ELECTION: THE FATHER’S DECISION TO ADOPT

by JASON VAN VLIET in Vol. 4 No. 2 / Oct 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35285/ucc4.2.2018.art8



Abstract
The doctrine of election presents us with an intellectual challenge. The Synod of Dort maintained that, based on his sovereign good pleasure, God decided to choose some for salvation and punish others with condemnation. This truth often leaves the impression that God acted in an arbitrary or even unjust manner. The Canons of Dort, though, present the electing God as a merciful Father and frame election within the language of adoption. As the Canons shape this doctrine in this way, they help God’s people understand it better, even though certain questions will remain. This article combines doctrinal analysis and parabolic storytelling to highlight the particular strengths of the Canons’ treatment of this challenging doctrine.

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Other Articles in
Vol. 4 No. 2 / Oct 2018

Editorial: Did Arminius Win? by Paul Wells
On Serving God in Our Generation by DAVID MCKAY
Transgender: Trans-ition to Nowhere by PETER JONES
Sexuality and the Lost Proletariat by NOEL WEEKS
Genesis 2:24 and the New Covenant: A Profound Mystery by COLIN HAMER
Unio cum Christo and Reformed Complementarity by NATALIE BRAND
Lessons from the Reformation for Hermeneutics Today by HENK VAN DEN BELT
The Theology of the Canons of Dort: A Reassessment after Four Hundred Years by ARNOLD HUIJGEN
Election: The Father’s Decision to Adopt by JASON VAN VLIET
Abundant Sufficiency and Intentional Efficacy: Particular Redemption at the Synod of Dort by LEE GATISS
The Documents of the Synod of Dort (1618–1619)—A New Edition by DONALD SINNEMA
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Pierre Viret: A Pastor and Ethicist for the Twenty-First Century by TIMOTHY BLOEDOW
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