Part 2 of this series addresses 10 reasons, or evidences, that God sovereignly chose a people for Himself before the foundation of the world. As we saw in yesterday’s post, 10 Reasons Man Needs a Sovereign Savior, humans are incapable of choosing anything but their sin and rebellion against a holy God. Their mind, will, and affections are corrupted by sin and enslaved to it. It became clear that no man seeks God, pleases God, nor understands God or the things of God. Thus, if left to himself, man would continue on his way in unbelief and in rebellion against his Creator, receiving the rightful and holy wrath of the Just Judge of the universe.
Before time began, when only the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existed, God decreed the plan of redemption. As mentioned in this post, redemption has always been Plan A as there is no Plan B. God is in absolute control of everything, most especially in the salvation of His people. Let’s take a look at Scripture and ask God to give us a greater understanding of His amazing grace.
1. God sovereignly elected His people according to the counsel of His own will – God does what He pleases.
Job 42:2 I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
John 1:13 …who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Ephesians 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will…
Isaiah 46:10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
Psalm 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,
Job 23:13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.
2. God sovereignly elected His people for His glory alone
Ephesians 1:6 …to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:12 …so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:14 …who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Romans 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Isaiah 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.
Isaiah 48:11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
3. God sovereignly elected His people to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ
Matthew 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Philippians 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John 17 …4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed…10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them…
Hebrews 2:9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Revelation 4:9-11 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Revelation 19:6-8 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
4. God sovereignly elected His people because He is rich in mercy and chose to display it for His glory
Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
Romans 9:22-24 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
5. God sovereignly elected His people because He is rich in grace and chose to display it for His glory
2 Timothy 1:9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Romans 3:24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Acts 15:11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.
Ephesians 2:5-9 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
6. God sovereignly elected His people so no man can boast, that God would receive the glory alone
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
7. God sovereignly elected His people and appointed them to eternal life for His purposes
Acts 13:48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
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, 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Ephesians 1:9 …having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
8. God sovereignly elected His people because He loves us
Deuteronomy 7:6-7 “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples…”
1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us…
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life…
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are…
9. God sovereignly elected His people to be saints
Romans 8:30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 …He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Romans 1:6-7 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints…
1 Corinthians 1:1-2 1Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours…
1 Thessalonians 1:4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you…
Titus 1:1-2 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began…
Jude 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ…
10. God sovereignly elected His people for good works
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone…11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
Hebrews 13:21 …equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
In summary, why did God elect a people for Himself? According to the counsel of His own will, He chose to bring glory to Himself by exalting the Son as the Redeemer of mankind. He accomplished this by displaying the riches of His grace, mercy, and enduring love for His people, who, though wicked, ungodly, and unworthy, are the benefactors of His kindness and compassion.
God did not look down the “tunnel of time” to see who would choose to believe in Him and thus elect them into grace. No, man could never do such a thing as we saw in Part 1. Instead, God foreordained before the foundation of the world to save a people for Himself that we would stand in awe at His amazing grace, humbled that He would choose wretches such as us who deserve nothing but His eternal and holy wrath.
For reasons known only to Himself and in perfect wisdom, God chose to display His glory to His creation. Let us not question why He has done such a thing, but marvel at how any of us could be the benefactors of God’s Kingdom – by Grace alone.
Please continue to Part 3(a) where we will examine 14 Reasons Christ Sovereignly Redeems
These may also interest you:
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Thomas S. Barnes
October 12, 2011
I am reading A.W. Pinks book – Sovereignty of God. Great book so far. Not sure if you have read, but I highly recommend.
Justin Edwards
October 12, 2011
I haven’t yet, but it’s in the queue as I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Thanks, brother.
Thomas S. Barnes
October 12, 2011
Do you have a copy of the book? I got a free copy from http://www.chapellibrary.org/ because I have never ordered anything from them before. They charge $4.18 if you don’t qualify for the free book.
Justin Edwards
October 12, 2011
That’s great, brother – thanks. Although, I only found the PDF….how do I find the hard copy to order?
Justin Edwards
October 12, 2011
Just sent them an email as instructed.
Thomas S. Barnes
October 13, 2011
I called them. I couldn’t find the book on the site either.
