Distinctives 1 vers 3

Imagine you have a vision of heaven. Jesus meets you, and takes you through different wings of his royal palace. He walks you past a room with huge, open doors. Inside you see people singing and dancing and having a grand old time. You ask him who those people are.

He says, “Those are my charismatic brothers and sisters. Yeah, they know how to have fun.”

You keep walking, and you pass another room, with the same tall, open doors. But this room is a library, and it’s quiet. There’s some singing, but nothing that could be considered loud or fun.

Jesus says, “Those are my more reserved brothers and sisters—Methodists, Anglicans, and a few Baptists are in there too.”

Lastly, you walk by a room with the same huge doors, but these doors are closed. So you ask him, “What’s in that room?

Jesus says, “Oh, those are the Calvinists. They think they’re the only ones here, and I don’t want to disappoint them.”

Obviously heaven will not be like that; but I hope you’ll see the point of that joke as we move along.

But we always take a break before the summer to do a short series on those subjects which have been weighing most heavily on the life of the church over the past year.

Every year we take a break before the summer to do a short series on whatever topics have been weighing most heavily on the church over the past year.

This year, based on discussions we’ve had with a good number of new people in the church, and particularly those who have gone through our members’ class, we’ve decided to take the month of June to go through our church’s theological distinctives.

What do we mean by that phrase? (My lovely wife was kind enough to point out this week that “distinctive” is not a noun, which had never occurred to me; so I thought some clarification may be helpful.)

“Yeah, of course,” I said.

“No, but…it’s not a noun. You can’t say ‘a distinctive.’”

I opened my mouth to object, and realized she was right. We’ve been using this term for five years, and it never occurred to me to think of the grammar of it.

So just in case any of you sticklers (like my wife) are wondering, what we mean by “theological distinctives” is: the distinctive (as opposed to universal) points of doctrine to which the church holds.

There are some subjects which are pretty much universal for Christians—doctrines like the divinity of Christ, or justification by faith alone.

But it didn’t seem sufficient to stop there, because there are a handful of topics which are of secondary importance, but which nevertheless have a massive impact on our understanding of the gospel, on our ecclesiology (the way we set up and practice the life of the church), on the way we will live the gospel out in the context of the church.

And then there are doctrines which are of secondary importance. These topics aren’t reasons for division—you can be a faithful, biblical Christian and not agree with these things. But they do nevertheless have a massive impact on our understanding of the gospel, on our ecclesiology (the way we set up and practice the life of the church), and on the way we will live the gospel out in the context of the church.

That’s why we have (so far) called them theological distinctives—they are subjects which distinctively shape the teaching and the life of our church.

If you were here in the first years of our church, you heard us speak about these things a lot. We were still in the beginning stages of planting the church, and we wanted to be very clear about where we landed and how we wanted to do things.

But if you’ve only come in the last two years or so, you may not have heard us speak quite so often about these, because we’ve been in the gospel of Luke since 2017, and Luke doesn’t directly address most of these topics; he has a different goal in mind.

You don’t have to agree with them to be a member here, but you do have to know that this is where we land, and this is what we’ll preach and teach, because we believe that they are biblically faithful, and we believe that they are very important.

So real quickly, let me just read our list of theological distinctives—there are five of them. (Incidentally, we share these distinctives with Acts 29, the church planting network we’re a part of.) They are:

The absolute sovereignty of God;

The complementary roles of men and women in the church and at home;

Our dependance on the Holy Spirit for every aspect of life and ministry;

The baptism of believers;

The relationship between the glory of God and the joy of man.

I understand that some of these subjects are going to make some people uncomfortable, but I hope you’ll hear our intention, and God’s intention, behind them as we go.

(If you’re one of those latter people, who are uncomfortable with these things, I’ll just ask that you hold your tomatoes until the end. We’re going to try to show not only this church’s heart behind these things, and mine; but God’s. So even if you still have a hard time with these things at the end, at the very least you should be able to see where we’re coming from.)

So we’re going to hit the ground running, and talk this week about the first distinctive doctrine on our list: the absolute sovereignty of God.

Now I know what some of you are probably saying. “Calvinism again?! We talk about this all the time, why do we have to talk about it again?”

First of all, we can’t assume everyone knows this stuff. But that’s not the main issue. The main issue is that for all we’ve said right about the subject, my fear is that some of us have inadverently applied it in wrong ways.

This is an incredibly divisive subject, because it runs counter to the way most people naturally want to think about God, and because those Christians who hold to it (often called Calvinists) haven’t historically been the most charitable of our lot.

I’m afraid, as Jeff Medders wrote, that we may have unwittingly been guilty of loving Calvinism rather than being loving Calvinists; that we’ve studied the doctrines of grace but forgotten the grace of God.

(There’s a joke Jeff Medders tells about a guy who goes to heaven and gets a guided tour from Jesus of his palace. In the palace Jesus shows him a bunch of rooms with open doors, with several different camps of Christians inside: the fun charismatics in one room, the quieter Methodists and Anglicans in another. Then they come to a room with the doors closed, and the man asks, “Why are the doors closed?” Jesus responds, “Oh, the Calvinists are in there. They think they’re the only ones here, and I just can’t bear to disappoint them.”)

So get your Bibles, and turn to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians; we’re going to start at the very beginning.

To do this, I’ll invite you to get your Bibles, and turn to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians; we’re going to start at the very beginning.

The basic goal of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is to show the church in Ephesus (which he knew well, because he planted it) how God saves us, and what impact that knowledge should have on the life of the church.

And he lays out the foundation for that in the first couple chapters

We’re going to see that God cho

God Chooses (v. 1-6)

Distinctifs (1) : La souveraineté de Dieu

How God Saves Us (, )

Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to read . And as we read it I’d like you to imagine you’re reading it for the first time. (That may well be the case.)

(Ephésiens 1.1-14, 2.1-5)

Imagine that you’ve heard a few things about Christianity, about how “Jesus died for our sins,” but you don’t know much more than that, and you’ve never actually read the Bible. Try to think of how this text would hit you if you were in that position. (Or, if you are in that position, just let it hit you!)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

REWRITE THIS.

Okay, so two words always jump out at people if they’re reading this for the first time. Those two words are “chose” and “predestined”.

Our first thought is always, “No, that can’t be what he means.”

But as we keep digging in Scripture, we start to see this fact all over the Bible: God’s people don’t choose him; God chooses his people. Down to the last individual.

This really bothers us, because it starts to bring up questions of free will and responsibility. We’ll get to those questions in a minute. But before we get there, we need to take a moment to consider what he’s saying here.

He’s saying that God is a much bigger God, who is much more involved in his creation, than we initially thought.

Many of us naturally think of God as the one who created everything, told his creatures what to do, and then got out of the way to see if they would do it. Like God is sitting up in heaven going, “Oh please, please come to me! I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t have you here with me!”

When I was a teenager, my dad would often express his concern for me, that I might not come to faith, or that I would leave the faith. And now that I have kids of my own, I understand a little better the worry that my dad must have felt for me and my brothers—this intense desire to see us come to Christ, with no real certainty that it would happen.

We often imagine God kind of like that. Most of us naturally think of God as the one who created everything, told his creatures what to do, and then got out of the way to see if they would do it. Like he wants to just yank us out of death and bring us where he is, but he just doesn’t want to step on our free will.

Now, it’s true that God loves his children with a love that is intense and passionate and stronger than any love you or I have ever felt.

But he’s God. He’s constrained by nothing. This is his world, and we are his creatures. His will will be done. And so he exercises his sovereign right to choose his people as he will.

If you have faith in Christ today, it’s not because you chose God; it’s because God chose you.

And the even more amazing thing Paul shows us here (v. 4) is that he chose us before the foundation of the world.

Okay, so let’s get the hard part out of the way. The thing that bothers most people first about texts like this centers around two words: “chose” in v. 4, and “predestined” in v. 5.

We need to be very clear about this: when Paul says that God “chose” us, that he “predestined” us to be his children, he means exactly what he says. The word “predestined” means “decided ahead of time,” and the word “chose” is even simpler—it means what it means.

This shouldn’t surprise us if we’ve read the Bible. God has always brought his grace through covenants he made with people who weren’t looking for them.

In the Old Testament, we see God do this multiple times.

God has always brought his grace through covenants he made with people who didn’t deserve it. At every step, God chose his people, regardless of any merit or lack of merit they might have had. It wasn’t because of them, but because of his own sovereign will that God chose whom he chose to be the vehicles and recipients of his grace.

He chose Jacob to be the son through whom the covenant would be brought forward (even though he was the younger son, and logically that privilege would have gone to his older brother, Esau).

