Practical tips for beginning a study of the angelic realm

Psalm 148:5 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.

Introduction

Yesterday we began considering the subject of the angelic realm.  Whenever we study this important subject, we divide it into three main branches: angelology, satanology and demonology.  Baptist Theologian Augustus Strong gives this insightful comment: "The doctrine of angels affords a barrier against the false conception of this world as including the whole spiritual universe.  Earth is only part of a larger organism.  As Christianity has united Jew and Gentile, so hereafter will it blend our own and other orders of creation."1 In yesterday's post we noted five reasons why it is important to study the Biblical doctrine of the angelic realm:

1. Massiveness of the subject in scripture

2. Major scale of spiritual warfare

3. Maintain a proper perspective on the subject

4. Mandate of scripture says its practical

5. Majesty of God

In today's post I want to offer some thoughts on beginning a study of the angelic realm in the Bible.  Where exactly does one begin? What are some major thoughts to consider when studying angels, Satan and demons?

1. Angels are created beings.

The first premise to consider is the fact that angels are created beings.  Psalm 148:5 notes that the angels were created by the command of God, just like the visible universe, stars, planets, life and humanity.(compare Colossians1:16-20).  From what we can discern from passages such as Job 38, the angels may had been created on either days 2 or 3 in the creative week.  According to Psalm 104:4, the nature of angels (or manner of their physical make up, their manner of expressing their existence) is that they are made of fire.  

2. There are Good and Bad Angels

Why is it that I mention the order of angelology, Satanology and demonology? Because when God originally created the angelic realm, they were all good. The angels were all created good, followed by the cosmic rebellion of Lucifer with the leading astray of the fallen angels.  Lucifer, who was originally the choir director of these angels, rebelled and fell and became Satan, the adversary. (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28) Then Revelation 12:4 tells us that Satan led 1/3 of the angelic host in rebellion against God and thus those angels who fell became the demonic realm. Some of those fallen angels are chained and some roam freely between here and the heavenly realms. (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Ephesians 6:10-11) Thankfully there are 2/3 of the heavenly angels faithfully serving God and His people. (1 Timothy 5:21; Hebrews 1:14)

3. The angelic realm has differing ranks or positions within each group

Whether good angels or demonic fallen angels, both sets have an internal command structure.  Among the good angels, Michael is deemed the head angel or archangel. (Jude 9) Other types of angels exist among the good angels, such as Seraphim (Isaiah 6); Cherubim (Ezekiel 1,10) and messenger angels such as Gabriel (Luke 1:26). On the demonic or fallen angel side we have of course Satan, the lead fallen angel along with his retinue of demonic angels. (Revelation 12:7)  Passages such as 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 and Ephesians 6:10-11 give insight into the various ranks and positions occupied by the fallen angelic realm.  More could be said but for now, this gives you a starting to place to begin on this particular aspect of angelology, Satanology and demonology.

4. The angelic realm is composed of powerful beings

Angels are dramatically powerful beings.  For example, one particular angel in 1 Chronicles 21:14 was instrumentally used by God to wipe out 70,000 men in judgment.  In 2 Kings 19:35 God answered the prayer of Godly King Hezekiah by having one angel destroy 185,000 of the mighty men of Sennacherib's Assyrian forces.  Then in Revelation 9:13-21 we see 4 angels unleashed to kill 1/3 of humanity in the judgment that will occur in the future great tribulation.  

5. Some purposes of the angels

The good angels are used by God to minister to Christians (Hebrews 1:14); to children (Matthew 18) and to worship the Lord (Isaiah 6; Revelation 4)

Endnotes:

1. Augustus Hopkins Strong.  Systematic Theology. Volume 1.

The Biblical importance of the angelic realm

Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Introduction
I wanted to begin today's blog with a quote from one of the ablest theological minds, Charles Hodge, on the importance of studying the angelic realm:
"So much is said in the Scriptures of good and evil angels, and such important functions are ascribed to them both in the providence of God over the world, and especially in the experience of his people and of his Church, that the doctrine of the Bible concerning them should not be overlooked."1

Anytime we engage in the study of the angelic realm, three branches are generally recognized in the subject (some may list more or less): angelology (study of angels, their nature, function and ranks); demonology (study of demons, their nature, function and ranks) and Satanology (Satan's nature, function and efforts against mankind and God).  To get us off the runway and into the air on this subject, I want us to consider why studying the angelic realm is important.

