Chosen in Christ

Do you remember picking teams–and wondering if you were going to be the last one chosen? God doesn’t choose us for our good qualities, but because of his grace, as Paul points out in Ephesians 1:3–6.

Thank God that he chose you unconditionally. God chose you before the creation of the world. The teaching of election and the related concept of predestination are scary terms for many. They may feel loss of control. That may lead to distortions, such as describing election as God voting, Satan voting, and you casting the deciding vote! Perhaps fears like that gave rise to the teaching of Jacob Arminius and the Remonstrants. Arminius believed that God’s choice was based on his foreknowledge of man’s faith. The Synod of Dordt responded with the “U” of TULIP. The Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 20. But these reflect the Bible’s teaching of God’s gracious, unconditional choice. God’s choice took place in eternity, before the creation of the world, verse 4. God did not choose you because you are holy, but he chose you so that you will be holy. Faith grows out of God’s choice, rather than being its grounds, Acts 13:48; Romans 8:30; Ephesians 2:8–10. “Know” in Scripture is a rich term. It means more than to have an intellectual grasp. Rather, it is parallel to the concept of love, Amos 3:2.

Not only did he choose you, but God chose you in accordance with his pleasure. You were chosen in accordance with his will, verse 5. Recognize that God is God, acting according to his will, Romans 9:11–21. Who are you to question him? God’s choice of some involves his passing others by. Judgment, in the Bible, is always tied to our sins, but salvation is entirely of God’s grace. Remember, that if we got what we deserve, all of us would be condemned. The mystery of his will, according to his pleasure, is the salvation of his people, verses 9, 11. If we are dead in sin, if its corruption has affected our whole being (as the Word tells us), then our salvation depends, not on our efforts, but on God’s choice of us. The credit for your salvation goes to God.

“While verses 3–14 are broken down into five sentences in our translation, they are actually only one sentence in Greek –— stretching to over two hundred words! They constitute a doxology, a poem of praise to God for all the blessings of the gospel…. We speak well of the Lord (Blessed be… God) because in Christ, the Living Word, he has spoken well of (blessed) us.”

Sinclair B. Ferguson, Let’s Study Ephesians , p. 7

You are blessed with the Spirit. Paul’s references to “spirit” should usually be be capitalized, “Spirit.” These are not just non-physical blessing, not just some gifts given by the Spirit, but Paul is telling you that God’s gift is the Spirit. The spirit who hovered over creation is the Spirit who equipped the Messiah for his messianic work. He was powerfully involved in the resurrection of Jesus. And now he is the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8), who enables you to call God your Father.

Live to the praise of the God who chose you! Live holy and blameless lives as God’s children. Paul discusses election not in terms of some obscure theological speculation, but in a doxological setting. Paul blesses, praises, God, because God has blessed you in Christ, choosing you to be his child. One objection to the Bible’s teaching of election is that it lessens responsibility. Why should I obey if my salvation depends on God’s choice? But election ought to motivate you to a life of grateful obedience. God does not merely choose to save you from sin. He also chooses you to something. God has chosen you to be his adopted children.

“We must always bear in mind that God’s electing of us was in order to call us to holiness of life.”

John Calvin, Sermons on Ephesians, p. 36

You have been chosen for sonship. Children, have you ever wondered what it would be like to be born into a royal family? Each of us is God’s adopted son or daughter! You are a child of the King! Parents don’t put a three year old child out on the street because he is disobedient. Nor do they say, you were good today, today you can be my daughter. Rather, they want the child to obey because she is their daughter. God has chosen you to be his child. Now he expects you to live as his child, reflecting his glory in your life. As you look at how you spend your time this week, do it as one chosen to be God’s child. As you speak to one another (and about one another) remember that your words reflect on your heavenly family. Parent, as you lead and provide for your family, remember that you and they have been chosen to be God’s children. As you consider selecting a mate, as you contemplate a career, do it as God’s child. As you care for a family member, as you reflect on the length of your days, remember that you are God’s child, and you are still in his hands. As you go through difficult times, remember who has chosen you.

“As revealed to the apostle Paul concerning the divine pretemporal counsel, predestination is a family matter—the Father through the Son by the Spirit redeeming people for himself, a people that he creates by his covenantal grace to be his sons and daughters (2 Cor. 6:14–18)…. Coerced by none, the triune God works according to his infinite wisdom and by his own kind initiative to create his redeemed family. The perfectly purposed, accomplished, and applied redemption occurs exclusively out of divine pleasure and divine love.”

David B. Gardner, Sons in the Son: The Riches and Reach of Adoption in Christ, p. 63

God chose you in Christ. Notice how election is tied to Christ: “in him” verse 4, “through Christ Jesus” verse 5, “in the One he loves” verse 6. Salvation does not mean that you simply receive a benefit package from Christ. It means that you receive Christ himself. You are in him, and he in you. He is the One chosen by God, Isaiah 42:1, and you are chosen in him. It is in him that you have redemption through his blood. That means that the penalty for your guilt has been paid by his death in your place. That means that your sins no longer stand against you. All this is true as you trust in him. The obedience we just talked about is hard. But as you trust in Christ, you are not on your own. The incomparably great power of the risen Lord is at work in you, vv.19,20. How much power does it take to bring the dead Jesus to life? That power energizes your service! There is tremendous comfort in that. God chose you in his beloved Son. When life is difficult, remember that. When you have been tempted and have fallen, remember that God has chosen you. In Christ God has chosen, not just you, but also a great host. Election does not involve complacency in witnessing—it motivates faithful evangelism. Don’t try to second guess God. Your task is not to find the elect and witness to them. Your job is to speak and live as God’s child. Obey, and leave the results in his hand. As the church of Jesus Christ we are called to proclaim to covenant breakers the good news that Jesus Christ has undergone the curse of his death on the cross so that you might come to God and be his people.

What does election mean? That God in his grace has reached out from eternity and called you to be his child in Jesus Christ. What can your response be but praise–in your words and in your life!