Sermon Tone Analysis

*/Ephesians 1:5/*

 

Last week we looked at the Doctrine of Election.

We began by identifying the parts of speech for the all-important phrase */He chose us in Him.

/*The subject, the one doing the choosing was “God the Father”, the verb is */chose/*.

God the Father */chose/*.

Who did He choose?

The object is */us/*, God the Father chose */us/*.

The verb */chose /*is middle voice meaning He chose us “for Himself” or “for His own benefit” with great personal interest.

The */in Him/* is a dative of instrument meaning He chose us “in connection” with Christ, and particularly in connection with the sacrifice of Christ which is outlined in vv.

7-12.

We also looked at the 3 views of election;

 

#.

GOD CHOSE THOSE HE FOREKNEW WOULD ACCEPT CHRIST

 

 

*ELECT*

*                                  *

 

 

 

\\ *                                  /FORESEEN FAITH/*

                                               

*Eternity Past                          Time*

 

This view states that God looked down through the corridors of time and saw who would respond and He elected them.

This view has at least five problems.

/First/, the language of the Bible never says this. /Second, /this view destroys God’s freedom of choice.

It says that God’s will is determined by the human decision of faith.

God may have elected us but we obligated God to elect us by our faith.

/Third/, it implies that God gains knowledge in time and bases His decisions on time.

/Fourth, /this view confuses God’s foreknowledge with foresight.

Foreknowledge does not mean mere foresight or foreseeing what will happen.

Of course God knew beforehand who would believe; He is omniscient; He knows all things actual and possible.

But foreknowledge means more than mere foresight.

Foreknowledge means “to know before time intimately”.

It does not mean to have cognitive knowledge but intimate knowledge (e.g.

man and wife vs. man and other men’s wives). 1 Peter 1:1-2 shows that there is a causative relationship between foreknowledge and election but the exact connection is not spelled out.

All we know is that the relationship has something to do with the choice.

How God made the choice is inherent in the word foreknowledge.

Additionally, God did not foresee faith, the Scriptures always declare that God foreknew people, not faith (Rom.

8:29-30).

And finally, the /Fifth problem, /it does not adequately deal with man’s depravity.

Man is not able to take a single step toward God because all men were dead in their sins and walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (Eph.

2:1-2).

If faith was the basis of God’s election then no one would ever believe and be saved.

This view amounts to basing election on human faith rather than faith on election.

Will anyone who is elect not believe?

No. Will anyone who believes not be elect?

No.

Those who believe and those who are elect are the exact same people.

No one will believe who is not elect and no one who is elect will not believe.

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CORPORATE OR GROUP ELECTION

 

 

| *CHRIST**/“the Elect One”/* |

 

\\ *GOD CHOSE                  *

 

 

 

 

 

 

\\ *              BELIEVE*

 

 

 

 

 

 

\\                                  

Corporate election is the view that God does not choose individuals but only chose Christ and that those who believe in Christ are therefore elect because “in Christ”.

Christ is the sphere in which God’s elective purposes take place.

It is my perspective that this is not a total answer to election, but only a partial answer.

It is true that those who believe in Christ are elect but what is meant is that their belief makes them elect.

It is not true that our belief is what makes us elect.

It is also not true that God does not choose individuals.

He certainly does choose individuals.

There were four reasons this is only a partial answer.

/First, A Logical Reason/: to show that corporate election is true does not mean individual election is false.

/Second, Individual Election Passages/: certain passages teach individual election (e.g.

John 15:19; Romans 9; et.

Al.).

/Third, Denies Total Depravity/: if election is based on human faith and men are totally depraved then no one would ever choose Christ (because depraved) and no one would ever be saved (because no one would choose to be in Christ).

God must take the initiative.

/Fourth, Promises are not for Individuals/: if election is corporate only then all the promises can only be claimed corporately and not individually.

This means you, as an individual, cannot claim eternal security or assurance of salvation.

But, obviously Paul did not see only corporate election any more than he only saw corporate eternal security or assurance.

#.

INDIVIDUAL ELECTION

 

 

*E                                                                  E    *

*T                                                                  T    F*

*E    P                                                           E    U*

*R    A                                                           R    T*

*N    S                                                            N    U*

*I     T                                                           I     R*

*T                                TIME                        T    E*

*Y                                                                  Y*

 

“He chose us”     “approp.

by faith”    “in His presence”

 

 

Individual election states that God, before time, chose individuals to be saved.

It seems to me that God chose individuals before the foundation of the world to be in His presence eternally.

It seems to both be reasonable and in line with Scripture to teach that individual election is the basis for corporate election.

Individual people make up a group.

This view carefully observes the doctrine of total depravity and makes applicable all the promises of God to the individual.

It seems best in light of the grammar to understand that we were chosen */in Him /*not as us being chosen /because of /Him but /in connection/ with His sacrificial work.

The purpose for which */He chose us/* is also given in v. 4. God elected you */to be holy and faultless before Him in love/*.

*/Before Him/ *is the Greek word /katenopion/ and it means “in His presence”.

God elected us before the foundation of the world */to be/* (present infinitive *ei=nai* expresses purpose) */holy and faultless in His presence/*.

*2.

The Basis of Spiritual Blessings (1:4-14)*

 

*a.

**God’s Election for Himself (1:4-6)*

* *

*(1) Activity: Election before Creation (1:4)*

 

*/Greek Text: /**/1:4-5/**/ /**/kaqw.j

evxele,xato h`ma~/j evn auvtw~/| pro.

katabolh~/j ko,smou ei=nai h`ma~/j a`gi,ouj kai.

avmw,mouj katenw,pion auvtou~/ evn avga,ph|( /**/5 /**/proori,saj h`ma~/j eivj ui`oqesi,an dia.

VIhsou~/ Cristou~/ eivj auvto,n( kata.

th.n euvdoki,an tou~/ qelh,matoj auvtou~/(/*

*Translation: 1:4-5 **because He chose us (for Himself) in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and faultless before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,  *

 

            *evn avga,ph, *“in love”.

Paul uses the word */love /*in all 13 of His epistles but 33% of Paul’s uses occur in the Epistle to the Ephesians.

That is why we said the first week that */love/* is one of the major themes of Ephesians.

First let’s define the word because the Greek language actually has four words for love.

| / / | /Agapao/ | /Erao/ | /Storge/ | /Phileo/ |

| *TYPE OF LOVE* | affectionate | lustful | familial | friendship |

|   | selective, security | impulsive, satisfaction, physical, possessive |   |   |

 

Leon Morris made an insightful comment on the contrast between /agape /love and /eros/ love when he says: “/eros/ has two principle characteristics: it is a love of the worthy and it is a love that desires to possess.

/Agape /is in contrast at both points: it is not a love of the worthy, and it is not a love that desires to possess.