pt3 Ephesians

Q: What does the Bible say about election?

The Bible teaches that God has chosen some for salvation before the foundation of the world, which is a doctrine firmly rooted in Scripture. The doctrine of election is prominently featured throughout the Bible, particularly in Ephesians 1:4, which states that God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. This choosing was not based on any foreseen merit or choice on our part, but solely due to God's sovereign grace and purpose. As shown in Romans 9:11-18, God's election stands independent of human works, demonstrating His ultimate authority over salvation. The Scriptures provide numerous examples of God's selective choosing, reinforcing the truth that He purposed salvation for some, while passing over others, to exhibit His glorious grace and mercy.

Q: How do we know election is true?

Election is confirmed in Scripture through numerous passages that assert God's choice of certain individuals for salvation. The truth of election is substantiated by many verses in Scripture. Matthew 22:14 explicitly states, 'For many are called, but few are chosen,' indicating a distinction in God's calling. Additionally, John 15:16 emphasizes Christ's words, declaring, 'You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.' These affirmations establish that God's election is not only a theological concept but a biblical doctrine that underscores the sovereignty of God in the salvation process. Furthermore, Ephesians 1:5 mentions that we were predestinated to adoption as His sons, further solidifying the reality and truth of God's choosing.

Q: Why is understanding election important for Christians?

Understanding election affirms God's sovereignty and grace, providing assurance of salvation for believers. The doctrine of election is crucial for Christians as it reveals God's sovereign plan for salvation, demonstrating that it is not based on our efforts or merits, but entirely on His grace. This understanding gives believers a profound sense of security and assurance in their salvation, knowing that it is rooted in God's eternal purpose (Romans 8:28-30). Moreover, comprehending election encourages gratitude towards God, fostering a deeper relationship with Him as we realize that He graciously chose us and brought us to Himself through Jesus Christ. Ultimately, it leads to a life of worship and praise to God for His marvelous grace.

Q: What does Romans 8:28-30 teach about God's purpose?

Romans 8:28-30 teaches that all things work together for good to those who are called according to God's purpose. Romans 8:28-30 reveals the glorious truth that God orchestrates every event and experience in a believer's life for their good and His glory. It emphasizes the idea that God's purpose in salvation is comprehensive and far-reaching. It underscores His predestination of the elect to be conformed to the image of His Son, reflecting His divine plan that predates creation. The chain of salvation outlined here—from foreknowledge to glorification—serves to reassure believers of God's unwavering commitment to fulfill His purpose in their lives. This passage encourages believers to trust in God's providence and, ultimately, His character as perfectly good and sovereign.

Our text in Ephesians chapter 1, as you can see at the top of your handout, verse 4, we read these words, 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. Now, in our last study, the Apostle Paul exhorted us to bless and praise God, because God the Father has graciously blessed us in Christ. He has chosen us to be his sons, sent his son to redeem us from our sins, and given us an eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus. Now, in Ephesians 1, verse 4, Paul brings us to the source of all spiritual blessings. And you'll recall last Friday, we spent some time considering what the spiritual blessings of Christ were. He shows us that God's choice and election of his people to salvation is the cause of everything, everything he does for us in Christ Jesus. That is clearly the doctrine or the teaching of God the Holy Ghost in Ephesians and the doctrine of the whole book of God regarding God's election. In order to exclude all merit from man, and to show that all goodness and grace comes to us from God alone, the apostle teaches us that all the blessings of God in Christ come to us according to his election of us before the foundation of the world.

In Psalm 65, verse 4, David says these words. He says, blessed is the man whom thou choosest. and causes to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts, we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple." Now, here, in what we just read, election is spoken of as being in the present tense, even though it was done before the world began, because this great work of grace is known and experienced in time. We experience it right now in this day, in this day and age, even though these were things that God decreed before the world began. No one knows his election until he's been effectually called by the Holy Spirit to life and faith in Christ. But notice the progression of grace that is running through this verse of Scripture. It says, it begins with this, a blessing.

