Ephesians 1:11, 4-6, 12
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of
his own will: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory
of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. That we
should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
The counsel of God’s will, has to do with the wisdom, the plan, the thought
processes of God. The very word “counsel” suggests intelligence and an
intelligent reason for acting, and God never wills, apart from His own counsel.
First, not just our calling but also our predestination is “according to his
purpose.” So, God’s purpose governs his predestination. Second, the word
says that it is a free and sovereign purpose, according to the good pleasure
of His will, not governed by anything outside of God. What’s the point of
saying that this Purposer “works all things after the counsel of his will”? The
point is that he governs all things, and that he does not base his governance
ultimately on anything in man or in nature, but only on himself. “He works all
things after the counsel of his will.” We are not finally decisive in turning the
will of God; God alone is decisive. Hear how the informing of the 144000 is
referenced…to the end that our ceasing to sin brings us to the fulfilling of that
hope, that we who were the first, seeing this hope in Christ would be to the
praise of his glory.” In other words, he does all his works to this end. Follow
the words, step by step, in verses 4-6. All election, all predestination, all
calling, and all redemption is according to this purpose — for the praise of
the glory of his grace.
God performs the unconditional election of Jacob over Esau. God’s purpose
is to be seen and savored as infinitely glorious in his free and sovereign
grace. This is the purpose that governs all the works of God. He elects,
predestines, calls, redeems, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies to this end —
for his purpose. It is perfectly beautiful and immeasurably great. The final
reason for all events in the universe is in himself and not another. The
decisive influence of all that happens in the world, is God’s. He works all
things, not just some things, after the counsel of his own will. He alone in all
the universe has the freedom of ultimate self-determination, self-purpose,
and self-election. Nothing can thwart what he wants most to do.
God’s purpose is to be known and enjoyed and praised as infinitely glorious
in his free and sovereign grace. And this purpose is according to election —
it is an electing purpose — because if God did not elect unconditionally he
would not be free, he would not be sovereign, and he would not be glorious.
Not free, because then men would determine their own election, not God. He
would be bound to conform to their own self-determination. Not sovereign,
because instead of doing successfully what he wants most, he would be
hindered again and again by self-determining man. Not glorious, because
God’s absolute freedom and sovereignty are the essence of the glory of his
grace. Man is negated, God is affirmed.
Let’s reason the negation first. God chose Jacob over Esau “not because of
works.” This adds something important to the first part of Romans 9 verse 11
where the word says, “for the children being not yet born, neither having done
any good or evil.” Those words stress that God chose Jacob before birth and
before virtue or vice. But now the word goes farther and says that this choice
was not “on the basis of works.” Here the time is not the point. The foundation
is the point. God did not choose Jacob because of works he had already
done. Nor did he choose him because of works that he would do later. The
word rules out foreseen good deeds that Jacob will do, and foreseen evil
deeds that Esau will do. And God is saying: MY election is not based on
deeds in any way — not deeds already done, not deeds undone and
foreknown, and not deeds undone and not foreknown. MY election is free.
That is MY glory. Therefore, MY purpose accords with that kind of election,
because MY purpose is to be known and enjoyed and praised as infinitely
glorious in MY free and sovereign grace.
Now, let’s reason the affirmative. Why does the word say, “so that God’s
purpose according to election would stand, not because of works but
because of Him who calls? This is heavenly sounding. The word’s ordinary
contrast with works is faith. Reason the following…
Romans 9:32; 3:28
Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works
of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; Therefore we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be
justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the
works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
When we hear the word say, “Not by works” we naturally expect it to also
say, “but by faith.” But that is not what it says here. It says, “not because of
works but because of him who calls.” Why? Because faith is a condition of
justification, but it is not a condition of election. Election is unconditional. But
justification is conditional. Before we can be justified we must believe on
Jesus Christ. But before we can believe on Jesus Christ we must be chosen
and called. God does not choose us because we will believe. He chooses us
so that we will believe. Hear again how inspirationally the word says it. “That
the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of
him that calleth.” Notice it does not say: his purpose stands because of his
calling. It says because of Him who calls. God is calling His elect. But his
election is not based on that calling. It is based on Himself and His free and
foreseen deeds, and not because of any foreseen faith; but simply because
of Him — because of God. The ultimate ground of God’s election is God.