1. Massiveness of the subject in the Bible
A great tool to have when studying any topic of scripture is a Bible Concordance.  A concordance functions much like a telephone book, in that you can find the verses where any word or any subject is listed.  The added bonus is that many Bible Concordances today will print out a portion of the passages and give you all the Bible books and number of times each word appears.2  The magnitude of times the angelic realm appears in the scripture is extraordinary and thus warrants its study.  Consider the following statistics (I found these just searching through the Strongest Strong's NIV exhaustive concordance):

a. Angels and their various ranks and descriptions are found roughly 400 times in the scriptures. Angels of all sorts are mentioned in 17 of the 39 Old Testament books and 19 out of 27 of the New Testament books.

b. Demons and their various ranks are found in 6 of the 39 Old Testament books and 12 of the 27 New Testament books.  In the concordance I consulted I discovered nearly 75 places in the scriptures on the subject of demons.

c. Satan, who is also called the Devil, Serpent, Dragon and other names appears in 6 of the 39 Old Testament books and in 19 of the 27 New Testament books, reeking havoc in at least 115 places throughout scripture. 

d. When you add up all of the places in the Bible where angels, demons and Satan appear, you come up with close to 600 places.  Such a large number of mentions in the Bible tells us that it is important for us to study the angelic realm. But notice a second reason why this subject is important...

2. Major scale of spiritual warfare
Ephesians 6:11-12 issues this command - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."  Should not Christians of all people be more aware of the nature of the spiritual battle that they are involved? As a practical example, lets say you were to take a trip to a foreign country that is experience increasing pockets of violent outbreaks.  Would you not read up on the current conditions of the government, intelligence information on where attacks have taken place, as well as updates on where the most safe places would be? Would you not want to know whom you could trust as well as who to avoid? If that is the case in the incidence of travel, how much the more in the daily Christian walk.  Knowing the proverbial "lay of the land" in the spiritual Christian walk will make for a more Biblically informed and wise people who are effective witnesses for Jesus Christ.

3. Maintain a proper balance on the angelic realm
Having been involved with or having interacted with various Christians from many denominational and theological persuasions, there are two ditches people fall into when it comes to the angelic realm:

1. Ignorance.  Some denominations and some theological traditions don't talk about angels, demons or Satan.  

2. Obsession. Other groups go to the other extreme and see demons behind every bush, blame everything bad on the Devil and come close to paganism by giving angels too much prominence.  

To see these two general attitudes, walk into the average Christian bookstore or listen to the topics being preached in more well-known pulpits.  It seems to me (at least in the circles I operate), that the tendency would be more in the ignorant direction.  Our culture is unusually pre-occupied by mostly the demonic side (and a skewed view at that) or operating in a paganized view of angels and demons.  We as believers need to be aware of what the Bible teaches in order to moderate our priority of the angelic realm.  

4. Mandate of scriptures say that the subject of the angelic realm is practical
In the opening verse of today's blog I mentioned Hebrews 13:2 which commands Christians to exercise hospitality. Why? Because among other things, we may be entertaining angels unawares.  Reference to angels is listed among the very practical topics of Hebrews 13:1-4 such as loving the brethren (13:1); hospitality (13:2); visiting prisoners (13:3) and marriage (13:4). Certainly in other passages such as 2 Corinthians 13:4-5 and Ephesians 6:10-18, knowledge of the angelic realm can be useful in practical everyday Christian life.

5. Majesty of God
Perhaps the most important reason to study angelology, demonology and satanology is due to how each subject in one way or another points to God's glory.  Satan for sure is the chief adversary of God and His people, however knowing that He was defeated at the cross shows the glory of Jesus Christ.  For sure the demonic realm can certainly discourage and afflict God's people, however knowing that nothing, not even they, can separate us from the love of God actually points the way to the majesty of God's love. (Romans 8:37-39) Satan's far lesser kingdom functions as a black cloth to highlight the far greater Kingdom of God.  In God's Sovereignty He permits Satan to carry out his diabolic schemes so that in the end, His glory is shown in even greater proportion. (Philippians 2) Angels (the good ones) function in relationship to God like rays of light do for the sun.  The rays of the sun lead the viewer back to their point of origin - the sun.  Likewise the good angels continually point believers back to the glory and majesty of God.  In fact the angels of heaven are termed "fellow servants" with the saints of God (Revelation 19:10)

