Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

​Ephesians 1:3-14

Introduction

We are continuing our study entitled “Christ through the Covenants.”

We are considering together the various covenants that are found in Scripture, and then how those covenants are helpful to us as a framework to consider the workings of God through the course of history, and also looking forward to the return of Christ.

As we look at the various covenants of Scripture, we are able to see how it is that God has entered into relationship with man, and directed the course of history through these various covenants.

Thus far, apart from the general introduction to covenants, we’ve looked at man that was created in the image of God in the Garden.

Many would refer to a covenant in the Garden - where God gives man a command, gives him promises etc.

The point that I wanted to emphasize through that sermon was the particular function that man was given as one that was made “in the image of God,” and created in order to a ruler over the created order.

To fill the earth and subdue it to the glory of God.

We then considered the fall of man in the Garden, as Adam and Eve disobeyed the command of God.

The result of that was that man was no longer in relationship with God as He once had been.

Man chose to walk in disobedience to God.

Instead of humbly submitting to the command of God, which would have been for his own benefit and good, man chose to listen to Satan, and instead to seek to become like God.

Remember, that was what Satan said would happen if he ate of this fruit… he would become like God, knowing good and evil.

And so man became separated from God.

The question that arises from this is whether or not God anticipated this fall and disobedience.

Did God know that man would rebel?

Or was God suddenly placed in a position where he would need to come up with a rescue plan, because things didn’t quite turn out as He had hoped.

Was the fall of man in the Garden known by God from all eternity, or did he suddenly need to come up with “Plan B”?

If you’re used to the more conservative, reformed teaching, then you may think that the answer is quite simple.

You may even think that the question itself is irrelevant, since these theological matters have been settled for a long time.

I would suggest to you that they certainly haven’t, and we really do need to be fully convinced from Scripture as to the truth in this matter.

There is in our day a particular line of theological thinking called Open Theism.

One Glossary of Theology defines Open Theism like this…

​

The Lexham Glossary of Theology Open Theism

open theism — A view on the nature of God that rejects classical attributes like omniscience or immutability in favor of positing a God who learns, adapts, takes risks, and modifies his plans in response to human actions.

In this view, God's foreknowledge is limited by the uncertainties inherent in creating humanity with truly free will where even he does not know what free human agents will choose to do.

So, the idea is that God does not know what free human beings will choose, and so as time progresses and goes on, he needs to adapt his plans and his thinking and his strategies in order to bring about his purposes.

This is decidedly unbiblical.

I would argue that it creates for a great deal of uncertainty for the Christian.

And yet there are some prominent theologians that hold to this view.

What I wish to explore just briefly from the Scriptures this evening is the Biblical position that God had determined before the creation of the world, that man would rebel against him, and that he would then institute his predetermined plan to bring about the salvation of His own chosen people, and that this would be done through His Son Jesus Christ, and further to this, that this plan from eternal ages past would stretch into eternity to come.

The emphasis is on the predetermined plan of God to bring this about, and the manner in which He brought this about.

Thus, my sermon is titled “God’s Eternal Plan of Redemption.”

This truth is sometimes referred to by Theologians as a Covenant of Redemption.

When referred to in this way, the argument is that the Father and the Son entered into covenant agreement before the beginning of time for the plan of salvation to be worked out.

Whether or not it is right and fitting to call it a covenant is not really going to be my focus this evening.

My emphasis is going to be on the facts relating to the predetermined purposes of God.

God planned from all eternity to redeem a people for himself, and this would be done through Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, and would be brought about through the working of the Holy Spirit.

1. Salvation is From Eternity

The first thing that I’d like us to consider this evening is the fact that this Salvation is from Eternity.

In other words, the salvation that you and I are now the beneficiaries of was planned by God from eternity.

This truth comes out plainly in the text that is before us.

In verse 4 we read…

Notice the wording of Paul in this verse, which comes across very clearly.

Paul does not in any way intimate or suggest that salvation was an afterthought or plan that God arrived at when he became surprised at man’s turning away from Him, and sinning in Eden.