The people of Israel are repeatedly referred to as God’s chosen nation or God’s chosen people.

God chose David to be the king of Israel, whose descendant would be the Messiah.

God has always brought his grace through covenants he made with people who didn’t deserve it. At every step, God chose his people, regardless of any merit or lack of merit they might have had. It wasn’t because of them, but because of his own sovereign will that God chose whom he chose to be the vehicles and recipients of his grace.

But here we see two things: first, we see that not only did God choose us (v. 5: he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will), but (v. 4) he chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world.

Secondly (and this is where Paul really starts blowing our minds, v. 4), he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

Think about that for a moment. Think about the day, or the moment, or the period of time, in which you came to Christ. You heard the gospel, you understood the gospel, and suddenly the gospel wasn’t nonsense to you, but truth.

God had that moment, that date, marked in his calendar before he created the world.

Before , where we read In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth—BEFORE that “beginning,” God fixed his love on you, and chose that you would belong to him.

And he didn’t just choose that something would happen; he made it happen.

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

God Saves (v. 7-10)

Nous faisons toujours une pause avant l’été pour faire une mini-série sur ces sujets qui ont pesé le plus lourdement sur la vie de l’église pendant l’année passée.

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Cette année, après plusieurs discussions qu’on a eu avec un grand nombre de personnes dans cette église,

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace...

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Okay, let’s stop there for a minute. We need to explain v. 7 a bit before moving on.

Paul says that in Christ we have redemption.

Redemption from what? He tells us a bit in the next phrase, the forgiveness of our trespasses, but if we stopped there, we may not realize the full extent in what he’s saying.

Everyone who was at the concert last week heard Steve’s testimony; and one part in particular makes this point well. He talked about the way he saw himself, and the way he saw everyone else: as basically good. Some people are better than others, and some people worse; but for the most part, he saw most everybody as more good than bad. And that’s the way most of us naturally think.

That’s the way most of us naturally think. So when we heard that in Christ we have the forgiveness of our trespasses, we may not see this as such a big deal.

So when we hear that in Christ we have the forgiveness of our trespasses, we may not see this as such a big deal. “Yeah, he forgave me, but I wasn’t all that bad.”

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

A little bit later, in , Paul tells us exactly what our “trespasses” mean for us. Skip down a bit, to chapter 2, verse 1. Paul says:

Okay, so already, in those 14 verses, we see a number of things that seem to go against what we had assumed about what Christianity teaches.

First of all we see that if we are in Christ, we have received (v. 3) every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Not some blessings, not even many blessings: EVERY blessing.

Secondly, we see that if we are in Christ, it’s because (v. 4) God CHOSE us in him.

And he didn’t just choose us (v. 5): he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons; and v. 4, he chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world.

So before the world ever existed, God had already decided beforehand that I would be his adopted son or daughter.

Next we see that (v. 7) God gave us redemption through his blood (the blood of Christ). Now that’s okay—I’ve heard that before (even if I’m not quite sure what it means).

But it says that he did it (v. 9) according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to to unite all things in him.

So this salvation I’ve heard people talk about—that wasn’t just God reacting to a problem in the world? It was his plan? I’ve heard that Jesus died on a cross, that he bled for our sins…

And that was God’s plan? Like, he meant to do this? Well, that’s what Paul seems to be saying.

Next we see (v. 11) that in Christ we have obtained an inheritance. Okay, great—but why? Because we were predestined (there’s that word again!) according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

Wait a minute—all things? He’s saying God works all things according to the counsel of his will? So not just our salvation, but everything? Political movements and natural disasters and the movements of the planets and the lifespan of insects and…everything? Again, that’s what he seems to say.

Next he says something strange (v. 13) about how when we heard the gospel, and believed in Jesus, we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.

GUARANTEE? I thought I had to keep doing the right thing to stay on this train. How can it be a guarantee? And what exactly is the “inheritance” I am guaranteed?

What is going on here?

You see my point. If we’re looking at it with fresh eyes and a fresh mind, which may have some notions about Christianity that we’ve gleaned from culture, but with no real knowledge of the Bible, it’s easy to arrive at the end of totally confused.

He’s talking about God in ways I’ve never heard anyone talk about God. He’s giving God credit for things I thought I did.

So we can come to one of two conclusions at this point.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

So the first thing we need to understand is the state we were in, because inevitably talk of predestination brings up questions of freedom—do we have free will? How can we choose God if he chose us?

That’s not the question Paul’s trying to answer in this book (we should always be aware of expecting the Bible to answer questions it’s not trying to answer), but it’s not a bad question, and the Bible does give us some clues.

Yes, we are free, but it’s a specific kind of freedom; we are free to act in accordance with our nature. (For example, I’m not free to choose to be a dragon. I can choose to do things a human being can do, because I’m a human being. But I'm not free to choose to fly around or breathe fire.)

So the Bible’s question isn’t between the tension of “Do we have free will, or are we puppets?” It’s the question of sin vs grace: how does grace enable sinful people to NOT sin?

And this question of our nature is the question Paul is getting at here: we were DEAD. Spiritually speaking, we were completely and 100% dead: we could not choose the things that would bring us life, because dead men can’t choose to be alive. The only things the dead can choose are those things which are in accordance with their nature.

And these “dead things” that the dead can choose, the Bible calls them “sin.”

We are all descendants of Adam, who rebelled against God; and as his descendants, we were all born into his sin—we were born already dead. We could not choose anything but sin and death, because that’s what we were.

That’s not to say that we were all as bad as we could possibly be, but even the so-called “good things” we did were stained with sin from the very beginning. We followed the ways of our master, Satan; we were free to do what we wanted, but all we wanted was to live (as Paul says) “in the passions of our flesh,” to fulfill “the desires of our bodies and mind.”

And as a result, we deserved God’s wrath, because every sinful desire is an insult and an offense to his holy character.

That’s the state we were in.

And it’s important to understand that, because the question the Bible is answering is not, “Do we have free will, or are we puppets?” The Bible’s question is the question of sin and grace: How does grace enable sinful people to not sin?

Paul continues in chapter 2, verse 4:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, MADE US ALIVE together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…

Either we can say that when Paul is writing this letter—when he uses words like “chose” and “predestined” and “guarantee”—clearly he means something else. Clearly he’s talking about something I just can’t quite understand. And we can shake our heads, say “I dunno,” and move on. That’s one possibility.

So when Paul says in 1.7 that in Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, he’s talking about a RESURRECTION—on the cross, the people we were died through the shedding of Christ’s blood; and at his resurrection, WE were raised with him. God took the dead people we were, and made us alive.

The question is, Why did he do it?

Again, chapter 1, verse 7:

The other is to say, “I think he really means this stuff…in which case, I need to know more.”

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Why did he do it? Why did he save us?

He did it because he planned to do it.

His plan was established before the world was created, as one of many examples of this simple truth: God restores what was broken.

Do I have to say it? The second option is the better option.

My own personal salvation (and yours) is a foretaste of the restoration he will bring on this whole world, uniting all things in him. One day, Christ will return and do for the earth what he did for us: he will take what was broken, and fix it. He will take what was wrong, and make it right.

This was his plan from the beginning—from before the first man sinned, this was his plan.

And in fact, if we simply keep reading Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we see why everything he says in 1.1-14 is not only true, but why it has to be the true—why he means exactly what he says.

Skip down a bit to chapter 2, verse 1. In chapter 2, Paul is going to lay out why God has to be sovereign over our salvation, why it has to be God’s choice to save and to keep us. Let’s start at 1.

et notamment avec ceux qui ont assisté au cours de membres,

God Guarantees (v. 11-12)

2.1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

This passage answers two objections that immediately come up when you begin speaking about these things.

The first is the idea that all people are basically good people—that we may make bad choices, but deep down, we’re really good people with good hearts. (So when we see that in Christ we have the forgiveness of our trespasses, we naturally think, “Yeah, he forgave me—but I wasn’t all that bad.”)

The second is the objection that God couldn’t have chosen us, because we have free will, right? So which is it? Did he choose us, or are we free?

And the Bible’s answer is admittedly complicated, but basically boils down to this: Both.

Here’s one faithful way of looking at it: yes, we are free, but it’s a specific kind of freedom; we are free to act in accordance with our nature. (For example, I’m not free to choose to be a dragon. I'm not free to choose to fly around or breathe fire, because I’m a human being. I’m not free to choose something that my nature doesn’t allow for.)

I’ll be honest: the Bible never really tries to answer that question—it has other goals in mind—but it does give us clues.

Here’s one faithful way of looking at it: yes, we are free, but it’s a specific kind of freedom; we are free to act in accordance with our nature.