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest. whom God has chosen. That's election, folks, page two. Brother Don writes, he says, God chose to save some in eternity, and those he chose to save in eternity, he graciously cuts out of the rest of mankind in time, like a rancher, cutting his cattle out of many roaming the open range. They were his cattle before, he simply rounds them up at the appointed time. But notice the next word that says, and causes. Not only does he choose, not only did he choose those whom he would choose, he causes, he caused to approach unto thee. This refers to irresistible saving grace, the effectual call of God the Holy Spirit. election both proceeds and is the source and cause of this call. Consider the next line, if you would, that he may dwell in thy courts. Sinners chosen and called by grace are caused to dwell, not to visit, but to dwell in the courts of divine worship.

I'm going to stop there for a moment. Hold your finger at the spot there. Think of that. Divine worship, folks, is you and I, when we, even without closing our eyes, call upon God in our hearts. That's prayer. When we're sitting here, and it doesn't matter what's going on, something happens, and, oh, Lord, look at that bird fly by. Look at that beautiful bird. That is divine worship. Recognizing and declaring who He is. He's God of all things. He's the sovereign God of all creation, and that's divine worship.

And we are caused to dwell in that all the time. Those who are chosen and called by the grace of God to life and faith in Christ are kept and preserved by that same grace unto eternal glory. We're kept by the power of God, as it says in 1 Peter 1, verse 5. Moreover, election is the source and cause of everlasting happiness and satisfaction of God's saints.

Isn't that what we read next? It says, we shall be satisfied. I don't know about you, but I'm satisfied that God chose me because I know that I wouldn't have chosen Him. will be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple." The house and temple of God in the Old Testament were typical of and representations of Christ and heaven, of God's salvation and our everlasting nearness to and worship Him.

This is true blessedness. This blessedness rises from and is effectually caused by God's election, by Him choosing us, by His election of His people unto salvation in Christ before the world began. Do we not sing out loud along with David, O the blessedness of the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee?

As a child of God, I know who caused me to come unto him. I wasn't seeking after him. He brought everything into my life exactly as it should have been at that day, as He does every day, but especially that day when I was brought into this place and heard the gospel preached for the first time. God chose and caused me to approach Him.

No wonder God's election was so much on David's mind. It was the thought of God's election that made him leap and dance before the ark of God, recorded in 2 Samuel 6, verse 21. It was the fact of his election by the God of salvation unto salvation and eternal life in Christ that sustained his heart and rejoiced his soul as he laid upon his deathbed in 2 Samuel 23, 5.

Indeed. This is a doctrine full of joy and comfort to every child of God. Chosen us. It says back in our text, according as he hath chosen us in him. This is God the Father who had chosen us before the foundation of the world in his Son. God chose some to salvation. and eternal life in Christ before the world began.

There are some who would say the Bible does not teach the doctrine of election. Page 3. Those who make such foolish statements, though, have either neither read the scriptures or have totally ignored what they read or else they are out and out liars. Election is taught everywhere in the Bible. The scriptures speak of elect angels, elect nations, an elect lady, elect churches?

God chose some angels and passed by others. Of the first two men born in the world, Cain and Abel, He chose one and passed by the other. He chose Noah and his family and left the rest of the world to perish. He chose Abraham, but no one else in Abraham's father's house. He chose Jacob, but not his brother Esau. God chose Israel, the smallest of all nations, as it is declared, to be the nation to whom he would reveal himself. All other nations were left in utter darkness. He chose Joseph, but not Pharaoh. Now, no one can, with any measure of integrity, teach the Word of God, teach that the Word of God does not teach the doctrine of election. It would be foolishness to debate it.

However, the question of importance is this. Does the Bible teach the election of some to salvation, to the exclusion of others? Does the Bible teach that God chose some, not all the sons and daughters of Adam, to be the heirs of grace and the glory of Christ? The answer is indeed it does. The Apostle Paul, among others, thoroughly and frequently taught the doctrine of election. Here are just a few texts where this blessed doctrine is clearly taught. Matthew 20, verse 16, so the last shall be first, and the first last, for many be called, but few chosen. In Matthew 22, 14, we read these words, for many are called, but few are chosen.

In John 15, 16, you have not chosen me, saith the Lord, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go forth and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you. Or how about these words, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, speaking of Sarah, the mother of the two Jacob and Esau, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Page four. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth." Romans 9, 11 through 18. Here's one more, if you would. Romans 11, 5 through 7. Even so then, at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

If and if by grace, then it is no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded."

