What did Paul mean when he wrote "knowing your election of God"? (1 Thessalonians 1:4). How can we be sure we are part of God's election?
Let's begin with a few basic facts. 1. Nobody is naturally good. We normally operate out of self interest (Genesis 3:6; Romans 3:10). 2. No one naturally seeks God (Romans 3:11) 3. Our natural state is to deceive when it benefits us, lash out in our anger and curse others who significantly interfere with what we want to do (Romans 3:13-14) 4. We wish troublesome people to be removed from our life, sometimes to the point of wishing them dead (Romans 3:15-17). 5. We are naturally anxious (Romans 3:19) 6. We do not believe God will really punish our sinful behavior as is manifest in our choices (Romans 3:18).
If you desire to be different than what I just described, if you have any desire to please God, if your choices reflect godly character, it is because God is at work in your life and you are part of his elect. It would be impossible to do this without being part of God's election.