(For example, I’m not free to choose to be a dragon. I'm not free to choose to fly around or breathe fire, because I’m a human being. I’m not free to choose something that my nature doesn’t allow for.)

And this question of our nature is exactly what Paul is getting at here: we were DEAD. As Steven Lawson put it, “This means that we are physically alive, but morally unable to respond to God.”

Spiritually speaking, we were completely and 100% dead: we could not choose the things that would bring us life, because dead men can’t choose to be alive. The only things the dead can choose are those things which are in accordance with their nature.

And these “dead things” that the dead can choose? The Bible calls them “sin.”

We are all descendants of Adam, who rebelled against God; and as his descendants, we were all born into his sin—we were born spiritually dead. We couldn’t choose God, because everything thing in our sinful nature runs counter to God’s perfect character.

Even the good we manage to do isn’t completely good, because…well, because humans can’t be dragons. We can build airplanes and make napalm—we can fake it—but we can’t change our nature. We can’t choose to be something we’re not.

So we were free to do what we wanted, but what we wanted was to live (as Paul says) “in the passions of our flesh,” to fulfill “the desires of our bodies and mind.”

And as a result, we deserved God’s wrath, because every sinful desire is an insult and an offense to his holy character.

So you see, God has to be sovereign; he has to choose for us, because we were dead. If he had left it up to us, we’d all stay dead.

So what did God do? V. 4:

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

nous avons décidé de prendre le mois de juin pour faire le tour des distinctifs théologiques de l’église.

What is this “inheritance”? You could spend all day answering just this question; most of the New Testament serves to give us answers to that question. But broadly speaking, our inheritance is eternal life with Christ in the new heavens and the new earth.

Our inheritance is the glory that is to be revealed to us (cf. ).

Our inheritance is God himself: we will be his people, and he will be our God (cf. ).

And we will be able to enjoy all of that because we will be living in a redeemed world, free from sin and suffering and death and everything else that makes life unbearable for us today.

And why have we received this inheritance?

Again, because God chose to give it to us. We were predestined, Paul says, according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

Now this isn’t the main point, but it is something we should not skip over lightly. He works not just our salvation, but ALL THINGS according to the counsel of his will.

ALL THINGS.

Every bird, every wave, every molecule. Every sunrise and every sunset. ALL THINGS.

This is why we talk about the absolute sovereignty of God. He works all things according to the counsel of his will. Our God is far bigger than we give him credit for.

And when we know that, his sovereignty over salvation is fairly obvious.

If he chooses us, we are his. If he redeems us, we are redeemed. If he brings us from death to life, we are alive.

And if he gives us an inheritance, we have that inheritance. We have it TODAY.

Our “inheritance”, we have to see, is something we have. TODAY. When you receive an inheritance in our country, usually it’s because someone in your family has died. And when your relative dies, you get called in before a notary, who reads the final will and testament of the dead relative aloud, and gives you a copy, showing that you have received an inheritance from them.

When you receive an inheritance in our country, usually it’s because someone in your family has died. And when your relative dies, you get called in before a notary, who reads the final will and testament of the dead relative aloud, and gives you a copy, showing that you have received an inheritance from them.

But there is always a period of time—sometimes brief, sometimes long—during which you’re waiting to take possession of it. You have the inheritance—the will is in your hands—but you haven’t yet come into possession of the inheritance that is yours.

We are in much the same position—the only difference is that our dead relative has been raised from the dead.

Our brother Christ died to give us an inheritance. We have received that inheritance. Christ was raised, and he ascended to heaven to take possession of that inheritance, and now he is holding it for us, until we take possession of it along with him, as his co-heirs.

The question is, how do we know we will make it? How do we know that we will indeed take possession of our inheritance?

On every inheritance, the notary gives us the document proving that we are the heirs of this inheritance, and he puts his seal on the bottom. That seal is the proof that the document of inheritance is legitimate. It is the proof that the promised inheritance will come to us.

In our case, the seal of our inheritance is the Holy Spirit. V. 13:

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

Paul says that when we heard the gospel, when we heard the word of truth, something happened in us. We heard the gospel, and what was just words before hit us differently this time; we didn’t hear them as just words, but as truth. We heard the good news of the gospel, and we believed the message. We believed in Christ.

What made us believe? What made us see the gospel differently?

He says that when we heard the gospel, when we heard the word of truth, something happened in us. We heard the gospel, and what was just words before hit us differently this time; we didn’t hear them as just words, but as truth. We heard the good news of the gospel, and we believed the message. We believed in Christ. What made us believe? What made us see the gospel differently?

We’ve already seen that, in what Paul says in chapter 2, just a few verses later—what made us not just understand the gospel, but believe the gospel, was that the Holy Spirit of God took the dead people we were and made us alive together with Christ.

Your faith is not your doing; it’s the Holy Spirit’s doing. He is the one who brought you from death to life. He is the one who opened your eyes to the truth of the gospel, who caused you to believe in Christ.

So if you ever ask yourself that question, “How do I know I’m going to persevere in my faith until the end?”, God’s answer is, “Look to your faith. My Holy Spirit did that in you, and he is the guarantee of your inheritance. He will make sure you inherit what you’ve been promised. He will cause you to persevere until the end.”

Okay so now, what Paul said in chapter 1 may start to make more sense.

Because God is rich in mercy, because he loved us with a great love despite our sin, he sent his Son Jesus Christ to earth as a human being, to live the life we are commanded to live, but which we couldn’t live—a life of perfect holiness, without sin. He sent his Son to earth, fully God and fully man, to take our sins on himself and to suffer the punishment we deserve.

Only a human being can be a representative for sinful human beings.

And only God himself could endure the just wrath of God against our sin.

Jesus was both, and he did both. He lived our life, and died our death, and was raised to give us life.

And thanks to his sacrifice, even when we were dead in our trespasses, God made us ALIVE together with Christ (v. 5).

You see, God’s sovereign and active choice is absolutely essential to our salvation, because dead men can’t decide to come alive. Sinful men and women can’t act in opposition to their nature. Something has to come in from outside, to change that nature.

Paul says that when we heard the gospel, when we heard the word of truth, something happened in us. We heard the gospel, and what were just words before hit us differently this time; we didn’t hear them as just words, but as truth.

We heard the good news of the gospel, and we believed the good news. We believed in Christ.

What made us believe? What made us see the gospel differently?

What made us not just understand the gospel, but believe the gospel, was that the Holy Spirit of God took the dead people we were and made us alive together with Christ.

Your faith is not your doing; it’s the Holy Spirit’s doing. He is the one who brought you from death to life. He is the one who opened your eyes to the truth of the gospel, who caused you to believe in Christ. And he is the one who promises that we will receive the inheritance—the eternal life—that he has promised us.

When you receive an inheritance in our country, the notary gives you the document proving that you are the heir to this inheritance, and he puts his seal on the bottom. That seal is the proof that the document of inheritance is legitimate. It is the proof that the promised inheritance will come to you.

In our case, the seal of our inheritance is the Holy Spirit.

So if you ever ask yourself that question, “How can I be sure that I’ll persevere in my faith until the end?”, God’s answer is, “Look to your faith. My Spirit did that in you, and he is the guarantee of your inheritance. He will make sure you inherit what I’ve promised you. My Son has already received it—he was raised from the dead and ascended to my right hand, and is now holding your place next to him to share in the inheritance. And because you have the guarantee of your inheritance, my Spirit who lives in you, he will cause you to persevere until the end.”

So just to sum up: We are, by nature, totally depraved. We were dead in our sin, enemies of God, following the desires of our body and our mind, completely centered on ourselves.

And despite that fact, God unconditionally chose to save us—not because of anything good or worthy in us, but only because of his free, sovereign will to do with his creation as he pleases.

He sent Christ to die for his elect, and Christ’s death on the cross didn’t just make salvation possible for us; it accomplished salvation for us. We have (not “may” have or even “will” have: we HAVE) redemption through his blood.

So now that Christ has fulfilled his work, at the time of his choosing, the Father draws his children to Christ: by his Holy Spirit he takes the dead people we were and he makes us alive, giving us a new heart with new desires. He draws us to Christ, and because we have this new desire to know Christ, we are irresistibly drawn by his grace.

He draws us to Christ, and because we have this new desire to know Christ, we are irresistibly drawn by his grace.

So just to sum up: We are, by nature, totally depraved. We were dead in our sin, enemies of God, following the desires of our body and our mind, completely centered on ourselves.

And once we have received this amazing grace, this new birth from the Holy Spirit, that same Spirit serves as the guarantee that what he began in us, he will complete. He will cause us to persevere, with all the saints, until the end.

And despite that fact,God unconditionally chose to save us—not because of anything good or worthy in us, but only because of his free, sovereign will to do with his creation as he pleases.