Folks, this is God's Word. This isn't man's interpretation, man's translation. That's God's Word. There is an absolutely no question about the fact that the Bible clearly and distinctly teaches the doctrine of election. God chose to save some and he passed by others. Really? The only question is to be answered is this, what does the Bible teach about election?

Well, the first thing we want to look at is it teaches God's purpose. The purpose of God in all things is the salvation of His elect. I've said this over and over again. Folks, every single thing that we know as history, everything that has been recorded, everything that has ever happened, has happened according to God's purpose, you and I would be exactly where we are right now doing exactly what we should be doing, worshiping Him. And everything before us was a building block to bring us to where we are today. The purpose of God in all things is the salvation of His elect. Listen to Romans 8, 28 through 30. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, brother, moreover, whom he did predestinate them he also called, and whom he called them he also justified, and whom he justified them he also glorified.

Now we recognize, of course, that the Word of God teaches the doctrine of God's glorious, sovereign predestination, and like election, it is a truth so plainly revealed in Holy Scripture that it simply cannot be denied by honest men. And I quote again from our brother Don Fortner, predestination is the all-inclusive purpose of God by which he sovereignly determined all things that come to pass in time for the salvation of his elect, which is what I basically said a few minutes ago, only Don said it in less words and better. In other words, everything that has been, now is, and hereafter shall be, was purposed by God in eternity and is brought to pass by God in time for the salvation of that great multitude whose names were inscribed in the Lamb's Book of Life in sovereign election before the world began. God chose some to salvation, and the purpose of God in all things is the salvation of all the chosen whom he loved with an everlasting love.

It's clear that the Bible teaches God's purpose is accomplished according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. The purpose of God shall be accomplished All that God has purposed, God will perform. The Bible never talks about God purposing what He does not perform, or trying to do what He does not do, or willing that He which He never actually brings to pass, or of Him in any way trying to prevent anything that does come to pass. God Almighty does not try.

That sign that hangs up out here on our walkway, I hope there's some people who've never seen that sign before. They'll come through this hallway on their way to hear the gospel preached, and they'll see that sign, and, oh, if your God is trying, your preacher is lying.

Huh. Yeah. Boy, that makes sense. Come and hear the Word of Truth. Oh, I hope there's some folks who never saw that before and come through this week. God Almighty does not try, folks. He does. He does not wish. He accomplishes. He does not plan. He purposes it.

Men talk about God's plan because men can do nothing but plan. God does not talk like that. Have you ever had anybody say, what's God's plan for you? I don't know. I can tell you this, whatever it is, it's going to happen exactly the way he's purposed it to happen. God talks about his purpose.

His purpose of grace is much more than some imaginary plan of salvation. A plan may be interrupted, hindered, or altered, or even utterly rejected. That is not God's purpose of grace. God's purpose is the eternal determination of His being to save the people of His love, whom He chose to salvation before the world began. That purpose cannot be frustrated, it cannot be altered or even hindered to any degree. Not even the rebellion of Lucifer or the fall of Adam hindered God's purpose of grace. Oh no, in fact, those events were just part of that which was and is necessary to accomplish God's sovereign purpose of grace according to election.

Listen to these words, Isaiah 14, 24-27, The Lord of hosts hath sworn saying, Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand, that I will break the Assyrian in my hand, and upon my mountains tread him underfoot. Then shall he's yoke depart from them, from off of them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed unto the whole earth. And this is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations for the Lord of Hosts hath purpose, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"

Speaking of his hand being stretched out, before I read that next verse, or before I give you those last verses, actually, I'll go ahead and do that now. Here are two more that you can read. You can look them up on your own time, Isaiah 46, 9 through 13, and Romans 9, verse 11. But think about this for a moment, folks. I want to take you back to the book of Ruth. Remember the book of Ruth, Naomi?

Remember Naomi, she lived in Bethlehem with her husband and her two sons, and a famine came upon the land. Who do you think brought that famine? Was that famine an accident? Did God just, oh, you know, I forgot to bring enough rain. No! What kind of God is that? God brought that famine against the town of Bethlehem. Why?

