Paul’s evangelistic sermon recorded in Acts 13:14-41 contains not only the gospel and a brief history of Israel. It has some great nuggets of truth.

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. Acts 13:17

Some people are unnerved by the Bible speaking about God “choosing” who He will save. The reason for this discomfort has nothing to do with the Bible. The Bible clearly teaches election. To deny it, one has to either ignore the scriptures or engage in some fancy interpretive gymnastics to explain it away.

The number one objection is that it is not fair. This objection is based on our fallen human notions of fairness, instead of on the Bible.

Ironically, those who deny the biblical doctrine of election usually have no problem with the fact that God chose Israel in the Old Testament. Why wasn’t that unfair? Why didn’t God choose the Egyptians or the Canaanites? God is clear in Deuteronomy 7:6-8 that He did not choose Israel because they were any more worthy.

Let’s let God speak for Himself on this matter of who He chooses. Read Romans 9:15-16:

For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

We need only to understand that God does as He pleases, and He is only pleased to do good—and because He has been pleased to save us, we must worship Him in gratitude and humility, since it is all of His grace.