ABSTRACT
Election is the choice by one person of another person out of a range of possible candidates. This choice then establishes a mutual relationship between the elector and the elected, in biblical terms a "covenant". Election promises its ultimate purpose will be fulfilled, which is to bring the whole world finally into the covenant, that is, "redemption". Election proper is the choice God made of Israel to be God's people. Covenant is the form of the communal relationship thereby established. Israel's election is a communal election, and as such it is also a carnal election. The unconditionality of election reflects simply the conviction that election is God's work. Christians must understand Israel differently than do Jews precisely to the extent that Christians believe Jesus of Nazareth to be Israel's Messiah. The community of Israel precedes the individual Jew, giving one an identity and a people prior to one's choice of associations.
