jesus replied, “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many guests. When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’ The servant returned and reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ Sir,’ the servant replied, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ So the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will From <https://biblehub.com/bsb/luke/14.htm#15>
The way I understand this parable is that the wedding guests who were invited were symbolic of the nation of Israel or the Pharisees. But they refused the invitation into the Kingdom of Heaven, to the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb. So the bridegroom (Christ Jesus), rejected them and sent his servants (The Apostles) out onto the streets and highways (The World) to invite all who will come (The Poor, the Lowly and the Gentiles).
It is interesting that election here takes place by Christ's servants asking all on the streets and highways (The World), who would come, and those who were invited making a decision to accept or to reject the invitation. Those invited who rejected the invitation the Lord stated will not taste the banquet. So we can deduce that those who reject the gospel will never receive eternal life. Note that choice is clearly important to God here and it appears that the decision is wholly in the hands of the individual concerned. So there is freedom of choice in play.
This passage of scripture connects with the apostle Paul's description of the grafting in of the Wild Olives into the Olive Tree that is the Nation of Israel in Romans 11: 17-24 Where much of the nation of Israel has rejected Christ as their Lord and Saviour and as a result the Father has cut them away from the Olive Tree and grafted in Wild Olives (Christian Gentiles) in their place. This passage also hints at the possibility of those who turn from the faith losing their salvation?
Romans 11:17-24 "But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. From
<https://biblehub.com/esv/romans/11.htm>
Also related to the issue of individual election is the Parable of the Sower. Which gives a description of the mechanism by which the gospel is distributed across the many mission fields of the Earth. Again there is an inference that some folk briefly convert to Christianity and then die away after a brief foray into religious life.
Matthew 13:1-9 "That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 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.” From <https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/13.htm>
Jesus tells us that where the seed lands on the road it is consumed by birds. If the seed lands stony soil it strikes and the plant sends down a root but it fails to establish and the plant dies, In stronger soil the seed flourishes and grows and goes on to become a bountiful crop. So as the Sower (Christian) sows the seed (Gospel), if it lands on the road it is exposed to attacks from the unrighteous that consume it. If the seed lands on stony ground it may germinate but doesn't root deeply in the heart and soon passes away. Where it fell among the thorns the cares of the world grew around it and choked the young plants causing them to die away. But where the seed fell on fertile soil it grew into a strong and flourishing plant in the heart of the young Christian and grew up to yield a bountiful crop of righteousness in the service of Jesus Christ.
Again this parable is related to election and underpins the idea that "Many are Called but Few are Chosen." Here Christ Jesus indicates that the gospel goes out to all the World but only those who believe on the Saviour will know eternal life and many though they are drawn by the Father to Jesus will not accept the gospel and ultimately in rejecting Christ's redemptive work for them on the Cross will not taste Eternal Life.
In the Old Testament Isaiah chapter 49 sheds some prophetic light on how the Father would use Messiah to bring Salvation to the tribes of Israel in the later days and to the nations of the Earth. Once again there is a strong inference that Christ Jesus' redemptive work is the propitiation of sin for all the World to those who believe on His name.
Isaiah 49:1-6 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me.” “And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.’ Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; Yet surely my just reward is with the Lord, And my work with my God.’ ” “And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, And My God shall be My strength), Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” From <https://biblehub.com/nkjv/isaiah/49.htm#footnotes>
So, pulling it all together. To me there are two strong biblical themes that relate to the Salvation of the Elect. There is the theme of "Predestination" which states that the elect are called to Salvation from the beginning of time. There is also the theme that "Christ Died for All." Which infers that through the gospel all are drawn by the Father to His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus. Only those who believe on Jesus have Salvation and His blood is only shed for those who believe on Him.
When we combine what Christ Jesus said in the Parable of the Banquet and the Parable of the Sower. We see that God is pursuing the lost on the highways and byways of the whole world and it is the job of His servants to take the gospel invitation to as many as they can. Clearly individual choice is paramount in the eyes of the Lord. Those who accept are welcomed joyously and as they accept so they are accepted. Those who reject the invitation to believe on Christ Jesus are rejected already (John 3:18).
We also see that the condition of the heart of the potential convert has a great impact on whether they go on in the Faith or fade away back into the World. Where the conditions are right the young Christian repents and goes onto a life of righteousness. Inherent in this focus is the idea that what the potential convert knows and is influenced by has a strong impact on how they receive the gospel and what they decide to do with it. Again their decisions are crucial and the choices that they make decide whether they will be saved to eternal life or lost to the second death.
Finally, there is the idea of wild olives being grafted into the spiritual olive tree that is Israel. This to me is probably the most important part of this discussion because I am beginning to view election as less a matter of individual election as actually a matter of corporate election. This view holds that Christ is the First Born of All Creation and therefore the first man to be elected to the Church. The Elect One. We as Christians are elected in Christ Jesus to the Church based on our free choice in Christ to choose Him as our Saviour.
I believe that in the Corporate view of election the heat that is held in ongoing debate about individual election is gone. Arguments about man's depravity, election, the extent of atonement, how God's Grace works and if you can lose your salvation dissipate. The scriptures relating to 'Christ Died for All' become central as they should be and the attitude of the believer toward the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20 becomes one of simple obedience to the command of Christ Jesus. We know that evangelism is necessary and urgent to get the gospel to the lost in the certain knowledge that those we bring it too. Have the God given freedom to accept Christ as their Saviour. Amen
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. From <https://biblehub.com/john/3-16.htm>
