In Ephesians 1:3-6, the apostle Paul lifts up the doctrine of unconditional election, and gives us glimpses of it from 9 different perspectives. In this message we look at those 9 perspectives, and then see how the Bible itself tells us how to apply this doctrine to our lives.
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Unconditional Election – Part 2
Ephesians 1:3-6
We continue this morning in our series on the Doctrines of Grace, and my, oh my, last week was a dewsy! Friends, if you were able to survive last week’s message, it’s all downhill from here! Romans 9 has got to be about the most difficult pill to swallow in the Bible. If you were able to swallow it, that’s awesome! If you are still gagging on it, take a big drink of water, and pray that the Holy Spirit will get it down.
This morning we are going to approach the Doctrine of Unconditional Election from another passage of Scripture that throws even more light on it – Ephesians 1:3-6. In Ephesians 1:4 the Bible says, “just as He chose us in Him…” The word chose means to choose or pick out of.” This word implies that not all are included. If I choose a banana out of a fruit basket, the rest of the fruit remains behind in the basket by default. Likewise, when God chose His people, some were selected while the rest were not. Furthermore, this Greek verb is in the middle voice which means that God did it for Himself. God chose out of the mass of mankind a people for Himself to display His own glory.
This morning I want to show you 9 different facets of Election from Ephesians 1. We are going to lift up the Doctrine of Election like a diamond, and then look at it from nine different perspectives to see its brilliance and glory.
1. The Preeminence of Election
202 Word Sentence. In Ephesians 1:3, Paul launches into a 202 word sentence in the Greek! This sentence starts in verse 3 and doesn’t end until the end of verse 14. Paul tells us that God is to be blessed because He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. So, what are these blessings? The very first one that is mentioned is the blessing of election. Before mentioning our adoption, redemption, forgiveness, inheritance, or sealing with the Spirit, Paul mentions election. It is mentioned first for the simple reason that every other blessing is dependent on it. If God has not appointed an individual to eternal life, that person will never receive any of these other blessings. Election is the foundation of every other blessing of God. All of the spiritual blessings God freely grants us have their source in His electing love. The whole process of salvation is the unfolding of God’s electing love and predestined purpose. Election depends on God alone; all other blessings depend upon election.
2. The Author of Election
He chose. Who is the “He”? Verse 3 says it was the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Author of election is God, the Father. The Bible does not attribute our election to Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit. The Father fulfills that role. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:1-2 that his readers “were chosen by the foreknowledge of God the Father.” In 1 Thessalonians 1:4, Paul says, “knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you.” Each member of the Trinity has a role to play in God’s eternal plan of salvation. The Father is the Architect, the Son purchases the materials, and the Spirit builds the house. The Father chose those who would be saved. Jesus Christ purchased their salvation, and the Holy Spirit infallibly applies the purchased salvation to their lives. If we are God’s elect, we have God the Father to thank and bless for it.
3. The Objects Of Election
He chose us. Whom is Paul talking about? Perhaps it would be helpful to note three different kinds of election found in Scripture: national, vocational, and salvational. National election is seen in God selecting the nation of Israel to fulfill His purposes (Deut. 7:6-8). Vocational election is seen in God selecting different persons such as Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Peter, or Paul to fulfill a particular role such as leader, high priest, or apostle (Acts 9:15). The third type of election is salvational. This is what God does when He chooses individual persons to receive the gift of eternal life. Our text in Ephesians 1 can’t be referring to national election, because Paul was not writing to a specific nation. He was writing to particular individual saints at Ephesus. He also could not have been referring to vocational election, because the people he wrote to were not chosen to be apostles, pastors, or other leaders. They were simple, ordinary believers predestined, not to a ministry role, but to adoption as sons (Eph. 1:5). The objects of election in this text, are not a nation, nor a people called to a specific task, but rather God’s people scattered throughout Asia Minor whom He chose to eternal life.