Because Ruth and her husband, I mean Naomi and her husband needed to go down to Moab. There was one of God's people in Moab, a Moabitess woman, a Gentile, a woman, a heathen woman. And so her and her sons and her husband went down there, and her husband died, her two sons died, and their wives, let's see, there was Ruth, and she stays there, and Ruth goes back with Moab back to the City of Bread. But the whole point of this is what I'm trying to point out to you is think about how God worked all of that out every detail, purpose, so that Ruth would come back to Bethlehem and marry Boaz.

But he was a Canaanite redeemer. This is all purpose by God. Think about this. When Joseph's brothers threw him in the pit and then took him over and sold him to the Ishmaelites and they took him down to Egypt, that famine that came upon the land afterwards caused Jacob to send his sons down into Egypt. That was all purposed by God. So that Israel, the 12 tribes of Israel, would grow and become slaves to Egypt. Now you think about all that. Only God could come up with a purpose like this to save His elect. There were His people spread out all over the place.

Scriptures teach our election in Christ. 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 has chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy. and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of the children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption through his blood and the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace." Now that's our text that we began with in verses 5, 6, and 7 along with it. Election is in Christ. Here Paul silences the many arguments whereby men try to pervert the doctrine of election. Everything God does for, gives to, and requires from sinners is in Christ. Now I want to stop there.

That's the argument that we have with others who want to start talking about their works in the Holy Spirit working in them. And you folks know who we're talking about. We'll address that a little bit more this coming Sunday. But this is exactly what we're talking about.

Everything, everything that God does for me, Everything that he gives to you and everything that he requires of sinners is in Christ Jesus. Either Christ is our all in all, or he's not God at all. God does nothing for us, requires nothing from us, and gives nothing to us apart from Christ.

And Paul shows us three things in these verses concerning our election. First, election took place in eternity before the worlds were made. God's love for us did not begin yesterday. It is from everlasting to everlasting. He chose us in Christ before time began. He inscribed our names in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world.

Secondly, our eternal election in Christ is the source and the cause of all other benefits and blessings of grace. Apart from election, there is no blessings of grace here or glory afterward for that matter. For the elect, all the blessings and the blessedness of grace and glory are sure and God's blessings of grace and glory flow to sinners according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. Adoption, acceptance with God, redemption, forgiveness, regeneration, preservation, resurrection, and heavenly glory of the inheritance awaiting for us are all ours. All are sure to all of His elect. All are according to the election of grace, and all the chosen shall obtain all these things according to the purpose of God.

Does it not state in scripture, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me? Can that mean anything different than that? If God the Father gave somebody one of his chosen to God the Son, he's gonna have them. Last paragraph, page six. Everywhere today, people talk about the fact that Christ came into the world, but few have any idea who he is or why he came. Very few indeed realize that the Son of God came here to save his people from their sins. the people chosen by and given to him by God the Father. It says in Matthew 1 verse 21, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Page 7 now.

A man by the name of John Kent wrote this poem, and I pray the Lord will give me the ability to read it as a poem should be read. T'was not to make Jehovah's love towards the sinner flame, that Jesus from His throne above a suffering man became. T'was not the death which He endured, nor all the pains He bore, that God's eternal love procured, for God was love before. He loved the world of His elect with love surpassing thought, nor will His mercy near neglect the souls so dearly bought." I thought that was pretty good.

Thirdly, election is for the glory of God. Here is the reason why God chose to save sinners, why He chose some unto eternal life, and why He saves us in the manner that demonstrates both His supreme sovereignty and His glorious grace. It is as Paul here declares that we should be to the praise of his glory. Scriptures teach the chosen are unto salvation. God's election of sinners in Christ is unto salvation.

Listen to this, but we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

That's 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 13 through 14. Here's another one for you, 1 Peter 1, verse 2. according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Page 8. Again, I quote from Brother Don Fortner.

He says, there is a sense in which all who are saved in time were saved from eternity. The Word of God declares that all of God's elect were in Christ, redeemed, accepted, justified, sanctified, and glorified from eternity in the mind, purpose, and decree of God.

However, do not ever think of election as salvation. Oh, I'm chosen. I'm saved for sure because he's chose me. No, Don warns us about this. Election by itself is not salvation. Election by itself saves no one. It's election is unto salvation. It's like we are saved by grace through faith.

