All right, Paul's great letter
to the Ephesians, and nowhere is this subject discussed more
than in Ephesians. And if you look at verse 3 and
verse 4, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ. according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love. And when I look
at verse 5, having predestinated or ordained or marked us out
under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself
according to the good pleasure of his will. Now the question
today, did God really choose his people before the foundation
of the world? Not in our lifetime, and not
in time, and not in history. Now such a study as this, I think,
gives us reason and also the opportunity to consider the eternal
decree of God. to consider that God determined
what he determined before the foundation of the world. Because there are many today
who name the name Christian who give little or no thought at
all under the fact that the eternal God had in mind certain things
when he created the world, when he created Adam and Eve, when
he caused the world to be filled up and populated with men, and
even a corrupt nature to come into all of the human family. Now the question I have, was
this willy-nilly? Was it all a matter of chance
or was it all a matter of luck? Was it willy-nilly or was all
of this according to a fixed and determinant counsel and purpose
of God? Did the fall of Adam subvert
the will of God, and was it contrary to what God had purposed? Was
his aim and his purpose so soon shattered and frustrated in the
sin and the fall of the first man that lived upon the face
of the earth? Or was it a part of the purpose
of God formed from eternity? Was it a way that God might put
his attributes and his power and his sovereignty on display? Was it a way that God might exhibit
the great grace of the God of heaven and a way to make his
power known and to exercise his sovereignty and to make known
the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He hath
aforeprepared unto glory. You see Romans chapter 9 and
verse 23. So, let's raise a question in
working our way unto that. And it is simple to ask, and
I believe that it is also relevant unto the subject that is at hand. And the question is this. And
it is logical. When did God determine, when
did God make plan, when did God make provision to save sinners? When was provision made that
sinners might be redeemed and that they might be saved? When
was it that God purposed and willed that he might rescue sinners
from the depravity of the fall? When was it that the Son of God
was set up to be a sacrifice for the sins of people? Was it
after man sinned and fell, or was it before man sinned and
fell. Almost all in what we call mainline
Christianity today admit that God's plan to sin Christ was
before the world, that it was prior under time, and that it
was before Adam had sinned. Now, in this they say, well,
though they do not go far enough, for the scripture says very clearly,
1 Peter 1 and verse 20, that Christ was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these times
for you. There's that passage in Revelation
13 and verse 8. He is called the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world. In the mind and in the decree
of God, the Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the
world. Great passage from Paul, 2 Timothy
chapter 1 and verse 9, of His own purpose and grace that was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made
manifest unto you. Acts 2 and verse 23, He was delivered
by the determinate counsel and the foreknowledge of God. That
is, Christ was unto the death of the cross. Now, this is a
logical conclusion. If Christ be ordained to the
death of the cross, then it follows, number one, that God knew the
fall would occur, that he did not prevent it, that he did not
put things in such a way that it could not happen. And number
two, he made preparation to save sinners before the fall, before
the creation of Adam, and even before the foundation of the
world. He had Christ in covenant to
be the surety of the new covenant and that before the foundation
of the world. So now the question is, in what
way did God know the fall? What way did God know the fall? He knew it would occur, and he
did nothing to prevent it or to stop it. Was it because he
knows all things? Is that the only reason? He is
able to look ahead. He knows all things. There's
nothing that God does not know. So did he look ahead down through
the corridors of time and then have a bare foresight of the
future and what Adam would do. Was it simply based upon his
ability to look ahead that God knew the fall? Or secondly, did
he know and make provision for men fallen because it was according
to his eternal purpose of grace which he purposed in Christ Jesus
before the world began. In Ephesians 3 and verse 11,
you have an amazing bird. You hear that from Paul again. Paul speaks of a purpose. Now, this word purpose, he uses
several times in his epistle, and it is somewhat a favorite
of the apostle. The purpose of God, again and
again, it refers to the plan and the decree of God. It is
the word that I might pronounce wrong, prosthesis, a setting
forth, a determination, a placing something forth. exhibit or to
put on exhibit is the purpose of God and so Paul speaks of
that purpose in Ephesians 3 11 again in Romans 9 and verse 11
the purpose of God according to election then there's Romans
8 and And verse 28, the called according to his purpose. To them who are the called according
to his purpose. And Ephesians 3 and 11. And 2
Timothy 1 and 9, according to his own purpose and grace, and
then he adds, which was given in Christ Jesus before the world
began. And in Ephesians 311 again, there
