Comfort, not Consternation, in Being Chosen in Christ by God
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Perhaps as a child remember picking up a daisy, or maybe painful memory - when not picked for team, or on the playground or neighbourhood, - picked last. Whole idea of choosing some and not others - either completely random impersonal chance, or on the basis if someone is good enough - I believe most people think that God’s election, his predestination just a human idea - and the purpose of this human idea usually attributed to Calvin - is either to speculate into God’s hidden design how in control of all things - kind of mechanical determinism - fatalism - throw up hands, just God picking daisy pedals so doesn’t matter what any of us have done, Adam or you and me - just mechanical robots ; or like thinking its like God looking over the playground of life - and his choosing must be based on something in us that made one better, one was able to believe the other wasn’t and that was in us - in this case salvation - is about people figuring out did God elect me , if I can figure that out then I can be saved and know it. This approach would leave most of us saying - something apart from faith in Christ - my good works, my religious observance, baptism, church membership, or special experience of the Holy Spirit is something in me -that is the ground of me knowing I am saved! But we are not saved by believing we are elect. Election is not for giving assurance to someone in unbelief, election is rock solid assurance to any and all who in weakness of saving faith, can look to Christ and see that their salvation is securely founded on God in Christ choosing and coming go them.
It is not a human-made theological idea, but it
Key truth: Election is God’s teaching for after you’ve has turned to Christ, to know your salvation is secure
Set our salvation on the most secure foundation! And as we see from the goal of Ephesians 1 one of the clearest examples of God choosing us first, the purpose in our lives is that we would know all the blessing God has given us, and that we would bless God back - the purpose is comfort and its is giving God glory for our salvation.
Let us then picturing our salvation in Christ as huge skyrocketing building - that Scripture is going to unfold and this confession summarize for the longest and central part of Scriptural summary - 16-27 then church and end times. Let’s picture this doctrine of salvation as the foundation of sky scraper - dug so far down deep it hits bedrock and the huge steal beams anchor so that building to a foundation that cannot move!
A. When? Eternity Past, but in view of the Fall
Here we must be precise: Eph 1:4-5
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Not only is this describing the time of God's choosing, but it is also revealing in eternity past, before creation - God had a purpose in Christ, even knowing world he created would fall, had a purpose, and will. Eph 1:11
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,
There is that word again, boule, will, not his precepts what God desires and reveals in His law or character, but his determine plan secret providence how , while not responsible for all things, not cause of evil and sin, still working all things. God’s plan.
Some avoiding this would say that God didn’t have a plan, even for the Fall, it took God by surprise, but we see not only that God immediately went to Adam and Eve and put into effect this plan of covenant of grace, but that indeed in eternity past - he had made this plan.
There was a covenant, or agreement, in eternity past between God the Father and God the Son. Hebrews 13:20 refers to this as ‘the eternal covenant.’
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
Jesus mentioned it in his prayer on the night of his arrest: ‘Father…I have glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do’ (John 17:4).
I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
This looks back on what theologians call the covenant of redemption. God the Father laid a charge on the Son which he accepted, to take up our cause and die for our sins. In return, the Father promised him the salvation of all the elect, those chosen in eternity to be his people and bride. We are therefore chosen ‘in Christ’—that is, through Christ and his redeeming work for us. The doctrine of election says that the cause of our individual salvation is God’s choosing us in Christ. Jesus says, John 6:37
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
This is not God at the beginning of time, taking out a telescope and looking down the corridor of time, and foreseeing what each indidvual will choose - we can see this even in the fact that not every individual born into this world - has been given a choice to chose Jesus.
And this brings to the first objection so many raise about election. They says that i not fair. Why wouldn’t God chose everyone, if its within his power to some, he must save all, or i will not trust as loving and Good.
B. How? According to the Mystery of God’s Will/Purpose
And here we must confront an oddity. There have been some that have said, the fall happened and then after that surprised God, then he scrambled to make a plan and then He elected after creation and after the Fall. At first glance Guido seems to be saying that, God, Creation, Fall, then Election and then salvation. In fact huge debate in the church election before or after the fall - supra or pre. But not actually about when it time, but when in priority, did God elect willy-nilly logically before made world and world was going to Fall, or is election because there was going to be a fall. Though we can’t make one decree, decisions of God higher than an other, the point is that election by God wasn’t a random mechanical affair, but a personal affair being done in CHRIST set aside a as Saviour of Undeserving, Sinners Incapable of saving themselves or even of choosing Christ on their own. That’s from God’s side who is involved in election. But from our side election is not about morally, spiritually neutral people. That’s why this order of priority - understand God - sovereign overflowing source of good; understand His image and how radical the Fall is, and as the salvation chapters begin, understand that election is about this God having a plan from the beginning, for the Lamb Slain before the foundation of the world - to save not neutrals, but those fallen enslaved, in sin, in rebellion against God, lost and under the curse of God!
