The Purpose of Election

The renewed interest in the reading of Romans 9-11 over recent decades is indicative of the attempt to settle the controversy concerning the doctrine of double predestination. In reference to Luther's directive that the theology of the cross be the lens through which all other doctrines be examined, and based on the "New Perspective" on Paul's writings and his Jewish background, this study reassesses the Reformed doctrine of predestination through Paul's convictions concerning the cross and his theological reading of the Old Testament. Accordingly, this study establishes that the primary principle, which Paul underscores within the context of Romans 9, is that the cross is the supreme expression of God's purpose of election. The cross of Christ not only is a statement about God's determination in election, but it also has an existential purpose in its ways and works. Furthermore, the readers of Romans 9 will recognize that when Paul discusses election, he engages a specifically Trinitarian articulation of God, who works out his election of grace in a definite yet surprising manner. Since the correlation between election and the cross is held together in Christ through his crucifixion, Wang puts "cruciform election" foremost in the understanding of predestination.