One of the most common objections raised against the doctrine of unconditional election is that it makes God seem arbitrary. The reasoning often goes like this: if God chooses some and not others without regard to foreseen faith or merit, then His choice must be random, without reason, and therefore unjust.

But is that really the case?

Let’s ask a deeper question: Can God even be arbitrary?

To be arbitrary is to act without reason, without purpose, or without reference to any guiding principle. But biblically and theologically, such a description cannot apply to God.

Scripture tells us that God “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). His decrees are not aimless—they proceed from a will that is infinite in wisdom, righteousness, and goodness. God is not like us, subject to whims or ignorance. His purposes, though often beyond our full comprehension, are never without reason.

More than that, to say God is arbitrary implies that there is some standard outside of God to which He must conform in order to be rational or just. But there is no such standard. God is the measure of all things. His will is not random; it is the expression of His perfect nature.

This means that God’s election is free, but not groundless. It is sovereign, but not senseless. It may be mysterious to us, but it is never irrational or unjust. As Paul says in Romans 9:15–16, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy… So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”

That’s not arbitrariness—that’s grace.

In the end, the objection that God is arbitrary often reveals more about our discomfort with His sovereignty than about any true flaw in His character. Grace confounds our sense of fairness because it is not earned. But it is never random. To call God arbitrary is not only incorrect—it is a fundamental misunderstanding of who He is.

“The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works.” — Psalm 145:17

So when someone says that unconditional election makes God “arbitrary,” what they're really saying—perhaps without realising it—is that God’s own will isn’t a sufficient ground for God’s own actions. That His own good pleasure is somehow lacking, unjust, or insufficient unless ratified by something outside of Himself—like man's will, works, foreseen faith, or merit. But this thinking flips the order of authority on its head.

Scripture teaches precisely the opposite:

“Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.” —Matthew 11:26
“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.” —Romans 9:15
“He worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” —Ephesians 1:11

If we must appeal to something greater than God’s own will to justify His actions, we’ve made that thing greater than God. In truth, there is no higher court. God’s will is not arbitrary; it is holy, wise, righteous, and good. It is the expression of His infinite perfections. He doesn’t will blindly—He wills according to His nature.

To say God's election must be grounded in something man does is not to protect justice, but to dethrone grace.

It is not arbitrary for a King to act according to His own will—especially not the King of kings. It is His glory to be sovereign, and His sovereign grace is our only hope. As soon as we try to make election “fair” by human standards, we lose grace altogether and end up with something that is neither gospel nor good news.