Some Thoughts on the Doctrine of Election

Ephesians1:1-14

Have you ever entered a sweep-stake? You know, the kind of contest where a prize (or prizes) are given away to someone (or some people)?

Arm &Hammer ® recently teamed up with OxiClean ® to give away a VIP experience tothe 2019 MLB World Series. Here’s a summary of what the fine print said:

• Nopurchase necessary to enter or win.
• Sweepstakesends at 6:00 p.m. ET on 8/31/19.
• Opento legal residents of the US including commonwealths, territories and possessionswho are of legal age (and at least 18) at the time of entry.
• Two(2) prizes will be awarded.
• Oddsof winning will depend on the total number of eligible entries.

Of thethousands who entered, only one would get the call (or the email) telling himthat he won. How would it feel to be that one?

Let’s compare this scenario to something more important and much more amazing – to be chosen by God. We call this the doctrine of election, and we learn about it in Ephesians 1:1-14. (The Bible says more about it than this of course, but this is one of the important passages that talk about it.)

“Dear saints, God selected you because he wanted to.”

You cansummarize this passage this say, “Dear saints, God selected you because hewanted to.” I know that sounds simple … and it rhymes. But the more you thinkabout it, the more profound it becomes. Here’s a few reasons why.

There was no purchasenecessary to enter or win God’s favor.

You did nothingto qualify. You did everything to disqualify instead. In fact, you didn’t evenwant to enter into a relationship with God.

The funny thing is that in sweepstakes today, thousands of people usually qualify, but only a few are chosen. With divine election, however, no one qualifies, yet many are chosen. That’s what the word election (ἐκλέγομαι) means – to be chosen or selected out from a larger group.

To those God chooses,he gives a VIP experience. He has blessed you “with every spiritual blessing” (Eph1:3). What are these blessings?

• Apredetermined destiny (Eph 1:5, 11). It cannot be altered.
• Adoptionas a son, with all the rights and privileges of God’s royal family (Eph 1:5).
• Acceptanceand high favor from God (Eph 1:6).
• Redemptionfrom the slavery and abuse of sin (Eph 1:7).
• Forgivenessof sins (Eph 1:7). Removing all your wrongs from his records.
• Understandingof his will (Eph 1:9-11). Learning what he’s doing now and in the future.
• Close,eternal fellowship with many other people (Eph 1:10).
• Aninheritance in his eternal kingdom that will belong to you forever (Eph 1:11,14).
• Salvationand rescue from the power of sin, the sentence of death, and punishment in theLake of Fire forever (Eph 1:13).
• The indwellingof the Holy Spirit, who is God and will never leave you (Eph 1:13-14).

I think you’llagree that these blessings beat a one-day trip to the World Series any day.

Actually, therewas a purchase necessary, but someone else paid it.

The cost ofyour salvation was the life blood of Jesus Christ. The second person of theGodhead became a human being so that he could live a perfect life and die a sinner’sdeath in your place. He did what you deserved to God and could never docompletely. He paid the ultimate price to obtain your freedom.

Notice howfrequently he appears, in nearly every verse, as the basis for your selectionby God:

• “Thefaithful in Christ” (Eph 1:1)
• “Graceto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:2)
• “Everyspiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3)
• “Hechose us in him” (Eph 1:4)
• “Adoptionas sons by Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:5)
• “Hehas made us accepted in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6)
• “In himwe have redemption” (Eph 1:7)
• “Throughhis blood” (Eph 1:7)
• “Gathertogether in one all things in Christ” (Eph 1:10)
• “Inhim” (Eph 1:10)
• “Inhim also we have obtained an inheritance” (Eph 1:11)
• “Wewho first trusted in Christ” (Eph 1:12)
• “Inhim also you trusted” (Eph 1:13)
• “Inwhom also, having believed, you were sealed” (Eph 1:13)

Without Christ,God would never have chosen you. Without his death and resurrection on yourbehalf, you would never have been saved.

The selectionwas made before anything started.

