In keeping with her fundamental teaching of _sola gratia_ and _gratia
universalis_, according to which God's grace is the only cause of man's
salvation, and man's evil will the sole cause of his damnation, the
Lutheran Church holds that eternal election is an election of grace,
_i.e._, a predestination to salvation only. God's eternal election, says
the _Formula of Concord_, "does not extend at once over the godly and
the wicked, but only over the children of God, who were elected and
ordained to eternal life before the foundation of the world was laid, as
Paul says, Eph. 1, 4. 5: 'He hath chosen us in Him, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ.'" (1065, 5.) This
election, the _Formula_ continues, "not only foresees and foreknows the
salvation of the elect, but is also, from the gracious will and pleasure
of God in Christ Jesus, a cause which procures, works, helps, and
promotes our salvation, and what pertains thereto; and upon this [divine
predestination] our salvation is so founded that the gates of hell
cannot prevail against it, Matt. 16, 18, as is written John 10, 28:
'Neither shall any man pluck My sheep out of My hand,' And again, Acts
13, 48: 'And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.'" (1065,
8.) While thus election is a cause of faith and salvation, there is no
cause of election in man. The teaching "that not only the mercy of God
and the most holy merit of Christ but also in us there is a cause of
God's election on account of which God has elected us to everlasting
life," is rejected by the _Formula of Concord_ as one of the
"blasphemous and dreadful erroneous doctrines whereby all the comfort
which they have in the holy Gospel and the use of the holy Sacraments is
taken from Christians." (837, 20f.)
Concerning the way of considering eternal election, the _Formula_
writes: "If we wish to think or speak correctly and profitably
concerning eternal election, or the predestination and ordination of the
children of God to eternal life, we should accustom ourselves not to
speculate concerning the bare, secret, concealed, inscrutable
foreknowledge of God, but how the counsel, purpose, and ordination of
God in Christ Jesus, who is the true Book of Life, is revealed to us
through the Word, namely, that the entire doctrine concerning the
purpose, counsel, will, and ordination of God pertaining to our
redemption, call, justification, and salvation should be taken together;
as Paul treats and has explained this article Rom. 8, 29f.; Eph. 1, 4f.,
as also Christ in the parable, Matt. 22, 1ff." (1067, 13.)
While according to the Lutheran Church election is the cause of faith
and salvation, there is no such a thing as an election of wrath or a
predestination to sin and damnation, of both of which God is not the
cause and author. According to the _Formula_ the vessels of mercy are
prepared by God alone, but the vessels of dishonor are prepared for
damnation, not by God, but by themselves. Moreover, God earnestly
desires that all men turn from their wicked ways and live. We read: "For
all preparation for condemnation is by the devil and man, through sin,
and in no respect by God, who does not wish that any man be damned; how,
then, should He Himself prepare any man for condemnation? For as God is
not a cause of sins, so, too, He is no cause of punishment, of
damnation; but the only cause of damnation is sin; for the wages of sin
is death. Rom. 6, 23. And as God does not will sin, and has no pleasure
in sin, so He does not wish the death of the sinner either, Ezek. 33,
11, nor has He pleasure in his condemnation. For He is not willing that
any one should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3,
9. So, too, it is written in Ezek. 18, 23; 33, 11: 'As I live, saith the
Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the
wicked turn from his way and live,' And St. Paul testifies in clear
words that from vessels of dishonor vessels of honor may be made by
God's power and working, when he writes 2 Tim. 2, 21: 'If a man,
therefore, purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor,
sanctified and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good
work,' For he who is to purge himself must first have been unclean, and
hence a vessel of dishonor. But concerning the vessels of mercy he says
clearly that the Lord Himself has prepared them for glory, which he does
not say concerning the damned, who themselves, and not God, have
prepared themselves as vessels of damnation." (1089, 81f.) "Hence the
apostle distinguishes with special care the work of God, who alone makes
vessels of honor, and the work of the devil and of man, who by the
instigation of the devil, and not of God, has made himself a vessel of
dishonor. For thus it is written, Rom. 9, 22f.: 'God endured with much
long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, that He might
make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had
afore prepared unto glory.' Here, then, the apostle clearly says that
God endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath, but does not
say that He made them vessels of wrath; for if this had been His will,
He would not have required any great long-suffering for it. The fault,
however, that they are fitted for destruction belongs to the devil and
to men themselves, and not to God." (1089, 79f.)