are two things there that are revealed about God's purpose
in regard to the Jew and the Gentile. A, he said, it is eternal. According to the eternal purpose. Some render it the purpose of
the ages. And that probably is a good rendering. And then B, it is formed and
executed. It is established and worked
out. It is put in force and is manifested
in Jesus Christ. The purpose of God which he purposed
in Jesus Christ. It is Christ that is at the core
and that has brought to completion that purpose of God which he
purposed in Christ before the world. Now there are two things
that stand behind all of this and our question, did God really
choose some before the foundation of the world? And those two things
that we look at, number one, God's sovereignty. No other reason
need ever be given or sought as to why God acts as he does. Why does he do what he did, what
he does, and why has he done what he has done? It is because
he is sovereign, by which we mean that he is free to do as
he will. He possesses all power in heaven
and in earth. as an example of God's sovereignty. When as the God dwelt alone before
creation, God was free to create or not create. He did not create
out of any need and he did not create out of any necessity. He had no necessity to create
unless it be his very own will, purpose, and decree. And when
God created, he considered nothing outside of himself as a factor
in that creation. And in his sovereignty, he has
created two sorts of, well, we call them intelligent being. angels, all of them being presented
unto us in the male gender according to the scripture. And then he
has created the human family, and he has created them in two
genders male and female. And from each sort of beings,
the angels and of men, we read of some of them being elect. Among the angels, there's an
election, and among the human family, there is an election. We have at one time 1 Timothy
chapter 5 and verse 21. Paul speaks there of the elect
angels. I charge thee before the elect
angel. And the scripture often speaks
of the elect of mankind. As Elisha Coles wrote, sovereign
power belongs to God, unquote. Now, the second thing about it
is the decree of God, as in Psalm 148 and verse 6. He hath made a decree which shall
not pass. In other words, it shall not
fail, it shall not come to nothing, it shall not pass away. Psalm chapter 2 and verse 7,
I will declare the decree the Lord said unto my Lord and such
like. Now, this concerns the establishment
of Messiah's kingdom, and that was typified or reflected in
the bringing of David to sit upon the throne in Israel. In spite of the opposition against
David, God set him upon the throne. And in spite of the opposition
against Christ, God has set him upon a throne. A decree is an
enactment. A decree is to enact a law or
to put in force a law. It means to engrave. It is a
statute. It means to prescribe what is
to be done. Again and again in the Old Testament,
we read, such and such a king made a decree, and he bound that
decree upon the citizen of the kingdom. Now, God's decree, what
is it? Well, it is not just a wish on
God's part. It's not wishful thinking. It's
not something that he would like to do, but what may or may not
come to pass. And it's not a suggestion, and
it's not an unfleshed idea. But the decree is what Gill called
and I say amen, a settled determination, quote unquote. His decree is
a settled determination. Others have called God's decree
the fixed determination of his mind, that which he has fixed
in his mind, so that the work of Christ, his spiritual kingdom,
is founded upon this eternal decree of Almighty God, not upon
trial and error, not hasty necessity, not an experiment on his part,
but to quote Matthew Henry, it is a result of a divine wisdom
and the determination of the divine will before all worlds,
unquote. And the decree of God, let's
look at its content. The decree of God includes two
things. Number one, the decreed end. What has God decreed that he
would come to pass? And in this study, we're concerned
with that decree, particularly of election and the will of God
to bring the elect safely and happily under blessedness and
glorification in heaven. In the decree of election, God
determined to bring many sons to glory. Hebrews chapter 2 and
verse 10. God decreed to gather together
from the world a people made holy and conformed to the image
of his son, to the praise of the glory of God. What God has
ordained for the elect is nowhere better stated than in the Ephesian
epistle that we have read from today. That in Christ they were
chosen before the foundation of the world. That so that, so
that they might be holy. without blame before him in love
and we read verse 5 marked out unto the adoption of children
in other words put among the sons of God made accepted in
the beloved Ephesians 1 and verse 6 now the second thing included
in the decree is the decreed way First of all, the decree,
and then the way unto the accomplishment of it. Some call this the means. I'm not very fond of that word,
but a lot of people use it. The end or the mean, the name
of the attainment of the desired end that God has purposed. For the decree of the end includes
the sovereign work of God in and for the elect, that it might
bring them to the desired or decreed end that God has purposed
for them. For they have none of them fallen
and aborted, been a failure. All of them have come to pass. The people of God, the elect
of God, were by nature dead in trespassing and in sin. Having turned everyone to their
own way, they fell in Adam. And even though they were chosen
in Christ and appointed unto heaven, they must have a Redeemer
to redeem them from their sin and sanctify them before God. And they must be regenerated.