And as as tool for witnessing we must see this move Guido makes is essential for understanding salvation is by grace alone. What is at the heart of the mystery of God’s will -
He takes the whole mass of this world, like all of us caught u pin in same snowball falling down a mountain, the whole mass of humanity - not just Adam fell, but the whole human race, not possibility of a do-it yourself project of salvation for Adam’s children, didn’t just come as neutrals and Gods’ waiting to see if they chose him and obey him and are good enough. NO, all fallen and utterly lost, and if the Fall is True (and you can see that in your heart, see that in your world), salvation must come 100% from God and not from ourselves.
The basis is not some foreseen faith - our choice - no look at Eph 2:7-8 as the love God the Father set on His elect in past is carried out in Christ:
so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
1:8 says God lavished this upon us! Philippians 2:13 says:
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Here is the really hard part to understand, that makes us pause at how AWESOME is this decree
God’s good pleasure was to save some, while passing over others. And at first you may shudder and say its not fair that some are left in their sin. But listen the reason some are saved is because of grace, that can’t be earned or deserved, and the wonder of grace if you understand would lead you to ask - why would he save any who broke His world, and His heart, and His character and his plan - why would he chose to save even one!
But the fact that he chooses to leave others in their sin, the cause of that is not the same - the decree of passing over, reprobation is not parallel decree to that of election. Why not? What’s different. The basis of saving some is not found in the people but in God - outside of them, in mercy. But the basis for God passing over others is in those people in themselves, in themselves as they are responsible for their sin! - completely just. Not a one of them, or us, can say- God you must give me Mercy, I deserve it.
And here it is so interesting that the strongest document about this some 40 years later - Canons of Dort says, if you say that unbelief of those who end u pin hell , can be traced back to the intention and will of God - big problem and we detest that error with our whole soul, election is foundation and cause of faith and good works, but reprobation is not the cause of unbelief and impiety. Bavinck and Berkhouwer carefully explain the cause of man’s unbelief is not found in the counsel of God will, “but man is rejected because of his own sin which is wholly in himself!”
And this is indeed the teaching of Scripture: Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Judas and the 11, and listen to how Paul explains it - God is completely just in having mercy on whomever he will, and leaving in sin whoever he will, as they in response to HIs justice harden their hearts to him. And you can’t say, God you made me a sinner, you made me an unbeliever. No! In God’s Sovereign plan He is free to passes over some and it shows God’s justice in a broken world, and have mercy on others and in them others to fully display his grace: Romans 9:21-23
Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—
Do you understand in God’ eternal counsel - nothing unfair but full display in this world created with freedom and responsibility, meant to be lived in covenant with God, in need of restoration - that God even in the Fall, is acting to fully display His character to us. He is moving to us, to pull us back into covenant with Him. And so will you acknowledge it in this plan involving election and passing over, God is up to something and it is good:
God showed himself to be as he is: merciful and just. Belgic Confession, Article 16
You get the mercy in Christ, but do you also get the exhibits of justice he sovereignly leaves in sin they chose themselves?
He is just in leaving the others in their ruin and fall into which the plunged themselves. Belgic Confession, Article 16
And you feel that is the way Guido explains to his neighbor, God sovereignly chooses to withdraw some out of that mass of falling humanity, and save some - without any consideration of their works, he pulls them out of that massive snowball heading for destruction completely just in judgment on the whole world - but up to more and eternal plan being work ed out by those who are called to turn and find the Christ!
This was the heart of why Jacob Arminius rejected unconditional election - he said yes God purpose in election is unchangeable, but those who are elect are elect because i. they chose and believe on their own, though aided by grace; and ii. they are elect because they persevere! Do you see it - he didn't want to make election irrespective of our works, and solely on the love of God. It is conditioned by your faith and your repentance and your persevering! But Scripture clearly teaches he love us, not because of anything in us, but just because he chooses to love us and from eternity!
But here is the crux of the matter. This teaching not designed as philosophy to explain or justify God to the world. Its not a human teaching after the fact and you can take it or leave it as a satisfying explanation of God’s action. No, this is a divinely revealed truth for those who have receive salvation, to know what kind of mercy and grace and all its riches. and that leads us to the third point of our text. Election is not only eternal, and according to God’s purpose in justice and in mercy. But
C. Why? God’s Election is Personal, In Christ
For all and any who believe! Some people avoid or deny election, predestination because they think it is narrow mean spirited doctrine - that separates a few chosen frozen people from the rest and it leads to snobbery of the lost, and it leads to presumption I’m elect so I can live how ever I want, but I’m chosen. But I’ve shown already predestination is not mechanical, impersonal determinism. And who here would presume to know who’s on God’s list, people don’t walk around with big letter E and R, that is from God’s end - not designed for others to know know that, not how we approach people are they elect or not. Know we acknowledge, we’re part of that mass of humanity fallen, so much in common. But the heart of the doctrine of election, is not that God chose some and passed over others. But that God chooses some in Christ. And this makes all the differences as to whether this teaching of the Bible will be a comfort and motivation to you, or a cause of dark doubts, insecurity, and even embarrassment. Comfort or consternation?