Rather, Paul says that God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world.

The elect of God, those who are chosen, have been chosen before time in this created order even began.

He goes on to say in verse 5… In love...

Again in verse 11, we read…

Notice the force of these words, particularly as they relate to the planning of God.

There is clear teaching in Scripture that God planned all that would happen and unfold in this world.

We see the word “predestined”, which comes from a word in the Greek which means to “determine beforehand” or to “ordain,” or to “decide ahead of time.”

Verse 11 adds the idea of God working things out according to a plan.

God is a God that plans things and determines things according to His own will.

Nothing in the world is working itself out without God having carefully determined and planned every moment and every eventuality.

Now, we can take this a step further in terms of our thinking, by considering what Paul says to Timothy…

We must ask ourselves how it is possible for grace to be given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

It’s almost as if we possessed and had this grace, this salvation, before our creation even took place.

That’s the extent and the certainty of the grace of God to His people.

Friends, the Scripture is very clear in this regard, that the salvation plan that God brought about was not something that came about in response to any eventuality.

It was not a plan in response to man’s sin, but rather fitted into the overall plan of God to redeem a people for Himself by His own grace.

2. Salvation is Unto Eternity

Taking this further, we find that not only was this salvation planned before time began, but we find that God ultimately planned our salvation to extend into eternity future.

As we consider the Covenants in Scripture, we will very often find that God speaks about an Everlasting Covenant.

Most of the time that we read this phrase, we think about that covenant going forward… in other words, it’s forward looking into eternity.

Let us consider some examples of this...

Notice that in all of these examples, the Scriptures are speaking about the salvation of God’s people from sin.

The references that we’ve just considered all speak about the New Covenenat in Jesus Christ.

And so we see that salvation in Jesus Christ has been planned to extend into all eternity future.

This same teaching comes out in the New Testament Scriptures…

In the Titus 1:2, the emphasis is ont he fact that the salvation that has been brought to God’s people is an eternal salvation.

It will bring eternal life.

But Paul also speaks to Titus about the fact that this salvation, this eternal life, was promised before the beginning of time.

We also find reference to this in Hebrews 13:20…

Again, the above verse in Hebrews speaks about the blood of the eternal covenant… This most certainly does refer to the forward-looking eternal nature of the covenant that is in Christ Jesus.

It refers to the fact that New Testament believers are in covenant relationship into all eternity future.

But we know that this Eternal Covenant is rooted in eternity past according to the plans and purposes of God.

This leads us to our third consideration in this regard, and that is that…

3. Eternal Salvation is Specifically Applied

When I say this, I mean that in this eternal plan of redemption by God was planned to be applied to His specifically chosen people, otherwise known as His elect.

This would seem to follow, based on all that we’ve already seen.

Our text in Ephesians speaks quite clearly to this, but there are other Scriptures that clearly convey this truth.

Paul speaks in Romans 8:29-30 about the fact that God predetermined our salvation, but he makes it very clear that this salvation was specifically applied… in other words, it was applied to specifically chosen people…

God predetermined that certain individuals would be conformed to the likeness of His Son, be called, justified, and glorified.

Essentially, God predetermines that certain individuals will be saved.

The word “Foreknew” that Paul uses in Romans 8:29 doesn’t refer to those that God saw in the future would know him.

When the Scriptures speak about God knowing people, it doesn’t refer a knowledge about them or a superficial knowledge of them.

God knew all people before He created anything.

God knew about all people before He created them.

He knew what they would be.

He knew what they would do.

But there were those that God knew before the beginning of time in an intimate kind of way.

It’s similar to Genesis speaking about Adam knowing Eve - in other words there is an intimacy in relationship.

God foreknew particular people.

And all of those that he he foreknew - those that he knew in this particular way… those he would know in a covenant relationship - he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son.

Following that, every single one of those that he foreknew, and predestined, he justified.

And those he justified (every one of them) he glorified.

In other words every person chosen by God will ultimately be glorified, and none will be lost.