{"id":415,"date":"2015-03-31T22:38:10","date_gmt":"2015-03-31T22:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/takingeverythoughtcaptivetoobeychrist.wordpress.com\/?p=415"},"modified":"2015-03-31T22:38:10","modified_gmt":"2015-03-31T22:38:10","slug":"before-the-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/before-the-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"Before the Foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"

“…even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Christian, you are chosen and loved by God before time as we know it began. Let that sink in. This is an awe-inspiring, breath-taking reality. This is the type of grace that is radically life-changing.<\/p>\n

God didn’t choose to save you or love you when you decided to believe in Him. God didn’t look forward in time and see you believing in Him and then choose to save you. God didn’t look forward in time and see your good deeds and good behavior and then choose you. No, if anything, God looked forward into time, saw all your faults and failures and disgusting, blasphemous sin, and said, “I want that person in my family. And I will send my son to pay for that person with my Son’s life.” That’s love. That is mega, off-the-charts love. That kind of love defies logic and reason.<\/p>\n

But you see, it’s not really even that God looked forward into time and saw our sin and failures and decided to save us anyway because He just loves us so much. But Ephesians 1:4 says, “He chose us IN HIM” – that is, IN CHRIST.<\/p>\n

So it is not that God looked forward and saw any good or bad in us, but God saw the blood of His Son and Christ’s perfect righteousness and on the basis of Christ’s finished work alone did God choose us.<\/p>\n

We are chosen by God before the foundation of the world on the basis of Christ’s finished work.<\/p>\n

Since we are chosen by God on the basis of Christ’s work, we are therefore loved by God as God loves Christ. And THAT is a love unfathomable to the human mind. THAT is a love worth singing about. THAT \u00a0is a love worth talking about. And THAT is God’s love for us.<\/p>\n

Christian, you are chosen by God before the foundation of the world on the basis of Christ’s finished work – and you are loved by God before the world’s beginning, in Christ – as God loves His Son, because of His Son.<\/p>\n

And it doesn’t stop there.<\/p>\n

God doesn’t simply choose to love us or justify us, but has chosen, before the world that we be holy and blameless before Him.<\/p>\n

God has chosen before the foundation of the world, to make us into something. Before the world began, God had a plan for us.<\/p>\n

God does not justify us and then leave us and say we’re good. He works in us to change us, to shape us into the image of His son. He sanctifies us. He finishes what he starts, what he planned to do before the foundation of the world.<\/p>\n

When you fail, when you struggle, when you fall, take \u00a0heart, fight the good fight, for God is at work in you to perfect what He began. God will never leave or forsake those who are justified by the blood of Jesus. There is endless comfort and joy there.<\/p>\n

God makes His children better. God completes salvation – from start to middle to finish.<\/p>\n

If your sanctification depended on you, your fighting sin would be futile. But since it depends on God, your fighting sin is incredibly meaningful and necessary. And if God has indeed chosen you before the foundation of the world your sanctification WILL happen – you WILL become holy and blameless before Him.<\/p>\n

Christian, you are loved, and chosen beyond time. Period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“…even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” Christian, you are chosen and loved by God before time as we know it began. Let that sink in. This is an awe-inspiring, breath-taking reality. This is the type of grace that is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-415","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":436,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/a-doctrine-of-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":415,"position":0},"title":"A Doctrine of Grace","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4244,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-words-of-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":415,"position":1},"title":"The Words of Jesus","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"November 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"44\u00a0And Jesus cried out and said,\u00a0\u201cWhoever believes in me, believes not in me but\u00a0in him who sent me.\u00a045\u00a0And\u00a0whoever\u00a0sees me sees him who sent me.\u00a046\u00a0I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.\u00a047\u00a0If anyone\u00a0hears my words and does not keep them,\u00a0I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/download-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/download-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/download-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/download-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/download-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/download-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4391,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/friends-of-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":415,"position":2},"title":"Friends of Jesus","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"March 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"14\u00a0You are\u00a0my friends\u00a0if you do what I command you.\u00a015\u00a0No longer do I call you servants,[a]\u00a0for the servant\u00a0does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for\u00a0all that I have heard from my Father\u00a0I have made known to you.\u00a016\u00a0You did not choose me, but\u00a0I chose you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/stars-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/stars-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/stars-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/stars-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/stars-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/stars-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3598,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-joy-of-fellowship-in-christ-commentary-on-1-john-1v1-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":415,"position":3},"title":"The Joy of Fellowship in Christ: Commentary on 1 John 1v1-4","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction The epistle of 1 John is peppered with verses that are well-known and loved by many believers. Maybe some of you have favorite verses found in this book. Verses like 1 John 1v9, \u201cIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/pexels-photo-257360.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/pexels-photo-257360.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/08\/pexels-photo-257360.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":418,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/sons-through-the-son\/","url_meta":{"origin":415,"position":4},"title":"Sons, Through the Son","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"April 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"In love [5] He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.\" + Ephesians 1:5 Christian, God is not angry with you. He is not mad at you. He is not upset with you. He is not disappointed with you. He doesn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Adoption\"","block_context":{"text":"Adoption","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/tag\/adoption\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3615,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/knowing-that-we-know-him-commentary-on-1-john-2v3-6\/","url_meta":{"origin":415,"position":5},"title":"Knowing That We Know Him: Commentary on 1 John 2v3-6","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"September 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week we looked at the first 2 verses of chapter 2, and how Jesus Christ is our advocate before the Father when we sin, as He pleads our case on the basis of His righteousness and His propitiating death on the behalf of His people. That was really all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/09\/harmoney_with_nature_0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/09\/harmoney_with_nature_0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/09\/harmoney_with_nature_0.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/09\/harmoney_with_nature_0.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}