Blessed by Being Chosen

I attended a Christian school for high school. One of the required classes was Doctrine. I now know that doctrine is reflected in every thought, word, and action. It is in every sermon and teaching, but before I took this class, I had never heard specific doctrines articulated with the exception of the Trinity and maybe the inerrancy of Scripture. This class more than any other changed my life. I learned what Scripture said and had to decide what I really believed.

One of the doctrines we studied was election/predestination. I remember questioning my teacher and arguing free will and how unfair election would be. I didn’t have any understanding of Scripture to actually back up my arguments, but I argued anyway. I was adamant that I had a part in my salvation. I’m grateful for my teacher’s patience and that he faithfully showed me (and the class) what Scripture said. I don’t remember if I prayed about it, but I did meditate on the Scriptures my teacher had shown us, and in the end, I knew what I believed.

Our verses this week (Ephesians 1:4-6) are controversial. Discussions surrounding election and predestination divide churches, denominations, and people. This topic sparks heated, even ugly debates. I pray today that you will approach this passage with fresh eyes and a teachable, humble spirit. In the end, you may still disagree with what I believe Scripture teaches. My point is not to argue or criticize other beliefs but as always, try to faithfully present Scripture although we cannot fully cover this doctrine here.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

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, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. [1]

Ephesians 1:3-14

Last week, we learned that we are to bless or praise God, and that God has already blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. God is good, and He does good. He is worthy to be blessed.

We also learned that verses 3-14 are one continuous sentence in the Greek. Paul opened with praise, but without any pause, he flowed into today’s verses on predestination or election. Predestination is the first of the spiritual blessings he shares.

Today, election can be a touchy subject, but Paul and Jews would have been familiar with God acting through this means. God chose or elected Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob to be a people set apart for Himself – the nation of Israel (Theocratic Election, Genesis 12:1-3; Deuteronomy 7:6-8). God chose the Levites out of the twelve tribes of Israel to be priests (Vocational Election). And as we read in our verses today, God chose some to be saved (Salvational Election).

Before we continue, I want to share a quote from John MacArthur that express my thoughts better than I could.

 “God’s sovereign election and man’s exercise of responsibility in choosing Jesus Christ seem opposite and irreconcilable truths—and from our limited human perspective they are opposite and irreconcilable. That is why so many earnest, well-meaning Christians throughout the history of the church have floundered trying to reconcile them. Since the problem cannot be resolved by our finite minds, the result is always to compromise one truth in favor of the other or to weaken both by trying to take a position somewhere between them.

We should let the antimony remain, believing both truths completely and leaving the harmonizing of them to God.”[2]

There are other paradoxes in Scripture, such as Jesus is fully God and fully man. We accept that both are true, but we struggle with other paradoxes like election. One of the biggest obstacles is that it seems unfair. Paul addressed this in his letter to the Romans:

10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.[3]

Romans 9:10-18

We have to be careful about compromising Scripture we don’t understand as well as shifting our view of God. Remember that Paul opened with praise to God for He is good and does good. He is good and does good in the spiritual blessings He has already given. Predestination/election is one of the spiritual blessings.

Now, let’s look closer at verse 4. Chose in Greek is both the aorist tense and middle voice which means that it is God’s completely independent choosing. God’s choice wasn’t based on our merit. It is based on His goodness, grace, and mercy. Paul emphasizes his point by stating God chose us in Him [Jesus] before the foundation of the world. Before there was time, before creation, before we were, God chose.

In my high school Doctrine class, I kept arguing that we have free will. We choose God. Paul says before saving faith, we were sinners and enemies of God (Romans 5:8, 10). Our free will chose sin. Our free will chose anything but God. All mankind deserves hell. That would be just. There are several verses that call unbelievers to respond to God, but our only hope of salvation is for God to intervene in choosing us, drawing us, and sending Jesus to take our just punishment.

Jesus said: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37, emphasis added). The Father gives. The Father chooses us.

We will get to this more fully in a few weeks, but later in Ephesians, Paul affirmed: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”[4]

This is the doctrine of Irresistible Grace. John MacArthur likened it to a magnet. The magnet will draw to itself pieces of metal, but other materials will remain where they are. The metal, though, is irresistibly drawn to the magnet.

Yes, there is a point at which we respond to God’s grace. We believe and receive. We exercise faith, but we could never do this apart from God’s grace in election. God chose to make us alive. If even 1% of our salvation is our doing, then God’s grace is compromised, and compromised grace isn’t grace (Sinclair B. Ferguson).