He sent Christ to die for his elect, and Christ’s death on the cross didn’t just make salvation possible for us; it accomplished salvation for us. We were, past tense, saved at the cross of Christ.

So now that Christ has fulfilled his work, at the time of his choosing, the Father draws us to Christ: by his Holy Spirit he takes the dead people we are and he makes us alive, giving us a new heart with new desires. He draws us to Christ, and because we have this new desire to know Christ, we are irresistibly drawn by his grace.

And once we have received this amazing grace, this new birth from the Holy Spirit, that same Spirit serves as the guarantee that what he began in us, he will complete. He will cause us to persevere, with all the saints, until the end.

That is what Paul teaches in , and that, in a nutshell, is what is referred to as the Five Points of Calvinism, or the Doctrines of G

Humility & Assurance

Alors qu’est-ce qu’on entend par « distinctifs théologiques » ?

Now, keeping all of that in mind, I’d like to speak to two different groups of people.

(Ma chère femme a été assez gentille pour me rappeler que « distinctif » n’est pas un nom,

The obvious answer is, “Because the Bible says it,” but honestly, that’s a cop-out answer. The Bible says a lot of things; taken out of context, you can make the Bible “say” just about anything.

We need to go further than that, because these truths will, if we take them to heart, radically change the kind of Christian you are, and the kind of church we are.

So with that in mind, I’d like to speak to two different groups of people.

Holiness and Humility

First of all, let me talk to those of you for whom none of this is new, and who, like me, love these truths and accept these truths and embrace these truths.

These truths are often called the Five Points of Calvinism, and those who adhere to them (like me) are typically called Calvinists.

These truths are referred to in a number of ways: the Five Points of Calvinism, the Doctrines of Grace, Reformed Theology…

But they didn’t really come from John Calvin.

And those who hold to these doctrines, like me, are often referred to as Calvinists, because these points of doctrine were formulated in responses to objections to what John Calvin wrote about in his Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin didn’t come up with the Five Points, and frankly he would be appalled to hear what many people who label themselves after his name have done with what he believed.

These points of doctrine were formulated in response to five objections to the way Calvin exposed the Bible’s teaching on salvation (most notably in his Institutes of the Christian Religion).

Why? Because these points of doctrine were formulated in responses to objections to what John Calvin wrote about in his Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin didn’t come up with the Five Points, and frankly he would be appalled to hear what many people who label themselves after his name have done with what he believed.

Calvin didn’t come up with the Five Points, and frankly he would be appalled to hear what many people who label themselves after his name have done with what he believed.

As much as I love them, it’s good to remember that the Five Points were birthed out of a contentious debate, and that, frankly, Calvin would be appalled to hear what many people who label themselves with his name have done with what he believed and taught.

And that’s what we need to get at here.

Young Christians who hear about these things for the first time often go through what people call the “cage stage.” They begin to discover all kinds of amazing things in the Bible that they’d never seen before, and they are so amped up by what they find that they become vicious, arrogant monsters, who take a kind of visceral pleasure in saying things they know will be really disturbing to some people.

When I started discovering these things, I read my entire Bible, cover to cover, in a couple months. And every time I found a text showing God exercising his sovereignty, doing something that we usually imagine God has no part in, I marked a little triangle in the margin.

At the end, there were triangles everywhere.

But I’ll never forget a conversation I had with our pastor at the time, who was horrified to discover that I wasn’t just making mistakes when I talked about God’s sovereignty, but that I actually believed these things.

I still love that, and I still do that triangle-marking thing. But I’ll never forget a conversation I had with our pastor at the time, who was horrified to discover that I wasn’t just making mistakes when I talked about God’s sovereignty, but that I actually believed these things, and I knew why I believed them.

At one point the conversation got so contentious that I pulled out my Bible, flung it open to a random page, and said, “LOOK!”

I thumbed through, pointing out all the triangles; I showed him Joseph; I showed him ; showed him ; showed him ; showed him (yes) cited text after text, going, “You see? You see?”

It was appalling, and I am ashamed of it to this day.

I love the Five Points. But the culture that surrounds discussions on this subject is far too often simply and purely toxic, and has nothing to do with biblical Christianity.

There is a truth that is glaringly obvious in this morning’s text, which should put up some massive guardrails around your heart.

And the truth is this: YOU HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING WE SEE HERE.

Take a look at these verses, and see how many times Paul refers to something you did to contribute to your salvation. The answer is easy: ZERO. In fact, the only time he says you did anything that wasn’t first God’s doing is when he says you walked in our trespasses and sins. The only thing you contribute is death and sin.

If that isn’t convincing enough, look at all the times here Paul says the words “in Christ,” or “in him.”

V. 3: He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.

V. 4: He chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

V. 7: In him we have redemption through his blood.

V. 9: He set forth his purpose for us in Christ.

V. 10: His plan is to unite all things in him.

V. 11: In him we have obtained our inheritance.

V. 12: Our hope is in Christ.

V. 13: In him we believed, and in him we were sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Please tell me you see it: our salvation is not found in Calvinism. Our salvation is not found in the Five Points.

Our salvation is, from beginning to end, IN CHRIST.

If we love Calvinism more than we love Christ, then Calvinism is an idol, and you’re an idolator.

Your salvation is, from beginning to end, IN CHRIST. If we love Calvinism more than Christ himself, we are idolators. Paul is telling all of this to the Ephesians to produce specific results in the life of the church. Keep reading the letter: Paul tells us what these things should produce in us:

But Paul’s point in telling all this to the Ephesians is not just to keep them from being theological idolators. He is telling all of this to the Ephesians to because these truths should produce specific results in the life of the church.

Keep reading the letter: Paul tells us what these truths should produce in us:

Unity (4.1-2, cf. 2.11-22, 4.3-16)

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

LOVING honesty to help the body grow (4.15-16):

15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Holiness (4.20-28, 5.3-7)—5.6-7:

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light...

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Profound care in how we speak to each other (4.29, cf. 4.30-32, 5.6-20):

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Mutual submission (5.20, cf. 5.21-6.9):

20 [Give] thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

and much more.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

I firmly believe the doctrines of grace are profoundly biblical—this text and others like it are soundly and clearly summarized in the Five Points.

But as much as the Bible hammers the doctrines of grace home to us, we need to know that God tells us these things for a reason: in order to make us see how much bigger God is than we give him credit for; to make us the kind of Christians who have an iron-clad confidence in God’s power to save and keep; and at the same time to make us motivated by profound humility, love and care for others, no matter what their theology looks like.

He wants to make us the kind of Christians who have an iron-clad confidence in God’s power to save and keep, and at the same time are motivated by profound humility, love and care for others, no matter what their theology looks like.

Because you know what? Our theology was pretty crappy when God saved us, too.

I promise that I’m not thinking of anyone here in particular, so if you feel targeted, it’s completely unintentional. But if you do feel targeted, and you tend to react like I did at the beginning, then I implore you, with all the love I have for you: STOP IT.

Think about the way you speak. Think about the memes you post on social media. Think about the topics on which you plant your flag and get ready for battle. And stop. Lay down your arms.

Because for all of our grand-standing on the topic, none of this is our doing. We were dead, and he made us alive. We were guilty, and he chose us in Christ. We are constantly struggling with our sin, and he is the guarantee of our inheritance.

The church which holds to these doctrines rightly will be welcoming, and humble, and loving, because that church will know that nothing it is, and nothing it has, is sourced in its members, but only in Christ.

ce qui ne m’était jamais venu à l’esprit ;

Assurance

Now, to those of you who are not in that camp, who don’t feel comfortable with this subject, let me give you some assurance.

If you’re uneasy about these things, believe me, I understand. It had the same effect on me.

I grew up hearing that Christ’s death made salvation possible—that Jesus opened the door to salvation, but that it was up to me to walk through, and to make sure I stayed in the room once I did.

The first time I heard these truths explained, I was profoundly uneasy. I had a really bad week. Trust me, I get it.

You don’t have to agree with what I’ve said this morning to be a member of this church; you don’t even have to agree with what I’ve said to be a biblically faithful Christian.

Or you might be fine with these truths, but you’re wondering, Why do we need these labels? Why do I need to “find a camp”? Calvinist, Reformed, Five Points, TULIP… Why do we need any of these things?

The answer is, YOU DON’T.

Labels are helpful insofar as they give us a shorthand to make ourselves understood more easily, but in the end Paul isn’t speaking to “Calvinists.” We are disciples of Jesus Christ, full stop.

But if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then you need to be able to explain, as Peter says, the reason for the hope that is in you. If you hope in Christ, you need to have a foundation for that hope.

