After some thought, I have come to the conclusion that there are two kinds of election. To understand the two, think about two kinds of covenants.

The first kind of covenant is a unilateral covenant. God has made these kind of covenants for example with the rainbow promise, with the Abrahamic covenant for nations to be blessed through Him, and another was the covenant God made with David that one of his decendents would always be on his throne. Someone put it best by pointing out this uniteral covenant is a promise. God makes the covenant with men without any requirements being placed upon man. God’s keeping of His promise doesn’t
depend on man meeting certain obligations.

The second kind of covenant is called a bilateral covenant. As with the first, God makes a promise but His keeping it is contingent upon man accepting the conditions set by God. God made bilaterial covenants in the Old Testament telling the people He would bless them if they obeyed Him.

“15“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; 16in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. 17“But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, 18I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. 19“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” Deut 30:15-20.

Why am I writing this? Calvinism distorts the Gospel so that the plan of God to save sinful man is a unilaterial covenant, meaning God establishes a promise which He will keep without any obligations or conditions being placed upon men. Calvinism teaches God selects exactly whom He will save. And God will save these elect regardless of how they live. According to a unilaterial agreement, the person will be saved becasue it’s promised by God.

To become a Christian is to enter a bilaterial covenant which differs from the unilterial. The bilaterial covenant or promise is fulfilled for each sinner on the basis of conditions. If you believe in Christ, turn away from sin, confess Christ, and keep doing these things, and then are baptized as an adult for remission of sins, God will save you. The salvation is of God and not yourself. It is a gift. But the gift or promise is given on condition. If you choose to exit the covenant, God allows you. Do you want to be saved and know you have eternal life? Covenant with God today.