Paul was to be God’s revealer of the great doctrinal truths of predestination, election, justification, sanctification, glorification, and our heavenly position in Christ Jesus – but the wider plan of God for the Church age was waiting to be opened up by Paul.
All-Embracing Word
The word ‘salvation’ is one all-embracing word that unites a variety of concepts; redemption; rebirth; justification; security; sanctification; growth; maturity; foreknowledge; election; predestination; righteousness; glorification; grace; reconciliation; new-life-in-Christ; new creation; adoption; saved by grace; born-from-above; baptised into Christ; accepted-in Him; citizens of heaven - and more.
All His foreknowledge; election; predestination sealing and adoption is of grace.
He talks of God's gracious offer of salvation and walks us through the treasures of justification and sanctification, election and adoption, and he opens up the wonderful identification truths where Christ's resurrected life is imparted to us and we are positioned in Him.
Chapter 9 reminds us of Israel's past history, their tremendous privileges, and precious promises, while chapter 11 rejoices in their election by grace, their future hope, and eventual salvation.
May we examine our Christian purpose in life, but be careful that we do not become so embroiled in setting to right the political and social scene in this fallen age, that we miss the true purpose of our calling and election.
The first three chapters in the book of Ephesians, should fill our hearts with joy and cause us to break forth into songs of praise for they outline our divine election and our secure position in Christ, while the last three chapters give an overview of godly living and examine what should be our practice in the Lord.
They were chosen - 'eklogen' in Greek, which comes from the English root 'election' and often translated 'the elect of God'.
Some choose to ignore, question, dismiss, or challenge our 'election', because they consider it conflicts with the doctrine of human responsibility and man's volition, while others reject the doctrine of man's freewill choice in salvation and teach that salvation depends on God's sovereign will alone, without any free-will option for man, but the Bible teaches both - God's sovereign will AND man's free-will choice.
Both the sovereignty of God (predestination/God's election) and man's sovereignty (free-will/ man's volition) are taught in the Bible, but those who hold to one without consideration of the other (Calvinism vs Arminianism) are correct in certain aspects of their teachings while being wrong in others.
Too often this wonderful doctrine of election and predestination has been misunderstood, abused, twisted, or ignored.
While rejoicing in the truth of election - where God chose us before the foundation of the world, some reformed denominations sadly reject the need for unsaved men to use their free will to respond to the truth of the gospel through faith in Christ.
Others, sadly, ignore God's election, regarding it as a 'hot potato' of biblical teaching.
He chooses us so that we will be conformed into the likeness of Jesus, for He wants all believers to die to their own desires and live for Him alone.But just as there is a balance between God's election and man's free will with respect to justification, there is a similar interplay in the sanctification process.
He details the righteousness with which we are covered; he proclaims our position in Christ, where we are seated with Him in heavenly places; and He explains our divine election and adoption as sons.
In chapter 9 Paul recounts Israel's past history, and focuses on the sovereignty of God and His unchangeable promises to Israel, their divine election, and God's changeless plan, particularly in connection with Israel.
This was to show that God's choice did not rest on the good or bad behaviour of Issac's twins, but on God's sovereign election and His pre-determined selection.
God's election of Jacob as the founding patriarch of His chosen nation, rested on God's choice - not on the character, conduct, natural descent, or human merit of either Jacob or Esau.
And the astonishing thing is that this election was made before the foundation of the world.
Our election was established on what each one of us would choose to do with God's free gift of salvation, which is by grace through faith in Christ.
Our election and calling are fused together as one unit.
Our election and calling cannot take pace without the other.
Our election and calling are inseparably woven together and founded on the truth of God's Word: Whosoever believes on the only begotten Son of God will be saved, and salvation includes our election before the foundation of the world, and our calling at the moment of our personal salvation.
Peter is eager for us to make our calling and election sure, and yet our salvation, which includes both our calling and our election, cannot be more secure than it was when we first believed.
So what does Peter mean when we are told to make our calling and election sure?
Peter is urging us to be absolutely sure that our salvation, which includes our calling and election, has become a firmly fixed fact in our heart.
Peter wants us to base our understanding of our salvation on the never-changing truth of God's Word, for when we have absolute assurance in our heart and mind that our calling and election is secure in Christ and anchored to the precious promises in the Word of God, then we are much more secure in every aspect of our lives.
Our election and calling is an integral part of our salvation and we confirm it in our lives by living a holy life, growing more like Christ, trusting in His sufficient grace, and depending on Him in all things.
Having been saved by faith, let us confirm our election and our calling by walking in spirit and truth, and trusting in the unchanging Word of God so that we will live our lives as He intended and produce fruit to His praise and glory.
Let us make every effort to confirm our calling and election by living a holy life, which is rooted grounded in the word of truth.
The more we trust His Word, the more we become secure in our election, our calling, and our eternal heritage in Christ.
Some years earlier, Paul had written extensively to this same Church to rejoice in their divine election, their adoption into the family of God, the privileges of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the spiritual blessings that have been poured out in such abundance on all who have trusted Christ for salvation.
He lead us through the doctrines of predestination and election, justification and sanctification, the old sin nature and the new creation in Christ, the flesh and the spirit - law and grace.
Many can't comprehend God's election of Jacob over Esau.. and question why Israel should be God's chosen nation.
for just as righteousness is not by man's work but by God's grace - so God's election of Israel is similarly a matter of grace and mercy and is not dependent on Israel's merit.
Chapter 9 presents details of Israel's past election, the blessings God bestowed on them, and the Lord's unrestricted, sovereign freedom to carry out His plans and purposes through whosoever He wills.