I recently had to write a short paper on the doctrine of predestination for my pastor training. I have decided to post a shorter version of my paper here on my blog. We hold to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, so if I reference “our confession”, that is what I am referring to. You can look the confession up on the internet for free. Chapter 3, “Of God’s Decree” is where the I reference a few things. Enjoy:
Paragraph’s 3-7 of our confession (chapter 3) address God’s decree as it relates to the salvation or damnation of man. I would like to begin by heeding to the advice given in paragraph 7, “The doctrine of the high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care.” That is the attitude I want to come with towards this high subject matter. And as paragraph 7 also states, “so shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence and admiration of God.” That is the goal of treating this topic with care. The goal is worship. The more we press into the knowledge of God’s sovereignty of salvation over man, the more awe and worship we should gain for God. I once heard that predestination should not be a matter of dispute, but a matter of worship. That is the goal. That is what I long to see. In God’s sovereignty over man, we can clearly see His bigness, compared to our small finite selves. This should propel us in to praise, as opposed to disputing the majesty and sovereignty of God. God’s sovereignty is an elements that contributes to the God-ness of God. We should not despise God for being an absolute sovereign God, for that is what makes Him God.
I recently read through Joshua 6 for the first time in a long time. Joshua 6 is where the Israelites march around the city of Jericho and the walls come a tumbling down. Obviously, it is God who fought that battle for them and caused the walls to fall. But it occurred to me as I was reading that Joshua 6 is a picture of election. Jericho was a wicked city. They did not worship or honor the one true God. So God justly destroyed the wicked city of Jericho by His wrath. However, there was one person that God chose to save from the city of Jericho. It was a prostitute named Rahab. In no way did she deserve it. She was just as wicked as the rest of the city. Yet God was merciful to her and chose to not destroy her, but rather save her. That passage caused me to worship God and stand silent in awe of His justice and mercy. Then it occurred to me – all men are wicked rebels toward God who deserve to be destroyed by God’s wrath. So God does the right thing, and destroys sinners. Yet out of the abundance of God’s mercy He chooses to save some and not destroy them, but rather adopt them into His family. What grace!
“For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” + Romans 9:15&16
There are five main points I would like to make on the present topic, under which, there may be sub points. The first is that all men are predestined according to God’s will, some to salvation, and others to wrath. Ephesians 1 is basically the theology of the gospel. It tells us who believers are in Christ. It tells us that we are indeed predestined for God’s mercy in salvation in very plain and understandable language. I’m not scrapping for this. It’s just there. Ephesians 1:4-5, “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.” It is clear that all those who are in Christ, who have found salvation through the blood of Jesus, were indeed predestined for salvation. Or you could say, all those who are saved are elect. And even more straight forward, only the elect will be saved. God has chosen before time began, before the foundation of the world, to lavish His grace on the elect in their salvation through Jesus.
“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.” + Romans 9:20-23
Those verses are the perfect Segway to my next point, which is that the purpose of God’s predestination of both the elect and non-elect is for the manifestation of His glory. In God’s election of sinners unto salvation through Jesus Christ, the glory of His grace is put on display. Since salvation is not of man, but of God, God receives all the glory and praise. God is the gracious one in salvation, man is not the earner. Back to Ephesians 1:5-6a, “he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace.” God’s grace is magnified and His glory is put on display in saving man. That’s His purpose and it is on purpose. Again in verses 12 and 14 of Ephesians chapter 1, it refers to God’s saving of man as resulting in the “praise of his glory.”
What about for the non-elect? What is God’s purpose in not saving every sinner? How is God glorified in the condemnation of sinners? God is glorified in the condemnation of the non-elect in two main ways. First of all, as it talked about in Romans 9, God’s wrath toward guilty sinners, magnifies even more so His grace toward other sinners whom He has chosen to save. Because God is just, and wrathful toward sin, His grace toward sinners is even more so amazing and awe-inspiring; because it is not deserved in any way. Secondly, in the condemnation of sinners, God’s justice is put on display and glorified. God is glorified in both His mercy toward sinners and in His wrath toward sinners. It is another whole subject but, God’s primary passion is His own glory. The number one drive of God is that His glory be displayed. That is the purpose of God’s sovereign choice and grace in election.
My third point is that salvation is only accomplished for the elect through the work of Jesus. Some people may dispute God’s sovereignty in election by arguing that nothing we do in life matters if everything is already predetermined by God. This is simply not true. While God is sovereign, man is still responsible for his actions. Obviously it can be a bit mind boggling; but I believe the tension is there for a reason. So there is no need for us to attempt to explain it away. Also, the elect will not just be saved any way and no matter what. The elect are only saved through the person and work of Jesus. The elect are not saved in any way, but they are saved in the exact why, by the exact means that God has chosen to do so.