More tomorrow....
Endnotes:

1. Charles Hodge. Systematic Theology - Volume 1. WM. B Eerdmans. 1965 edition. Page 637 
Dr. Charles Hodge was a professor of theology at Princeton Seminary in the late nineteenth century.  Before Princeton went liberal in the late 1920's, it had been known for years as a bastion of Bible believing orthodoxy.  At Princeton, three theologians were noteworthy for their contributions to conservative bible believing Christianity from the 1880's-1920's: Charles Hodge, B.B Warfield and J. Greshem Machen. Dr. Hodge wrote a three volume work on Systematic Theology that to this day is a standard reference work for any and every subject in the field. 

2. Any Bible concordance will aid you greatly and there are number available to purchase at either a Christian Bookstore, Lifeway.com, Amazon.com or CBD (Christian Book Distributors).  Some of the ones I have found helpful are: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (based of KJV) and NASB Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (based of NASB text).  Most of the major English versions have their own concordances as well, such as the ESV (English Standard Version); NLT (New Living Translation); NKJV (New King James Version) and NRSV (New Revised Standard Version). Most of these resources are produced by Zondervan. 

The need for G.R.A.C.E in Christianity unity

Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Introduction
Jesus prays the following in John 17:18-21 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."  The unity that Jesus prays for is based upon grace. Jesus desires a compound unity that is comparable to what is seen by analogy in the Trinity, by illustration in marriage and by comparison in the human body.  Ephesians 4:1-16 acts as a Divine commentary for unfolding Jesus' prayer.  As we study through Ephesians 4:1-16 today, we want to know what it takes to have g.r.a.c.e based Christianity unity.  Thus we will use the acronym g.r.a.c.e to walk our way through God's words in Ephesians 4:1-16.

G reat Effort.                     Ephesians 4:1-3 
Christian unity first of all takes great effort by those relying upon God's grace.  Ephesians 4:1 states the need to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling."  God both calls and commands the church to strive for unity.  Such a command is for the church as a whole, meaning that the great effort of Christian unity is going to require everyone.  Five words in Ephesians 4:2-3 explain how the church is to "walk out" the calling to Christian unity: 

a. "with all humility".  This speaks of what one writer refers to as an "inside to outside virtue that is produced by comparing ourselves to the Lord rather than other people."

b. "and gentleness". This speaks of strength under control or not trying to get our way.

c. "patience".  That is, longsuffering or willingness to not give up on one another but rather encourage one another to run the race of faith.

d. "showing tolerance".  In other words, bearing up one another or enduring one another.

e. "being dilligent".  This phrase in the original language speaks of the members urging each other to preserve and guard the growing unity of grace binding them together as a family of saints. (compare Hebrews 10:24-25)

As the old saying goes: "to be with the saints above, that will be glory, however to dwell with the saints here below, well that's another story."  We as Christians err in thinking that unity will just simply happen.  Much like sanctification on the individual level, Christian unity is both a "God-thing" and an "us thing".  Most churches and Christian people desire unity, however very few are willing to put forth the effort. The remainder of Paul's instructions on Christian unity derive from God-given graces that we must rely upon to achieve it.

Reliance upon the Triune God. Eph 4:4-6
God's grace is when God does for you what you could never for yourself.  The key word "one" is interlinked with the Triune God of grace and the seven-fold grace of unity:


a. "One body" - The church and its converted members were planned by the Father as a love gift for His Son. (John 17:9)

b. "One Spirit" - Without the Person of the Holy Spirit, no unity can take place

c. "One hope" - Without the hope of the Gospel, no one could hear the Spirit's voice calling them unto salvation.

d. "One Lord" - Without the Person and work of Jesus Christ, there would be no church nor unity to speak of in this passage

e. "One faith" - Without saving faith as the gift of God, no one would believe and be justified before God

f. "One baptism"1 - baptism here speaks of the ministry of the Spirit in joining the believer to Jesus Christ at saving faith, with the subsequent administration of water baptism acting as the sign and the obedient public declaration by the convert in pointing back to that experience. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)2  

g. "One God and Father" - The First Person of the Trinity who planned the church.  Without the Person of the Father, there would be no church to speak of needing unity.