Paul Worships God
October 12, 2011
Its a controversial subject matter, but His sovereignty can’t be denied. Bless His name for He is good and he will ultimately be Glorified in everything
Justin Edwards
October 12, 2011
Amen, brother Paul. SDG!
Mitch
October 13, 2011
Amen Bro Great Post 🙂 God Bless!
Heather Kershaw
February 29, 2012
Well I really don’t know where to start, first you don’t make it clear if you or your church are “calinvist” or not. God does not pick and choose who He will allow to get saved (born agin.) Of course God knows all things, He knows who will choose to accept him and also those who will reject him. He does not sit up in heaven and say yes you, no not that one but God does say that who so ever will may come. God gave us a free will to choose him or not but he absolutely does not pick and choose who will be allowed into heaven. Be careful, the Bible does not say God picks who he wants and doesn’t want but it has a lot to say about people who spread false doctrine.
Justin Edwards
March 2, 2012
Hi Heather, thanks for the reply and apologies for the delayed response. Firstly, this post is part of a series on Calvinism, which I do in fact adhere and affirm as noted on the introductory page here: https://airocross.com/calvinism/. My church also affirms these biblical truths as noted in their statement of faith at http://creeksidebible.org.
Secondly, from the introductory page I note:
“You are welcomed to post your comments, even if you disagree, as long as you are respectful and back your arguments up with Scripture. You may want to see the Posting Rules before commenting.” The posting rules can be found here: https://airocross.com/about/rules-for-commenting/
What you have done in your comment is provide your opinion with no support of Scripture. You have overlooked all the Scripture provided in this post. It would be helpful for you to read the first post in the series on the depravity of man here: https://airocross.com/2011/10/10/10-reasons-man-needs-a-sovereign-savior/
Admittedly, these doctrines are hard to swallow and are flesh killers, but they are what the Bible teaches about who God is, who man is, and His sovereign grace for people who don’t deserve it.
Free will is a myth that cannot be supported by Scripture and it seems you are believing and repeating the traditions of men.
I welcome you to post here, but as I said in the introduction, you’ll need to back your argument up with Scripture. I am happy to engage you so as long as you are willing to rightly divide the Word of Truth.
I hope to hear back from you soon.
Justin
p
March 20, 2012
I first heard of such a thing as calvinism and lordship salvation only a few years back… it has only brought confusion to me but I long to know TRUTH. I have heard calvinism described as only select people can be saved because that is who God has chosen. And I’ve read that lordship salvation is very legalistic. But the more I read the more I think maybe I do believe those things, I just don’t like the way people have described them to me? So I associate legalism with those words (calvinist/ lordship salvation). I don’t know, but in calvinism is it that God knows all things and therefore he knows already who will choose him and who will not, so that is how who is predestined is determined? Or does God really pick a certian few and the rest have no chance to choose him? But from this article it sounds as though we don’t have free will to choose in the first place? Why would he choose me over another sinner? If everyone in the world chose him and meant it and repented wouldn’t God accept them? Thanks for any reply.
Justin Edwards
March 21, 2012
Hi p, I’m glad you are here and thanks for stopping by. I understand what you mean by being taught about certain doctrines then come to find out that is not what they teach at all. That’s the very thing that led me to do my series on lordship salvation – as I learned in Scripture that LS is simply the Gospel, and observed the gross misrepresentations and mischaracterizations of LS and how this has impacted so many people (apparently including yourself), I embarked on a journey to explain the truth regarding this doctrine. It’s a 7-part series I encourage you to read as you have the time, and please ask questions on each respective article as you have them: https://airocross.com/lordship-salvation/
In short, neither LS or Calvinism is legalism whatsoever – it’s ALL grace. God grants us the faith, the repentance, and even the ability to surrender to His lordship. Why? So no man can boast except in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).
Did you happen to read part 1 of this series, p? In combination with part 2 here, I think the Scriptures speak for themselves as to who did the choosing. Are there particular Scriptures you have a question about?
I think the following will be extremely helpful for you:
According to the Foreknowledge of God
I Don’t Understand Election
As to your last question, the problem is no one CAN choose Him, and if He did not choose some, none would be saved. How amazing is it then that He chose you? Is that not the most humbling reality you can imagine? That is grace, pure and simple and amazing grace!