They must be quickened. They must be born again. They
must be given faith to believe. The faith of God's elect, as
it is called in Titus chapter 1. that they might enter into
the fellowship and the communion of the saints of God. Sanctified
they are in Christ Jesus, they are preserved in Christ and called,
Jude verse 1 and 2. Now, we do not say that they
go to heaven. without the new birth, or without
redemption, or without salvation, or conversion, or without faith,
or without a saving relationship unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, concerning election, Let's
look at it typically first, and then bring ourselves full force
into Ephesians chapter 1. There is an example and type
of this in the Old Testament, and that is in the promise of
God made unto Abraham and to his seed. The man Abraham, have
you considered him? Have you considered what he was
before God called him and separated him from his people? God appeared
unto Abraham, Stephen said. God promised Abraham that his
seed, not him only, but his seed would be the children of God
and that his seed would inherit and they would inhabit the land
of promise. That would be the land of Canaan. Here's some verses, Genesis 12,
7, 13, 15, 15 and 8. 17 and 8, and the words of Stephen
in Acts 7, 5 through 7. Stephen noted in Acts 7, verse
5, God gave the promise to Abraham when he was still childless. When Abraham had no child, God
said to him, in your son will he be called, and your seed shall
be blessed, and your seed shall be blessed in all nations. Genesis 15, verse 2 and 3. The
promise was that Abraham's seed would dwell in the land of Canaan. But yet, there were, for a time,
in bondage in the land of Egypt. Before that, they would be in
bondage in Egypt, Acts 15, 13, Acts 7 and 6, 400 years. God told Abraham, they'll
live in the land of Canaan, but they'll be in bondage 400 years
in Egypt. Now, the way to fulfill that
promise made unto Abraham, God would redeem them from the bondage
of Egypt. Deuteronomy chapter 21 and 8.
Exodus 6 and 6. He would judge the Egyptian,
Genesis 15 and 14 and Acts 7 and verse 7. He would bring judgment
upon Egypt and Pharaoh to deliver his people. He would park the
Red Sea. He would destroy Pharaoh and
his army in it. He would overthrow their enemies.
and lead them in the wilderness unto Canaan, whereby the promise
in was realized when God brought them into Canaan. What God promised,
he performed. And this was a work of divine
sovereignty, and it included election, the choosing of a people
in Abraham, a sovereign choice made by God. Now what was Abraham
before God called him? Well, among the heathen, but
we'll deal with that later. Our main concern in this study
is the question, did God really choose some before the foundation
of the world? Did God really do that and ordained
them unto eternal life. We meet with that frequently
in the scripture and Paul calling it the election of grace, Romans
11 and verse 5. The purpose of God according
to election, Romans 9 and verse 11. Who shall lay anything to
the charge of God's elect? Romans chapter 8 and verse 23. God's elect, his own elect, which
cry unto him day and night. Luke chapter 18 and verse 7. The elect of God, Colossians
2, 3 and 12. The faith of God's elect, Titus
1. elect according to the foreknowledge
of God." 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 2, and many, many more. Paul has exhorted the Thessalonians,
knowing, brethren, your election of God. How could he say that? Because they heard the gospel,
they responded to it, they believed, they turned in faith unto him. Now, Let me ask you, is this
doctrine of eternal election a new one unto you? Then consider
all these scriptures that we have quoted as well as others
and study them. Now, elect. What do we mean by
elect and election? means to choose. Elect means
to choose out from a greater number. It means to choose out
or to gather out, to choose from the whole. And so our promise
is this, God did by his sovereign good pleasure choose in Christ
a great number that no man can number unto salvation before
the world ever began and he ordained them to eternal life and to be
the children of God. Ephesians 1, 3 through 5. Now before discussing this great
spiritual election of individuals and unto salvation and eternal
glory, let's lay a foundation. Let's work our way to it gradually
by speaking of some, shall we call them lore, examples of election
found in the scripture that it might set the stage for the main
event, election unto salvation. Now, I mentioned it already,
but number one, there was an election of God in the angelic
family. God elected some out of that
host of angels. Because we read it in 1 Timothy
5 and verse 21, the elect angels. If there are a class of elect
angels, then there are non-elect angels as well. For elect angels
signifies some but not all. Jude verse 6, some kept not their
first estate, but left their own habitation. Apostate angel. Called in 2 Peter 2 and 4, the
angels that sinned. So when we look, the Bible says