So g.r.a.c.e based unity needs great effort and reliance upon the Triune God, but notice thirdly...  

Active Pastor Leadership  4:7-12
We see here the five-fold ministry given by the Lord Jesus Christ.  The main focus of interest for this post concerns the pastoral office, being that it is the most fully discussed of the the five offices listed here in Ephesians 4.  Passages such as 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 deal with the qualities of the Pastor while 1 Peter 5:1-3 deals more so with the purpose.  A Pastor functions to preach the Word, love the people and lead.  Only by the grace of the Lord can a pastor be a catalyst for unity. A church without pastoral leadership cannot expect to be equipped to unify together for the cause of Christ.  Jesus Christ has so given the office of Pastor to His flock to function as an "undershepherd" that is delegated authority to equip the saints to unify around the mission and majesty of Jesus Christ.  Insofar as the Pastor loves His Lord, His family, his people and the scriptures will determine how well He is able to be used of God to be a catalyst for unity.  So the unity desired by Jesus requires great effort, reliance upon the Trinity, active pastoral leadership and fourthly....

Commitment to Sound Doctrine. Ephesians 4:13-15
Doctrine is the vocabulary of faith and is the handmaiden of sound preaching, Christian conversation and Christ-honoring worship.  Just as Jesus spoke His words over the sea of Galilee to bring forth calm and still waters, the church needs to hear the voice of Christ preached by the scriptures and taught through sound Biblical doctrine to calm the periodic restless waves in the church.  1 Timothy 4:16 "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." 

What happens when the church abandons the grace of sound doctrine? The church forgets who she is and becomes a turbulent sea.  She forgets who she is and Whose she is and soon starts looking more like the world.  Contrary to what many may teach, when doctrine is abandoned in the name of unity, confusion and disharmony results. 

So g.r.a.c.e based unity in Christ's church requires great effort, reliance upon the Triune God, active pastor leadership, commitment to sound doctrine and one more important element, namely...

Emphasizing Body Life . Ephesians 4:16
Body life is essential, since it emphasizes the Spirit given gifts of believers.  Christian unity does not mean uniformity - where everyone is the same.  Unity rather implies diversity orbiting around and connected to a common point. The New Testament uses the imagery of "the body of Christ" to picture what it looks like when every member is doing their part and serving one another for His glory. (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; 1 Peter 4:7-11). Christians should be working toward the common goal of God's glory in Jesus Christ.  The pastor by himself cannot do it all, nor the deacons, nor only a handful in the church.  The call of "all hands on deck" is issued by the Captain of our salvation as He steers the mighty ship of the church militant through the sea of history.  The church is a living organism, a body, with Jesus Christ as the head. (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Colossians 1:18)  When the members of the church are functioning together as a body, "body-life" emerges, with the local church functioning as one person.  Soon the sweet aroma of Jesus Christ's love and truth is released and the community around takes notice. (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)   

ConclusionAs we close today's post, we have witnessed the following five ingredients necessary for the g.r.a.c.e based unity prayer for by Jesus:

1. Great effort.  Ephesians 4:1-3
2. Reliance upon the Trinity. Ephesians 4:4-6
3. Active pastoral leadership. Eph 4:7-12
4. Commitment to sound doctrine. Eph 4:13-15
5. Emphasis upon body-life. Eph 4:16

These are the five things necessary for Christian unity.

Endnotes:
1. Much like the American flag is a sign of the previously agreed upon formation of the United States by the founding fathers, water baptism is a sign of the previously founded salvation granted by God the Father through faith to the believer who was united by the Spirit to Christ in spirit baptism. (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Romans 6:4-5) In water baptism the Christian is publically professing in obedience the wonderful salvation that was prior to the water baptism and privately received by faith in the heart. 

2. Much confusion abounds over the issue of baptism and can only be cleared up once we understand the scripture's teachings on "spirit baptism" and "water baptism", and how both constitute the "one baptism" spoken of by Paul.  Causally and subsequently connected to the Spirit's act of "spiritually baptizing" the believing sinner into Christ at salvation is the obedient re-enactment of that by means of one's public profession of faith in water baptism.  Water baptism is the symbol that is prescribed by Christ to point back to the Spirit baptism.  In scripture, a symbol or sign serves to signify a prior spiritual reality or experience of grace.  Therefore when the scripture says "One Baptism", there literally is only "one" in the sense that the water baptism is causally connected to the prior experience of saving faith, wherein the Spirit joins the believing sinner to Christ by Spirit baptism.  Water baptism does not impart saving faith nor the gift of the Spirit.  The Spirit Himself comes to the sinner in grace and in the gifting of faith the sinner responds by believing and repenting of their sins.  Water baptism is a subsequent, public declaration of prior saving faith. The Spirit joins me to Christ in His ministry of Spirit baptism, with the water baptism simply declaring that prior spiritual experience. 

