From a Roman prison, St. Paul writes to St. Timothy—abandoned by companions, his reputation damaged, his execution near—and yet he declares:
“Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
In this sermon, Fr. Steve Macias explores what sustained the Apostle Paul and what this means for us today. What does Scripture mean by “the elect”? How did the Church Fathers and Anglican divines understand election? And why should this doctrine give us comfort, not confusion?
Journey through the theology of election as union with the Chosen and Incarnate Christ—where predestination is not a cold decree but a warm assurance of belonging to Jesus, the true Elect One.
Drawing from St. Paul, the Church Fathers, and the Anglican formularies, this sermon unfolds:
- The meaning of the elect in Scripture and tradition
- How election unites us to Christ and His Church
- The pastoral comfort of God’s unchanging faithfulness
What is corporate election?
The Greek term Paul uses is τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς—the elect, the chosen ones. to͞os ek-lek-TOOS
It’s the same word used throughout the Greek Old Testament for Israel, God’s chosen people:
“Israel my chosen (ὁ ἐκλεκτός)” (Isa 45:4).
So when Paul says he suffers “for the elect’s sake,” he’s thinking first not of a private list of individuals, but of a people, a body, the church—a community God has chosen to bless and redeem.