And what I’ve found is that if my hope is simply rooted in the fact that Jesus made salvation possible for me, that hope tends to be very fragile. Because if Jesus only made salvation possible for me, but I have to make it happen, then I’m in trouble, because most days I am very, very weak.

Because if Jesus only made salvation possible for me, what will make it happen? And the only answer that I can see is our own ability to stay faithful.

Because if Jesus only made salvation possible for me, what will make it happen? And the only answer that I can see is our own ability to stay faithful.

what will make it happen? And the only answer that I can see is our own ability to stay faithful.

I don’t know about you, but I have proven again and again in my own life that I am woefully unable to stay faithful. As Charles Spurgeon famously quoted,

"If ever it should come to pass,

That sheep of Christ might fall away,

My fickle, feeble soul, alas!

Would fall a thousand times a day."

My experience has been that these truths, which made me so uncomfortable at first, are the truths that give me the most comfort and assurance now; they are the only sure foundation I have found for the hope in me.

Because I know that none of my salvation depends on my ability to be a good Christian, but only on his grace. :

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

So I can be absolutely, 100% sure that what Christ began in me, he will be faithful to finish.

...by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast.

Why?

Because he said he would; because I have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of my inheritance.

alors une clarification serait peut-être utile).

These truths form our assurance in failure; our comfort in suffering; our hope in temptation; and our humility in victory.

Il y a des doctrines au sujet desquelles les chrétiens sont plus ou moins universellement d’accord—

So brothers and sisters, love each other well. Encourage one another to love and follow Jesus Christ. And understand that good theology is no guarantee of faithfulness.

So we will continue to joyfully and unashamedly preach these things, and encourage one another with them, to give us joy in our salvation, and strength to obey his commands.

Conclusion

comme la divinité de Christ, ou la justification par la foi.

I recently heard a story about the British evangelist George Whitefield.

Whitefield was a Calvinist, and his friend, the famous theologian and evangelist John Wesley, was absolutely not (he strongly disagreed with Whitefield on this topic).

Whitefield was preaching at an event somewhere, and one of the congregants asked if they would see John Wesley in heaven.

Et puis il y a des doctrines qui sont d’une importance secondaire.

Ce ne sont pas des raisons pour la division—

Whitefield thought for a moment, then responded, “No, I don’t think we will.”

on peut être un chrétien fidèle à la Bible et ne pas être d’accord sur ces sujets.

Gasps followed, and a long pause.

Then Whitefield continued, “Mr. Wesley will be so near the throne and I will be so far in the back that I won’t be able to see him.”

Charles Spurgeon, a fervent Calvinist himself, commented on this story, saying,

“As I read such remarks made by Mr. Whitefield, I have said to myself, ‘By this I know, as a Christian, that he must be a Christian’; for I saw that he loved his brother Wesley even while he so earnestly differed from him on certain points of doctrine. Yes, dear brethren, if we cannot differ, and yet love one another—if we cannot allow each brother to go his own way in the service of God, and to have the liberty of working after his own fashion—if we cannot do that, we shall fail to convince our fellow-Christians that we ourselves are Christians.”

Excerpt From: J.A. Medders. “Humble Calvinism.” Apple Books. https://books.apple.com/fr/book/humble-calvinism/id1449470515?l=en

That is faithful Calvinism.

Brothers and sisters, be good theologians. Love good doctrine. But above all, love and follow King Jesus, and the brothers and sisters to whom he has united you.

One last thing. If you’re an unbeliever and you’re here today perhaps for the first time: first of all, I’m sorry your introduction to our church was with such a heavy topic. I appreciate you hanging in there.

You might feel, after hearing all of this, that you have no part in any of this—you’re not a Christian, so clearly everything I’ve said today of Christians can’t be true of you, right?

That’s where this text is so comforting: if we had some part to play in our salvation, then it could be that we simply had a better upbringing, or a more acute sense of spiritual things, than others. So I wouldn’t really have a lot of hope to give you except to say, “Try really hard to believe.”

But God is the one responsible for every aspect of our salvation—including our belief in him. He did it all. And it’s easy for him, because he is all-powerful (he can do anything, including save a wretch like me), and he is all-knowing (so he knows how best to do it).

That means that no one is out of his reach. No one is too sinful, or too intelligent, or too much of an atheist, for him to save.

Which means that if he saved us, he can save you.

He draws us to Christ in a wide variety of ways. I have a friend who met Christ as a child after eating a can of vegetables which had gone past its expiration date! (For real.) You never know what God is doing to get you exactly where he wants you to be, for the Holy Spirit to bring you from death to life.

So if you feel like God might be doing that in you (even if you don’t really know how to qualify what’s going on in your heart), then don’t ignore it. Pursue it. Ask someone to read the Bible with you. And don’t worry about adhering to a certain formula or ritual: you don’t have to do any one thing in any one way, because it’s God who does this in you; you don’t do it in yourself.

If you think he might be drawing you to him, follow him. And we are here: you don’t have to go alone.

Mais ils ont quand même un énorme impact sur notre compréhension de l’évangile,

sur notre ecclésiologie (la manière dont on structure et pratique la vie de l’église),

et sur la manière dont nous mettrons l’évangile en pratique dans le contexte de l’église.

C’est pour cela qu’on les a appelés (jusqu’ici en tout cas, on devra peut-être changer maintenant) des distinctifs théologiques—

ce sont des sujets qui forment, de manière distinctive, l’enseignement et la vie de notre église.

Alors on va commencer fort, et cette semaine on va parler de la première doctrine distinctive sur notre liste : la souveraineté absolue de Dieu.

C’est un sujet très vaste, alors on va se concentrer sur la souveraineté de Dieu en ce qui concerne le salut.

Ce sujet a souvent été formulé par ce qu’on appelle les « Doctrines de la grâce, » ou le « Calvinisme »

(Nommés ainsi après le Réformateur du 16e siècle Jean Calvin,

qui n’a pas inventé ces doctrines,

mais dont les écrits ont réanimé un débat sur le sujet).

Je sais que certains d’entre vous ne sauront même pas de quoi je parle,

alors que d’autres vont se dire :

« Mais encore ça ?! On en parle tout le temps, pourquoi revenir dessus ? »

D’abord, croyez-moi que mon but aujourd’hui n’est pas de revenir sur le sujet simplement parce que je l’aime bien.

C’est pour ça que la plupart du temps on prêche des livres de la Bible :

pour que je ne puisse pas simplement choisir les sujets qui me plaisent.

Non, il y a une raison principale pour laquelle on en parle aujourd’hui

(en plus du fait que c’est le premier sujet sur notre liste).

Pour tout ce qu’on a dit sur le sujet, que je crois être juste,

je crains que sans faire exprès, certains d’entre nous, comme dit Jeff Medders,

risquent d’aimer le calvinisme plutôt que d’être des calvinistes aimants ;

d’étudier les doctrines de la grâce, tout en oubliant la grâce.

Alors sortez vos Bibles, et allez à la lettre de Paul aux Ephésiens ; on va commencer au tout début.

Dieu sauve son peuple (Ephésiens 1.1-14, 2.1-4)

Le grand but de cette lettre est de montrer à l’église d’Ephèse (que Paul connaissait bien, puisqu’il l’a implantée)

comment Dieu nous sauve,

et quel impact cette connaissance devrait avoir sur la vie de l’église.

Alors voici ce qu’on va faire.

On va lire Ephésiens 1.1-14 d’abord.

Et j’aimerais que vous le lisiez comme si c’était pour la première fois.

(C’est peut-être le cas pour certains ici.)

Imaginez que vous avez entendu certaines choses au sujet du christianisme,

de comment Jésus est « mort pour vos péchés, »

mais que vous n’en savez pas plus,

et vous n’avez jamais vraiment lu la Bible.

Essayez de voir ce texte comme vous le verriez pour la première fois.

1 Paul, De la part de Paul, apôtre de Jésus-Christ par la volonté de Dieu, aux saintsqui sont [à Ephèse] et qui sont fidèles en Jésus-Christ: 2que la grâce et la paix vous soient données de la part de Dieu notre Père et du Seigneur Jésus-Christ!

3Béni soit le Dieu et Père de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ, qui nous a bénis de toute bénédiction spirituelle dans les lieux célestes en Christ!

4En lui, Dieu nous a choisis avant la création du monde pour que nous soyons saints et sans défaut devant lui. Dans son amour, 5il nous a prédestinés à être ses enfants adoptifs par Jésus-Christ. C’est ce qu’il a voulu, dans sa bienveillance, 6pour que nous célébrions la gloire de sa grâce, dont il nous a comblés dans le bien-aimé.