Chose is also reflexive meaning God chose by Himself and for Himself.

God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. We already talked a little about this, but I want us to examine a couple more aspects of this phrase. The impact of God choosing us is this: we belonged to Him before time, before creation. We belong now, and we will belong to God for all eternity. Most of us want to belong somewhere. We want to fit in. We want to be loved and accepted. We look for belonging in the world, but the only belonging that satisfies completely is belonging to God where we are perfectly loved, perfectly accepted.

There is another truth that was before the foundation of the world – the plan of redemption. Just as God chose us to be saved, He chose to send His Son to this world, to take on flesh, to suffer, die a shameful, excruciating death, be buried, raised to life, and ascend to heaven that we could be saved (1 Peter 1:20). God is good and He does good from before the foundation of the world.

God chose us that we should be holy and blameless before Him. God had purpose in choosing us. Blamelessis to be without blemish or to be spotless. This is how Peter described Jesus (1 Peter 1:19). Those in Christ are given Jesus’ record of perfect righteousness, without blemish, and spotless. This is our position before God right now, right here even though practically this side of glorification we still struggle with sin. God has promised to complete the work He has begun in us of conforming us to the image of Jesus (Philippians 1:6). We were sinful, unrighteous, unworthy. Now in the sight of God, we are holy, righteous, and worthy in Christ.

There is some dispute as to where “in love” is placed (remember this was one long sentence). In the ESV, it is tied to verse 5: “In love, he predestined us…” Some translations put it with the end of verse 4. Either way, God is acting in love. We read later in Ephesians 2: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved” (vs 4-5). God is acting in love. “Biblical agapē love is not an emotion but a disposition of the heart to seek the welfare and meet the needs of others.”[5] Love is God’s unchanging character. He isn’t being capricious or mean in election. He is showing his rich mercy and great love.

In love, God predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ (vs 5). I am adopted, so adoption has special meaning to me. My parents adopted me as a baby, I had nothing to earn their love or cause them to adopt me. They chose me and made me a part of their family. Nothing can ever change that. I have been blessed in being their daughter.

God has chosen us to be adopted, to be part of His family with all the rights and privileges that Jesus has. We can call God “Abba Father” (Romans 8:15), and we now have brothers and sisters in Christ as part of the church body. There are numerous blessings in being a child of God that we don’t have time to cover right now. We are God’s child, and nothing can ever separate us from His love.

Note: The use of sons is not meant to exclude women. It is meant to show the full blessing of those in Christ – men and women. Firstborn sons received a double portion of the father’s inheritance.

God predestined us for adoption according to the purpose of His will. This is God’s determining will before time, before creation. Older translations translated this phrase as “the good pleasure of His will.” God’s will cannot be bad because God is good, perfectly good, perfect in every aspect.

What is the goal of predestination or election? “To the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (vs 6a). The goal of election is praising God’s glorious grace that is magnified in election. In other words, election reflects God’s character. As we discovered in verse 3, God blesses because He is good and does good. We bless or praise Him because He is good and does good. God does good in election, and our response is to glorify Him (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

God’s glorious grace has blessed us. God has shown us His mercy, grace, love, kindness, and goodness in election and salvation. Our response is to praise Him (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

Reflection

1.        As you meditate on why God chose you and how it reflects His character, does it encourage you or bring out your defenses? Why?

2.        How is it humbling to think that God chose you to be holy and blameless and to be adopted as His child?

3.        How is God glorified through election?

4.        Another argument against election is it removes the need for evangelization, but God chooses to work through us as His ambassadors, sharing the Gospel. Paul before saving faith was against God, persecuting the church. God chose Paul and called him on the road to Damascus to be His witness to the Gentiles. God intervened in Paul’s life with irresistible grace. Paul taught election, but he also was the greatest evangelist. These two truths seem to oppose each other, but God chooses to work in ways we don’t fully understand. Have you erred one way or the other – sharing the Gospel as if it is your work that will bring someone to saving faith or avoiding sharing the Gospel because you think it is pointless? What other passages in Scripture support the working together of God’s responsibility and yours?

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 1:3–14.

[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., Ephesians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 11.

[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 9:10–18.

[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 2:1–9.

[5] John F. MacArthur Jr., Ephesians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 14.