“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.”
(Ephesians 1:4)
Before the foundation of the world, before any creature had acted either well or ill, God chose His people in Christ. This eternal purpose by the divine counsel displays the harmonious work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father chooses, the Son is the One in whom the elect are chosen and through whose blood redemption is secured, and the Spirit sanctifies those whom God has purposed to save. Election is therefore a revelation of the saving grace of the Triune God.
God did not choose His people because they were holy; He chose them that they should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Sanctification is therefore not the cause of election but one of its ordained fruits.
Faith laboring through love, patience of hope, obedience, holiness, and perseverance do not earn election or make it more certain in God. They reveal in time something of what God purposed from eternity. The gospel coming in power and in the Holy Ghost, together with the fruits that follow, gives believers grounds to recognize the gracious operations of God among His people.[1]
Election therefore allows no room for spiritual carelessness. Those who claim an interest in Christ are called to depart from iniquity, to be sanctified, and to become prepared for every good work. The grace that chose us to salvation also chose us to holiness. To separate election from sanctification is to tear apart what God has joined. The same purpose that secures the end also provides the means through which His people are brought to that end.
In contemplating the eternal counsel of God, the apostle reaches the point of adoration: who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Salvation is of God, through God, and unto God. Mercy, faith, repentance, sanctification, perseverance, and glory all return praise to the One from whom they proceed.
Therefore, as believers, we do not approach election as a spectator attempting to dissect a mystery but as a worshipper overwhelmed by grace. Because before there was a world in which to serve God, a sin to confess, or a work to perform, the purpose of grace already stood in Christ. From first purpose to final perfection, salvation magnifies the wisdom, grace, and glory of the Triune God.
Contemplations:
- Before There Was Anything in Me. Before I existed, before I could believe, obey, choose, or perform anything, Your gracious purpose was set. There was nothing in me to foresee as meritorious, nothing that could place You under obligation, nothing that could explain grace except grace itself.
- Chosen in the Beloved Son. You did not purpose salvation apart from Christ but rather chose Your people in Him. Every blessing comes in the Son: acceptance, righteousness, reconciliation, holiness, perseverance, and glory. The more I consider Your eternal purpose, the more I want to see the glory of the One in whom that purpose is established.
- The Threefold Glory of One Salvation. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Your saving work displays one undivided divine purpose. The Father chooses, the Son redeems, and the Spirit sanctifies, yet the glory belongs to the one true God. The grace appointed from eternity is accomplished in Christ and applied by the Spirit. Draw my faith, love, gratitude, and obedience upward toward the Triune God from whom every spiritual blessing comes.
- Chosen Unto Holiness, Not Away from It. You chose Your people that they should be holy and without blame before You in love. I adore You because Your eternal purpose reaches into the life and changes it. Every true fruit of faith, love, obedience, and perseverance is part of what Your grace produces. Let me marvel not only that You save from wrath, but that You fashion a people who increasingly bear the beauty of holiness before You.
Prayer (Adoration):
Blessed Father, I adore You for the eternal purpose of grace revealed in Jesus Christ.
Before the foundation of the world, before any work could be performed or any merit imagined, Your counsel stood. Salvation began in You, proceeded from You, and returns entirely to Your glory.
I worship You for choosing Your people in Christ. The Son stands at the heart of the whole purpose. In Him is redemption, righteousness, acceptance, holiness, and the sure hope of glory.
I adore You also for the work of the Holy Ghost, who brings into living experience what was eternally purposed. By His power faith is wrought, hearts are renewed, holiness is produced, and believers are preserved.
Your wisdom overwhelms me. I cannot search the depths of Your counsel; I can only receive what You have revealed and bow before the mystery of grace.
Your purpose does not leave Your people unchanged. You chose them that they should be holy and without blame before You in love. Every true act of faith, every labor of love, every perseverance in hope, and every movement toward holiness displays something of Your gracious work.
From eternal election to final glory, let my heart adore the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one God blessed forever.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Matt. 25:34; Eph. 5:27; Rom. 8:29; 1 Peter 1:2
[1] Francis Cheynell, The Divine Trinunity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, (London: T.R. and E.M. for Samuel Gellibrand .., 1650), 389-395.
