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The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down  /  Chapter 17, The Jesus Road to Salvation  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 5
The chapter rejects the idea that God “arbitrarily select[s] a certain portion of mankind” for the Kingdom, arguing God wants those who “really love him” and “believe that he will do what he has promised”; what does this reveal about God’s character and purposes in Bercot’s telling, and where does it collide with your existing understanding of election, justice, and mercy?
Another way to ask: Bercot rejects the idea that God picks people for the Kingdom in a random way and says God wants those who truly love and trust him. What does that say about God’s character, and where does it clash with what you believe about election, justice, and mercy?

Direct Answer Bercot portrays God as sincerely wanting all to repent, offering Kingdom citizenship to all humans, and selecting subjects non-arbitrarily based on faith-filled love proven through testing. This collides with any view of election that treats salvation as an unexplained or arbitrary divine choice disconnected from human response.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says God “has opened to all humans the opportunity to be citizens of his Kingdom.”
  • He rejects arbitrariness: “He didn’t arbitrarily select a certain portion of mankind… What would have been the purpose of that?”
  • He grounds God’s desire in: “he is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
  • He says God wants to fill his Kingdom with “that small minority… who really love him” and who “truly want to walk in his ways.”
  • He adds God wants those who “believe that he will do what he has promised” and have faith that God’s “laws and his ways are always right.”
  • He explains selection through testing: “He tests us,” connected to “continued with me in my trials” and “to him who overcomes.”
Discussion Follow-ups Bercot doesn’t fully map out every election framework; he focuses on rejecting “arbitrary” selection. How do you connect God’s mercy (“not willing that any should perish”) with the reality that “few are chosen”?

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