It is man's own fault when he is not converted by the Word or afterwards
falls away again. We read: "But the reason why not all who hear it [the
Word of God] believe and are therefore condemned the more deeply, is not
because God had begrudged them their salvation; but it is their own
fault, as they have heard the Word in such a manner as not to learn, but
only to despise, blaspheme, and disgrace it, and have resisted the Holy
Ghost, who through the Word wished to work in them, as was the case at
the time of Christ with the Pharisees and their adherents." (1089, 78.)
"For few receive the Word and follow it; the greatest number despise the
Word, and will not come to the wedding, Matt. 22, 3ff. The cause of this
contempt for the Word is not God's foreknowledge [or predestination],
but the perverse will of man, which rejects or perverts the means and
instrument of the Holy Ghost, which God offers him through the call, and
resists the Holy Ghost, who wishes to be efficacious, and works through
the Word, as Christ says: 'How often would I have gathered you together,
and ye would not!' Matt. 23, 37. Thus many receive the Word with joy,
but afterwards fall away again, Luke 8, 13. But the cause is not as
though God were unwilling to grant grace for perseverance to those in
whom He has begun the good work, for that is contrary to St. Paul, Phil.
1, 6; but the cause is that they wilfully turn away again from the holy
commandment, grieve and embitter the Holy Ghost, implicate themselves
again in the filth of the world, and garnish again the habitation of the
heart for the devil. With them the last state is worse than the first."
(1077 41f.; 835, 12.)
It is not because of any deficiency in God that men are lost; for His
grace is universal as well as serious and efficacious. The _Formula of
Concord_ declares: "However, that many are called and few chosen is not
owing to the fact that the call of God, which is made through the Word,
had the meaning as though God said: Outwardly, through the Word, I
indeed call to My kingdom all of you to whom I give My Word; however, in
My heart I do not mean this with respect to all, but only with respect
to a few; for it is My will that the greatest part of those whom I call
through the Word shall not be enlightened nor converted, but be and
remain damned, although through the Word, in the call, I declare Myself
to them otherwise. _Hoc enim esset Deo contradictorias voluntates
affingere_. For this would be to assign contradictory wills to God. That
is, in this way it would be taught that God, who surely is Eternal
Truth, would be contrary to Himself [or say one thing, but revolve
another in His heart], while, on the contrary, God [rebukes and]
punishes also in men this wickedness, when a person declares himself to
one purpose, and thinks and means another in the heart, Ps. 5, 9; 12,
2f." (1075, 36.)
It is a punishment of their previous sins and not a result of God's
predestination when sinners are hardened; nor does such hardening
signify that it never was God's good pleasure to save them. "Moreover,"
says the _Formula_, "it is to be diligently considered that when God
punishes sin with sins, that is when He afterwards punishes with
obduracy and blindness those who had been converted because of their
subsequent security, impenitence, and wilful sins, this should not be
interpreted to mean that it never had been God's good pleasure that such
persons should come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. For both
these facts are God's revealed will: first, that God will receive into
grace all who repent and believe in Christ; secondly, that He also will
punish those who wilfully turn away from the holy commandment, and again
entangle themselves in the filth of the world 2 Pet. 2, 20, and garnish
their hearts for Satan, Luke 11, 25f., and do despite unto the Spirit of
God, Heb. 10, 29, and that they shall be hardened, blinded, and
eternally condemned if they persist therein." (1091, 83.)
"But that God ... hardened Pharaoh's heart, namely, that Pharaoh always
sinned again and again, and became the more obdurate the more he was
admonished, that was a punishment of his antecedent sin and horrible
tyranny, which in many and manifold ways he practised inhumanly and
against the accusations of his heart towards the children of Israel. And
since God caused His Word to be preached and His will to be proclaimed
to him, and Pharaoh nevertheless wilfully reared up straightway against
all admonitions and warnings, God withdrew His hand from him and thus
his heart became hardened and obdurate, and God executed His judgment
upon him; for he was guilty of nothing else than hell-fire. Accordingly,
the holy apostle also introduces the example of Pharaoh for no other
reason than to prove by it the justice of God which He exercises towards
the impenitent and despisers of His Word; by no means, however, has he
intended or understood it to mean that God begrudged salvation to him or
any person, but had so ordained him to eternal damnation in His secret
counsel that he should not be able, or that it should not be possible
for him, to be saved." (1091, 85f.)