Thumbnail sketch of Sovereign Election and Human Responsibility

Acts 13:46-48 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’” 48 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.

In yesterday's post we began talking about the practical benefits of the doctrine of God's elective purpose in the life of the Christian. Election stands as a Mount Everest in the teaching of scripture.  The picture above depicts Mount Everest as seen from a space craft orbiting earth.  We must remember that even if we can gain a big picture view of Sovereign election, we can never fully comprehend how it fits with human responsibility nor comprehend its intricacies.  As W.A Criswell, the famed Baptist Preacher of old notes, though we may fly over the mountain of God's Sovereignty and glimpse all of its sides, there is still the matter of what lies in the mountain and in the depths of the earth that we cannot see.  

In today's post we will do a quick fly over of an issue that always emerges when discussing Sovereign election - namely the other scriptural issue of human responsibility in salvation. The treatment below is more of a thumbnail sketch than a full treatment.  May you be blessed today as you read and study in God's word.

Election is the basis for the believer's calling an identity

In Psalm 105-106 we see what the Baptist Faith and Message calls "God's Purpose of electing grace" as the basis for Israel's calling and identity. Roughly 100 times is God's electing purpose of nations or salvation mentioned in the Bible, with three references to God's "chosen ones" in these two Psalms. (105:6,43; 106:5)  God's Sovereign purpose is mentioned concerning Moses as God's "chosen one". (Psalm 106:23)  Then of course with reference to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, we see God's purpose of elective grace at work in their lives. (Psalm 105:8-24) Interestingly Hebrews 11 mentions all of these men and notes that they all exercised true saving faith in the One who called them - hence human responsibility.    Article V of The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 explains what is going on in passages such as these: "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. "  

Man alone is responsible for rejecting the gospel

So then, if anyone rejects the Lord and His offer of the Gospel and dies in their sins, who is to blame?  Scripture spells out pretty clearly that Israel was at fault for the consequences of their rebellion. (Psalm 106:6)  Mankind is responsible for the rejection of the Gospel. (Psalm 81:11-12; Romans 1:20-25) God is credited for the reason behind a person's freely choosing to believe the Gospel. (Acts 13:46-48, Ephesians 2:8-10)  So if God's purpose of Grace explains why anyone gets saved, then how is anyone able to believe and remain in their salvation? Psalm 105:1-15 and  Romans 15:4 tells us that by the word of God proclaimed in the Gospel do people believe and remain firm in their faith.  Romans 10:17 plainly states - "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."  

God's grace is the reason why anyone believes the Gospel

Upon such hearing, all those who call upon the name of the Lord in saving faith will be saved. (Romans 10:13) So then Who gets the credit? Jesus Christ in His grace and Word is the author and finisher of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2) Because of His grace, a person truly and freely believes and is justified by faith alone or credited with the righteousness of the Lord. (see Psalm 106:30-31)  You and I dear friend will never full comprehend how Sovereignty and human responsibility "fit together" in the realm of salvation.  We must affirm both because the Bible affirms both.  To deny one at the expense of the other or to mix both together in any measure will lead to an understanding different than the scripture.  All we know is that God's Sovereignty and human responsibility complement one another and do not contradict.  When we see either Sovereignty or human responsibility in the scripture, we can assume that the other is in close proximity. (compare John 1:12-13, John 6:37,44)

Conclusion
Only God can design a salvation wherein His Sovereignty and human responsibility are present without contradiction.  If anyone rejects the Good News of Jesus Christ, it is because of their doing.  Today thank God for your salvation.  Secondly thank Him for His Word which keeps you in His salvation.  Thirdly pray for your unsaved loved ones and friends that that they would respond by grace through faith and be saved to the glory of God.  

Sovereign Election Practically Considered

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And 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, 4 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 believed 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