“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.”
(John 17:1-2)
Before there was a cross in time, there was a covenant in eternity. Before there were sinners in need of mercy, there was a Savior appointed to give life. For Scripture is plain: God “has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). Kingdom believers will inherit what was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, but the decree appointing them to it was settled in the counsel of God before time. The place belongs to time’s beginning. The purpose belongs to eternity.[1]
Paul reinforces this again when he speaks of grace “given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Tim. 1:9), and of eternal life promised before time itself. These expressions are meant to anchor salvation in God’s unchanging will, that of Christ appointed as the chosen Servant, the Beloved in whom the Father is well pleased to give eternal life to as many as the Father had given Him.
Augustine captured it simply and clearly: “We were made within the world, but chosen before it.” Nothing in time explains why a sinner belongs to Christ. The explanation lies wholly in God’s eternal purpose, granting His mercy according to His sovereign will.
Some argue that decrees cannot concern persons who do not yet exist. But this statement disregards completely the nature of God and His decrees. God’s eternal purposes do not require creatures to exist in time; it is enough that they exist fully in His knowledge. For example, Christ is called a Lamb foreordained before the foundation of the world, long before His incarnation. Josiah and Cyrus were named and appointed generations before their birth. Even human history gives faint parallels, where authority is recognized before life has fully emerged. If this is possible among men, it is certainly so with God.
Therefore, Jesus prayed knowing exactly what lay ahead. He knew the cost. He also knew the certainty. Eternal life would be secured for God’s elect. The Father’s will would be accomplished. And glory would be returned through obedience and suffering.
Our salvation rests on God’s eternal purpose carried out by a willing, glorious Son. And for this we can be truly thankful.
Contemplations:
- Chosen before I existed. I tend to measure my faith based on my obedience and my failures. Yet I was not chosen because I would believe, but because You willed to give me to Christ. This truth draws me to worship and thanksgiving.
- Life given, not earned. Christ alone gives eternal life. And yet I often find myself thinking that I must maintain what I never produced. This passage reminds me that the same authority that governs all flesh is the authority that gives life.
- Names, not categories. I see how personal Your purpose is. Scripture speaks of names of those You have chosen written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, reminding me that You deal with persons, not abstractions, and that I am known personally by You.
- Confidence in Christ’s prayer. Jesus prayed this prayer in John 17 knowing the cross was next. And yet there was no hesitation in His words. If He could speak with such obedience and trust before suffering, I can learn to trust You and thank You even when I don’t yet see the outcome.
Prayer (Thanksgiving)
Father of glory, thank You for a salvation that did not begin with me and will not end with me. Thank You that before I ever asked, before I ever believed, before I ever existed, You had already purposed life in Christ for me.
Thank You for Your Son, who did not shrink back from the hour appointed for Him. He lifted His eyes and spoke with peace, knowing exactly what obedience would require. Thank You that His authority over all flesh was not used to escape suffering, but to secure eternal life for those given to Him.
Thank You that my hope does not rest on my consistency, my insight, or my strength but on Your promises made before the world began. When my faith feels weak, I thank You that Your purpose does not weaken. When my obedience falters, I thank You that Christ’s obedience did not. I am grateful that the foundation of my salvation is not found in time, but in eternity.
Thank You that You know Your people by name, that You know me fully, and that You knew me before I drew my first breath.
And thank You for the gift of eternal life, a present possession secured by Christ. I thank You that this life flows from the Father through the Son, according to Your unchanging will. Let my gratitude guide how I speak, how I serve, and how I endure.
Guard me from treating such grace casually. And when I am tempted to fear the future, remind me of the past that existed before time itself, where my salvation was already held secure in Christ.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for John 17:1-2:
John 11:41; Rom. 6:23; 1 John 2:25; John 17:9
[1] John Arrowsmith, A Chain of Theological Principles, (Coconut Creek, FL: Puritan Publications, 2012) Aphorism 5, Ex. 1.