God chose you “before the foundation of the world,” not at the moment you believed on Christ (Eph 1:4). “The foundation of the world” refers to the creation of the world. This means that God chose you before he ever created anything – including you. So you didn’t do anything to earn or qualify yourself to be chosen, nor had you done anything to disqualify yourself either.

Since God choseyou before creation, time, and your existence, it is a permanent, unchangeablechoice. The Arm & Hammer ® sweepstakes ended at 6:00 p.m. ET on 8/31/2019,but God’s choice of who he would save ended before he made anything. It wasjust as certain as Christ’s intentions to die on the cross for your sins (Rev13:8).

He chose you becausehe wanted to.

Paul wrote thissection of Scripture, Ephesians 1:3-14, as one, big, long sentence. The mainverb (or action) in this sentence is “he chose us” (Eph 1:4), and everythingelse flows from there and is the result of that choice.

Why did he dothis? Because he wanted to, “according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph1:5) and “according to his good pleasure” (Eph 1:9). “His will” means it’s whathe wanted to do, and “good pleasure” means it’s what pleases him, what giveshim ultimate satisfaction, and what makes him most delighted.

You bring God pleasure! You give him satisfaction! You are a great delight to the heart of God!

You bring God pleasure! You give him satisfaction! You are a great delight to the heart of God! Does that amaze you? Don't let anyone tell you differently, not even those little voices inside your own head. Because of Christ, it's true.

You see, your salvation is not ultimately about your enjoyment, like winning a trip to the World Series from Arm & Hammer ® isn’t ultimately about you having a great time at the World Series. Arm & Hammer ® runs a sweep-stake to create greater exposure to their brand, but on a very materialistic level.

Your salvation is not ultimately about your enjoyment.

God chose you forhis own pleasure and glory. By choosing you the way he did, he draws attentionto his amazing grace and unimaginable goodness. Notice the following phrases:

• “Graceto you … from God” (Eph 1:2)
• “Blessedbe the God and Father” (Eph 1:3)
• “Tothe praise of the glory of his grace” (Eph 1:6)
• “Accordingto the riches of his grace” (Eph 1:7)
• “Thatwe … should be to the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:12)
• “Tothe praise of his glory” (Eph 1:14)

He did thiswith a goal in mind.

You might say, “Hisgoal is for me to glorify him,” and that is true. But what does that mean? Paulsaid that he chose us “that we should be holy and without blame before him inlove” (Eph 1:4).

• Holy means “set apart from sin” and “set apart to service.”
• Blameless means “to not be guilty of sin.”

How does thisplay out for those whom God has chosen and have believed on him?

• Froma legal standpoint, this is already true about you – you’ve been forgiven ofall your sins (Eph 1:7).
• Froma future standpoint, this will be totally true about you. You’ll be freed fromall the vestiges of sin, even in your mind and physical body (Eph 1:14).
• Froma present standpoint, this is becoming true of you in a practical sense. Day byday, hour by hour, you are learning to live in union with Christ and fellowshipwith fellow believers. This process, from beginning to end, happens “before him,”or in God’s presence.

Just as you watch a movie or Broadway show for your enjoyment, he watches the changes that are taking place in your life (that he is working out by his grace) as you become more and more like Christ. This process of spiritual transformation certainly comes with greater, spiritual benefits for you, but that’s almost besides the point. The bigger point is that it’s what God enjoys and is what brings him the greatest glory.

Friend, if you’ve believed on Christ as your Savior, then you’re a saint in God’s sight (Eph 1:1). Here’s what you need to know about that – God selected you because he wanted to, so your salvation is secure, and that should give you comfort.

Living for the pleasure and glory of God is the greatest blessing of all.

Your spiritual transformation is his goal as well, and that should motivate you to live in the way that brings God the most glory and pleasure – in your personal life, your church relationships, your family relationships, and your work relationships. Living for the pleasure and glory of God is the greatest blessing of all – and to God, it’s the greatest show on earth, the one that he enjoys.