I will explain a bit further, how the elect are saved through Jesus. I have mentioned earlier how it is just and right of God to pour His wrath out on sinners. When men are thrown in hell, justice has been done. I have also mentioned how God also chooses to show mercy on some by saving them from their sins and His wrath. This does not mean that God shows justice to some and is just lovey, and merciful, and forgiving to others. No, justice is done both times. When sinners are punished in hell, justice is done. When God saves sinners, justice is done.
This is where the death of Christ on the cross comes in. Jesus’ death on the cross was not just some hopeful death that some might receive forgiveness; rather, Christ’s death was a substitutionary atonement for sin. Christ’s death was a purposeful death. He died specifically for all of the sins of His bride, the church, the elect. This means that on the cross, Jesus took the punishment for the sins of the elect. God completely poured out every last ounce of His wrath toward the sins of His elect on Jesus on the cross. God destroyed Jesus on the cross. Justice was done. Jesus took the place of His elect. A legal transaction took place on the cross. Jesus fully paid everything that His objects of salvation owed, so that those whom He came to save would receive all the benefits of that payment.
So the fact that God chooses to show grace in saving man is absolute justice. He does not just free-willy let people go free – their way has rightfully been paid. And of course, it has been paid fully and finally by Christ alone. No will of man or human effort contributes anything to his salvation. Salvation is accomplished for the elect only through the person and work of Jesus.
My fourth point is that God’s will is unchangeable. Those whom God has chosen to save, He will save. If God has chosen you, He will not un-choose you – and He won’t want to. On the other side of the coin, those whom God has chosen not to save, He won’t change His mind and then save them. His will is set.
My fifth and final point is of high importance. I considered beginning with this point, but I wanted to leave the taste of grace in our mouths – so I put it last. My fifth point is that election is sheer grace. Grace, by definition, is receiving something that is unearned, undeserved, and unmerited in any way. Election and salvation is unearned, undeserved, and unmerited, completely. I will attempt to explain the graciousness of God in election.
First, all men are guilty. Everyone is guilty. There is no human being who has not sinned – other than Jesus, who was also God. The holiness and justice of God demands punishment of sin. Therefore we are all guilty. There is no innocent person. As good as you think you are, you are terrible compared to the holiness of God. Since we are all guilty, everyone deserved hell. If we wanted what was fair and what we deserve, the best of us would be condemned to hell with the worst of us. Every single person, young and old, deserves the wrath of God to crush them. Romans 3:10a says, “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one.” Then another verse over, Romans 3:12, “All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Then on down to Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Scripture is clear that all men are guilty before God based on their own righteousness. Not only are all men guilty, but on top of that, no one seeks God or chooses God. There are many people who inappropriately love human free will. Those people would say, that in order to be saved we must choose God – choose to believe, love, and follow him. That might sound nice to some, but the problem is, we don’t choose God. No one does. Take Romans 3:11, “no one understands; no one seeks for God.”
The reason that no one chooses God or seeks for God, is because no one can. Man is unable to choose God. It is not possible. Choosing God is out of the question. It does not compute.
Moving right along, no one can choose God because man is spiritually dead. Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins.” Man will not and cannot choose God because man is spiritually dead. If a person is dead physically, then what can he do? He could do nothing but lay there and continue on in deadness. It is the same spiritually. If someone is spiritually dead, then what can that person do spiritually? That person could do nothing but continue on in spiritual deadness. The reason we are dead spiritually is because of our sin. Sin has killed us spiritually. If we do not repent and believe on the Lord Jesus, it will eventually kill us physically.
Because of the fact that all are guilty, deserving of the wrath of God, don’t choose God, can’t choose God, are spiritually dead in their sins, election is necessary for salvation if we are to be saved. The spiritually dead state of man, requires election for salvation to be able to happen. If anyone is to be saved God must act. God must make us alive spiritually. We cannot resurrect ourselves; it is up to God to give life. If we work or if we choose, it is not grace. It is given freely.
We must know and understand that God is not obligated to save anyone or show anyone grace, nor does He owe mercy to anyone. God does not owe us a thing. It is sheer grace that God would give us life and save us. God does not owe guilty people who have rebelled against him anything but punishment. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.
Ephesians 2:4-10, “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 – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Be in awe and worship this God.
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