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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Sovereign Election Practically Considered




Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew youAnd before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 "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. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Introduction
How can you and I be certain that our salvation is eternally secure? What lies behind the calling of a man or woman unto salvation or service? What comforts are to be found in the doctrine of election? Answering these three questions will frame our practical consideration of the Biblical doctrine of Divine election in today's post. As you will discover, God's elective purpose of grace is most practical because of the following three reasons:

1. God's elective purpose secures the believer's salvation
The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 defines the doctrine of election: "Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end."  

Ephesians 1:3-4 states most clearly God's elective purpose of grace and eternal salvation: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love"  In the original Greek of the verse, the last two words "in love" could just as easily be the ending of verse 4 as they are for the beginning of verse 5, meaning that the basis of God's elective purpose is His Eternal love. Such Eternal love issues forth from the combined efforts of the Triune God. 

Quite literally the Christian can say that they have been loved by God from all eternity (Ephesians 1:1-6), that Christ's cross is the grounds for such love (Ephesians 1:7-12) and that their salvation began the moment they, by the grace brought to them by the Spirit, believed (Ephesians 1:13-14).  Election places the believer's security not in their activity, but God's Sovereign choice.  

2. God's elective purpose comforts the believer
In 2 Thessalonians 2 we see the teachings of the rapture of the church and the second coming of Jesus Christ.  We also see what is perhaps the most detailed description of what will be the arch-enemy who will rise up at the end of history to challenge Christ and bring havoc to the earth - namely the anti-Christ.  Undoubtedly the Christians at Thessalonica were unsettled in their hearts over rumors that the Lord had come, and they were wondering how they were going to persevere to the end.  Paul comforts them in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 with what is perhaps the clearest definition of God's elective purpose of grace - "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. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." To remind the reader that God's elective purpose does not cancel out human responsibility, notice what Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 - "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us." God's choice is the source of His calling on everyone who freely chooses to believe and follow the Lord.  As 1 John 4:19 reminds us: "We love Him because He first loved us."  Because God is for you, dear Christian, you will persevere to the end.  God has pledged He will see you though, because He has chosen to see you through to the end and into eternity. (Philippians 1:6)  So God's elective purpose of grace is the security of salvation and brings great comfort to the Christian, but notice one more reason why Sovereign election is so practical...

3. God's elective purpose is the foundation for the believer's calling
God tells Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5 that He had chosen Him and set him apart in his mother's womb.  How could God "know" Jeremiah before he was even conceived in his mother's womb? Unless we consider the Biblical teaching on such truths as Divine election and God's prior choice to lovingly know Jeremiah whom He saw in His mind, the passage will make no sense.  God's Sovereign choice of Jeremiah was a decision made by God before Jeremiah was conceived. Furthermore, the elective purpose of grace was to be the basis for Jeremiah's calling as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:6-19) Undoubtedly Jeremiah responded to God's call and in turn chose to heed God's voice and be His mouthpiece.  Because of God's elective purpose of grace, Jeremiah would persevere to the end and serve God faithfully for over 50 years in a ministry that was among the most harsh mission fields recorded in the Bible.  In summary, God's choice was the source of His calling which in turn positioned Jeremiah to freely choose to serve as God's prophet. 

Conclusion
So in seeing the practical considerations of God's elective purpose of grace, we have noted the following:

1. God's elective purpose secures the believer's salvation

2. God's elective purpose comforts the believer

3. God's elective purpose is the foundation for the believer's calling