Why Preach The Gospel, If Election is True?

Another misconception regarding the doctrine of election is that Christian are now off the hook when it comes to evangelism. That is not true. Jesus told His disciples to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). We see the gospel preached throughout the book of Acts which resulted in people turning from their sins and embrace Jesus as their Savior.

The Apostle Paul wrote that Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). The word of Christ is the gospel message. Paul also said in a few verse prior to Romans 10:17:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” (Romans 10:14-16).

Did Paul believe in the doctrine of election? Yes (see Romans 9 and Ephesians 1), but he also believed the gospel must be proclaimed so people can hear the word of Christ to come to faith in Jesus. Once again, if election is true why preach the gospel? John Hendryx wrote the following:

..."election" saves nobody by itself. Salvation is by Christ. Election is merely a blueprint of what God intends to do in history through Christ. The Father elects, the Son redeems and the Spirit quickens and unites the sinner to Christ through the gospel.

The gospel is like a seed. We cast the seed indiscriminately, as God commands, and it goes into the heart of man... but unless the Holy Spirit germinate the seed, so to speak, it falls on fallow ground. 'No one says 'Jesus is Lord' apart from the Holy Spirit." (1 Cor 12:3)...God has made us the means and instruments by which God disseminate the live-giving gospel. We are not called to discover who the elect are or to be concerned with the ultimate results, but to faithfully go about sowing the seed of the gospel. He will take care of produce the crop. The Apostle Paul said, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." (1 Cor 3:6-7)

If, as some people think, God provides equal opportunity to believe for all people on earth, then why send missionaries? The Bible teaches that it is through the preaching of the gospel that God gathers up his elect.