Can God's Choice in Election be Arbitrary?

In the Bible study I am priviledged to attend we usually end up talking about things we disagree on. One of those things is Divine Election, i.e. predestination. One of the guys has made the charge a few times that if predestination is true then salvation is just arbitrary. God is arbitrarily picking people to save and to leave others to their own devices.

Today while I was jogging this charge came to my mind and I had to sit down and think about it for a few minutes or it was just going to eat at me constantly. So I decided to do so and answer the question "Can God's choice in election be arbitrary?"  Here's what I came up with, you can let me know what you think or ask questions if you like.

So we have enough that can meet to go ahead and do so. We'll meet at the CCM office @ 6:00.

As far as a topic I am still working on the Will of Man topic, but we might as well just go through the Scriptures together given the rate at which I'm getting to them. I do actually have a list, but I haven't vetted them all to see the level of relevance for all of them. So, we can do that or you can wait for a proper presentation and do another subject.

It's Isom/Church choice. Looking forward to it.

BTW I was thinking about Divine election/predestination today and Daniel's charge that if true it is arbitrary was just eating at me so I had to sit down and think about it and here's the response I came up with. Let me know what you think.

First two questions must be answered: 1) What is divine election? 2) What does arbitrary mean?

1. Divine election is the doctrine that God chooses to save some sinners based on His own will.

2. Arbitrary means existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will.

*So, can the choice of an all wise, all powerful, and eternal Being be random? Well since random means to be without definite aim, direction, rule, or method then the answer is no.

*Can the choice of an all wise, all powerful, and eternal Being be by chance? Well since chance means that something happens without discernable intention or observable cause the answer is likewise no. God tells us why He elects throughout the Bible.

*Can the choice of an all wise, all powerful, and eternal Being be capricious? Well since capricious means to be governed or characterized by impulsiveness or unpredictability we here again find the answer to be no.

* Can the choice of an all wise, all powerful, and eternal Being be unreasonable? Well since reason flows from the character of God it would seem a contradiction for Him to be unreasonable.

Conclusion: Since the choice of an all wise, all powerful, and eternal Being cannot fit any part of the definition of what arbitrary means then any choice He makes by definition cannot be arbitrary. This not only applies to His choice in election, but also to His choice in creation, His choice of the moral law, His choice to create men with 2 legs instead of four, His choice to make water be composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, et cetera, ad nauseum! Any choice that God makes, although it may appear or seem arbitrary to us, i.e. from our perspective, cannot actually be arbitrary.