4. The Sphere Of Election
He chose us in Him. This teaches us that the decree of God the Father does not take place apart from the person and work of Christ. It is accomplished only in Him and by virtue of His work. The finished work of Christ is the means by which election becomes effectual in human history. Election alone saves no one. It determines the who, but not the how of salvation. Election marks out those who will be saved, but it takes the death and resurrection of Christ to actually save them. The cross of Christ carries out the Father’s eternal plan. That’s why, after describing the Father’s role in election in Ephesians 1:4-6, the apostle Paul goes on to describe Christ and His work in carrying out that plan in Ephesians 1:7-12.
“In Him” also teaches us that God’s election of us, was His sovereign plan to unite us to Jesus Christ. Before time began, the Father chose Jesus Christ to be the Redeemer of His people and gave these people to His Son to be the reward of His obedience and suffering. The elect were placed into Christ’s hands from eternity. Jesus came to be their Representative – to be born, live, die, and rise again on their behalf. All that the Son did, He did for His people, because He represented them by a decree of His Father from all eternity.
5. The Timing Of Election
Before the foundation of the world. When were they elected? The mind-boggling truth is that before the universe existed, God Almighty had already laid out a plan which included the exact number and identity of every person He would ever save. Notice these Scriptures:
Revelation 17:8, “And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.” If some names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, the obvious implication is that some names were written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. A person’s name is not inscribed in the book of life when he “accepts Christ.” No, it is inscribed there before the foundation of the world.
2 Timothy 1:9, “who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” Here Paul emphasizes that God did not choose to save us as a result of our choice of Him, but rather chose us from the beginning.
Matthew 25:34, “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”
God does everything in time according to an eternal plan, or as the Scripture puts it, “He works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). From eternity past, the whole plan of redemption down to the most minute detail was designed of God. Thus, all is certain. There is no possibility of failure or of a change of plan.
Augustus Toplady, the 18th-century author of the immortal hymn, “Rock of Ages”, illustrated the timing of election in these words:
The book of life, or decree of election, is the marriage-register of the saints in which their everlasting espousal to Christ stands indelibly recorded by the pen of God’s free and eternal love… The elect were betrothed to Christ from everlasting in the covenant of grace. They are actually married to Him and join hands with Him in conversion, but they are not taken home to the bridegroom’s house until death dismisses them from the body.
Charles Spurgeon once quipped, “I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterward!”
6. The Results of Election
that we would be holy and blameless before Him. This blessing begins to take place at the moment of our justification. When a sinner believes on Christ, God clothes him in His righteous garments. It is as though he had never sinned, but is instead covered by the righteousness of Christ. Nevertheless, the believer will not demonstrate perfect righteousness until he stands glorified in Christ’s presence. Then he shall be absolutely holy before Him in practice as well as position. Christ’s blazing eyes of holiness will not be able to detect any sin in him at all. This is the truth of Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.” Notice that holiness is a fruit of election, not the cause of it. He chose us that we should be holy, not because we already were. God doesn’t choose us because we are holier than others. He chooses us so that we will become holy and blameless before Him.
In love He predestined us to adoption as sons. Adoption is the act of God whereby He brings men from Adam’s ruined family into His own, making them His own children, and granting them all the rights and privileges of His own sons. All men are born into the family of Satan (John 8:44). No one has a right to be in God’s family. However, God, of His own sheer mercy and grace, decided that He would not permit the whole world to perish in hell, but would adopt a multitude of sinners, conform them to the image of His Son, and bring them to eternal glory. This is the truth expressed in Romans 8:29, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.”
7. The Motive Of Election
In love He predestined us. Here we are given the reason God chose us to be holy and blameless and to be His adopted children. It was because of His eternal, unchanging and sovereign love. God loves all of His creatures with a general love of benevolence, but He loves His elect with a special, discriminating, saving love. It’s interesting how often the Scriptures link God’s love with election:
Colossians 3:12, “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”
Augustus Toplady wrote, “God’s everlasting love, His decree of election, and eternal covenant of redemption are the three hinges on which the door of man’s salvation turns.”