more about this than we might imagine. And these that left
their first estate, God cast them down onto hell and delivered
them into the chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment. And get this, cast down, cast
out of heaven under chains of darkness, And no Savior provided
for them. No Savior provided. No way of salvation or deliverance
provided for these apostate angels. And Paul is clear, Hebrews 2
and verse 16, Christ took not hold of angels, but he took hold
of the seed of Abraham. Look at that. Now, pardon somewhat
of a digression, but with this matter of the angel, there is
a point that I want to be made, and particularly in regard to
the Arminian view, in regard to this act of God's sovereignty
in choosing some angels and not others, and some falling and
being forever under condemnation. Now, if these same things that
I just said, no savior provided, no manner of deliverance, no
redemption for the angels that sinned and were cast out, if
I should say the same thing about the human family, That some are
elected to salvation by God and some are not. That God loves
the elect and hates the reprobate. That Christ died for the elect
only. Then we hear protests that God
would not be fair. That would be unrighteous for
God to act in such a way. That would make God a tyrant
if God should act in that way. And comes a great outcry. in the suggestion that God would
act in such a way. Harsh words we hear against that
procedure. And yet, here's my point, in
my memory over all of the years, I have never heard those objections
raised concerning the non-elect angels. Never in my ministry
or in speaking with people or in hearing preaching have I ever
heard the cavils against God in regard and defense of the
poor angels who are left with no Redeemer and everlastingly
lost. No emotion, no concern have I
ever heard concerning that matter whatsoever. Why such a difference
in the reaction? If we say that of men, people
want to kill us. If we say it of angels, it passes
right over their head. I think the answer to the question
why the difference, Gil is right. It strikes closer to home when
we talk about the human family, our family, our loved one, our
friends, and our neighbor. But again, let's move along.
There is God choosing Abraham to be the father of many nations. One man out of all the men upon
the face of the earth. And previous to his call, Abraham
was not even a worshiper of God. He was dwelling among the idolaters. Joshua chapter 24 and verse 2
said so. So the question is, what had
Abraham to commend him to God? What had Abraham that caused
God to choose him to be the father of many and to bless him so? And the father of the Jewish
race by means of Isaac and of Jacob. The father of many indeed,
Abraham, while his wife was barren, he had no son, and his wife was
a barren lady. Shall he be the father of many
whose wife is barren? Even when God gave the promised
son, Isaac, when he was born. In the second generation, in
Isaac's family, God took one and left one, Jacob and Esau. You have it in Romans 9, 10-13
very clearly. Now again, election comes very
much closer and into focus with the development of the Jewish
nation as the chosen nation of God. The theocracy of God exhibited
in the nation of Israel. When God singled out for himself
one nation, from all of the families of the earth. And God entered
into covenant with them, called them his peculiar people, referred
to him as my son by adoption, gave them the law, the promises,
the oracles of God, and put his worship among them, the services
of God. You rejoice at that, a lot of
people do, Israel. But then I raise the question,
what of the other nations of the world? What was their loss?
What was the loss of the other nations of the world? Acts 14
and verse 16, have you read it? Who in time past suffered, that
is, he allowed or he permitted or he tolerated all nations to
walk in their own way. all nations except one, and that
was Israel. To them he granted an exclusive
revelation of himself, leaving the other nations without a saving
revelation, only a natural revelation of God and of the things of God. Acts 17 and 30, this time of
ignorance, God winked at in time past. Amos 3 and 2, God said,
You only have I known of all of the nations of the earth. That is Israel. You only. Now, not know about. God knows
everything and everywhere about. But you only have I known, and
that is as my people, as my choice, as my covenant people. And what
a description of the former state of the Gentiles does Paul give
in Ephesians chapter 2, 11 and 12. You've read that, haven't
you? That by nature they were dead
in trespasses and in sin. Ephesians 2, 1 through 5. And
by nationality, they were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel. That's in verse 11 and verse
12. Now, what did this mean for Gentiles
in time past, in days gone by? Well, it meant that they were
without Christ, having no hope, and without God in the world. That's what Paul writes in there.