This is simply another way of saying: for God to be God He must be free and
sovereign. This is His glory. This is what it means to be God.
How is our striving for the very elect co-signed in God’s purpose? The
application to our lives is clear. If the purpose of God — flowing from the very
essence of what it means to be God, is that He be known for His free and
sovereign grace, then the meaning of our existence is to display the glory of
that free and sovereign grace. And underneath this meaning for our lives is
the massive assurance that this purpose will stand, and we who are in Christ
by faith will stand in God’s purpose. I so enjoy the repetition of this truth - the
Lord in his gratuitous election is free and exempt from the necessity of
imparting equally the same grace to all; but, on the contrary, he passes by
whom he wills, and whom he wills he chooses. God chooses people for
salvation according to His good pleasure and not because of anything in
them. In fact, He chooses to save repentant sinners in spite of the sin we’ve
done. We should be eternally grateful that He does this; otherwise, no one
could be saved.
God is not an arbitrary God. Those who are arbitrary do what they do without
any reason. God has no impetuous or motiveless behavior. We must make
a distinction between God’s doing something for no reason and His doing
something for no reason found in us. We say clearly that His grace is given
not for any reason in us. But the fact that there is no reason in me for my
salvation does not mean there is no reason behind God’s action. Scripture
actually tells us over and over again that God has a reason behind His choice
of some for salvation and His not choosing others for redemption. It reveals
something about His marvelous character, which His grace certainly does. It
makes manifest His awesome, marvelous, beautiful mercy. There’s also this
purpose, and that’s the purpose of honoring Christ. Remember His promise
to Christ.
Isaiah 53:11
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
According to His own counsel, God determined from the foundation of the
world that the cross of Jesus Christ would yield its appointed fruit and that
Christ would be satisfied by the results of His pain, suffering, and death. Our
being purposed, our being elected, our being accepted is in the beloved
Person of Christ. This is God the Father bestowing His glory, love, and
affection on God the Son. Do we see the intersection here of grace and
justice? It is right or just that Christ should receive an inheritance, and we
are that inheritance. That we are that inheritance is grace for us and justice
for Christ. Here’s the thing of God’s predestining according to His good
pleasure. What’s good to God must give Him pleasure. This is why His very
election pleases Him. His choices take no pleasure in any form of evil. Any
sin is unpleasurable to them. There is no temptation, no enticement to defend
any error or anyone holding to untruth. These cast away all human
sentiments, views, attitudes, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, approaches,
emotions, passions, tactics, responses that weaken the mind. God has a
good purpose for choosing His elect.
Nothing happens apart from the purpose of God. Everything fits in to God's
purpose in all of creation. He's a purposeful Being. To me, that's most
encouraging. That means that history has a purpose. That means there's a
purpose in my own history…your history. The things that we go through are
not just random. Only knowledge based on God's word will produce a
genuine experience of God and His power. God's word gives us an
eyewitness, truthful, and detailed account of things about God and human
existence that we could never know otherwise. God's word is a standard
against which all philosophies, ideas, and proposed solutions for the human
condition which can be measured for accuracy. If God's word approves it, we
can run with it; if the word rejects it, nothing we can do will make it work,
make it acceptable, or make it right. The reason for this is that the power of
God is revealed and experienced in His word. To know His word is to know
and experience His power. This power called purpose governs over
everything in salvation, it's bigger and more important than any and every
component part of our salvation. Because of purpose, God foreknows,
because of foreknowledge, He predestines. Because of predestine and
predestination, He calls. It all starts with the purpose of the Determinate
Counsel. The Counsel is a before the beginning of time purpose. Its mystery
is how it is so intensely focused and centered on Jesus Christ, the God of
humanity who became human. In Christ we see an absolute harmony
between God's purpose and His grace. This grace really is a servant of the
purpose. God has a purpose and then the grace comes to accomplish that
purpose. He has saved us and called us to a holy life. Not because of
anything we have done, but because of His purpose and grace. God does
everything after the council of His own pleasure and will. His purpose is not
governed therefore by anything outside of God, it's all within Him, not
governed by effects coming from the outside into God, but it's inside God.