8. The Cause of Election
According to the kind intention of His will. Why did God choose to have mercy on some? It was the kind intention of His will. The King James version translates this phrase as “the good pleasure of His will.” God’s choice was according to His good pleasure. If God chose us, it was not just because we got lucky! Luck had nothing to do with it. The kind intention of His will had everything to do with it. God had a reason for choosing whom He chose. We don’t know what that reason is, but we do know it had nothing to do with our own personal worthiness. The reason is to be found in God alone. God has not seen fit to fill us in on all the details of that purpose, so we must trust Him in those things He has not fully revealed to us.
A person we plan on going to the dentist, and also plant a beautiful rose garden. Both are decisions of his will, but the latter alone is according to his good pleasure. Likewise, God’s choice to save us was a matter of delight to Him. We get a hint of this in Luke 10:21 where Jesus rejoices greatly in the Holy Spirit and says, “I praise Thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight.”
Isn’t it interesting that in Ephesians 1:3-14, nothing is stated about the sinner’s will. We are not told that God chose us according to our will. Election is not conditioned upon our faith, repentance, or good works. These things are the fruits of election, not the root.
9. The Goal Of Election
to the praise of the glory of His grace. God’s goal behind all that He does is His own glory. This comes out quite clearly all the way through this paragraph. In verses 3-6 Paul describes the work of God the Father, and caps it off by saying it was “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” In verses 7-12 Paul describes the work of Jesus Christ, and sums it up by saying it was “to the praise of His glory” at the end of verse 12. In verses 13-14, Paul describes the work of the Holy Spirit, and ends up by saying it was “to the praise of His glory.” In this entire section of Scripture, the apostle Paul is calling on us to bless God for His glorious grace.
From all eternity, God set His love upon us, knowing what rebels and sinners we would be. He chose to have mercy upon us, adopt us into His own family, give us all the rights of legitimate sons, grant us an inheritance, wipe out all our sins, and make us holy and blameless before Him forever. John Calvin put it this way, “Paul extols sublimely the grace of God toward the Ephesians to rouse their hearts to gratitude, to set them all aflame, to occupy and fill them with this thought.”
Practical Application of the Doctrine of Election
So, why do you suppose God has revealed the truth about election in the Scriptures? Is it just to puff our heads up, and make us into theological eggheads? Is it so that we can go around arguing with everyone who doesn’t believe in it? Is it to make us feel superior to others because we are “elect” and they aren’t? No, a thousand times no! Let’s turn to the Bible to see why God has revealed the truth of election to us. God has revealed this truth about His unconditional election:
1. To Promote Our Humility: Listen to what the apostle Paul writes in 1 Cor. 1:26-31, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” This passage is all about the kinds of people God has chosen. He chose the foolish, weak, base, and despised. Why? So that no man should boast before God. The doctrine of unconditional election excludes all boasting, because it teaches us that our salvation was all of God. We can’t even take credit for choosing Christ, for we only chose Him because God had already chosen us. If we are saved because we chose Christ, then when we get to heaven we could say to the man in hell, “You’re there, because you didn’t do what I did. I’m here because I made the right choice!” Only unconditional election crushes all of our pride, and gives all the glory to God for our salvation. Election promotes the Christian grace of humility. If you want to be a humble man or woman, the truth of election will help you.
2. To Promote Our Praise: We’ve already read it, but let’s look at Ephesians 1:5-6 again. “In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” So what was God aiming at in election? He was wanting you and I to value and cherish and praise the glory of His grace. Only unconditional election ascribes all the glory to God and His grace. Conditional election gives most of the praise to God, but allows man to take a little credit for himself. Do you want to be more thankful, and full of wonder and praise? Then meditate deep and long on God’s election of you! Ladies, imagine that you have just gotten married, and you and your new husband are driving away from the church parking lot to go on your honeymoon. He turns to you and says, “Honey, I want to share something with you. The first time I ever laid eyes on you I decided that one day you’d be mine, because I loved you so much. Do you remember when you were in high school and had to have that expensive operation? Everyone thought you were going to die. Your parents didn’t know where they were going to get the money, until one day they found a large check in the mail. Well, I’m the one that sent that check. You never knew where it came from, but it was me. As you were growing up, you kept getting cards in the mail that said “from your secret admirer.” You never realized it, but that was me as well. I determined that I loved you so much that I would do whatever it took to win you.” Now, ladies, if you heard those words from your husband, would you stomp your feet and shout, “How dare you violate my free will?!” Or, would you rather say, “That’s just about the sweetest, most lovely thing I’ve ever heard in all my life!” So too, if you understand that God set His love upon you from all eternity, and did whatever was necessary to overcome your resistance and draw you to Christ, will see election as altogether glorious.