He said, you remember in time past, you being Gentiles in the
flesh, without Christ, having no hope, without God in the world. But then brought nine. when Christ
came and enlarged the covenant. Now a point of emphasis, same
point made with regard to the angels. Many Armenians cheer
the fact that Israel is the chosen people the chosen race, and the
favored nation. They rejoice at that fact. Where
is their outrage that God chose one nation and not all, if they
will not allow God the sovereign right to choose some individuals
and reject others? Then how more unrighteous and
unfair for God to pick one nation and leave the whole world in
their sin, in spiritual darkness, to perish without hope. Now one
thing is undeniable, God did that. Now, the question that
Paul used, Romans 9 and 14, what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness
with God? Is that unrighteous for God to
pick one nation, bless them, and leave all others under their
misery? Now, let's finish this morning
with that statement from Romans 9 and verse 11. that the purpose
of God according to election might stand. Now see the words
and phrases here so important and weighty. The purpose of God
in accordance with election might stand. The purpose of God according
to election might stand. Now the word stand. Let's look
at it. It's interesting. And it's emphatic. It is a Greek word that is translated
here, stand. This word is dozens of times
translated into our New Testament, at least in the King James. But
this may be the only time that it is translated stand in the
King James. Most often, that word is translated
abide, tarry, remain, endure, and continue. You'll find it
dozens of times translated in that way. Paul is referring to
the purpose of God according to election, saying that this
purpose of God according to election, like all God's counsels and All
God's decree and purpose stands fixed and immutable. Thomas Goodwin put it, fixed
upon such a basis as will stand forever, unquote. The purpose
of God might stand. First, a little background on
that passage in Romans chapter 9. This concerns the twin sons. Isaac and Rebecca and they named
them Jacob and Esau because of the circumstances of their birth
Genesis 25 24 through 26 and the passage is part of the proof
that God Has not failed in his purpose and his word has not
fallen to the ground because some Jews rejected Christ and
perished. That's the argument in Romans
chapter 9. The promises of God have not
failed because of what Paul writes in verse 6 to verse 9 of Romans
chapter 9. Now there is an actual example
of the purpose of God in election standing in the case of the twins
Jacob and Esau. That after they were conceived,
But before they were born, God said, the elder shall serve the
younger. Now know what Paul said in Romans
9 and 11. The children not yet born, not
having done any good or evil, These were not factors in the
election of Jacob and the reprobation of Esau. Not just the choice
before they did good or evil, but that neither of them as to
their personal good or evil was a factor in God's election of
one and not the other. God chose them or rejected them
independent of their having being or of their good or evil works. Now the two things are important. Number one, before they existed. And number two, apart from their
acts. Now the words it was said under
her, verse 12, connect to the last words of verse 11. that
the purpose of God, in accordance with election, might stand. So
here it is. The children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, it was said unto her,
that is, Rebekah their mother, the elder shall serve the younger. that the purpose of God according
to election might stand. John Piper, that I was reading
this week, put it this way, the words of God to Rebecca express
the purpose of God to so intervene in the lives of Jacob and Esau
in such a way that the words spoken to their mother became
true. The elder shall serve the younger. As we know, this did come true. Esau both despised and sold his
birthright. He found no place of repentance,
though he sought it carefully with tears. while God appeared
under Jacob in a vision and in a dream and blessed him and changed
his name to Israel, Prince of God. God did indeed choose some
in Christ before the foundation of the world. And this election
is marked by several distinctives as listed by Elisha Cole in a
very good book called God's Sovereignty. There are six of them, I believe.
Number one, election is from eternity. Number two, it is in
Christ, as we read, Ephesians 1. Number three, it is founded
upon grace, Romans 11 and 5, 2 Timothy 1-9. Number four, this election is
of individual. I've chosen you. Number five,
it is an election to salvation. Second, Thessalonians chapter
two and verse 13, I've chosen you from the beginning unto salvation. And number six, this election
is absolute. It will not miscarry. Christ
will save his people from their sin, Matthew 121. He will lose none that the Father
has given unto him, John 6, 37-39. He will give them the faith of
God's elect, and they will be everlastingly saved. And this
I close with. They do not make themselves to
differ. They do not make themselves to
differ. The difference is not in them,
whether good or evil. It is the sovereign good pleasure
of the eternal and almighty God, chosen you in Christ before the
foundation of the world.