7En lui, par son sang, nous sommes rachetés, pardonnés de nos fautes, conformément à la richesse de sa grâce. 8Dieu nous l’a accordée avec abondance, en toute sagesse et intelligence. 9Il nous a fait connaître le mystère de sa volonté, conformément au projet bienveillant qu’il avait formé en Christ 10pour le mettre à exécution lorsque le moment serait vraiment venu, à savoir de tout réunir sous l’autorité du Messie, aussi bien ce qui est dans le ciel que ce qui est sur la terre.

11En lui nous avons été désignés comme héritiers, ayant été prédestinés suivant le plan de celui qui met tout en œuvre conformément aux décisions de sa volonté 12pour servir à célébrer sa gloire, nous qui avons par avance espéré dans le Messie.

13En lui vous aussi, après avoir entendu la parole de la vérité, l’Evangile qui vous sauve, en lui vous avez cru et vous avez été marqués de l’empreinte du Saint-Esprit qui avait été promis. 14Il est le gage de notre héritage en attendant la libération de ceux que Dieu s’est acquis pour célébrer sa gloire.

OK, alors déjà, dans ces 14 versets, nous voyons un grand nombre de choses qui semblent aller à l’encontre de ce que nous avons imaginé sur le message chrétien.

D’abord on voit que si on est en Christ, on a reçu (v. 3) toute bénédiction spirituelle dans les lieux célestes.

Pas certaines bénédictions,

ou même beaucoup de bénédictions :

TOUTE bénédiction.

Ensuite, on voit que si on est en Christ, c’est parce que (v. 4) Dieu nous a CHOISIS en lui.

Et non seulement cela (v. 5) :

il nous a prédestinés à être ses enfants adoptifs ;

et v. 4 : il nous a choisis en Christ avant la création du monde.

Alors Paul semble dire qu’avant que le monde existe,

Dieu avait déjà décidé d’avance que je serais son fils ou sa fille adoptif.

Ensuite on voit (v. 7) que par le sang de Jésus,

nous sommes rachetés, pardonnés de nos fautes.

Alors ça, ça va—

j’ai déjà entendu ça

(même si je ne sais pas trop ce que ça veut dire).

Mais on voit que Dieu a fait cela (v. 9) conformément au projet bienveillant qu’il avait formé en Christ 10 pour le mettre à exécution lorsque le moment serait vraiment venu.

Alors ce salut dont les gens parlent…

ce n’était pas seulement Dieu qui réagissait à un problème dans le monde ?

Genre, c’était son plan ?

J’ai entendu dire que Jésus est mort sur la croix, pour nos péchés…

Et c’était son plan, dès le départ ?

Et bien, c’est ce que Paul semble dire.

Ensuite on voit (v. 11) qu’en Christ nous avons été désignés comme héritiers.

D’accord, très bien—mais pourquoi ?

Parce que nous étions prédestinés (encore ce mot !) suivant le plan de celui qui met tout en œuvre conformément aux décisions de sa volonté.

Attends—TOUTES CHOSES ?

Il dit que Dieu fait toutes choses suivant les décisions de sa volonté ?

Pas seulement notre salut, mais tout ?

Les mouvements politiques

et les catastrophes naturelles

et l’orbite des planètes

et la durée de vie des insectes et…

tout ?

Encore, c’est ce que Paul semble dire.

Après, il dit quelque chose d’étrange (v. 13) :

que lorsqu’on a entendu l’évangile, et cru en Jésus,

nous avons été marqués de l’empreinte du Saint-Esprit,

qui est le gage de notre héritage en attendant la libération de ceux que Dieu s’est acquis pour célébrer sa gloire.

Un « gage » de notre héritage ?

Comme une promesse, ou une garantie ?

Je pensais que je devais vivre une bonne vie pour rester sur ce train.

Comment est-ce que ma « libération » peut-elle être une promesse ?

Et qu’est-ce que ça veut dire, même ?

Quel est cet « héritage » ?

Alors juste pour résumer :

Paul dit que Dieu, avant la création du monde, avait déjà choisi que je serais un jour chrétien…

Que la mort de Jésus était le plan de Dieu dès le départ…

Et que Dieu promet que je recevrai un jour un héritage,

Qui semble être la vie éternelle au paradis.

Tout cela va à l’encontre de toutes les idées reçues qu’on a souvent sur ce qui se passe quand on devient chrétiens.

Ce que Paul dit semble s’attaquer à l’idée que je suis chrétien aujourd’hui parce que j’ai choisi de suivre Jésus,

à l’idée que Dieu a envoyé Jésus en réponse au problème du péché,

et à l’idée que c’est à moi de m’assurer que je ne « perde pas mon salut. »

Alors du coup, on peut arriver à une de deux conclusions ici.

On peut dire que quand Paul a écrit cette lettre—

quand il utilise des mots comme « choisis » et « prédestinés » et « gage »—

clairement il veut dire autre chose.

Clairement il parle de quelque chose que je n’arrive pas à comprendre.

On peut hocher la tête et dire : « Ppppppt »,

et continue son chemin.

C’est une option.

Ou alors, on peut se dire :

« Paul semble dire ce qu’il veut dire…dans quel cas, j’ai besoin d’en savoir plus. »

Evidemment la deuxième option est meilleure.

Et en fait, si on continue simplement notre lecture de la lettre aux Ephésiens,

on voit pourquoi tout ce qu’il dans 1.1-14 n’est pas seulement vrai,

mais nécessairement vrai—

pourquoi Paul veut dire précisément ce qu’il dit.

Allez un peu plus loin, au chapitre 2, verset 1.

Au chapitre 2, Paul va expliquer pourquoi Dieu doit être souverain sur notre salut,

pourquoi notre salut doit dépendre du choix de Dieu.

Commençons à Ephésiens 2.1.

2.1 Quant à vous, vous étiez morts à cause de vos fautes et de vos péchés, 2que vous pratiquiez autrefois conformément à la façon de vivre de ce monde, conformément au prince de la puissance de l’air, de l’esprit qui est actuellement à l’œuvre parmi les hommes rebelles. 3Nous tous aussi, nous étions de leur nombre: notre conduite était dictée par les désirs de notre nature propre, puisque nous accomplissions les volontés de la nature humaine et de nos pensées, et nous étions, par notre condition même, destinés à la colère, tout comme les autres.

Ce passage donne des indices qui aident à répondre à deux questions de bases qu’on a souvent :

Les hommes et les femmes ne sont-ils pas généralement bons ?

Et n’avons-nous pas le libre arbitre ?

Ne sommes-nous pas libres de choisir Dieu ?

La Bible n’essaie même pas de répondre à cette question sur le libre arbitre,

et comment il s’articule avec la souveraineté de Dieu—elle a d’autres buts en tête.

Mais Paul nous donne quand même quelques indices ici, et il le fait et répondant à l’autre question.

Alors est-ce qu’on est libres ?

Oui, nous sommes libres…

mais que notre liberté est une liberté bien précise.

Nous sommes libres pour agir conformément à notre nature.

(Par exemple : je ne suis pas libre de décider d’être un dragon.

Je ne suis pas libre de voler ou de cracher du feu, parce que je suis un être humain.

Je ne suis pas libre de choisir quelque chose que ma nature ne permet pas.)

Et cette question de notre nature, c’est exactement ce dont Paul parle ici :

il dit que nous étions MORTS.

Comme dit Steven Lawson, ça veut dire que nous sommes physiquement vivants,

mais moralement incapables de répondre à Dieu.

Spirituellement parlant, nous étions complètement, à 100%, morts :

nous ne pouvions pas choisir les choses qui nous apporteraient la vie,

parce que les morts ne peuvent pas décider d’être vivants.

Les seules choses que les morts peuvent choisir sont ces choses qui sont en accord avec leur nature.

Et ces « choses mortes » que les morts peuvent choisir ?

La Bible les appelle « péché. »

Nous sommes tous descendants du premier homme, qui s’est rebellé contre Dieu ;

et comme ses descendants, nous sommes tous nés dans son péché—

nous sommes nés spirituellement morts.

Et même le bien que nous arrivions à faire n’était pas complètement bon, parce que…

et bien, parce qu’un être humain ne peut pas être un dragon.

On peut construire des avions et fabriquer du napalm—

on peut imiter—

mais on ne peut pas changer notre nature.

On ne peut pas choisir d’être quelque chose qu’on n’est pas.

Alors nous étions libres de faire ce que nous voulions,

mais ce que nous voulions,

c’était de vivre (comme dit Paul) selon les désirs de notre nature propre,

selon les volontés de la nature humaine et de nos pensées.

Et par conséquent, nous méritons la colère de Dieu,

parce que chaque désir de notre nature propre était un désir pécheur,

et une offense au saint caractère de Dieu.