3. To Promote Our Holiness: Paul writes in Colossians 3:12-13, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one anoather, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” These verses picture a believer living a holy life. But notice what the motivation is for a life of holiness – “as those who have been chosen of God.” There it is! Because God has chosen you, live a life of holiness to honor Him! Charles Spurgeon once said, “Nothing under the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit can make a Christian more holy than the thought that He is chosen. Shall I sin after God has chosen me? Shall I transgress after such love? Shall I go astray after so much lovingkindness and tender mercy? No, my God, since Thou hast chosen me, I will love Thee, I will live to Thee, I will give myself to Thee to be Thine forever, solemnly consecrating myself to Thy service forever.”
What about you? Will you allow the truth of God’s electing love to motivate you to live your life sold out for His glory and honor?!
4. To Promote Our Evangelism: My friends, if there is no sovereign election on God’s part, then I wouldn’t evangelize at all. What’s the point?! If men are dead in trespasses and sins, and won’t come to Christ, then evangelism would be a completely fruitless exercise. However, evangelism is not a fruitless exercise, because God has chosen a great multitude which no one could count from every nation and tribe and peoples and tongues.
Jesus said in John 10:16, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” Jesus there is talking about the Gentiles. He said “I have them.” Not, “I will have them.” Jesus is speaking of the elect among all the nations of the world. He must bring them. They will hear His voice. No doubt about it. Election fires the flames of evangelism, because we get to labor with God in bringing in His chosen people.
In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas are ministering in Psidian Antioch. Then in verse 48, Luke adds an extremely interesting insight. He says, “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” They didn’t believe in order to be appointed to eternal life. Because they already were appointed to eternal life, they believed. Notice also that it was as many as had been appointed to eternal life that believed. Not one person more, or one person less. So, you can go out preaching the gospel knowing that all those who are appointed to eternal life will believe, either now or sometime in the future. Election gives us grounds to hope that this gospel will actually save someone. Without election, heaven would be empty
In 2 Timothy 2:10, Paul tells us why he was willing to suffer and endure so many afflictions. He says, “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” That should be our motivation as well. We are willing to endure all things, and witness, and preach, and love, and serve for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they may obtain salvation in Christ and eternal glory!
5. To Promote Our Comfort: In Romans 8:33 the Bible says, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies.” Do you see Paul’s point? If God has chosen you to salvation and brought you to Christ, who can ever successfully bring a charge against you? God has already justified you? God has declared you righteous. No one can bring a charge against you or condemn you when He has justified you! You see, if God chose to save me before the foundation of the world, then my salvation is a work of God from beginning to end. He started the work in my soul at regeneration, and He will perfect that work until the day of Christ Jesus. If salvation were the result of my initiative, I would have no security or comfort. If my salvation is a result of my initiative, there is no comfort. If I got into a state of salvation by my free will, then I can get out of salvation by that same free will. Only if salvation is completely a work of sovereign grace from beginning to end can I have a rock solid basis for my salvation. I know that if my salvation is His work, it can’t fail! In the 39 Articles of the Church of England, the 17th Article says this, “The godly consideration of Predestination, and our Election in Christ is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons.”
So, let me ask you? Do you want more humility? Do you want to be a person of praise? Do you want to be holy? Do you want to be zealous in evangelism? Do you want to enjoy more of God’s security and comfort? Then study and meditate on God’s Unconditional Election! The Bible says that election will produce those wonderful fruits in our lives!
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