We don’t know who is elect and reprobate that is from God’s end, we know there are elect and reprobate but not the category for living life and doing relationships. Who are the elect? They are not the ones who God through in a random lottery bubble and they happened to come out. Look at the repeated description of who the elect are in our text:
v.3 blessed by God the Father in Christ ith every spiritual blessing; chosen in Christ, In love predestined us for adoption! Look at this it launches us form eternity past, to Christ doing these things for the elect to the very present and the work of the Holy Spirit in election : Eph 1:13
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,
Nothing impersonal here. The passage starts not with morally neutral, or slightly flawed human being, an angry God the Father, and then loving Jesus who just makes it possible for some people if they feel like it chose Him and be saved. The picture is so much more personal than that. There is God the Father with an eternal love of you, He chooses you in Christ - not just to make you able to chose the Christian life and go to heaven.no seeing your sin and what you and I have become, he chose you look at it: Ephesians 1:5
he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
So you get all the blessing of the Beloved , the firs born, one and only full eternal life - Predestination is not for speculation and philosophically trying to figure out who gets saved and who doesn’t . Predestination and especially election side of it, is about fallen sinners, receiving the gospel, finding Christ, believing in Him , inviting others in that snow ball mass of fallen humanity - to see that God has provided His salvation His Son to the World -
He an He alone can withdraw you from that snow ball and the precipice it about to fall off, He and he alone can save you from this perdition. Election is revealed for believers, after they have been drawn by the Spirit, after they have been regenerated and hear the gospel and respond with faith and repentance, for them to say John 3:16-17, i HAVE BELIEVED AND IT MAKES SENSE AND i DON’T ASK GOD FOR HIS JUSTICE BUT i HAVE FOUND HIS MERCY. And then to turn to Romans 8:38 and to be able to say with confidence - the Lord of heaven and earth just and merciful - my salvation is not grounded in my weak faith or stumbling repentance but it is grounded its foundation ins in His sovereign will - that I belong to Jesus.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Do you see our witness, to the Philip the II in our lives, to our friends family and neighbors - yes - you and I know it - we have plunged ourselves into ruin, and our only comfort is not in belonging to ourselves, its not in our faltering beliefs, or imperfect performance, it is is in the one in whom God has set forth the purpose - the plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, thing in heaven and things on earth. My only comfort, and the foundation of my salvation - is in belonging to Him
And you can know you are chosen in Him any and all who believe. Despite our fallenness and our responsibility for it, despite feeling the curse of God on sin, God “showed himself to be merciful and just - and He has been that to me in the person of Christ. Our fall leads us to the crisis of the universe - God’s justice and mercy in full display, and they are only ultimately resolved in this Person in whom God chooses all who believe. And if you will meet him there, then looking back you can know that he has taken the justice of God your sins deserved and him after the Cross, risen with the image of god we can now bear - must see it is in Christ that God is pursuing us. If you tonight, see the eternal love of God, if you accept the witness that Jesus Christ is - what he was about and is about still - then probably realize can’t fully probe or understand this eternal l love - but you can know you’re in it! Election understood retrospectively after you’ve met Christ, after you’ve been incorporated into Christ by the Spirit in His body the church, then you can realize you haven't gotten here on your own effort, God Himself chose you, loves , draws you ever nearer. In Christ, chosen, acknowledge salvation not of myself, but of the Lord. That is the heart of why Guido put election not at the beginning by time , but after the fall for purpose.
Did God, then, have an eye to us when he vouchsafed to love us? No! No! For then he would have utterly abhorred us. It is true that in regarding our miseries he had pity and compassion on us to relieve us, but that was because he had already loved us in our Lord Jesus Christ.
God, then, must have had before him his pattern and mirror in which to see us, that is to say, he must have first looked on our Lord Jesus Christ before he could choose and call us. Calvin Sermon on Ephesians
Fallen sinners don’t need to speculate has God chosen me or not. They need to know from the outset God pursues us with the promise of the gospel with the promise of Christ. And hearing God’s indiscriminate and universal invitation to come to Christ, believing that Christ has pursued you, and you have believed on Him then you can know I am elect, I a chosen in the Beloved. Election is all over the Bible and Sovereign election is designed for comfort of believers. And knowing the grounds of God unconditional election to people like you and me - works a deep love for the lost in us. We want them to come to know this One in whom they can know election. It gives u confidence to offer the gospel, knowing God ordained the people who will be saved,and also the means the tools for us to use in extending the gospel. Don’t look at election by looking within yourself, or others - am i saved - have i enough faith perseverance, We are to make our calling andelectionsuresays theApostle Peter, but how? Calvin so helpfully explained it Mirror of Christ . Christ is the mirror of our election “First, if we seek for the paternal mercy and favor of God, we must turn our eyes to Christ, in whom alone the Father is well pleased (Mt. 3:17). Mirror of election - see ourselves chosen in the Beloved, adopted in Him - that mirror changes us:
498 I Sought the Lord