Alors qu’est-ce que Dieu a fait ? V. 4:

4 Mais Dieu est riche en compassion. A cause du grand amour dont il nous a aimés, 5nous qui étions morts en raison de nos fautes, il nous a rendus à la vie avec Christ – c’est par grâce que vous êtes sauvés…

Alors du coup maintenant, ce que Paul a dit au chapitre 1 a peut-être un peu plus de sens.

Puisque Dieu est riche en compassion,

puisqu’il nous a aimés d’un grand amour malgré notre péché,

il a envoyé son Fils Jésus-Christ pour vivre sur la terre en tant qu’être humain,

pour vivre la vie qu’il nous ordonne de vivre, mais que nous ne pouvions pas vivre—

une vie de parfaite sainteté, sans péché.

Il a envoyé son Fils sur la terre, pleinement homme et pleinement Dieu,

pour prendre nos péchés sur lui-même,

et pour subir la punition que nous méritons.

Comme quelqu’un a dit : la question de Pourquoi les mauvaises choses arrivent-elles aux bonnes personnes ?

Ça ne s’est passé qu’une seule fois,

dans toute l’histoire humaine,

lorsque Jésus est mort pour nous.

Et grâce à son sacrifice, alors que nous étions morts à cause de nos fautes,

Dieu nous a rendus à la VIE avec Christ (v. 5).

Vous voyez, le choix souverain de Dieu est absolument nécessaire à notre salut,

parce que les morts ne peuvent pas décider de vivre.

Les hommes et les femmes pécheurs ne peuvent pas agir contrairement à leur nature.

Quelque chose d’extérieur doit venir pour changer cette nature.

Alors Dieu l’a fait.

Son Saint-Esprit a pris les morts que nous étions et il nous a rendus à la vie avec Christ.

Il nous a ressuscités.

Et c’est là qu’on voit un peu mieux ce que Paul disait quand il parlait de notre « héritage. »

Quand tu reçois un héritage dans notre pays,

c’est généralement parce que tu as un parent qui est décédé, et qui t’a laissé quelque chose.

Alors le notaire te donne un document qui prouve que tu es l’héritier de cet héritage, et il marque son sceau en bas.

Ce sceau-là, c’est la preuve que le document d’héritage que tu as dans les mains est légitime.

C’est la preuve que l’héritage promis viendra à toi.

Dans notre cas, la seule différence est notre frère décédé…

est ressuscité d’entre les morts.

Jésus est ressuscité, et il est monté à la droite du Père,

et maintenant il est là, il réserve notre place avec lui ;

il a reçu l’héritage et il le tient pour nous.

Et le sceau de cet héritage—la preuve que nous recevrons bel et bien ce qui nous est promis—

c’est le Saint-Esprit qui nous a ressuscité, qui nous a fait passer de la mort à la vie.

Nous avons été marqués de son empreinte, comme du sceau du notaire.

Alors la réponse à la question—

« Comment être sûr que je ne perdrai pas mon salut ?

Comment savoir que je persévérerai jusqu’à la fin ? »—

la réponse est que vous ne pouvez pas faire cela…

Mais lui, il peut.

Son Esprit nous a donné la foi, et il vit en nous.

Il est le gage de notre héritage.

Alors pour résumer :

Nous sommes, de nature, totalement dépravés.

Nous étions morts dans nos offenses, ennemis de Dieu ;

nous suivions les désirs de notre nature, complètement centrés sur nous-mêmes.

Et malgré ce fait, Dieu a choisi de nous sauver—

non pas à cause de quoi que ce soit de bon ou de digne en nous

(parce qu’il n’y avait rien, on était morts),

mais seulement à cause de sa volonté libre et souveraine pour faire de sa création ce qu’il veut.

Il a envoyé Christ mourir pour ceux qu’il a choisis,

et la mort de Christ à la croix n’a pas seulement rendu le salut possible pour nous ;

elle a accompli le salut pour nous.

Nous sommes rachetés en lui—

pas « Nous pourrions peut-être être rachetés, »

ou même « Nous serons rachetés, »

mais nous SOMMES rachetés,

nous SOMMES pardonnés de nos fautes.

Maintenant que Jésus a accompli son œuvre,

au moment qu’il veut, le Père attire ses enfants à Christ :

par son Esprit il prend les morts que nous étions et il nous ressuscite,

nous fait naître de nouveau,

nous donne de nouveaux cœurs avec de nouveaux désirs.

Il nous attire à Christ,

et puisque nous avons ce nouveau désir de suivre Christ,

nous sommes irrésistiblement attirés par sa grâce.

Et une fois qu’on a reçu cette grâce incroyable,

ce même Esprit sert de preuve que ce que Dieu a commencé en nous, il terminera.

Il nous fera persévérer, avec tous les saints, jusqu’à la fin.

Le fruit de ces vérités

Alors, avec tout cela en tête, j’aimerais parler à deux différents groupes de personnes.

Le résumé que je viens de donner,

ce n’était rien de moins que ce qu’on appelle les « Cinq points, »

les « Doctrines de la Grâce »,

qui ont été formulés en réponse à des objections à la manière dont Jean Calvin exposait la Bible.

Et certains d’entre vous l’ont surement repéré,

et vous faisiez la fête intérieurement.

Si c’est vous, et vous adhérez à ces doctrines comme moi,

c’est à vous que je veux parler en premier.

Les jeunes chrétiens qui entendent ces choses pour la première fois passent souvent par ce qu’on appelle le « cage stage. »

Ces doctrines sont très stimulantes, intellectuellement et spirituellement.

Alors quand les gens commencent à les voir pour la première fois ils développe une certaine arrogance.

Ils sont stimulés par ce qu’ils apprennent,

et ils n’arrivent pas à voir comment quelqu’un pourrait ne pas les voir dans la Bible

(même si eux-mêmes ne les voyaient pas il y a peu de temps).

Quand j’ai commencé à découvrir ces vérités,

j’ai lu ma Bible entière, du début à la fin, en quelques mois.

A chaque fois que je trouvais un texte où je voyais Dieu exercer sa souveraineté,

faire des choses qu’on n’attribue pas généralement à Dieu,

je marquais un petit triangle dans les marges.

À la fin, il y avait des triangles de partout.

J’aime beaucoup cela,

et je marque encore des triangles dans ma Bible.

Mais je n’oublierai jamais une discussion que j’ai eu avec notre pasteur à l’époque,

qui était horrifié de découvrir ce que je croyais.

À un moment la discussion est devenue tellement contentieuse que j’ai sorti ma Bible,

je l’ai ouvert au hasard et j’ai dit : « REGARDE ! »

J’ai tourné page après page,

je lui montrais tous les triangles.

Je lui ai montré Joseph ;

Ezékiel 36 ;

Romains 9 ;

Jean 6 ;

et oui, Ephésiens 1.

J’ai cité verset après verset, disant : « Tu vois ? Tu vois ? »

Je peux pas lui en vouloir de ne pas m’avoir écouté.

J’aime énormément les Doctrines de la Grâce.

Mais la culture qui entoure les discussions sur le sujet est bien souvent, purement et simplement toxique,

et n’a rien à voir avec le christianisme biblique.

Il y a une vérité qui est plus qu’évidente dans le texte de ce matin,

qui devrait placer des barrières de sécurité dans notre cœur.

Et la vérité, c’est que TU N’AS RIEN FAIT.

Regardez à ces versets, et notez combien de fois Paul parle de quelque chose que tu as fait pour contribuer à ton salut.

La réponse est facile : ZÉRO.

Dans l’exposition de Paul dans 1.1-14,

il est remarquable qu’il décrive notre rôle comme étant presque totalement passif :

Dieu donne, et nous recevons.

Ce n’est pas pour dire que nous ne faisons littéralement rien ;

mais il veut nous faire comprendre que tout ce que nous faisons vient de lui, et pas de nous.

Alors si on voulait résumer ce texte, on ne dirait pas :

« Nous sommes sauvés, »

mais plutôt : « DIEU SAUVE SON PEUPLE. »

En plus, regardez à toutes les fois que Paul dit les mots « en Christ » ou « en lui. »

• V. 3: Il nous a bénis de toute bénédiction spirituelle dans les lieux célestes en Christ.

• V. 4: En lui, Dieu nous a choisis avant la création du monde.

• V. 7: En lui, par son sang, nous sommes rachetés.

• V. 9: Il a formé son projet bienveillant en Christ.

• V. 11: En lui nous avons été désignés comme héritiers.

• V. 12: Nous plaçons notre espérance en lui.

• V. 13: En lui nous avons cru, et en lui nous avons été marqués de l’empreinte du Saint-Esprit.