What is this purpose inside God? Bringing to us salvation. In that God desires
His own glory above all things. That He would get the glory, that He would
get the credit, that He would be seen to be a glorious and majestic and
powerful Savior, that is His central purpose - that He gets the glory for our
salvation. And very much related to that is that the elect of His purpose would
get the joy and that none of them would be lost. That of those whom He
called, He chose. He has connected His name, He's put His name on us,
He's tied His reputation to us. God is to get all the glory for our salvation…we
can’t do it. He is the ground, the power, the strength for that salvation.
Now pause because you are going to need the mind of Christ to come to
God’s reasoning with what we are about to learn. Hold this thought…you
can’t do you. You had no choice in you coming. You had no choice in you
being male or female. You had no choice in you being Black, you being
White. You even had no choice in who your parents would be. Let’s pray…
Remember, not of works. Jacob was chosen over Esau. Neither having done
any good, any evil. What works could they have done? They were in the
womb. In the bible verse we see no works, then the purpose, the election,
no works again, then the call. Why? We see that Jacob and Esau hadn't
done any works yet, but maybe there's the issue of foreseeing good works.
Maybe God is able to look ahead into the future and see the kind of lives that
Esau and Jacob would live and on the basis of foreseen good works, He
would choose, He would elect. That’s ruled out. The word says not past work,
not present works, not future works, not good works and not bad works. No
works came into election at all. It is totally unconditional, it's not based on
works at all. Not because of Esau's bad works, because he traded his
birthright for deer meat. And God looking ahead through the hazy corridors
of time saw that and said, "No, he's out." Not by bad works, neither by good
works, looking ahead and seeing that Jacob valued the promises of God or
was a man of prayer or wrestled with the angel or any of the good things that
he did. Neither one, not by works.
Brothers and sisters. This is so hard for us to accept. It is so tough. It is
woven into the fiber of our rebellion against God, that we are self-determining
independent people and we get to choose and therefore good things that
happen to us happen at least in some degree, because we did something
good. Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could. So somewhere in my
life I must have done something good. Remember who it is that gets all the
glory. We will not say, “God, I did such and such.” If election was conditional
it would breed arrogance. If it's because we did something good that God
picked us, then it makes us boastful. God sees something good in me…I’d
better keep doing it.
Romans 9:32: 4:2-5, 20
Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works
of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; For if Abraham were
justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what
saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace,
but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be
justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the
works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
What of forseen faith? Now, what about faith. God is looking down the
corridors of time and He is looking for faith. And He is discovering faith in
people He's going to create later. Looking down through the corridors of time,
He's finding something. He's finding faith inside us. The contrast is usually,
not by works but by what? Faith. The contrast is usually faith that works.
God, looking on all ages, from the creation to the consummation, as a
moment, and seeing at once whatever is in the hearts of all the children of
men, knows everyone that does or does not believe, in every age, in every
nation. Yet what God knows, whether it’s faith or unbelief, is in nowise caused
by his knowledge. So, God knowing if we believe or don’t believe is not
caused by what He knows. Men are as free in believing or not believing as if
God did not know it at all. God gives to every man the measure of faith and
then God discovers if we use it. And when He discovers it, then He justifies
us, based on it. But the word does not say by faith. It says but of Him that
calleth. We are left here with Him that calleth. We are left with God and God
alone. The call is a sovereign call. Now we understand why God gives to
every man the measure of faith. Let there be faith and there's faith. That's
the call of God. It's not by works, but by the call to discover faith. We end up
with what God gives us. So, what then is the basis of our salvation? God and
God alone. We might be justified by faith, but we are not called by faith. We
are called because of faith…the faith given and discovered by God. The One
who chooses, the One who calls. Faith is the thing inside us that God
chooses. Thank you God. Total humility in salvation.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Notice that faith involves “evidence” of things “not seen”. This “substance” is
“assurance.” Faith involves an assurance “of things hoped for.” But, if
something is hoped for, that something has not yet been received. Therefore,
where faith is involved, there is an assurance that it will be received! But how
can evidence be related to something that is not seen? Don’t we think of
evidence as involving things that are seen or demonstrated? How then can
faith involve evidence that is invisible - not seen? Faith involves evidence in
the following way. Real faith, in any promise made by God, is actually the
evidence. It is the belief that is the evidence. If God promises to do
something, it is impossible for Him to lie. Our evidence that He will perform
it is the very unwavering faith that we hold. Remember, “faith is the
evidence.” We do not need to search for the evidence - we already possess
it!
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