ELECT, ELECTED, ELECTION
A. Adjectives.
1. EKLEKTOS (ἐκλεκτός , (1588))
lit. signifies picked out, chosen (
ek, from,
legō, to gather, pick out), and is used of (
a) Christ, the chosen of God, as the Messiah, Luke 23:35 (for the verb in 9:35 see Note below), and metaphorically as a “living Stone,” “a chief corner Stone,” 1 Pet. 2:4, 6; some
mss. have it in John 1:34, instead of
huios, Son; (
b) angels, 1 Tim. 5:21, as chosen to be of especially high rank in administrative association with God, or as His messengers to human beings, doubtless in contrast to fallen angels (see 2 Pet. 2:4 and Jude 6); (
c) believers (Jews or Gentiles), Matt. 24:22, 24, 31; Mark 13:20, 22, 27; Luke 18:7; Rom. 8:33; Col. 3:12; 2 Tim. 2:10; Tit. 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1; 2:9 (as a spiritual race); Matt. 20:16; 22:14 and Rev. 17:14, “chosen;” individual believers are so mentioned in Rom. 16:13; 2 John 1, 13.
¶
Believers were chosen “before the foundation of the world” (
cp. “before times eternal,” 2 Tim. 1:9), in Christ, Eph. 1:4, to adoption, Eph. 1:5; good works, 2:10; conformity to Christ, Rom. 8:29; salvation from the delusions of the Antichrist and the doom of the deluded, 2 Thess. 2:13; eternal glory, Rom. 9:23.
The source of their election is God’s grace, not human will, Eph. 1:4, 5; Rom. 9:11; 11:5. They are given by God the Father to Christ as the fruit of His Death, all being foreknown and foreseen by God, John 17:6 and Rom. 8:29. While Christ’s Death was sufficient for all men, and is effective in the case of the elect, yet men are treated as responsible, being capable of the will and power to choose. For the rendering ‘being chosen as firstfruits,’ an alternative reading in 2 Thess. 2:13, see Firstfruits. See Choice, B.
2. SUNEKLEKTOS (συνεκλεκτός , (4899)) means “elect together with,” 1 Pet. 5:13.¶
B. Noun.
EKLOGĒ (ἐκλογή , (1589)) denotes a picking out, selection (
Eng., eclogue), then, that which is chosen; in Acts 9:15, said of the choice of God of Saul of Tarsus, the phrase is, lit., ‘a vessel of choice.’ It is used four times in Romans; in 9:11, of Esau and Jacob, where the phrase “the purpose … according to election” is virtually equivalent to ‘the electing purpose;’ in 11:5, the “remnant according to the election of grace” refers to believing Jews, saved from among the unbelieving nation; so in
ver. 7; in ver. 28, “the election” may mean either the act of choosing or the chosen ones; the context, speaking of the fathers, points to the former, the choice of the nation according to the covenant of promise. In 1 Thess. 1:4, “your election” refers not to the church collectively, but to the individuals constituting it; the Apostle’s assurance of their election gives the reason for his thanksgiving. Believers are to give ‘the more diligence to make their calling and election sure,’ by the exercise of the qualities and graces which make them fruitful in the knowledge of God, 2 Pet. 1:10.¶ For the corresponding verb
eklegomai, see Choose.
CHOSEN (or ELECT) (
see SALVATION)
While the term chosen is used in Scripture of both divine and human initiative (Ge 18:19; De 7:6; Jos 24:22; Lu 10:42; 2 Th 2:13), it usually refers to the privileged status of certain persons as a result of God’s sovereign and gracious action on their behalf (De 7:6–8; Eph 1:4–6; 1 Pe 2:9). The more specific and prominent NT usage of the term concerns individual persons elected by God’s eternal decree for salvation in Christ (Eph 1:3–5; 2 Th 2:13; 2 Ti 1:9; 2:10). God’s purpose of salvation for the chosen is accomplished “through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth” (2 Th 2:13).
of Israel t basis: De 4:37; 7:7–8; Is 49:7; 65:9, 15, 22 t purpose: De 7:6–8; 14:2; 1 Ki 3:8; 1 Ch 16:13; Ps 33:12; 105:6, 43; 106:5; 135:4; Is 41:8–9; 43:10, 20; 44:1–5; 45:4; Am 3:2 t concerning the remnant: Ro 11:5, 7
of Jerusalem: 1 Ki 8:44, 48; 11:13, 32, 36; 14:21; 2 Ki 21:7; 23:27; 2 Ch 6:6, 34, 38; 12:13; 33:7; Ne 1:9; Ps 132:13; Zec 3:2
of the temple: 2 Ch 7:12, 16; 33:7
of Christ: Is 42:1; Mt 12:18; Lu 9:35; 23:35; 1 Pe 2:4, 6
of individual believers t limitation: Mt 22:14 t basis: Jn 13:18; 15:16; Ro 8:29; 9:11; 1 Co 1:26–29; Eph 1:3–5, 11; 2 Th 2:13; 2 Ti 2:9; Tit 1:1; 1 Pe 1:1–2 t purpose: Jn 15:16; Eph 1:4, 6, 12, 14; Col 3:12; 2 Th 2:13; 2 Ti 2:10 t privileges: Mt 24:22, 31; Lu 12:32; 18:7; Ro 8:33; Eph 1:4–5; 1 Pe 2:9; 5:13; 2 Jo 1, 13; Re 17:14 t results: Mt 22:24; 1 Th 1:3–4; 2 Pe 1:5–11
for special service: Ge 18:19; Le 18:5; De 21:5; 1 Sa 10:24; 2 Sa 21:6; 1 Ch 16:41–42; 28:4–6, 10; 29:1; 2 Ch 6:6; 29:11; Ps 89:3, 19; 105:26; 106:23; Hag 2:23; Lu 6:13; Ac 1:2, 24; 9:15; 10:41
of a fast: Is 58:5–6
of the good angels: 1 Ti 5:21
[2]
lit. literally
mss. manuscripts
¶ ¶ indicates that all the N.T. occurrences of the Greek work under consideration are mentioned under the heading or sub–heading.
cp. compare, see also
Eng. English
ver. verse
[1]Vine, W., & Bruce, F. (1981; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996).
Vine's Expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words (2:21-22). Old Tappan NJ: Revell.
[2]The NASB Topical Index. 1998 (electronic ed.). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
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