Dites-moi que vous le voyez :

notre espérance ne se trouve pas dans le calvinisme.

Notre salut ne se trouve pas dans les Cinq Points.

Notre salut, du début à la fin, est en Christ.

Si nous aimons le calvinisme plus que nous aimons la personne de Christ,

alors notre calvinisme est un idole,

et nous sommes idolâtres.

Mais le but de Paul en disant tout cela aux Ephésiens n’est pas seulement de les garder de l’idolâtrie théologique.

Il dit tout cela aux Ephésiens parce que ces vérités devraient produire des résultats spécifiques dans la vie de l’église.

Continuez de lire la lettre—

Paul nous dit ce que ces vérités devraient produire en nous :

• L’unité (4.3, cf. 2.11-22, 4.3-16)

3Efforcez-vous de conserver l’unité de l’Esprit par le lien de la paix.

• L’honnêteté aimante pour édifier le corps (l’accent là est sur « aimant », 4.15):

15Mais en disant la vérité dans l’amour, nous grandirons à tout point de vue vers celui qui est la tête, Christ.

• Un soin profond dans notre manière de nous parler les uns aux autres (4.29, cf. 4.30-32, 5.6-20):

Qu’aucune parole malsaine ne sorte de votre bouche, mais seulement de bonnes paroles qui, en fonction des besoins, servent à l’édification et transmettent une grâce à ceux qui les entendent.

• La soumission mutuelle (5.20-21, cf. 5.21-6.9):

20…remerciez constamment Dieu le Père pour tout, au nom de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ; 21soumettez-vous les uns aux autres dans la crainte de Dieu.

• et BIEN plus encore.

Je crois que les doctrines de la grâce sont profondément bibliques—

l’enseignement de ce texte, et d’autres comme celui-ci,

sont clairement et justement résumés dans les cinq points.

Mais peu importe combien la Bible nous enseigne ces doctrines,

nous devons garder en tête que lorsque Dieu nous les dit,

il a un but en tête.

Et ce but n’est surement pas que nous nous servions de ces vérités comme des armes contre les autres.

Il nous dit ces choses pour nous faire voir que Dieu est infiniment plus grand que nous pensons ;

pour nous faire devenir le type de chrétien qui a une confiance solide et durable dans la puissance de Dieu pour sauver et pour protéger ;

et en même temps, pour nous rendre humbles,

pour nous donner un amour profond pour les autres,

peu importe à quoi ressemble leur théologie.

Je vous promets que je ne vise personne en particulier,

et donc si vous vous sentez visé, ce n’est pas intentionnel.

Mais si c’est le cas, et vous avez tendance à réagir comme je faisais au début,

alors je vous supplie, avec tout l’amour que j’ai pour vous :

ARRÊTEZ.

Réfléchissez à la manière dont vous parlez.

Réfléchissez aux memes que vous postez sur les réseaux sociaux.

Réfléchissez aux sujets sur lesquels vous plantez votre drapeau,

pour lesquels vous partez au combat.

Et arrêtez.

Posez vos armes et arrêtez.

L’église qui tient à ces doctrines comme Paul nous l’instruit sera accueillante, et humble, et aimante,

parce que cette église saura que rien de ce qu’elle est,

et rien de ce qu’elle a,

ne se trouve en ses membres,

mais seulement en Christ.

Alors, pour ceux d’entre vous qui ne sont pas de ce camp,

qui ne se sentent pas à l’aise avec ce sujet,

laissez-moi vous rassurer un peu si possible.

Si vous êtes mal à l’aise avec ces choses,

croyez-moi, je comprends.

La même chose s’est passé pour moi.

Comme on dit toujours au cours de membres, vous n’avez pas besoin d’être d’accord avec ce que j’ai dit ce matin pour être membre de cette église ;

vous n’avez même pas besoin d’être d’accord avec ce que j’ai dit pour être un chrétien fidèle à la Bible.

Mais si vous êtes disciple de Jésus-Christ, alors vous avez besoin de pouvoir expliquer,

comme Pierre le dit, la raison pour l’espérance qui est en vous.

Si vous espérez en Christ, vous devez avoir un fondement pour cette espérance-là.

Et ce que j’ai trouvé,

c’est que si mon espérance se trouve seulement dans le fait que Jésus a rendu le salut possible pour moi,

cette espérance a tendance à être très fragile.

Parce que s’il n’a fait que rendre le salut possible,

mais que c’est moi qui dois le réaliser,

je suis bien embêté,

parce que la plupart des jours je suis très, très faible.

Dans mon expérience, ces vérités, qui m’ont rendu tellement mal à l’aise au départ,

sont les vérités qui me donnent le plus de réconfort maintenant ;

c’est la seule assurance vraiment sure que j’ai trouvé pour l’espérance en moi.

Parce que je sais que mon salut ne dépend pas de ma capacité, ou de ma propre fidélité. Ephésiens 2.8-9 :

8En effet, c’est par la grâce que vous êtes sauvés, par le moyen de la foi. Et cela ne vient pas de vous, c’est le don de Dieu. 9Ce n’est pas par les œuvres, afin que personne ne puisse se vanter.

Alors je peux être absolument, à 100% certain que ce que Jésus a commencé en moi,

il sera fidèle pour l’accomplir,

parce qu’il a dit qu’il le ferait.

Parce que j’ai été marqué de l’empreinte du Saint-Esprit,

qui m’a donné la foi,

et qui est le garant de mon héritage.

Ces vérités sont partout dans la Bible, et elles nous donnent notre assurance dans l’échec ;

notre réconfort dans la souffrance ;

notre espoir dans la tentation ;

et notre humilité dans la victoire.

Alors nous continuerons à prêcher ces choses, avec joie et sans honte ;

et nous nous encouragerons les uns les autres dans ce même sens.

Conclusion

J’ai récemment entendu une histoire sur l’évangéliste britannique George Whitefield.

Whitefield était calviniste,

et il était très ami avec le théologien et évangéliste célèbre John Wesley,

qui n’était absolument pas calviniste.

Whitefield prêchait à un événement,

et une des personnes présentes lui a demandé si, à son avis,

on verrait John Wesley, cet homme anti-calviniste, au paradis.

Whitefield a réfléchi un instant, puis il a dit : « Non, je ne pense pas. »

Tout le monde s’est tu ; il y a eu une longue pause.

Puis Whitefield dit : « John sera tellement près du trône de Dieu, et moi tellement loin, que je ne pourrai pas le voir. »

Ça, c’est le genre de chrétien que Jean Calvin aurait admiré.

Frères et sœurs, soyez de bons théologiens.

Aimez la bonne doctrine.

Mais par-dessus tout, aimez et suivez Jésus-Christ,

et les frères et sœurs à qui il vous a unis,

peu importe leur théologie.

Une dernière chose.

Si vous n’êtes pas croyants,

et vous êtes là aujourd’hui peut-être pour la première fois :

je suis désolé que votre première expérience à l’église a été sur un sujet aussi lourd.

Je vous remercie d’être restés avec nous jusqu’ici.

Peut-être que vous avez l’impression, après tout ça,

que vous n’avez rien à faire de ce que j’ai dit—

vous n’êtes pas chrétien, alors clairement ce que j’ai dit aujourd’hui des chrétiens ne vous concerne pas, non ?

Mais c’est là où ce texte est si réconfortant :

si nous avions un rôle à jouer dans notre salut,

alors je ne pourrais pas vous donner d’autre espoir que de dire :

« Essayez vraiment dur de croire. »

Mais c’est Dieu qui est responsable de chaque aspect de notre salut—

y compris notre foi en lui.

Il a tout fait.

Ça veut dire que personne n’est hors de sa portée.

Personne n’est trop pécheur,

ou trop intelligent,

ou trop athée,

pour qu’il le sauve.

Il nous attire à Christ d’une grande variété de manières.

J’ai un ami qui a rencontré Jésus après avoir mangé une boîte de conserves qui avait dépassé sa date de péremption. (Sérieux.)

On ne sait jamais ce que Dieu est en train de faire pour nous amener exactement là où il veut qu’on soit,

pour que le Saint-Esprit nous ramène de la mort à la vie.

Alors si vous avez l’impression que Dieu est en train de faire cela en vous

(même si vous ne sauriez pas qualifier ce qui se passe dans votre cœur),

ne l’ignorez pas.

Poursuivez-le.

Demandez à quelqu’un de lire la Bible avec vous.

Et ne vous inquiétez pas pour votre manière d’y procéder,

parce que c’est Dieu qui fait cela en vous.

Si vous pensez qu’il vous attire à lui, suivez-le.

Et nous sommes là :

vous n’avez pas besoin de le suivre seul.