Here are seven things stated in 2 Thessalonians 2 verses 13 through 14 in 1 Peter chapter 1 about God's election. Now the first one is election is caught. Election is a cause for great thanksgiving and praise. Remember what we read back there in 2 Thessalonians, the very first thing he says, but we are bound to give thanks always to God. Praising God, that's what that is, giving thanks to God. Praising Him for you, for you, His chosen. You know, if I didn't praise God and thank Him for all of you folks, I mean, He might not send anybody to hear me preach. Election is a cause for great thanksgiving and praise of God. Not to mention the fact that He chose me and I didn't choose Him. That's pretty good praise I got for God there.

Election is according to the foreknowledge of God, according to the everlasting love and sovereign foreordination. The word translated foreknowledge in 1 Peter 1 is the exact same word translated for ordained in verse 20. Election is also a personal distinguishing work of grace. God hath from the beginning chosen you. Election is also unto salvation. We are chosen unto salvation. we are chosen to be saved in a manner consistent with and honoring to the holiness, justice, and truth of God.

Peter tells us that we were chosen by God unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. That is to say that no one, not even the elect, could ever be saved apart from the obedience and death of Christ. You see what Don was saying back there about not being saved by election? If Christ hadn't shed his blood, election wouldn't mean anything.

So it is by the blood of Christ. by which redemption was accomplished. We are chosen to salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit. That means setting apart. The Spirit of God comes to us when we're dead and trespasses in sin. And as it says in Ephesians 2, verse 1, He quickeneth. He quickeneth. He makes us alive. He gives us life that we might be set apart from the rest of the world that is still dead in trespasses and sin.

So we are sanctified of the Spirit. In other words, no one can ever be saved who is not born again, regenerated, and sanctified, set apart by God the Holy Spirit. We were chosen to salvation through the belief of the truth. Not only has God ordained who will be saved, He has also ordained the means by which they shall be saved. The means He has ordained is the hearing of faith. Those who were chosen of God in eternity and redeemed by Christ at Calvary must be regenerated and called by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel.

How are you going to call on somebody you've never heard of? How are you going to believe in someone you've never heard of? How are you going to hear unless God sends a preacher? Scriptures also teach that election is unconditional on the part of the elect.

God's eternal choice of his people to salvation in Christ was an unconditional election of grace. Listen to 2 Timothy 1, verse 9, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works. but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." There you go, taking us all the way back to eternity past. God did not choose us, and He does not save us. because of our works. His choice of us was not based upon foreseen merit or our foreseen choice of Christ or our foreseen faith in Him. No, our only merit before God is Christ. Our choice of Him is the result of His choosing us. Our faith in Him is the fruit and the result of His election. Scriptures teach that election is effectual. God's electing grace is always effectual. That means it gets the job done.

It's the same effectual grace that God used on Lazarus when he said, Lazarus, come forth. Lazarus didn't have any choice. God made him willing in the day of his love and in the day of his power. He was still wrapped in his burial clothes. He came, that means he floated. He floated out of that grave before he stood, before he was before Christ, and Christ said, loose him from his bonds.

Oh, God's electing grace is always effectual, and that means it gets the job done. All who were chosen in eternity will be called, saved in time by the irresistible power and grace of God and the Holy Ghost, who have saved us and called us with a holy call. I already read all that, didn't I? Where was I? No, I didn't. We'll read it again. "...which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

2 Timothy 1, 9 and 10. Do you now find yourself trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as your only all-sufficient Lord and Savior. If you do, if you truly trust the Son of God, it is because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation. Let every child of God give praise and honor and glory to Him forever for His free electing love and favor. sovereignly and graciously bestowed upon us from eternity in Christ. He who chose us, redeemed us, He called us, He gave us life and faith in Christ, and He will keep us unto eternal glory by His grace. Remember I said we'd read this verse again.

Does not this verse in Psalm 115.1 just reach out and grab ahold of you? Not unto us, O Lord. Not unto us. but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Amen.

pt3 Ephesians

What does the Bible say about election?

How do we know election is true?

Why is understanding election important for Christians?

What does Romans 8:28-30 teach about God's purpose?

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pt3 Ephesians

What does the Bible say about election?

How do we know election is true?

Why is understanding election important for Christians?

What does Romans 8:28-30 teach about God's purpose?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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